Sacred Defiance
Wednesday, July 16 – Exodus 1:15–21
Sacred Defiance
Wednesday, July 16 – Exodus 1:15–21
TL;DR: Two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, courageously defy Pharaoh's genocidal orders, choosing to fear God rather than earthly power and becoming instruments of divine liberation.
When Love Trumps Law
There's something sacred about hands that bring life into the world. In delivery rooms across time, midwives have been the first to welcome souls into existence, their skilled fingers guiding new breath into waiting lungs. But what happens when those same hands are commanded to become instruments of death? When the very vocation that exists to preserve life is twisted into a tool of genocide?
This is the impossible choice faced by Shiphrah and Puah—two women whose names echo through history not for their compliance, but for their holy rebellion. In a world where power demands absolute submission, they discovered something more powerful than Pharaoh's threats: the fear of the Lord that casts out all other fears. Their story reminds us that sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is say no to human authority when it contradicts divine love.
Context: Setting the Scene
Historical Context
Egypt in the time of Exodus was a superpower, and the Israelites had grown from a small family to a numerous people during their 400-year sojourn. Pharaoh's fear of Hebrew population growth reflects ancient concerns about internal threats and foreign invasion. Midwifery was a respected profession in the ancient Near East, and these women likely served as supervisors over other midwives serving the Hebrew community.
Literary Context
This passage sets the stage for Moses' birth and the larger Exodus narrative. It establishes the pattern of oppression that will be broken by God's mighty acts, while highlighting how God works through unexpected people—women, foreigners, and the marginalized—to accomplish divine purposes.
Theological Context
The text presents a fundamental conflict between earthly and divine authority. The midwives' "fear of God" represents reverent obedience to the Creator over created powers. Their story prefigures Jesus' own resistance to unjust authority and demonstrates how God's kingdom often advances through acts of loving defiance against systems of oppression.
Scripture: Exodus 1:15–21 (NLT)
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: "When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king's orders. They allowed the boys to live, too. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and demanded, "Why have you done this? Why have you allowed the boys to live?" "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women," the midwives replied. "They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time." So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Key Insights
Fear of God supersedes fear of earthly powers. The midwives' reverence for the divine gave them courage to resist unjust human authority. True worship isn't passive compliance but active alignment with God's heart for justice and mercy. When human law contradicts divine love, faithful people choose the higher authority.
God works through ordinary people in extraordinary ways. Two midwives become instruments of divine liberation for an entire nation. Their seemingly small act of defiance becomes the foundation for Israel's deliverance. God doesn't need the powerful or famous to accomplish divine purposes—just the faithful and courageous.
Protecting the vulnerable is sacred work. Defending innocent life aligns us with God's heart for justice. The midwives understood that their calling to preserve life was more sacred than their obligation to obey earthly rulers. Sometimes faithfulness requires us to stand between the oppressor and the oppressed.
Divine blessing follows faithful resistance. God honors those who choose righteousness over safety. The text emphasizes that God was "good to the midwives" and gave them families of their own. When we align ourselves with God's purposes, even at great personal risk, we discover that divine favor is worth more than human approval.
Small acts of defiance can change history. Individual choices to do right can have generational impact. The midwives' courage preserved the generation that would experience the Exodus and inherit the Promised Land. Our faithful choices today may have consequences we cannot imagine.
Jesus-Centered Questions
Where is Jesus calling you to choose divine authority over human pressure in your current circumstances?
How might Jesus be inviting you to protect and defend the vulnerable in your community, even when it's costly?
What "small" acts of faithful resistance might God be calling you to that could have far-reaching kingdom impact?