-January 24, 2023-
Good morning, happy Tuesday,
“And he said, ‘When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.”
(Exodus 1:16-17).
We owe our allegiance to God to honor and obey Him. In charting our path in life we must make the choice to obey God not men. As a rule obeying the law is God’s will for us, however when what man requires is against the Word of God, we must choose to obey God not men. The context of our verses today is set when the Hebrews, as they were called at that time, were in bondage in Egypt. As we know, Jacob and all his family moved to Egypt to be with Joseph and be kept alive through the world-wide famine. Over the course of time, Joseph died and his brothers. The new Pharaoh, king of Egypt, did not know Joseph.
The new ruler took a very oppressive and antagonistic view of the Hebrews. He used the excuse that the Hebrews had grown so exponentially that he feared they might turn against them in a time of war. They made all the Hebrews slaves. That alone was bad, but even worse he decided to kill all their baby boys while letting the baby girls live. To carry out is diabolical plot he enlisted the assistance of the Hebrew midwives. He wanted them to join in this murderous plan. The two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah were called in to meet with Pharaoh.
Exodus 1:17 says, “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” They risked their lives to save the lives of so many others. This reminds me of the disciples in the book of Acts. The Jewish authorities ordered Peter and John not to stop speaking speak in the name of Jesus. They tried to stop them from preaching the gospel. Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 3:19-20). Later in Acts 4:29 they said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
In the Scriptures there are three instances of barbarity that were directed at God’s people: Pharaoh here in our text, Haman who plotted to exterminate all the Jews as mentioned in the book of Esther, and Herod who killed all the baby boys two and under in and around Bethlehem in hopes of killing the Child Jesus. God thwarted their attempts. Satan was the one who was behind these wicked schemes. God used these brave Hebrew midwives to save the male children. As a result of their obedience to Him, God blessed these two dear women with families of their own and the Hebrews grew and multiplied. There is the principle in Scripture that the more God’s people are persecuted, the more they thrive spiritually and physically.
Though Shiphrah and Puah were called to answer to the king, God protected them from harm and richly blessed them. He will not do less for us today when we stand for Him, honor Him, and obey Him. The consequences of obeying men over God is not justified. To the early Christians, they lost jobs, homes, and even their lives in standing for Christ. In many parts of the world today, believers are suffering tremendous persecution for their faith. In America we don’t endure physical persecution but there is hatred and discrimination of believers daily. We must stand for Christ and His Word. Abortion in our country amounts to killing babies. There is a real conflict between those who are siding with the right to life verses those the right to choose. Let us pray for our country in this great struggle.
Let us choose to obey God rather than men whenever man’s commands are in conflict with God’s commands. May we follow the example of Shiphrah and Puah. The fear of man brings a snare. Stay safe and healthy.
Obeying and honoring God,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 