Last Updated on May 16, 2025
With all the craziness going on in our world right now, as moms we may often think, “There has never been a harder time in history to raise a child.”
But there is a mom in scripture who likely thought this very same thing and experienced it firsthand.
Though her name appears only twice in the Bible and none of her spoken words are recorded, her actions made a lasting impact. She may be overlooked, but her influence helped shape one of the greatest pillars of faith, and her legacy echoes throughout Scripture and history.
Her name is…Jochebed.
Jochebed, whose name means “Yahweh is my glory,” lived a life and stewarded motherhood in ways that glorified God through her discernment, protection, sacrifice, and faith, offering a model worth following.
For 400 years the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt, all because of Pharaoh’s fear of who they were and his false narrative and accusations of what they would do.
When the Hebrew slaves continued to grow great in number, Pharaoh sent out a proclamation commanding the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn Hebrew baby boys after birth. During this dark time, Jochebed and her husband, Amram, who were already parents to two older children, Aaron and Miriam, had a third child: a baby boy…named Moses. (ref. Exodus 1:1-2:10).
4 Lessons From Jochebed for Every Mom
1. She was a discerning Mom
Jochebed was keenly aware of the death order on newborn sons enforced by Pharaoh, the Israelites’ Egyptian enemy. She was not foolish, in denial, nor naive. She had a level of awareness about the attacks that were aimed at her son. She knew in trusting God, she had to find a way to protect her son’s life.
And as moms, it’s no different for us. We have to be discerning when it comes to the Enemy’s death order against our children.
What was Pharaoh and the Egyptians then, is Satan and the influence of the world for us now. As believers, striving to raise godly children, we need discernment from the Lord.
Discernment is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, and to make wise and spiritually sound decisions.
Discernment emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s guidance and relying on His wisdom to navigate life’s complexities. It even enables us to distinguish the differences between ‘good’ and God or in the words of Charles Spurgeon, what’s “right and almost right”.
There is a great responsibility with raising the next generation and Satan knows that. This is why discernment is so critical.
With discernment, we can see dangers that our children may not see and put up the appropriate guardrails and barriers to keep them safe–physically, mentally, emotionally, but most importantly, spiritually.
2. She was a protecting mom
Because Jochebed was aware of the plans and agenda of the enemy, Pharaoh, she moved into “mama bear” mode. Jochebed protected Moses by circumventing the edict intended to destroy her baby.
She hid him for three months, which is pretty challenging to do because babies (children in general) make A LOT of noise! They cry, yell, scream, coo, giggle and everything in between. When Jochebed realized she could no longer protect Moses through hiding, she strategized and executed another plan of protection. She made a waterproof basket, placed him in the Nile River, and stationed her daughter as a lookout.
Most mothers have a natural-born instinct to protect their children from dangers they can see. But what about spiritual dangers? The same way Jochebed strategized and executed plans of protection for Moses, as moms, we need to do the same when it comes to the spiritual well-being of our children.
One way we can protect them is by what we allow and do not allow. What we allow is what we approve of. We have to be mindful of what our kids are exposed to and be sure that they’re not exposed to anything without godly guidance and our redirection and protection.
3. She was a sacrificial mom
Jochebed was willing to do anything to keep her son alive—including placing her baby in a basket in the Nile River and trusting God with the unknown of where he would end up. Miraculously, the basket landed among the reeds of the river’s bank at the same time Pharaoh’s daughter happened to be there.
A beautiful part of Jochebed’s story is that she was hired and paid by Pharaoh’s daughter to raise her own son (now you can’t tell me God can’t work any situation out “for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28).
Because Jochebed was a dedicated Hebrew who followed the Lord’s commands, I can almost guarantee that during this time of raising her son, she was teaching him about God (ref. Deuteronomy 6:7-9).
Another expression of sacrificial love from Jochebed is that she re-released Moses back to Pharaoh’s daughter to live in the home of the very man who decreed the death order against him. Jochebed modeled total surrender and trust in the Lord. I am certain that was not an easy thing to do. But once again, she was willing to do anything to keep her son alive, including her son being raised in the home of the enemy of their nation.
It’s likely we won’t have this same exact experience as Jochebed. But our children are living in a world ruled by the enemy of our souls, Satan.
Like Jochebed, we have to trust God with our children. As hard as it is for us to sometimes grasp or understand, God does love them more than we could ever.
Most moms naturally sacrifice for their children’s physical needs – we put our children’s well-being above our own. But how often do we make courageous sacrifices for their spiritual well-being?
Jochebed’s sacrifices for Moses required deep trust in the Lord. As sacrificial moms, we must do the same—trust God with our children and love them as He directs. Like Jochebed, we must show unwavering love and dedication, nurturing their safety, growth, and spiritual development as the Lord leads.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
– Proverbs 22:6
4. She was a faith-filled mom
There was a deeper driving force that was greater than just Jochebed’s love for her baby boy. It was her love and trust in the eternal God.
“Moses’ parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king’s command.”
– Hebrews 11:23 NIrv
Jochebed trusted the God of Israel more than the king of Egypt, exemplifying courage and steadfast faith in God’s providence and promises. Her trust in God’s guidance and protection for her son was extraordinary, and like Jochebed, you and I can also have faith that God will guide and protect our children.
Though her faith was strong, Jochebed was still human, likely feeling every emotion as she prayed fervently for her son’s protection through each stage of his life.
But through her devotion, she rose above the evil around her with her infectious courage to fear God instead of man and solely trust in Him. Her example paved the way for Moses. Jochebed didn’t give into Pharaoh’s commands and her son would do the same thing many years later.
Jochebed was also an everyday mom who used the resources she had in her hands (a papyrus basket, tar and pitch), to make a faith move on behalf of her child. The Lord performed a great miracle with her resources. And again, years later, Moses would do the same and use what was in his hands – his staff – to do God’s wonders and miracles (ref. Exodus 4:2).
It’s clear that Jochebed’s steadfast faith helped to shape each of her children’s lives. Of course they were not perfect, but God used them to do great things for His glory. Moses delivered the Hebrews from slavery, Aaron was appointed high priest and Miriam was leader for the Hebrew women (ref Exodus 15:20-21, 28:1).
Faith-filled mothers often pave the way for faith-filled children.
Remember…
In the midst of raising our children in this chaotic world, the important thing for us as moms is not so much who we are, but what we do to meet life’s challenges and responsibilities that come our way. These lessons from Jochebed can help.
Will we be discerning, sacrificial, faith-filled mothers like Jochebed? Will we ask ourselves, “What Would Jochebed Do?”
Blog Acknowledgment:
You know, it pays to have opportunities to experience great church leadership and to take sermon notes because you never know when you’ll need it to write a blog like this. A special thanks to Pastor Jason Powell of Jesus City Church in Montgomery, Alabama, for his impactful Mother’s Day 2024 sermon, which has stayed with me and inspired this entry.