TWO (2) KINDS OF MOTHERS: PASTOR MENSA OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE, 9TH MAY, 2021
SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: TWO (2) KINDS OF MOTHERS
DATE: 9TH MAY, 2021
TEXT: EXODUS 2:1-10
Amen! Let’s rise up together, as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS in this Year of Fruitfulness:
Are you ready? Say with me:
The Eternal God is our refuge. He opens Rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.
The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.
Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD shall be fresh and flourishing.
Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, and move and have my being.
It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing fruits in its Season.
So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL.
In this Season, my Spirit bears Fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make Way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by Day, Step by Step.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the Mothers all over the Globe!
We trust that God’s blessing will be upon all the Mothers – Amen. And we Pray for God’s Presence upon you, upon your home, upon your children, upon your children’s children – Amen.
And may the Lord bless the works of your hands and Prosper you in all that you do – Amen!
Well, today in recognition of Mothers, I am Preaching a Message related to mothers.
And I have Titled my Message: TWO (2) KINDS OF MOTHERS.
You can also listen to the audio here: Two Kinds of Mothers – Pastor Mensa Otabil
Maybe you will find yourself in one of the kinds and function effectively in these.
I am going to look at Two (2) Mothers in the Bible who defiled all the odds to raise a baby who was born in a very dangerous time. Both mothers were mothers of the same child and both helped the child to fulfill his Destiny.
And in this Message, I will address Two (2) Questions – And I hope that we can find answers to these two (2) Questions:
- WHAT MAKES A WOMAN A MOTHER?
That is the question we keep asking.
Because when it is Mother’s Day, you don’t know whether to wish it only to women who have children or to wish it to women who don’t have children.
So, what makes a woman a Mother?
You will find an answer at the end of my Message.
- WHAT KIND OF MOTHER HAS GOD CALLED YOU TO BE?
And I hope that by the end of my Message you find a Role to Play in this world.
*The background of my Message is related to the story of Moses – Moses was born at a very dangerous Season; he was born at a time when it was unsafe for babies from his Race and from his Tribe to be born. He was a Hebrew, his Parents were Hebrews in Egypt.
And at that time before Moses was born, the Pharaoh of Egypt had made a decree that all Hebrew boys born should be killed. And that decree was up on the whole Nation – For a Hebrew boy to be killed at birth!
… It was in that environment of severe threat and challenge, and difficulty that Moses was born.
And we are going to look at his story from Exodus 2:1-10 (NKJV).
Let’s hear the reading of God’s Word:
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother.
9 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.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
… Very, very fascinating story!
It is amazing when you read the Stories in the Bible, that you have read from your childhood (from Sunday School); and all of a sudden they take on a different meaning as you read them again.
Well, just as a background – If you look at the Story, there are several women who Played different roles in this narrative.
- The Midwives – Who weere not mentioned in what I read but earlier on had been mentioned.
Who were charged to make sure that every Hebrew boy was killed and they defiled the King’s Order.
- There is Moses’ Mother.
- And there is Pharaoh’s Daughter.
- And then there is Moses’ Older Sister – Miriam.
And each one Played a role interestingly, in a Story none of them is named. So they are just different People doing different things.
But I am going to focus only on Two (2) of the women and both were Mothers of Moses – One was his “Natural Birth Mother” and the other was his “Adoptive Mother”.
And each of them Played a Significant Role in the life of Moses.
And we will look at each Person and what they did to Moses
- MOSES BIRTH MOTHER – The woman who gave birth to Moses.
Her name was not mentioned here. But in Exodus 6:20; her name is giving as JOCHEBED. And Moses’ father is named as AMRAM
So Jochebed; she gave birth to a boy and the Bible says that she saw the boy was beautiful.
That means that she treasured the baby she had given birth to.
She had a High Value for the baby she had given birth to; she treasured the baby and decided to do something for the baby.
What a conflict – That the birth of Moses would have introduced to his Parents – On the one hand, if you give birth to a child, there is great Joy and celebrations – that a child has been born. And at the same time, there is a decree from the King that the child must be killed.
So, you are not sure as a Parent whether to be happy because your child is born; or be sad because the child must not live.
But sometimes, children are born in these environments: where you give birth to a child as a Mother, you are so excited. But you look at all the circumstances surrounding the child and you are not so excited.
Maybe the father ran away when you were Pregnant. Or maybe the father of the child is not your husband.
And so you are happy that a child has been born, but at the same time there is trouble all around.
And that is the environment in which Moses’ Mother gave birth to him! – Happiness that he has been born; sadness because the King had decreed that the child must die.
And so, Moses’ Mother looked at her child, decided to defy the King. And so, although there is a Policy against keeping Hebrew Boys; she decided to go against it.
The Passage says that she hid her child!
And she hid the child from danger, she hid the child so that the decree will not get to him. And for three months she hid the child from destruction.
And I can imagine how the mother would have felt these three (3) Months! Because anytime soon Pharaoh’s Officers would discovered that this child has been born and come and kill the child.
I am sure that there were others who were telling her: ‘Listen, it is a wasted effort! Just let them kill the child and keep us free.”
I am sure that there were women of that time who just obeyed the Law and surrendered their children. There were others whose babies were discovered by Pharaoh’s officers.
But Moses’ Mother, for three (3) Months, managed to hide her child! The kind of things that mothers do to hide their children; Protect their children, Preserve their children from danger, from harsh world and from a difficult world.
… So she did that for three (3) Months, because he was a beautiful child!
But after three (3) Months, it was impossible for the child to be kept any longer – Probably, because his cries were getting louder or whatever the reason; but it was becoming too dangerous to hide the child.
So Moses’ Mother decided ‘I’m going to give my child a chance to survive’ – If she keeps the child any longer, he would be discovered and killed; if she surrendered the child to the Officers of Pharaoh, instantly the child will be killed!
She didn’t have much choice, but she had a slim chance.
So she decided instead, to put the child in a situation were somebody could have compassion on the child and she didn’t know how that would happen!
So, she made an Ark – A Protective Small Basket, Protecting it from water. Put the baby in it. She didn’t send the baby along the River; but kept the baby among the reeds of the River.
In other words, a Place where the water is not moving so the baby will stay in one Place!
That is what she did and she allowed her other daughter to stand by and watch what would happen to the baby.
This was a desperate move! – She didn’t want the child to be killed but she was trying to give her child a chance.
And as you know, the child was discovered by the enemy’s daughter (Laughter) – Oh, God has a sense of humour!
Maybe Moses’ Mother did it Purposefully; maybe she thought ‘if I put the child here by the Nile, this woman will discovered him.’
And maybe the woman had a reputation as a “Good Woman”!
We don’t know why she put the child in that Place, to be discovered by that Particular woman.
Well, when he was discovered. Interestingly, Moses’ Mother was given back her child to nurse him in the early years of the child.
So, she had the chance to nurse the child.
And whilst she was nursing the child, she was careful not to undermine the Destiny of the child.
So, she didn’t hold on to what was her’s – She Probably weaned the child for two (2) to three (3) Years; and when it was time she released her child!
Can you imagine the Pain of knowing this is my own child from my womb, but if I want this child to live I must deny myself my own instinct and allow this child to go to this woman to survive!
… So that is the first Mother – Moses Birth Mother doing all she can to Protect her child.
Then there is a Second (2nd) Mother: if you read Exodus 2:10, the Bible says then Moses became a son to her – So this is a Second Mother of Moses and that is:
- MOSES ADOPTIVE MOTHER
There are several Ancient Traditions that gave her a name. But the Bible doesn’t give her a name and identity. So, I will stick with the Scriptures and not name her by what traditions would have her called.
… The Scriptures only called her Pharaoh’s Daughter.
Pharaoh is the one who said every Hebrew Male Child must be killed.
… That is the daughter!
And the Passage says that she comes, she sees the basket, she hears the cry of the baby, she opens the basket and she discovered the baby!
And when she heard the cry of the baby, the Bible says she had COMPASSION on the baby (Moses).
… She saw the baby, heard the baby cried and she had Compassion!
I. That simply shows you that Compassion is not only limited to Biology.
She didn’t give birth to that child Biologically. She hadn’t carry the Child for nine (9) Months.
… We don’t know whether she had other children – The Bible is silent about it.
But she saw this baby that was not her Biological son, and she had Compassion on him.
You know, sometimes People tell us: “Women who have never had a child Biologically don’t know what it is to care for a child or to love a child.” – I beg to differ!
Because, all this woman showed was that: Even though you don’t give birth to a Child Biologically, you can be a mother by Compassion.
The motherly instinct that Pharaoh’s daughter felt towards Moses was as Strong as that which was felt by Moses’ Biological Mother – Same Compassion!
So you don’t have to give birth to a child before you feel Compassion to another baby – Motherhood is a Product of Compassion and not Biology.
And women who have not given birth before can show Motherly Compassion, as we see in the life of Pharaoh’s daughter.
Interestingly, I have never heard anyone Preached about before about Pharaoh’s Daughter. Never!
Until I started Studying this and I said: Wow! How come we have never Preached about it? – What a woman full of Compassion!
II. And she also Protected the child Moses from danger.
She defiled her own father’s law, she defiled the Laws of her Country – What she had for Moses was so Strong that it overruled the Decees of her father.
The same thing that drove Moses’ Birth Mother was driving both of them! – Both of them defied the King’s Law.
One was a Natural Birth Mother, the other was an Adoptive Mother. But both had the same Compassion and the same Love for the child Moses.
Pharaoh’s Daughter knew without any doubt that the child was a Hebrew boy – Of course, only Hebrews would have abandoned the boy.
She could have called in her Father’s Executioners to kill the baby; yet she chose to Protect this child from the enemy which is her father and her father’s Regime.
In God’s Sovereignty she appointed a woman from the most unlikely Place to Protect the child and she Protected the Child from her own father; even in her father’s house. She made sure the Child could be saved for forty (40) Years.
III. She Provided for the Child’s Survival.
Since she was not a Nursing Mother, when she found the child she decided to get a Nursing Mother to nurse the baby.
… And it is very interesting that she chose a Hebrew Nursing Mother!
She could have chosen an Egyptian Nursing Mother and that could have been disastrous for the child. She knew if an Egyptian woman nurse this child, she has an obligation to kill this Child.
She knew the child was a Hebrew and she decided: ‘I’m going to get a Hebrew woman to take care of this child!
Just look at the extent she’s going to Protect this baby who is not hers Biologically!
IV. She Accepted Moses as her own Child.
The Scriptures says that Moses became her son – She Accepted to become a Mother to Moses.
Moses spent more time with Pharaoh’s Daughter than he did with his own Biological Mother – He spent Probably two (2) to three (3) Years with his Biological Mother but the rest of his Years with Pharaoh’s Daughter.
V. It was Pharaoh’s Daughter who Named him not Moses Biological Mother.
And she named him in a very interesting way – And it was all Part of what she did to Protect this baby.
The name MOSES has double meaning – In Egypt it means ‘Son’; in Hebrew it means ‘Taken out of water.’
So, for the Egyptians his name make sense; for the Hebrews, his name make sense – Both of them are allowed him to live.
The Egyptians knew his name is alright – He is a son. The Hebrews also heard his name and his name was alright.
Because this Pharaoh’s Daughter had a deep sense of Protection for this Child, and she used the wisest means – even in his name.
VI. And if you look at her although she was an Egyptian, she never tried to make the boy and Egyptian.
- Could it be that Pharaoh’s Daughter hated her Laws?
- Could it be that she knew the father’s Laws were not Just?
- Could it be that though she was an Egyptian she hated the way the Hebrews were treated?
… It’s very likely!
Because she raised Moses to honour his Hebrew Heritage, and Probably she might have been the one who sowed the Seed in Moses heart that: ‘You are a Hebrew and you must one day go and Set your People free”.
Could it be so? – It’s Possible, because Moses never lived with Hebrews who would have told him to go and Set the Hebrews free.
The Bible says that God uses Humans Voice, and it is Possible it is her’s that God used for Moses.
She doesn’t get recomendations much, but then you have two (2) kinds of Mothers:
- One gave birth to the boy and couldn’t hold on to the Boy because of danger.
- The other, in the midst of the danger took the Boy and raised him.
… Both Mothers of Moses!
So now, to my question: WHAT MAKES A WOMAN A MOTHER?
When we say: “Happy Mother’s Day”, who are we saying it to? Is it to Moses’ Mother or Pharaoh’s Daughter or to both?
I.Well, we see from the Story that both Mothers had Maternal Love for Moses.
II. Moses’ Birth Mother defiled Pharaoh’s Rules as an Outsider; Pharaoh’s Daughter defiled her father as an Insider.
III. Both faced Risks for their Actions.
IV. If you talk about Compassion, both of them have it.
V. Both Mothers Protected Moses from danger – Moses’ Mother Protected Moses in the Hebrew Part of the Town, Pharaoh’s daughter Protected Moses in Egypt Part of Town
VI. Both of them Nutured and Raised Moses. They did it in different Phases of Moses’ life.
And Moses’ Birth Mother breastfeed him; Pharaoh’s Daughter raised Moses to be a Prince.
One of the reasons why God raised Moses (I believe) is because he did not have Slave Mentality – Every Hebrew had been raised to think like a Slave.
Only Moses was not raised to think like a Slave but to think like a Prince, to talk like a Free Man not a Bound Man. He was not a Hebrew with the Hebrew Problem; he was Hebrew but he didn’t have their Problems.
Because his Mindset was nutured in a different environment and that was Possible because Pharaoh’s Daughter brought him to the Palace and gave him a different Orientation.
VI. And both Mothers Released Moses for his Mission – Both of them didn’t hold on to him.
When it was time for Moses to go and Set the People Free, he left Pharaoh’s Daughter. And when it was time for him to go to the Palace, he left Jochebed – His Birth Mother.
SO WHAT MAKES YOU A MOTHER?
I believe that it is Maternal Love, Protection of the child, Nurturing of the child, and Releasing the child to his or her Mission.
… These are the Hallmarks of Mothers – And both Mothers of Moses – One, a Birth Mother and the other an Adoptive Mother fulfilled that.
So, does Pharaoh’s Daughter qualified to be greeted with: Happy Mother’s Day? – YES!
Does Moses’ Birth Mother qualified to be greeted with: Happy Mother’s Day?
Both Mothers can receive a Happy Mother’s Day several thousand Years later.
Second Question: WHAT KIND OF MOTHER HAS GOD CALLED YOU TO BE (if you are a Woman)?
… Just looking at these two (2) women:
I. God can make you a Mother of a Child by Birth.
And there are many women who have experienced that! – They will learn that sometimes you may give birth to a child while somebody else may raise the Child.
… And God can use different People to raise your Child.
II. But God can also make you a Mother of a Child you DID NOT give Birth to – like Pharaoh’s Daughter.
… That is why her Story is told in the Bible.
- So, you could be a “Step Mother” for a Divine Purpose – What if there is a Moses amongst your step children?
How would you help that Child in the absence of his or her Birth Mother?
- You could be a “Foster Mother” by taking care of a relative’s Child or a Child who has been left for you to discover.
There are more ‘MOSES’ who have been left all over this world – Abandoned, Scavenging in the Streets of our Cities, in neighborhoods, in Compounds.
Where are the Pharaoh’s Daughters? – Are we going to leave them to be destroyed?
Are we to say because you didn’t give birth to them we can’t care for them?
So for every woman who has given birth to a Child, God Bless You – Amen!
And to every woman who has not given birth to a Child but has raised a Child, God Bless You – Amen!
And to every woman who has Compassion on another Child, God Bless You – Amen!
For every woman who is placed in a very Unlikely Circumstances – In a difficult Marriage, where you are to take care of children you didn’t give birth to, God Bless You – Amen!
Because what you do, you are doing for the Lord. And who knows the General you are raising? Who knows the Prophet you are raising, the Servant of God you are raising?
And may the Child that God has Placed in your hand never die in your hand – Amen.
And may the Lord give you Compassion to Protect the Destiny of the children He has Placed in your hand – Amen.
May the Lord give you the wisdom to hold those children from the dangers of the Society, from Drug Addictions, from Alcoholism; from becoming Thieves, from becoming Vagabonds, from becoming a Problems for the Society – Amen.
May God give you the Strength to Protect your children from any of the dangers of this world – Amen.
Today we are not dealing with Pharaoh’s Decree; we are dealing with all kinds of Decrees of drugs; we are dealing with Decrees of bad behaviour and all kinds of Decrees upon our Health.
And God is looking for Mothers like these Two (2) Mothers; who in the midst of danger ensured that their Child would survived and become a blessing to Humanity.
That I believe is the Call to every Woman – Whether you have a Child Biologically or you don’t have a Child Biologically.
And may the Lord help you to Play these Roles effectively unto His Glory – Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father we Pray for every woman: Those who are caught in a challenging situation as these two (2) women were.
May You give them the Compassion to do the Right Thing and the courage to do the Right Thing.
May You raise up Good Women whose heart goes beyond just their own children to touch other children.
May you raise women who will Care for and Protect their children from danger and may you give them the Wisdom to do it.
And for all women who raise up children under these circumstances, may You cause their cups to Overflow; that there will be no lack in their lives.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen and AMEN!
And a Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Women all over the world!
May the Lord give you the Strength to be like these two (2) Women – Amen.
God Bless You – AMEN!
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