KNOWN FOR JUST SAYING ‘NO’
Exodus 1:15-21
IMAGINE: Being in the position to regulate the population of an entire race of people even if it meant risking your life to save innocent others.
Then the king of Egypt said to the
Hebrew midwives, one of whom was
named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
“When you help the Hebrew women
give birth, observe them as they deliver.
If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a
daughter, she may live. The Hebrew
midwives, however, feared God and did
not do as the king of Egypt had told
them; they let the boys live. So the
king of Egypt summoned the midwives
and asked them, “Why have you done
this and let the boys live?” The midwives
said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women
are not like the Egyptian women, for
they are vigorous and give birth
before a midwife can get to them.”
Exodus 1:15-19
The population of the Hebrews had grown while they were in Egypt. A new Pharaoh had come to power who neither knew nor chose to honor the memory of Joseph. He became fearful of the potential power of this many people and so commands all Jewish male babies be killed at birth. Even though the Hebrews had become slaves of the Egyptians, their large number was threatening to the new guy in charge.
The Egyptian Pharaoh commands Shiphrah and Puah that all Hebrew male babies are to be killed so the population of the Israelite community cannot and must not expand any further. These two women disobey the order and are called in to answer for their misconduct. They lie to Pharaoh, when asked, stating that the babies born of Hebrew women come before they can get there.
Because of the large population of Hebrews, it is believed these two ladies were not the only midwives but possibly ran an organization of midwives. It is believed they were possibly midwives to both Hebrew and Egyptian women as they were able to make comparison of the two to Pharaoh. Also, the fact that Pharaoh called for them shows they were probably held in high regard among the Egyptians and the Hebrews.
The answer they give Pharaoh would imply the boy babies were somehow hidden so that when the midwives did arrive it was impossible to kill the newborn. It appears Pharaoh did not punish them for their inability to affect his policy.
So God was good to the midwives,
and the people multiplied and
became very numerous. Since
the midwives feared God,
He gave them families.
Exodus 1:20, 21
God blessed the midwives, and the Israelites in general, with increased fertility. These two women prevented the genocide of the Hebrew people. How many babies they saved is unknown, but the number of Israelites who left Egypt is recorded in Numbers 1:26 as 603,550 men who were over the age of twenty. Many of these men were more than likely saved by midwives who had refused to kill them at birth.
Midwives in Israel were believed to always be barren women and thus took to this vocation so as to help other women bring the children into the world. This then would give them a sense of family which was of utmost importance. That God gave these midwives “families” as a reward for their faithfulness was a true blessing.
Pharaoh then commanded all his
people: “You must throw every son
born to the Hebrews into the Nile,
but let every daughter live.”
Exodus 1:22
Some have been led to believe the possibility that these two ladies may have attended the birth of Moses and consequently saved his life. Moses wrote the Book of Exodus and it is probable that the reason we know their names and so much about them is because he was grateful to them for sparing his life as a baby.
These two women did understand the value of life and its importance in God’s eternal plan. Moses was the deliverer for the Israelites, but these two women were possibly the deliverer of the deliverer.
Something to consider:
Do not base your decisions
on the advice of those
who do not have to deal
with the results.
Anonymous
BIBLICAL PEOPLE 