You are better than your enemy

An appeal to get me up a hill in the middle of the night for a powerful cause.

5 days to go – https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-hudson-elim?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM

The Bible contains many powerful names who think they will be remembered long after they have died. However, the stories may be remembered, but as with this account, we still don’t know the name of this Pharaoh. But two midwives, on the other hand, we do know their names, etched into the Bible for millennia later.

Pharaoh’s command was clear and cruel, much like King Herod’s during Jesus’s lifetime. Kill the boys. It was to eliminate the threat before it grew. But two midwives had to make a choice, and they became heroines of the Bible.

“The 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.” ¹⁷ The 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 v 15-17)

At a time when the Israelites were growing in number, Pharaoh sought to control them through fear and oppression. He ordered the midwives to kill every Hebrew baby boy at birth. But two of them, Shiphrah (whose name means beautiful) and Puah (whose name could mean brilliant), chose not to. They faced the decision of whether to obey an unjust command or honour what was simply the right thing to do.

God can use ordinary people who choose courage and righteousness, even when facing powerful opposition.

Have you noticed the Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt, is not named, but the two midwives are.

These women may have seemed insignificant in the eyes of their world. Yet God always honours those who act with courage and faithfulness, even if those people are insignificant compared to others.

Shiphrah and Puah never led an army. But when the moment came, they chose God over Pharaoh. These two ladies simply did what was right, and three thousand years later, we are still saying their names.

You may feel like these two: small, overlooked, with nothing but your conscience and your God. But Scripture is clear that God sees those who fear him and act with courage. Go and do what’s right today.