The Courage of the Midwives

Courage is defined as "the ability to do something that frightens one." When we think about people who exhibit courage we tend to think about soldiers, the police, or firefighters. But if we read Exodus 1 we can find two Hebrew midwives who qualify.

The Hebrew slaves we being persecuted in Egypt. It was shortly before Moses was to be born when the king of Egypt ordered the midwives to kill all the baby boys born to the Hebrew women.

"But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13and worked them ruthlessly. 14They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live." - Exodus 1:12-17

The midwives disobeyed the head of the ruling authority because they feared God more, even though they had to lie. That took real courage! And they were blessed for it.

I saw a similar story on the news recently where the governor of our fine state issued a mask mandate. Our local Sherriff then said he was not going to enforce the mandate because it violated a higher authority - the Constitution.

In another Covid-related case, many governors have shuttered churches trying to stop the spread of the virus. Some churches have defied their governors because they feel that God is a higher authority and that our government has illegally interfered. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the churches.

What decisions will you and I be forced to make? Will we blindly follow any government edict that comes down the line or will we discern what is right in God's eyes?

A time is coming when each of us will have to make hard choices about whether or not to obey our government's laws or to obey God laws. It will be interesting. And it WILL happen. It's already happening in other countries.

Canadian pastors cannot preach against the sin of homosexuality. It's a Canadian law. Will Canadian pastors continue to preach the truth, even if they face jail time for doing so?

The Apostles disobeyed many laws to spread the truth of The Gospel, undergoing all sorts of tribulation and punishment. Even death. Am I that courageous? Are you?

Each of us will have to make up our own minds when faced with decisions involving God's law.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15