Neville Turley

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘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.’ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

Exodus 1:15-17 (NIV)

In those days the right to choose was not vested in expectant mothers but was the prerogative of the king. A new king ruled in Egypt and he hated the Hebrews. Their numbers had greatly increased and he feared that if war broke out they would side with the enemy.  He decided to enslave them, place them in labour camps and work them harshly under slave masters. Still their numbers increased. 

He ordered Shiphrah and Puah to kill all the male infants at birth.  However their fear of the God of all creation was such that they disobeyed the king.

The kings of Egypt were absolute monarchs. Pharaoh’s word was law. To defy the king was to court disaster and the disobedience of Shiphrah and Puah did not go unnoticed. The king called them to account and asked why they had let the boys live.

Their answer was ingenuous: “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” (Exodus 1:19) The Bible records that God was kind to the midwives and rewarded them and the Hebrews increased in numbers.

We can learn from the determination of the midwives not to allow themselves to be manipulated into wrongfully abusing their positions.

There are times when we may have to decide whether to be obedient to God and lead lives according to his standard or whether to submit to the will of man.  When faced with such a decision our fear of God should outweigh all other considerations, no matter what personal sacrifice our decision may entail. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I pray in Jesus name that the Holy Spirit will empower us to fearlessly lead godly lives to your honour and glory. Amen