The Midwives feared God
Exodus 1:15 – The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 – “When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.” 17 – But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.
The midwives feared God. There was a higher power than the king – that power was God. I think about what is going on in our world today: the heated issues regarding abortion and the sanctioned mutilation happening to underage children who’ve been manipulated into thinking they need to change who they are. There is a lot of fear of man. There is a lot of fear regarding loss of status, loss of job, loss of income, loss of lucrative contracts. I have no doubt that these are very real fears but the fear of God is real too. Where is the fear of God today? Who will stand against these unlawful conditions in the fear of God and save the children? There are a precious few. We hear about them and how harshly they are treated by authorities who do not fear God.
Shiphrah and Puah endured similar fears as they were faced with the unlawful order of terminating the lives of baby boys born to the Hebrew women. Their fear of God superceded the order of the king and they were summoned to account for their disobedience. “Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women – for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!” so God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. and because the midwives feared God, he made households for them. – Exodus 1:18-21.
Psalm 111:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
May the fear of the Lord and doing His commandments give us all wisdom and a good understanding of the issues at stake in our world today and give us courage to stand against the tide of evil like Shiphrah and Puah. The devil wants to destroy our children and our families while God intends to fill His Father’s household with all the redeemed He died to save. One day soon the verse will come to pass in Psalm 111:9 – He delivered his people; he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. His name is holy and awesome.
Let’s fear God first and always!
Where two are gathered 