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Brave Shiphrah and Puah Midwives who feared God |
 In
the first chapter of Exodus, Moses wrote about some brave ladies. The pharaoh
of Egypt hated the Israelites. He made them into slaves. Then, because
there was a known prophecy that at 400 years the Israelite nation would
leave Egypt, he began forming plans for killing off the boys who might
become the leaders. Satan put him up to this evil work of killing off the
sweet innocent babies. Satan did this also at the time of the birth of
Jesus. |
| God gave courage to His people. There were many ladies that worked for other women who were having babies. These ladies were usually without any families of their own. These ladies were like nurses. They were called midwives. They would go help no matter what time of the day the baby would be born. |
| Now pharaoh commanded these ladies to kill the boys as they were being born and let the baby girls live. What a terrible thing to ask of these ladies. Shiphrah and Puah helped babies to be born. They feared God and refused to kill any baby. They believed that God would help them if they obeyed God before the most powerful ruler in the world. That was a very brave thing to do. They had to believe that God was more powerful than the pharaoh. |
 Brave
Shiphrah and Puah and others stood up to a king that no one else dared to
refuse. This Pharaoh ruled the most powerful nation in the world at that
time. Every one was afraid of him. No matter what he asked, everyone did
what he said. But these dear ladies loved God and obeyed Him before anyone
else. You must be that way too! God will bless you if you say no to
evil commands no matter how bad the threat is to you.
They refused to kill the baby boys. In their hearts they said, "We will not do such a thing for we fear God". |
| Can you imagine how they must have trembled inside when the pharaoh called them in before him to punish them? He asked them why they weren't killing the babies. They reported that the Hebrew ladies had a much easier delivery than the Egyptian ladies. The babies were born before they even arrived to help. That was a clever answer. All doctors know that hard working active ladies will have easier deliveries. Exercise is very good. What these ladies did not say was that when they arrived they had no desire to kill the living boys. |
 God
rewarded these ladies by giving them the desire of their hearts. Since
most midwives do not have their own children, God blessed these brave
ladies with their own homes full of little ones. God prospered them.
It always pays to obey God rather than man. God commanded that we should not kill. These brave ladies obeyed. Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. God will bless every brave lady who stands for the truth with her own mansion home in heaven. These ladies risked their lives to do what was right. God can help us stand bravely for Him.
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| The king, angry at the failure of his design, made the command more urgent and extensive. The
whole nation was called upon to hunt out and slaughter his helpless
victims. "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."{DG 31.1} While this decree was in full force a son was born to Amram and Jochebed, devout Israelites of the tribe of Levi. The babe was "a goodly child"; and the parents, believing that the time of Israel's release was drawing near, and that God would raise up a deliverer for His people, determined that their little one should not be sacrificed. Faith in God strengthened their hearts, "and they were not afraid of the king's commandment." Hebrews 11:23.--PP 242 (1890).{DG 31.2} When this cruel decree was in full force, Moses was born. His mother hid him as long as she could with any safety, and then prepared a little vessel of bulrushes, making it secure with pitch, that no water might enter the little ark, and placed it at the edge of the water, while his sister should be lingering around the water with apparent indifference. She was anxiously watching to see what would become of her little brother. {DG 31.3} |
 Another
commandment is soon to come under fire. It has been broken for years by
many who do not realize that they are breaking it. Many are sweet honest
God loving and generous people. They have missed this detail in their
Bible study. The 4th commandment in Exodus 20 says that the 7th day is the
Sabbath. Prophecies state that a law will be made against all who keep the
7th day instead of the man made Sunday Sabbath. Revelation 12:1 represents
God's commandment people who have the Spirit of Prophecy. God will help
them spread the gospel of His love and soon coming.
We have been looking many years for a Sunday law to be enacted in our land; and now that the movement is right upon us, we ask, Will our people do their duty in the matter? Can we not assist in lifting the standard, and in calling to the front those who have a regard for their religious rights and privileges? The time is fast approaching when those who choose to obey God rather than man, will be made to feel the hand of oppression. Shall we then dishonor God by keeping silent while His holy commandments are trodden under foot? While the Protestant world is by her attitude making concessions to Rome, let us arouse to comprehend the situation, and view the contest before us in its true bearings. Let the watchmen now lift up their voice, and give the message which is present truth for this time. Let us show people where we are in prophetic history, and seek to arouse the spirit of true Protestantism, awakening the world to a sense of the value of the privileges of religious liberty so long enjoyed.--Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 716. {ChS 163.1} |
| Credits: Midwife ladies 3d art by Kyle |