Lessons From the Hebrew Midwives

By Rachel Head

I was going through a study about women of God a couple of weeks ago and came across two names I did not immediately recognize. The names were Shiphrah and Puah. These two women were Hebrew midwives in the land of Egypt before the exodus of the Israelites. Pharoah told them that if the Hebrews had sons the midwives were to kill them but if they had daughters they were allowed to live. However, according to Exodus 1:17, the midwives feared God and would not kill the Hebrews’ sons but rather let them live. Pharaoh asked them why they went against his orders and in Exodus 1:19 they answered him saying, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.” The midwives were saying that the Hebrews did not need their help so there was not anything they could do. These women were trying to stand up for what they believed was right and because of this God blessed them and helped the Hebrews multiply. These women show us how to fear and obey God even if it goes against popular opinion or the law of the land. Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” If we fear God and choose to obey Him, we will be led away from doing evil. Psalm 1 gives us an example of a godly person vs an ungodly person. The godly person’s delight is in the law of the Lord and he walks accordingly every minute of every day. The ungodly waiver like the chaff which the wind driveth away. They are wishy-washy in their ways and do not stand firm in one thing at all. If we claim to be Christians, we need to be standing firm in God’s Word no matter what comes our way even if it means disobeying the law of the land to obey God’s Word. I will end with a couple of verses that we should all be familiar with, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”