May 14, 2023
I watched a documentary movie called, the Elephant Whisperers. It takes place in a nature preserve in India. They have a problem when a baby elephant is orphaned, the government has tried in the past to help it survive. But they have never been successful. These are Indian elephants, which are a little smaller than African elephants. The government decided to put a man named Bomman in charge of taking care of a 3-month-old, orphaned elephant named Ragu. Bomman takes care of Ragu. He washes him in the river. He talks to Ragu all the time. He scolds him: “Don’t lose your bell like you did. I had to go looking for it!” Ragu wears a big bell around his neck so that if he is lost, they can find him. A woman named Bellie is also given the job of taking care of the baby elephant. They feed Ragu and make sure he eats. They talk to him just like he is a human child. Bellie even sleeps in a shack, with Ragu on the other side of the fence. She sleeps with an elephant. Does the elephant survive? Here’s the spoiler alert: there is a happy ending.
It’s amazing these two people dedicate themselves to around the clock care of, and living with, a baby elephant.
On Mother’s Day, the idea of someone dedicating themself to around the clock care of a child, that’s a mother’s job description, right? And Dad too. Today we want to especially honor mothers and all the women who nurture and help us grow.
Mothers are heroes. Researchers asked presidents, sports stars, and other famous people, who is your number one hero, who helped you become who you are? The number 1 answer is “My mother!” Mom is the one who protects and nurtures you, teaches you, she’s the cheerleader who picked you up when you were down, believed in you. Mom taught you to be kind and do the right thing and what life is all about. Presidents and other famous people chose their mom as their hero because that’s who most of us claim as our hero! Thanks Mom! Dad’s great too. He was the number 2 answer!
Today we’ll talk about some women in the Bible who saved the day. There is a hero in the Bible, known as Moses. Moses was chosen by God to go to King Pharoah in Egypt and tell him, God says, let my people go! Free them from slavery! And here’s another spoiler alert: God through Moses frees the people! Moses becomes a hero! But there almost wasn’t a hero named Moses! Today we’re going to look at all the women who saved Moses.
Exodus 1 tells us that King Pharoah of Egypt began to think there were too many of the Hebrew people. He was afraid of their strength. So, he made them slaves. He subjected them to hard labor and crushed their spirits. But even though they were now slaves, they still multiplied and grew more numerous. Pharoah’s plan didn’t work!
So, Pharoah came up with a plan that was even more cruel! He said to the midwives who helped women give birth, if a woman gives birth to a boy, kill him! But if they give birth to a girl, let her live. Shiphrah and Puah were the midwives. They did not do what Pharoah told them. They told Pharoah, “Oh, the Hebrew women are so healthy they give birth before the midwives arrive! And God blessed Shiphrah and Puah because they risked their lives to obey God and save babies. Shiphrah and Puah are the first Sheroes of the story of Moses. They refused to follow Pharaoh’s orders. Because of them, the male babies lived.
Then Pharoah came up with a third plot, because he didn’t like the Hebrews and wanted to do them in. Pharoah said every baby boy born to the Hebrews has to be thrown into the river. But the baby girls could live. Pharoah was evil! But one mother, Jochebed, decided she would NOT throw her baby boy into the river. Instead, she would hide him. She hid him for three months, but when she couldn’t hide him any longer, Jochebed had her own plan. She put her baby boy in a basket in the river! Jochebed told her daughter to watch and see what would happen.
It just so happened that Pharoah’s daughter was bathing in the river. She saw the basket, opened it, and saw the baby boy and felt sorry for him. The baby’s sister asked Pharoah’s daughter, do you want me to find a nurse for the baby? And Pharoah’s daughter said, ‘Yes!” So, the baby’s sister took this baby back to her mother, who got to raise him until he was weaned. Then the baby went back to be raised by Pharaoh’s’ daughter. And she named him Moses!
There were at least five women who saved baby Moses from death: Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives. Moses’ birth mother: Jochebed. Moses’ sister, Miriam. And the most unlikely hero: Pharoah’s daughter! At risk to their own lives, they rescued Moses. These women are the SHEroes, who saved baby Moses, so he could grow up to be a hero!
There’s a quote by L.R. Knost: “It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.
The women who saved Moses knew that children are wonderful, and we should protect them! They believed in kindness and compassion when there was terrible cruelty in the world.
Moses knew that he was Hebrew. He knew that he could have been killed as a baby. If anyone knew their mother was a hero, Moses did! His birth mother and his adoptive mother saved him from death.
My challenge this week is for you to think of who your hero is. Who helped you become who you are today? Give thanks to God for them!
Today we give thanks to the heroes that helped make us who we are. We are grateful to God for those who make sure that children, the most vulnerable among us, are loved, nurtured, taught, believed in, and protected. Amen
Maureen Duffy-Guy's blog 