Honey and Gall

"Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: 'Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.'"

– Exodus 1:22, NIV

Have you ever paused to consider what it would have felt like to be a mother in the days when Moses was born? If you are a parent, imagine that moment when your child was born. Imagine the joy that is felt when that baby is placed in your arms for the first time. Imagine the emotions that wash over you as you look at their tiny hands and feet and face. Now imagine someone grabbing that baby out of your arms, taking it away and killing it because it happened to be a boy. That was the "new normal" for the Hebrew people. Would you have gone along with it just because Pharaoh said so? Jochebed (Moses' mother) thought it was a terrible idea. There were most likely other parents who circumvented this decree as well, we just don't get to read about them in the Bible.

"When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. And she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile" (Exodus 2:2b-3, NIV).

I'm not sure how she managed to hide a baby for three months. I can only deduce that God had a hand in it because with God nothing is impossible. Did Jochebed feel God directing her as she waterproofed the little vessel and placed Moses inside? Miriam, Moses' big sister, sat nearby and watched her baby brother floating among the reeds. Grand irony rules the day when Pharaoh's daughter discovers Moses, decides to keep him and sends Miriam to find a Hebrew woman to nurse him. The nurse, or course, is Moses' own mother, who then gets paid by the man who wants to kill her baby, to raise her baby. Only God can work out these little details so perfectly.

Now follow with me down this trail, just for a second. There are some passages in the Bible that had me a little confused, but now I think I understand what they mean. In Ezekiel 3:3 it says, "Then he said to me, 'Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.' So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth." But then if you read on through to Ezekiel 3:14, it says, "The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me."

Likewise, in Revelation 10:9-10 it says, "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, 'Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.' I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour."

What is going on with eating the words that taste like honey but turn bitter in your stomach? Let me give you my personal experience. As you may know, most of my summer was spent in abject misery trying to figure out what this school year was going to be like and what to do about it. Just when the school administrators would put a plan in place, a new mandate would be made to complicate things. How would these new plans affect our kids? How would we as parents cope with a goofy hybrid schedule? Could I take much more "virtual" learning without pulling out my hair? Suffice it to say that the church just up the road from me has a lot of my snot and tears dried on the carpet in front of the altar. Someday I'll pay for them to have their carpet scrubbed.

After an excessively long episode of crying on the floor, the peace of God washed over me and I knew things were going to be ok. God had it all under control and he didn't need my help. My job was to sit back and relax. They say if you are drowning and someone is trying to save you, just relax and let them. God was towing me to shore, I was just floating under his arms. As I floated along, relaxed and trusting, an opportunity presented itself. We were able to enroll our daughter at a private Christian school. Then God added his signature touch of whimsy and guess what? I'm the van driver that gets to drive her there every day. Not only did God deliver her, he also worked it out that I get paid to drive her to school, which pays for her to be at school! Every detail was worked out for us. It was fantastic news! It went in my mouth as sweet as honey! We rejoiced! But then it turned to bitter gall.

Jochebed's son was going to be perfectly fine. Our daughter is going to be perfectly fine. But what about everyone else? All of my friends are still in the soup. They are to this day pulling their hair out trying to navigate the school year, hybrid schedules, virtual learning and coming to terms with masking small children. What about them? I'm sickened, knowing what they are going through. When Noah was building the ark did he wonder the same thing? His family was going to be alright, but what about the others? When Jochebed found out she'd be Moses' nurse and get paid to raise her own son, she most likely rejoiced. But what about her friends?

Knowing that Jesus is coming back some day raises the same feelings. If you are born again and have given your life to Christ, you're going to be ok. But what about everyone else? If God has delivered us from something, yes, we rejoice. But we must also not stop trying to help those around us who are still struggling, whether it be with school schedules or salvation. The honey draws us in, and the gall keeps us motivated. Please reach out a hand, however possible. Share the opportunity to taste the honey.