Hannah struggled with infertility. When she finally did have a son, she handed him over to the care of Eli the priest. Imagine how she must have felt dropping Samuel off at the temple that day….

“As our brave Hannah entered her hardest hour–the hour appointed for her to leave her long-awaited and much-prayed-for son at the house of the Lord to be raised by another–we see that her focus was not on herself, not on her problems, and not on her sacrifice, but instead on her great God.” -Elizabeth George

Mom can’t be there for every moment of a child’s life. Like Hannah, the time will come when she must let go…

It happens when her son is five and he enters the kindergarten door for the first time.

It happens when her son is eight and she drops him off for football practice and doesn’t stay to watch.

It happens when her daughter is twelve and she drops her off at a birthday party.

It happens when her daughter is sixteen and drives away with a brand new driver’s license.

It happens when her son is eighteen and she drops him off at a dorm.

It happens in moments big and small. Moms must turn around and walk away. And like Hannah, we must trust God. But what exactly do we expect from God by trusting in Him? That He will never allow our children to get hurt? Always keep them safe? I don’t think that’s what Hannah expected as she dropped off young Samuel with the priest Eli. Her trust in God wasn’t conditional. She knew that whatever God allowed to happen in Samuel’s life (be it good or bad) was part of His sovereign plan.

We do all we can to prepare our children for what they will see, experience, and learn when they are away from momma’s care. But ultimately, we trust God. Not only for our children’s safety, but for their sanctification.

As we wrap up our series on biblical mothers, what are you praying for in the lives of your children today? Please let us know in the comments so we can pray for each other!

As the mother of two boys, I can relate to the woman we meet in Matthew 20. She is the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ closest disciples. This woman, called the wife of Zebedee, may have been Salome, a devoted follower of Jesus (The Woman’s Study Bible). She wanted the best for her two boys. She must have been proud they were Jesus’ disciples. And she may have heard Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19:28, “So Jesus said to [His disciples], ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’” Even if she didn’t hear it personally, it seems as if James and John told her about this promise.

This mother approached Jesus with a request. Matthew 20:21 says, “And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’”

When I was a Middle School English teacher, I had mothers meet with me and say, “My son really needs to be on the front row.” My husband, when he coached, had lots of moms asking for (or demanding) more playing time for their sons. All moms want what is best for their children. But this mother did not understand exactly what she was asking. In Jesus’ gentle way, He corrected her, and everyone learned an important lesson that day about following Christ.

The mother of these “Sons of Thunder” learned what a high cost it would be to attain this honor. James and John must

have been near by because Jesus directed His answer to them. “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (v. 22). The cup He described was one of pain and suffering. In fact, in verses 18-19, Jesus had just described part of what would happen to Him. He would be mocked, scourged, and crucified. Out of ignorance or pride they answered, “We are able.” And we see from the whole of Scripture that they indeed suffered for Christ. James was the

first apostle to be martyred (Acts 12:2) and John was a condemned exile on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Jesus went on to explain it was not for Him to choose who sits at His right and left, “It is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father” (v. 23). Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Personal ambition is not a factor in the eternal, sovereign plan of God.”

But this was not the end of the lessons Jesus would teach this day. The other disciples heard the conversation and “were greatly displeased” or “became indignant” (v. 24). Oh, this was not the first time the twelve argued over their own importance. In Mark 9:33-37, Jesus had to correct their bickering over “which one of them was the greatest.” And again at the Lord’s Supper, in Luke 22:24-30, they continued to show their selfish ambition by having the same argument over who is the greatest.

Back to our scene in Matthew, Jesus told the disciples exactly how to be great. It is one of the most descriptive passages of Jesus Himself from the gospels. “[W]hoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” (26-28).

That’s one of the many things about Jesus I love! He not only told us how to be great, but He Himself displayed the humble attitude He described. He is always our perfect example.

Commenting on society, John Piper wrote, “Today the first and greatest commandment is, ‘Thou shall love thyself.’” Clearly, this is not what Jesus taught. The last phrase from our section today is an important teaching. In fact, it is the foundation of the New Testament. Christ died as a ransom for your sins. Because He lived a sinless life, only He was able to redeem you from the slavery of sin and death.

We have the benefit of learning these lessons through the account of James and John’s mother. Her request led to important teaching for every Christian to follow. Christ is our example of servanthood. We must not seek our own glory, but to do what is great in God’s eyes. This is the servant spirit of Christ.

Jochebed’s story is a short one, but her legacy lasts through the generations. She inspires us all to be moms who protect our children. Just watching the nightly news reminds us that our world is a dangerous place. Protecting our children from every threat of danger may seem impossible. While we can’t protect them from everything, we can give them a firm foundation. We can be mothers of protection. Elizabeth George writes, “Jochebed shows you how to hold up your frightening, seemingly impossible situations to your Father in heaven.”

Jochebed’s story is set in Egypt where the descendants of Abraham, the Hebrews, suffered as slaves. Although Joseph had wielded power and influence in Egypt, time had passed and the new pharaoh “did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). In other words, he had no reason to protect or even respect the Hebrews. He did take notice of them because their numbers were growing–growing so fast that he decided to make their lives miserable. Hard manual labor, harsh conditions, and demanding taskmasters were part of everyday life for the Hebrews. But they continued to have children so Pharaoh took drastic measures.

The pharaoh ordered all male Hebrew babies be put to death. They were to be thrown in the river. One Hebrew couple, identified as descendants of Levi, disobeyed the pharaoh’s orders. When this wife, Jochebed, had a son they hid him from the pharaoh for three months. It took great courage and faith in God for Jochebed to protect the life of her baby. But as he grew I’m sure he became louder and more active and was harder to hide. So Jochebed built a small boat and sent her sweet baby floating down the river, with big sister Miriam following the currents.

Jochebed would agree with pastor and author David Platt who writes, “God creates, blesses, and saves each us of for a radically global purpose.” If she didn’t believe that God had a plan for her children, she would not have risked her life to protect Moses.

Even if you didn’t know Jochebed by name, the next part of the story is probably familiar to you. This baby was taken from the river by Pharaoh’s daughter. He was named “Moses” because he was drawn out of the water. Little Miriam offered to call a Hebrew nurse for the baby. She went, of course, to the baby’s own mother. Women at this time often nursed their children for three years. Though Jochebed didn’t have much time with her young son, she must have taken each precious minute and used it to its full advantage.

Jochebed not only protected baby Moses from death, she also protected her other children Miriam and Aaron. They were growing up as slaves in Egypt, and in order for them to stand firm as adults, they needed a solid foundation of faith that included protecting them from the pagan culture around them.

Scripture tells us that Jochebed protected her children because she was not afraid, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict,” (Hebrews 11:23). Their protection empowered Moses to be unafraid. “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger for the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible,” (Hebrews 11:27).  

Protecting our children does not mean we make them fearful toward the world. Protecting our children ensures that no matter what our children encounter, they will have the foundation they need to overcome obstacles and follow God’s plan for their lives.

(If you’re interested, you can click over to my personal blog for more I wrote on Jochebed, one of my favorite biblical mothers!)

May brings longer sunny days, fragrant flowers, last days of school, and one of my favorite days of the year–Mother’s Day! For the next weeks here at Scripture Dig we will be profiling biblical mothers. We will look at the good and the bad in the lives of these moms, learning from their examples. No mom has ever been perfect, but God uses each one of us in His perfect plan.

We look forward to having you study with us, and hope you join in the conversation in the comments, on Twitter, and on our Facebook page!

(picture of Sandra with her boys, taken by Lucky Horseshoe Photography).