Jochebed And Moses: The Incredible Power of Active Faith
I have heard very little comments on Jochebed’s faith. In its quietness and
simplicity, it demonstrated an amazing depth and sincerety that moved God himself,
thereby bringing forth the most astounding results. It is indeed a tremendous
example of what we could accomplish with very little resources of our own, if
committed in prayer to Our Heavenly Father.
At the time the nation of Israel was going through the fires of affliction
heaped upon them by one of the most heartless and cruel dictators in history.
They were completely enveloped in hopelessness on a daily basis, because of
the cruel edict of this tyrant that every new born baby boy must be cast into
the river., How could they stand up to this monster, who was taking away their
strength? It was at this time that Jochebed gave birth to her son. It should
have been a time of rejoicing, but instead it was time of distress, because
she was flooded with expressions of fear, hopelessness and discouragement around
her. She was a woman of faith, because, unlike the others who only saw the power
and strength of Pharaoh, she kept her focus on the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God Jacob, who had clearly demonstrated his almighty powers to
their fathers.
The Problem was How Could She Prevail Against this Powerful Ruler? What indeed
could she do? where could she start, and how could she – a poor, insignificant
woman, with little or no resources – overcome the edict of this powerful dictator?
She thought of the papyrus from which boats were made - barely what was available
to her; she could make a sort of cradle with this, and seal it with pitch…..
then what? Beside this, there was a blank wall, beyond which she could not see.
Yes, even though Jochebed had her faith, the weakness of the flesh would have
surfaced from time to time, when daily looking hopefully for a sign from God
that her baby would be rescued, she saw distressingly, nothing.
Her God was More Powerful Than the Adversary, Pharaoh: This was her son, and
she would do what she could to save him, even though what she had was woefully
little, ridiculously inadequate, considering the crisis she faced. As the time
drew near for her to make a decision, she worked with it – the bulrushes and
the pitch - committing all to God. Finally, she prepared as best and as lovingly
as she could, and committed the cradle of bulrushes containing her precious
baby in the care of her Father. God, was certainly hearing the earnest prayers,
and beholding the anguish of this desperate mother. Moreover, greatly touched
by her simple act of faith, he was moved to “come down to deliver this baby”.
Jochebed had done as much as she could with what she had, and had left the rest
to him.
In recognition of Jochebed’s simple act of faith, Our Heavenly Father used
her down-to-earth ingenuity - that insignificant cradle - to raise out of it,
one of the most renowned leaders in history, even the conqueror that would eventually
defeat that very tyrant, who so cruelly oppressed his people, finally destroying
him in the sight of all the nations around. This is indeed a powerful example
for our benefit, on what we could accomplish when we place our focus and faith
in our LORD, rather than dwelling on our own meager strength and ability. Our
Present Challenge: We are faced with a huge problem – that of our brethren,
who through no fault of their own, have had to take refuge in camps, because
of cruel politics. We are aware of the undesirable living conditions of these
places, and the defenselessness, hopelessness, and despair of their occupants.
We, in this part of the world, only have to recall the horrid conditions of
the shelters provided for the Katrina hurricane victims, to have an idea of
the hardship and misery in which our brethren are living. Can we be comfortable
living with this knowledge of the on-going suffering of our brethren, without
making an effort to relieve them? Yes, I agree that it is a very complex situation
as every one has noted, and I would go further to admit that it is beyond our
capacity to handle it, humanly speaking. This is exactly the position that Jochebed
faced. She did not, however, give in to the hopelessness of our limitation like
the other people around her. She did what she could, with what she had, prayerfully,
diligently, faithfully committing her efforts to the Almighty, and he did the
rest. God does not leave us to struggle on our own.
When God commissioned Moses the daunting task of releasing his people from
the clutches of Pharaoh, he told him, “Certainly I will be with thee;….”. (Exodus
3: 12). When he summoned Cyrus, his anointed to rebuild his house, he told him,
“I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight: I will break in
pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:” (Isaiah 45:2).
It is the same God whom we serve to-day, and he will do the same for us, if
we commit this matter to him, and start with what we have, for the sake of our
brethren, who are his children too. Like Jochebed, we can start with small steps,
and gradually develop this operation. God did not create the world in a day,
neither did he deliver Israel in one day. He worked gradually, and we can follow
his example. The important thing is to begin this operation with a plan and
proceed in a diligent manner. We have many brethren, who have management skills,
and there are many who would be able to offer excellent ideas, We need a proactive,
ongoing programme aimed directly at resettling those brethren who are desirous
of living independently on their own. Because this problem is the result of
a chaotic world situation, its resolution should not be confined to one regional
group, but should be the concern of the brotherhood worldwide. It is such a
huge project, that it requires the joint effort of all the Christadelphian groups
working together, and including other capable brethren, praying fervently to
Our Heavenly Father for his guidance and his power, as we cannot do it on our
own. Even Cyrus, a king, could not do it on his own, and as God helped him,
so he will help us, if we will put our shoulders to the task in an effort to
bear the burdens that our refugee brethren are carrying. Ephesians 3: 20,21:
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the Church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen”
Together as we bear our brethren’s burden,
Esther Worrell