Mother’s Day Sermon: 1 Man, 7 Women

So, first of all… Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers out there! 

Today we’re going to look at a Biblical story that celebrates women… not just mothers (although there’s a few in the story), we’ll be looking at women who have “mothered” in many senses of the word.

We’re going to read one person’s story from a perspective that you may not have considered before. It’s the story of one very famous Biblical man… whose life was literally saved by seven women. One man. Seven women.

Any guesses of who that man is?…

It’s the man who spoke for God, saying, let my people go…

Moses, the man who led the people out of Egypt, would not have lived long enough to do much of anything if it wasn’t for seven women who stepped in and saved his life.

Okay, so, who are the seven women?… we’re going to explore their stories! Starting with two midwives.

#1&2: Midwives, Shiphrah & Puah

Okay… just for fun, I thought I’d tell some stories of the influential women in my life. As an avid amateur genealogist, I love the stories of so many of my ancestral grandmothers. Phoebe Sophia Smith Beyea my great great grandmother. She was a midwife in Kings County New Brunswick, who had a hand in almost all the births of her community. She was well loved in the community and in her own family, as a kind and generous woman. When it came to having my own children, I was fortunate enough to have midwives for their births and it was a really rewarding experience. So I have a soft spot for the two midwives in the Exodus story.

These two midwives were exceptional, but we don’t know if they were Egyptian or Hebrew… there’s a fair amount of debate on this topic, for those of us who want to get nerdy about such things! Either way, they knew that eugenics (selective breeding) was wrong. Murdering a race that was deemed inferior was wrong. It’s a nasty business and completely un-Godly. 

Every human, regardless of race or gender, was made to bear the image of God. Murder kills God’s image, and these two midwives refused to do it.

So we’ve got these two women, Shiphrah and Puah, who refuse to murder. They help bring life into the world, not death. But they have to be tricky with Pharaoh… so they concoct a story:

Exodus 1:15-22

Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah; and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?”

The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”

So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, you are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.” 

So Moses is born and the midwives do not kill him… and they find an excuse to tell Pharaoh why they “can’t” kill any of the Hebrew children… the Hebrew women are too quick to give birth. They never see the child and they can’t kill what they don’t see. 

Without these women, Moses would be dead. They were instructed to kill Moses, but they refused.

This takes us to our next woman rescuer… 

#3: Mother Jochebed (Yokeved)

Okay, quick nod to my Mum, because it is Mother’s Day, after all. Mum was the first to teach me that there was a God who loved me, and that I was created, like everyone else, to do good things in this world. I owe my Mum everything!

Moses’ mother believed that, as well, about her infant son. By the way, the early account does not give us her name. Her name, and the name of her husband, is recorded later in Exodus (6:20) and in Numbers (26:59), as Jochebed (or, in Hebrew) Yokeved, wife to Amran. 

Yokeved’s little baby was not out of the woods yet. The midwives may have saved him, but when they told their excuse to Pharaoh, he made a new commandment that everyone in his kingdom was to follow:

Exodus 1:22, 2:1-4

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, you are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.” 

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful good [tov], he hid him for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket [ark: tevah] and covered it with tar and pitch. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. 

So Yokeved’s son, this little infant, was expected to be killed by the people. Anyone could come in and kill him, but his mother, Yokeved (wife to Amran a Levite), did the only thing she could to give him a chance for life.

The verse says that when she saw he was “beautiful”, she hid him. That’s not exactly what the text said. The word is GOOD. Yokeved saw that Moses was TOV (good), not beautiful. It’s not like she said, if the baby’s ugly he could go, but he’s beautiful so I’ll keep him alive. NO! She saw that this little bundle of creation was GOOD. 

That’s an interesting choice of words! What did God say on every day of creation? It was good. Yokeved said the same thing about her son… He is God’s creation and he is good! So she does as Pharaoh requires; she puts her son into the river Nile, but she places him in a “coffin”.

Did I just say coffin? Yes, I did. 

Your translation may say ark or basket. The Hebrew word is tevah. It’s the same word used for Noah’s Ark… and it’s a loan word from Egypt, which literally means, “coffin”. Yokeved placed Moses in a little floating coffin, hoping he would rise from the dead, because she knew God could do anything. So she placed Moses into the Nile and she sent her older daughter to watch what happened to the tiny coffin floating on the river. His mother’s actions saved Moses’ life.

This takes us to…

#4: Sister Miriam

I have no biological sisters, but I have many sisterly friends! Two of my closest are Anji and Natasha. By all intents and purposes, they are my sisters and confidants, and I’m extremely thankful for them.

Moses had a lot to be thankful when it came to his sister Miriam. Miriam would go on to be a big part of Moses’ life throughout his adulthood, but his adulthood only came about because seven women (including Miriam) were courageous and outspoken enough to save him. Miriam stands out as one of the most courageous. So let’s pick up the story:

Exodus 2:4-5

And his sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her female attendants walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave woman, and she brought it to her.  

This takes us to…

#5: The Egyptian Maidservant 

Shoutout to this next woman in my life: Joan Sider was God’s good and faithful servant. She lived her life as a servant to children. She was a teacher and during the summers, she was the Church Camp director where I attended as a teen and then worked as a camp counsellor. Joan had a prolific affect on my growing up… and there was no one I wanted to please more, every summer, than Joan. I sought her approval and she lovingly reciprocated with kindness and encouragement. I admired her, and she really was an exceptional role model. After she retired as camp director, she devoted her life as a missionary to Haiti, where she helped children who needed life-saving operations come to Canada to get the medical help they needed. In the picture she is with Curtis, one of the children that came to Canada for brain surgery. He called her Mama Joan! Joan, to me, was proof you didn’t have to get married and have kids to be a mothering woman.  Two weeks ago Joan went to be with the Lord… and although I was tearful when I heard the news that she passed away, I was also so very happy for her… to be in the Presence of YHWH was exactly where she wanted to be. I can only imagine her joy!

The Egyptian servant in the story of Moses was the one who rescued and removed him from the waters that were meant to take his life. She removed him from the chaos waters, opened the coffin and presented him to royalty. This is exactly what Joan did for many children. This is what it means when you lead people to Jesus. You take them away from the chaos, and you remove the chains of death, and present them to the King of all kings.

Let’s continue the story:

Exodus 2:6-10

When she opened it, she [the Princess] saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew women, so that she may nurse the child for you?”

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.”

So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.”

So the woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” 

Technically her servant drew him out of the water, but the Princess ordered the commandment to do so. Note, that Moses was not his Hebrew name. It was his adoptive Egyptian mother that named him! In Hebrew Moses means “to draw out” (of the water), but in Egyptian it means “born of” or “son of”. For example, Rameses (Ra-m’s’s) means “son of Ra” or “born of Ra”.

So, our next woman who saved Moses was…

#6: The Princess of Egypt

The Egyptian Princess had the right to refuse this infant his life. She could have let him drown. Really, she was expected to do just that! But she was bold, she was empathetic, and she knew what she wanted… she wanted this baby to live. She wanted to raise him as her own son. This was the only way Moses could safely become an adult. 

The next influential woman in my life was someone who was strong, outspoken, and who did exactly what she wanted to do… and everything she wanted to do was for the LORD. Ruth Snider with her husband, Charlie, showed me how a marriage partnership, with God at the centre, could be an alliance of great strength… a royal couple, if you will. Ruth was my pastor when I was a teen and a personal example to me, that a woman can preach and be a leader in the church, and do it well! She was someone who kept telling me, by example, that she believed in my God-given gifts, and that God had a plan for me. She also gave me responsibilities that I never thought I could do, but she acted like she had complete confidence in me, even when I had zero confidence in myself. At the age of 18 she hired me to manage her side business, which was the Canadian warehouse for the teddy bear company, Boyd Bears. She gave all the profits of that business to charity, and I gained confidence in a leadership role, purely because she believed in me and made me believe in myself. As an 18 year old, to be told that I was capable, and responsible, and mature enough to do important jobs, gave me confidence beyond my young years.

Both Ruth and Charlie devoted their lives to God. Charlie started a company called Maintenance for Missions. He went wherever there was a need to get things fixed or built, in struggling countries. In Sierra Leone, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ecuador, he built wells, constructed and installed hydro-electric generators, and fixed hospital equipment. If it was broken, Charlie did what he could to fix it for free. Together Ruth and Charlie were an example of a couple who took action to help those in need. They knew they had privileges (much like the Princess) and they used those privileges to help others.

Alright, we’ve finally made it to the seventh woman…

#7: Zipporah, wife to Moses

My grandmother, Ewilda Elizabeth Beyea Fisher, was quiet, observant, and intelligent. She was one of 9 children, 6 of those being daughters! My grandmother was a masterful card player, with sharp wit and I could just sit and listen to her stories all day. In fact, I fell in love with studying family history because of the stories she told. She also had a way of making me feel special in her presence… like she had all the time in the world just for me.

Zipporah, wife to Moses, was one of the seven daughters of the Midianite priest Jethro. She was also the seventh rescuer of Moses. How did she rescue him? Well, it’s one of the most bizarre stories in the Bible. But first, a little backstory. Moses grew up in the royal household in Egypt, but one day he saw a Hebrew slave being attacked and Moses killed the aggressor. Accused of murder, he fled and found himself in Midianite territory. There, at a well, he met the seven daughters of Jethro. He fell in love with Zipporah, and they were married. One day, God faced Moses and told him that he would have to return to Egypt to rescue the Hebrew people. Let’s pick up the story:

Exodus 4:18-20, 24-26

Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

Now YHWH had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand… 

…Now at a lodging place along the way, YHWH met Mosesf and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.

So YHWH let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)

There is so much to unpack in this story, but we are not going to go there today. Mainly because, who wants to talk about foreskins on Mother’s Day?! Suffice it to say, the main issue, here, seems to be that Moses wasn’t “walking the walk”. How do you lead God’s people without following God’s commandments? That’s being a hypocrite. Jewish men were to be circumcised, and Moses had not circumcised his son. God was not pleased.

You’re either “all in” or you’re not “in at all”. There is no room for hypocrisy in this faith. You cannot ask others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and then not follow them yourself. 

So Zipporah made the move and saved the life of Moses from the wrath of God. She recognized exactly what needed to be done, and she did it without hesitation. She fixed things up so they could continue on the path that led them back to Egypt, to set the slaves free. She got her family safely into Egypt so that Moses could lead the suffering servants out of Egypt, and on their way to the Promised Land.

So, the conclusion: it takes seven women to save the life of one man. It’s worth mentionin that no men came to Moses’ rescue in the early years of his life. The influence of women on the early years of this child’s life was incredible. 

Now, according to the Creation account, God created women to be ezers. 

Genesis 2:18

Then YHWH God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him an ezer suitable for him.” 

The word ezer means ally and rescuer. The word is used most frequently to describe God. God is an ezer… He’s not a “helper”… He is an ally and a rescuer. When people are in need, He comes running. Women were made an ally for men… not helpers, not side-kicks… but allies and rescuers. 

This early Exodus text is an example of SEVEN ezers… allies who came in and got the job done. They raised up the man who would bring the people to the Promised Land. Without their interventions, this would not have happened. It happened because it’s the way God designed it to happen.

Motherhood is a massive example of being an ezer… we are to be allies and advocates for our children. And women, we need to do this, not just for our own children. We need to be advocates for every human who bears the image of God, which is EVERY human. 

Whether you’re a mother or not, women and men should be allies, rescuers, and advocates on God’s behalf. We are to bring joy to the suffering and love to the loveless. We are to be an ally to the down-trodden (like the Princess and her maidservant), and resilient against hypocrisy (like Zipporah), standing up against those who bully others (like the midwives opposing Pharaoh). We are all to be a shining example of what is right, and just, and good (like Yokeved and Miriam). To stand up against injustice is a tall order, but Jesus shows us that it can be done. It comes with high risk, but great reward. 

The story of these seven women in the life of Moses shows us that women have a bigger part to play in the Bible than we tend to give them credit for.  

I also recognize that these women that I’ve discussed (Phoebe, Mum, Anji, Natasha, Joan, Ruth, and Gramma), have a bigger part in my life than I give them credit for. Perhaps today can be a day of reflection for you to remember all the women who really made a positive difference in your life… not just your mothers, but any woman who has been a figure of support, teaching, and kindness in your life…that helped get you to where you are today. Moses needed seven women to survive. Make a list… who are your seven women?