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Exodus 2:15-21
“Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom one was named Shiprah and the other Puah, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the King of Egypt commanded, but let the male babies live. So the King of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this thing and allowed the male children to live? The midwives answered Pharoah, Because the Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women, they (the babies) are quickly and vigorously delivered, their babies are born before the midwife comes to them.
So God dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and became strong. And because the midwives revered and feared God, He made them households of their own.”
When faced with the decision of government or God, this passage of scripture yields insights with modern application –
The end of Genesis tells us that Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt and was held in very high esteem, even favored by Pharoah. When the great famine came, he arranged for his brothers to come to Egypt, not only to acquire food, but also to establish a place to live in peace where they could freely worship God. Joseph’s brothers, direct Israelite descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, settled in Goshen. They moved their wives, children and livestock into this fertile land – away from the main population centers in Egypt which were under the watchful eyes of Pharoah and his men. Over time, in this Goshen, the brother’s descendent families grew into “multitudes”.
Decades later, when the brothers and Joseph had long passed, a new King was installed into office, unaware that Joseph had saved untold numbers from starvation through citizen-funded strategic food and grain reserves. Joseph also simultaneously profoundly increased Pharoah’s bottom line (Certain job security). The new King noticed that the Israelite population was growing at an alarming pace which caused great concern as he considered them a threat to the Egyptians. In response to his own fear, the King reacted by sending a direct order to the midwives to kill every male Israelite baby at the time of birth. The midwives wisely refused and instead, bravely allowed the babies to live.
Rather than be concerned for their own safety, these women revered God and moved forward to perform His will, understanding that His will was to protect life. They knew Him as a loving God that would never normalize nor sanction any murder. Because they feared God, the midwives found favor in God’s sight and were rewarded greatly for choosing life over death. This is a lesson for all of us.
[ Author’s Random Ramble: It is interesting to note that these midwives were Hebrew midwives and not Egyptian. It leaves me to wonder why the King did not install Egyptian midwives into the task to complete the job. Perhaps the Egyptian midwives were unionized and UMW (United Midwife Workers) negotiated a contract not to deliver Israelite babies. These are the type of points I ponder as I pen ramblings …… but clearly, God in His infinite Wisdom found a way to derail this option otherwise we would be reading a very different result.]
God is a Family Man. More accurately a Family Spirit (God is Spirit not of human flesh) – He loves families, children, babies, daughters, sons, moms, dads, grandads and grandmothers – in fact one of His most oft-used names is Father (Abba). If God were not a Family Man, He would have no other reason to create life or even the concept of family; a unit traditionally comprised of one mom, and one dad, who can provide a home and stabilizing environment from which to raise children.
If the Creator of all Things could become callous against life; finding life to be “disposable”; or even an actual choice, why would these midwives have feared going against Him? The midwives understood centuries ago what many today cannot – it is impossible that the will of God is or ever could be, to destroy innocent and conceived human life. Nothing has changed because God never changes.
When ordered to do something that violates the will of God, we are always given free choice: follow Him or follow a nation, an individual, or an organization. No matter how it may seem, we are always free to choose what is pleasing and honoring to Him, or not.
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
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Sacred Ramblings Articles on Prayer and How to Pray
https://sacredramblings.com/2020/04/22/lord-teach-us-to-pray/
https://sacredramblings.com/2020/05/01/the-father-that-answers-prayer/