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: 17
It’s official! Pharaoh is consumed by fear of the Israelites. The fact that they’re fulfilling God’s purpose upsets him so much that he decides to make their lives miserable but it was almost as though God weaponised Pharaoh’s affliction and used it as a tool for advancing the prosperity of the Israelites. The Bible says “…the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Exodus 1: 12)
In desperation, “…The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “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.” (Exodus 1: 15-16).
Pharaoh’s order was a tall one. Who would dare disobey the order of the world’s most powerful man of his time? No one! So we thought until the first civil disobedience in man’s history happened. “The midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Exodus 1: 17). Although they feared the king, they feared God more. Their fear of God made them both available and usable vessels for fulfilling God’s purpose.
Imagine if these midwives had allowed fear to cripple their judgement. Moses, destined to lead his people to freedom, would have been lost to an evil decree. God was raising a deliverer for his people and the devil sought to thwart that plan. Yes, these brave women stood as instruments of God’s will, vessels of salvation. They were not Moses’ mother, their womb did not birth his destiny, but their hands held it, nurturing its arrival.
There is a move of God also in our time, but God will use men in different ways. While some may be chosen to give birth to revival, others are called to be midwives.
Who are midwives? They play the crucial role of protecting mother and child, offering encouragement and expertise during childbirth, creating a safe and nurturing environment for birth, and ensuring the safe passage of the newborn.
Ask yourself today: what is God leading me to be a midwife for? Who has God sent me to be a midwife for? If the answer eludes you, the simplest place to start is your current local church. Offer prayers for those doing God’s work, lend your spiritual counsel and material support – whatever you can do to support the ongoing work. You may not be the one carrying the torch, but you can be the midwife who guides its delivery. The time to act is now!
PRAYER
Heavenly Lord, thank you for what you are doing in my generation. Thank you for the men you are using. Please, Lord, help me to understand your move and my role in supporting its actualization. Grant me the courage like Shiphrah and Puah to take a stand for you, in Jesus name.
