pramsay posted on October 23, 2008 02:52
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Sheltering Little Mo
“But he can barely walk! Are you seriously signing him up for hockey too? Why don’t you let Moses relax a little! Isn’t Taekwondo, gymnastics, soccer, archery, voice lessons, swimming, pre-kindergarten classes, his four-wheeler, his miniature dirt-bike, little snowmobile and Sunday School enough for him?”
Can’t you see Amram and Jochebed awake at night, wondering what else they could enroll Moses in!
“Dear, I’m afraid Moses is going to be bored and deprived of many things. We want to raise a well-rounded boy not a loser. If he’s ever going to make it in this world, he needs to get a taste of as many things as we possibly can squeeze into his day.”
“You’re right Amram. We want to raise a winner!”
Be sure of this, Moses’ parents never had such a discussion! Their over-riding concern was to shelter Moses from the lifestyles of Egypt with a view to him becoming a man that God could use. They didn’t push him out into the currents of the mighty Nile.
Pharaoh’s order to throw all the Hebrew male infants into the river was cruel. Amram and Jochebed did everything they could to shelter their infant Moses. Like many Godly parents do, they would talk and sing about the true God to Moses, even though he was so young.
The time came when baby Moses could no longer be hid. Watch the parents as they carefully select the reeds to build the most water-tight basket-boat ever built to house their cherished possession – their boy! They left nothing to chance. They took every precaution. With tears and prayers they gently set the little boat afloat among the reeds growing at the edge of the great river. And then the worried watch started. Even sister Miriam did her part in carefully watching and intervening wisely.
When the Egyptian princess hired mama Jochebed to care for the infant, we can only imagine the mother’s thrill to have her boy back in her arms and in their safe haven. They knew their opportunities to influence the little boy would be short lived. Every decision they made, every instruction they gave and every spare moment they had, they would deliberately and diligently work hard at instilling their values, their priorities and their spiritual understandings into the mind of young Moses.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents,
because they saw he was a beautiful child (a child of destiny with great potential)
and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward.
(Hebrews 11:23-26)
When you become a parent how will you raise your child? Will you try to raise him to be a winner in the world or will you raise him fully expecting him to trust Christ and to live his life fully for the Lord? Will your child be brought up in a home that revolves around the Lord, the assembly of Christians and God’s things?
Your own life for the Lord everyday between their toddler and teenage years will be more credible and powerful than any last-ditch attempt to salvage your fourteen year old from the bad choices looming on the horizon. It’s often far too late to start applying the brakes at that point.
As a parent, are you accelerating your child’s closeness to the world? Shouldn’t you be applying the brakes during the pre-teen years? Do anything you can to slow down their appetite for the world. And start very early. Our children will feel the powerful pull of the world’s currents soon enough, without making it easier for them to blend into the world in any way. Live with a clear conscience that you’ve done everything you could to shelter your child in the bulrushes.
Think long term. If my child turns out to love what I am innocently introducing him to, will I be happy with the outcome later in life? And be sure of this, what I allow into our family life will be taken further by my children.
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay