Today we’re going to read about women who showed such courage during a time of fear. So get cozy, open your Bible, and when you’re ready, read Exodus 1.
Now the chapter starts talking about Jacob and his family and how their families grew while in Egypt. After some time a new pharaoh was over Egypt and he became afraid of the Israelites and how great they multiplied, so he made them slaves. When that didn’t stop the Israelites from continuing to grow (as the Lord promised Abraham), Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill the Hebrew sons. Pharoah spared the daughters because in that culture the lineage continued through the males. Exodus 1:17 says, “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live”. When Pharaoh confronted the midwives on why they weren’t doing as he commanded, they said that the women were giving birth before they arrived. This took incredible courage to stand in defiance against Pharoah! Put yourselves in their shoes- if you were commanded by the most powerful person in the world and you refused to obey by faith alone… wow! I want faith and courage like that! As a reward for their faithfulness, God blessed the midwives with families of their own. It is believed that midwives were barren, so if this is true what an incredible blessing from the Lord.
Let’s discuss what we just read. I have some questions that I want you to think about, write them down, and if you’d like to comment below we can discuss them together!
- What did we learn about God and His character in the lives of the Hebrew midwives?
- What character qualities, positive or negative, do we see in the lives of the Hebrew midwives?
- What can I learn from the story of these women and how apply it to my own life?
This story is powerful to me. These women risked everything to be faithful to God. They stood firm in their faith and because of that, God blessed them tenfold. They knew they couldn’t go against the Lord. They trusted that He would remain faithful to them and in return He blessed them. Now, we don’t remain faithful with our hands out waiting for something in return. We remain faithful because He is ALWAYS faithful to us.
I hope you enjoy this study and decide to come back. Tomorrow we’ll learn about the Mothers of Moses and see how God moved in their lives. I hope you enjoy the beautiful sunset that was made by our loving Father and y’all have a wonderful night.