Moses’ family

During the month of March, Big City Clubhouse is focusing on families. We want to encourage all of the children that God knows their situation, that He created the family to be a positive influence in society, and that He can intervene in any familial situation and use it for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. During the month of February, we focused on knowing God and how that impacts our daily lives, especially the way that we treat others. Here are some of the lessons that we covered.

• Eli and Samuel
• Mary and Martha
• Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus

God really spoke to all of us through His Word. One of the children, through the great leadership of her parents and their investment in her spiritual life, accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. When God’s Word is proclaimed and taught as It is presented in the Scriptures, awesome things begin to happen and lives are changed.

The first lesson of the month covers Moses and his family. Our main passage for the lesson in Exodus 1:8-2:10.

I. God created the family as a place of protection for children

God has a divine plan for the family. The model that He uses for the family is His own model. One man and one woman bound by the covenant of marriage in order to raise godly children. This is explained in the Scriptures and modeled in reality via the spiritual realm. God (revealed as a male) chooses to bind Himself to the nation of Israel, which He calls His wife (female). They produce holy offspring for the glory of God. This is the Old Testament picture. In the New Testament, we have Jesus Christ (the groom) pledged to be married to His bride, the church. The earthly family, modeled in Adam and Eve, is a physical representation of the spiritual truth. Part of the role of the family is to offer protection to the children. Moses was born during a time very similar to our own. Human life was not valued. Abortion was legal, as it is today. Moses’ family did all that they could to protect his life. They hid him for 3 months. If they would have been found out, they could have been put to death easily. His parents were not selfish. They were ready and willing to put their lives on the line to protect their children, just as God intended. They understood the love of God. They were obedient to the Word of God and not their own selfish desires. They had been taught by their families to believe this way and they were teaching their children the same.

II. God created the family as a place of education

The Lord wants us to teach our children. Public schools, Sunday schools, tutors etc. are supplements to what PARENTS are already doing. This is especially true in the spiritual realm. Many times, we want to pass off the spiritual education of our children to Sunday school teachers, pastors, and other leaders. This is not Biblical. Proverbs 22, a wise parent speaking to parents, teaches us the following:

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

From Moses’ example, we can learn a few important things about what families are to teach.

• God wants the family to protect life.
• God wants the family to be sacrificial.
• God wants the members of the family to love each other more than their own lives.
• God wants the members of the family to serve one another.
• God wants the family to trust in Him no matter what is going on around them.

III. God will protect you even if your own family cannot do it

In Moses’ case, his family did all that they could to protect him. Once they ran out of options, all they could do was trust in the Lord. God truly does have an ironic sense of humor. The very man who wanted to harm the families ended up raising the man who would deliver the Hebrews from his captivity. Moses was rescued by God’s powerful hand. Moses’ mother was able to nurse him and actually received payment for her “services”. God is so good to us. Now, you may come from a family that does not want to protect you. God knows your situation because He is El Roi, the God who sees all things. He will intervene for you if you trust Him and do as He says. The same God who rescued Moses, raised him, and then sent him to deliver the Hebrews from bondage is the same God who sees your situation today. Do you trust Him? Do you believe He can take the mess around you and turn it into something good like He did with Moses?

On a side note, for those who actively destroy the family, God has a Word for you.

29 Those who trouble their family will inherit the wind. The fool will be servant to the wise. (Proverbs 11)

If you are the one who is destroying families and not using the family as a place of protection for your children, or children in general (passing laws that harm children), then you are called a fool by God. Your inheritance for all of your hard work will be the wind (nothing) and you will ultimately become a servant to the wise people who invest in the family and protect the children. How many men out there are sacrificing the future of their children for a few moments of fleeting pleasure with a harlot? These are things to consider. The good news is, if you have made mistakes, God is ready and willing to intervene on your behalf and take what was meant for evil and use it for good. The question is, do you believe it and will you apply it? May the Lord help us honor His will and His Word in our families.