Faith Has the First Word

In Exodus chapter 1, Moses introduces us to his mother and gives us the context in which his story will emerge. He begins with a brief description of how bad it was for the Hebrews.

The first blow was to put the Hebrews into slavery. The Pharaoh continued to be afraid of the Israelites. His next plan was to kill their male babies before they could become men. He instituted a law requiring all boy babies to be put to death.

Imagine the heartache, fear, and uncertainty each Hebrew woman faced as her rounded belly grew. The Nile River was to consume their baby boys, and all of Egypt would carry out these deathly demands.

Despite the work, service, bitterness, death, and fear, God’s people continued to grow. God was going to raise up, among these poor, desolate, and pitiful people, a man who would lead them from slavery to absolute freedom.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Heartache, confusion, and many story shifts would need to happen to make this come true. For now, let’s take a look at Moses’s mother, born into slavery, but designed by God to be the one to have faith.

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command” (Hebrews 11:23).

This verse says Moses’s mother and father both had faith enough to keep the baby alive. This is the only verse that gives us a glimpse into Moses’s parents’ belief. They saw he was beautiful. God somehow had whispered to their hearts, “Keep this child alive.”

And so Jochebed hid her baby. In an act of faith, she nurtured, loved, and cared for Moses for three months after his birth, keeping his existence a secret. When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she placed him in a basket in the river and walked away, trusting God with whatever would happen next.

This was her act of faith: even if fear was present, she still believed God had a purpose. We can’t know why she chose this nor what ultimately she believed would happen. But we know that her faith, according to Hebrews, was not rooted in fear.

This woman believed God had a purpose for her and her family. When doubt threatened to flood her heart, she made an ark of faith. With her example, you too can find the faith to stand against the river of disappointment, uncertainty, and rearranged plans. When your story shifts, it doesn’t have to shipwreck your faith.