Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
As they hid that child, I think about how difficult that would be. Babies cry when they’re hungry, and I can only imagine the horror and fear they must have felt each time he cried. They realized they wouldn’t be able to hide him for much longer. As he grew older, he would start to walk, and soon enough, there would be no controlling him. He would be rolling around, slipping out from under the covers. Before long, he would be walking and wanting to go outside to play with the other children. There was simply no hope of caring for him in their house any longer. She wanted to protect him, but she had done everything she could.
Mothers teach their children as they grow; they instruct them about God. Mothers are particularly equipped for this purpose, uniquely prepared to share tenderly the principles of how God created them, how God loves them, and how they are meant to be. Mothers guide their children on how to obey instructions, follow orders, and respond when called. They instill respect for authority through discipline. Mothers teach how to communicate appropriately and how not to, but there are some lessons that only a mother can impart. They show what true unconditional love looks like. They teach kindness, compassion, and grace. Above all else, mothers protect their children: shielding them from harm, sorrow, and danger.
Moses’s mother reached a point where she could no longer care for him, forcing her to give up her child long before most parents typically face such a choice. Generally, you have 18 years. Parents must relinquish their children, entrusting them to God. You always knew the purpose wasn’t for them to remain with you forever. The goal is for them to grow up, leave home, get married, and start families of their own. Yet, letting go can be challenging because you want to protect them. You wish to keep them close, but they must move on and live their own lives. Nothing can change that. However, Moses’s mother had to part with him when he was only 3 months old because she could do no more to safeguard him. As she crafted that cradle, that ark of bulrushes, no boat was ever cared for as tenderly as that little vessel was. She shaped it and sealed it inside and out to ensure it was watertight. She created a small lid for it, then took it down and placed it in the river. She trusted God to provide what she could no longer offer in protection. She placed him in that ark and set him down in that river, surrounded by some of the fiercest crocodiles on earth. Yet, she had faith that God would look after him, that God would protect him, and He did.