Jochebed: The Forgotten Heroine of Faith

Usually, when we think of the great women of faith in the bible, our minds turn to Deborah, or Ruth, or Esther, or Mary the mother of Jesus. These women are truly notable pillars of faith in the stories of redemption throughout the pages of Scripture. But what about the almost minuscule mention of a woman whose act of faith shattered the enemy’s plan to annihilate the whole nation of God’s people through whom Jesus, the redeemer of all mankind would come?

Her name is not even mentioned with her astounding heroics. You will find that name squeezed into a long list of family blood-lines four chapters after her profound story is told. But praise the Lord for a woman named Jochebed. Perhaps you don’t even know her by her name. But you will know her by her deeds.

And her story of faith is so radical, and her obedience so extraordinary, it would change the entire course of history for the whole world–the magnitude of which set the powers of darkness and the Kingdom of Heaven into a collision course. And so glorious was the outcome that angels of heaven sing about it in the book Revelation. (Revelation 15:3)

You know the story. It is one of a poor, oppressed woman staring into the face of evil and denying any authority that evil might have in her life, and listening instead to the voice of a mighty God. Her future was bleak and dark, and her people were enslaved to an oppressive, fear-mongering dictator whose edict was implemented to kill her new-born son.

But though her actions to save her son would appear to be his demise, she proceeded on, relying completely on her trust in a power greater than any danger or fear. Her courageous faith not only saved her son’s life, but set him on a course to eventually lead millions of Israelites out of the bondage of slavery, and save the nation through which the Messiah would come.

Even the name given to her son would be given by another “mother”. This other mother would be the daughter of Pharaoh, the very man whose edict Jochebed was defying. Pharaoh’s daughter would give the baby the name Moses, meaning “I drew him out of the water.” And that name describes the story of a mother desperate to save her son who through the amazing provision of God would come to be called, Moses.

The details as to why this child was drawn out of the water are testament to a mother’s insane love, incredible courage and radical faith. In Exodus 2:1-10, the story unfolds. Her son was born at a time when Pharaoh had issued a decree that every Hebrew son born should be thrown at birth into the Nile river.

Fear Not Jochebed

Thousands of years later, the book of Hebrews tells us that “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Hebrews 11:23). SHE WAS NOT AFRAID. She was a revolutionary in every sense of the word. A super-hero believing in the God of miracles and proving to herself and to the world for ages to come that no evil scheme of the enemy, or edict from hell could defeat her. And the means through which she would ultimately save her son, some would call crazy.

The Bible tells us, “But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” (Exodus 2:3). The Nile?? The Nile River is not a babbling brook or trickling stream. It swells and rages at will. And what about the Crocodiles? Would a pitiful basket save Moses from those mighty jaws of death?

But it wasn’t the basket that saved Moses. Nor was his salvation dependent on the river’s tide. His fate was determined by the Commander of the tide and the Creator of the creature. His salvation was wrought by the hand of a gracious, loving and magnificent God who sees.

The God who sees through eternity considers the mustard seed faith as faith that can move mountains. He considers frail and feeble attempts to obey as mighty acts of righteousness. And he moves swiftly to rescue, using the most unlikely means and vessels for his purpose, as he did when using Pharaoh’s daughter to rescue Moses from the river and raise him in a house of royalty.

And because God saw the incredible act of a heroine and the cradle of faith she created, God chose to exalt her son to be the deliverer of His people, and the deliverer of his message–laws which would set the stage and make evident the need for a Savior. That Savior would come through the nation of people destined to be annihilated were it not for a mother’s courageous faith. In tenderly weaving reeds and covering them with tar, all the while trusting that God was in control, she was victorious over evil. And this basket–though it wasn’t much–was all she had. And in a way, she threw her son into the hands of a living and powerful God, and completely loosened her grip from him, knowing that in the unseen Hands of God was the safest and best place her son could be. What a faith! And now the song of Moses and the Lamb rings throughout the corridors of Heaven.

And what does this say to me? I was born an illegitimate child. Born to a mother fraught with poverty and oppressed by Satan’s evil plan. But as God would have it, a loving man came out of nowhere and married my mother and raised me as his own. He raised me to be strong and courageous and loving. I watched God transform him and saw first-hand what a life surrendered totally to Jesus looks like.

Faith Like Jochebed

I learned more than I realized. And then, as I experienced abuse for 30 years at the hand of the minister I married, I would lean on those teachings and find stability and strength and resilience. But just as God, in his perfect time, delivered His people out of bondage and slavery, God delivered me out of the horrors of abuse. And now, though I have no “breeding” to speak of and no notoriety that sets me apart, He is using my story to be a voice for others bound in the prison of abuse and is helping me to speak light into the darkness. I think back on all those days of suffering, and if it helps one woman, it is worth it all.  I know it was all a part of His plan of deliverance.

I think of Jochebed as she wove that basket in defiance of evil. I am convinced she knew through the eye of faith that in spite of all obstacles, God was going to move mightily. Though she suffered, she would one day count it all worth it, for it was all a part of His plan of deliverance. And because of this, she is a heroine of faith. No, she is not forgotten. And I strive every moment for a faith like Jochebed.

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Michele Armstrong

Author/Speaker at Hope Glimmering

Michele Armstrong lives in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee with her country-boy husband whom she adores. Her 2 sons and their families are her treasures, and she loves hearing the name “Mimi” because it means she gets to cuddle and snuggle and giggle with her beautiful granddaughter. When she is not writing or speaking, you can find her watching classic black and white movies perhaps indulging in her favorite guilty pleasure—donuts with sprinkles. Her motto is: “Embrace joy and leave a bit of sparkle wherever you go.” Her blog hopeglimmering.com gives a glimpse into her own personal experience with 30 years of marital abuse by a minister. She will be the first to give credit to God for transforming her from victim to victor, and her passion is to empower and inspirewomen to overcome difficult obstacles through the amazing grace, unconditional love, and incredible healing power of Jesus Christ.

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• Jochebed: The Forgotten Heroine of Faith - May 3, 2018