Jochebed & Miriam : The Strategists

Exodus 2:1-10 (NKJV)

Many people have seen the movie the Prince of Egypt. And if you haven’t seen it, you’ve probably heard the late great Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey sing “there can be miracles when you believe.” It’s a fantastic film sharing the account of Moses’s life, but there is one scene that really grinds my gears.

In the film, when Moses was a baby, his mother Jochebed puts him in a basket and send him sailing down the Nile River so that he may escape the wrath of Pharaoh, who is trying to kill all the Israelites’ baby boys.

It’s a heart wrenching and anxiety riddled scene as his mother lets go of the basket, and putting her trust in the river, she lets it drift down the Nile to confront fishing nets, ships, and alligators before peacefully floating into Pharaoh’s daughter’s bathing room.

And while this makes for good television and displays God’s sovereignty over nature, it most certainly discredits the true heroines’ roles in the process and replaces God’s sovereignty over people. Surely, God’s sovereignty can and has been shown through His divine orchestration and appointment of people. Sometimes I think we don’t have a problem finding ways God used men to accomplish His purposes, but we struggle with applying the same liberty to finding ways God used women.

Well, I’m here to give credit and honor where it is due. Moses’s mother and sister, Jochebed and Miriam, were strategically placed in Moses’s life by God Himself to handle the task ahead of ensuring the deliverer of Israel’s survival. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you!

First, I will point out that no where in the Scriptures does it say that Jochebed sent the basket to float freely down the Nile. It does however specifically state that she placed the basket in the reeds of the river bank (Exodus 2:3). This would’ve been a place where people come to bathe. It was strategic, it was intentional and most certainly this is what happened.

Pharaoh’s daughter comes down to the river bank, sees the basket and gets her servant to bring the basket to her. Incidentally it seems, Pharaoh’s daughter has compassion and takes the baby as her own. Interesting…

Now you may say it was coincidence that Pharaoh’s daughter came down at that time and she happened to have a compassionate heart, but I think not. I suggest that Jochebed intentionally placed the basket in a place Egyptians are known to bathe, especially Pharaoh’s daughter. She goes through the trouble of making the basket waterproof and finding spot to place him. I find it hard to believe she didn’t have an expectation on who would find it. But the bible doesn’t say this explicitly, so I can’t say definitively.

But let’s talk further…Miriam hid watching the basket to see what would happen. And when Miriam sees that Pharaoh’s daughter likes the baby, she approaches royalty to ask the princess if she would like to have one of the Hebrew women nurse the baby. So, who does Miriam end up getting? Jochebed, their mother, to nurse her own child. This is very quick and intelligent thinking on Miriam’s end.

Here’s the thing, Miriam (who I’m sure was way older than what is portrayed in the movie and in our coloring books – based on her speech) was either really bold or already knew Pharaoh’s daughter, perhaps both. She approached royalty and gave her ideas and suggestions on what to do with the baby. And if Miriam did know the princess, then it would explain why Jochebed places the baby in the reeds in the riverbank waiting for the princess to come along and hopefully take mercy on her son. Again, I can’t say definitively because the Bible doesn’t say explicitly.

But regardless of whether Miriam and Jochebed knew Pharaoh’s daughter prior, this exemplified boldness and strategy on their part. I can’t say that all the women during this time would be so tenacious and risk taking as they. I don’t know many right now who would do what they did.

You may say, “well this diminishes God’s sovereignty,” but I say it exemplifies it. A risk taking and resourceful mother, a quick-thinking sister, and a compassionate princess all appointed by God Himself to facilitate the deliverance of Israel. No, this is God showing off. This is God saying, “look how I use people to accomplish My Will on this Earth.”

Let’s not discredit these women for their courage and love. Let’s glorify God and His equality in using both men and women alike to accomplish His tasks on the Earth.

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