The descendants of Israel went through a time of great oppression and slavery. This was no surprise as God already foretold this in Genesis 15:13. God told Abraham while the patriarch was fast asleep, saying, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” However, God’s end game for them was not slavery forever. So, despite the great oppression and slavery enforced by Pharaoh, the descendants of Israel multiplied greatly. In Genesis 15:14, God’s promise to them was “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” The children of Israel were promised a possession, but it would not take place until they had gone through much suffering. And they did.
Soon it dawned on the king of Egypt that slavery did not bring about the result he desired. The population of Israel kept increasing notwithstanding his harsh treatment. To lessen the rapidly increasing population of the Israelites, Pharaoh schemed to commit infanticide. He summoned Shiphrah and Puah, the two Hebrew midwives and said to them, “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” This was Satan’s scheme to counter God’s promise in Genesis 3:15, concerning the coming of a savior. But the midwives under the guidance of God did not follow the plan of the Pharaoh. The truth is this: God is sovereign and His plan will always supersede the evil design of Satan. He will never allow evil to thwart the progress of His plan. There will always be people whom He will raise up to do His bidding. They will be the instruments, whom He can count on to execute His plan and carry it forward. Shiphrah and Puah were the people He used to preserve the lives of the new born of the children of Israel. In our days of uncertainty, can He count on us? Are we the kind of people whom God is raising to advance His Kingdom? Will He see the faithfulness and diligence in us that can be used to influence people for the Kingdom?
To preserve the population of the male in Israel the two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, did not obey the instructions of Pharaoh. They defied his order to annihilate all the new-born male of the Israelites. And God was said to have rewarded them. This creates a little difficulty for the purists who saw lying as a contradiction to God’s nature. Didn’t God say he detests lies? Why then did He reward Shiphrah and Puah who lied to the Pharaoh? One principle we must accept is this: The instructions of God must always take precedence. It is more important to obey God’s Word and fulfill His plan than the word and plan of man. When God’s plan for our life and man’s instruction contradict, God’s plan must be given the preference. This was the basis the early apostles followed. In Acts 5:29, when ordered by the authority not to spread the good news of Christ, the answer of Peter and his gang was: “We must obey God rather than men!” They risked their lives just like the two midwives. To ensure the progress of God’s plan, will we be willing to risk our lives?
Interestingly, the name Shiphrah means “beautiful one” and Puah means “splendid one.” These two midwives lived up to their names. What they did was not only beautiful but also splendid. They helped to advance the cause of God and retard the wicked plan of Pharaoh. Like the midwives, when we walk in line with the Word of God, we become beautiful and splendid people. We too can be used to advance God’s work and retard Satan’s plan. Therefore, let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil in Him will not be in vain.
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