Midwife Mettle
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Exodus 1:15-21
There are some powerful moments of courage in the Bible. Of the weak speaking refusing to buckle to power. I think of Peter to the Sanhedrin, the prophet Nathan to King David, Ester to King Xerxes, Elijah as the lone prophet to all the prophets of Israel and many more.
But this may be one of the greatest when a few little (I picture them as little old ladies) midwives decide to ignore the command of Pharaoh. Let’s consider this courage for a moment.
Firstly, we are told that these midwives made a choice between two powers. Sometimes life really is this polarising. To listen to Pharaoh law would be to ignore and place oneself in direct opposition to God’s law. So it can often be in life.
Maybe for us it isn’t listening to Pharaoh. But perhaps it is listening to our culture or to parents or to a boss whose desire is for us to listen to them and not God. So, remember the midwives, who feared God more than the most powerful of men and who were blessed because of their wisdom.
Finally, the tricky bit. Did they lie? Well, they certainly did some sort of deception. It’s an ironic one (funny really). For what is the point of midwives if Hebrew women just give birth in the fields? It reminds us of the ultimate humiliation of those who set themselves in opposition to God.
But is lying or deception ever right? I think it can be. Remember the greatest commands, love God and love people. Lying in most situations is a lack of love. We usually lie for self-serving purposes (even if sometimes we pretend it's for the sake of others). But in this case - it is from love. Love of God - the Lord of life and love of people.
For Today:
Pray:
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Exodus 1:15-21
There are some powerful moments of courage in the Bible. Of the weak speaking refusing to buckle to power. I think of Peter to the Sanhedrin, the prophet Nathan to King David, Ester to King Xerxes, Elijah as the lone prophet to all the prophets of Israel and many more.
But this may be one of the greatest when a few little (I picture them as little old ladies) midwives decide to ignore the command of Pharaoh. Let’s consider this courage for a moment.
Firstly, we are told that these midwives made a choice between two powers. Sometimes life really is this polarising. To listen to Pharaoh law would be to ignore and place oneself in direct opposition to God’s law. So it can often be in life.
Maybe for us it isn’t listening to Pharaoh. But perhaps it is listening to our culture or to parents or to a boss whose desire is for us to listen to them and not God. So, remember the midwives, who feared God more than the most powerful of men and who were blessed because of their wisdom.
Finally, the tricky bit. Did they lie? Well, they certainly did some sort of deception. It’s an ironic one (funny really). For what is the point of midwives if Hebrew women just give birth in the fields? It reminds us of the ultimate humiliation of those who set themselves in opposition to God.
But is lying or deception ever right? I think it can be. Remember the greatest commands, love God and love people. Lying in most situations is a lack of love. We usually lie for self-serving purposes (even if sometimes we pretend it's for the sake of others). But in this case - it is from love. Love of God - the Lord of life and love of people.
For Today:
- When is one time you had to choose between fearing God or fearing people? Who did you choose?
- Have you ever experienced blessing from trusting God?
- Would you lie to protect life?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is the God of life.
- Give thanks for Jesus Christ who chose to fear God and not humans.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others have the courage of these midwives.
Posted in Exodus
No Comments