The names Shiphrah and Puah may not mean much to you, but they were two remarkable women in their generation. You see, these two ladies were the Hebrew midwives when the king of Egypt told them to murder the sons born to the children of Israel. Imagine - the slaughter of innocents at birth - legislated and commanded by the state.
'But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.' (Exodus 1:17). The fear of Pharaoh meant nothing to them when their conscience was stricken with the fear of God. The king's command meant nothing compared to the command of the King of Kings. As the apostles declared before the Sanhedrin: "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29).
Are there situations when we find ourselves in conflict between the laws of the state and the law of God? Let us find encouragement to follow the example of Shiphrah and Puah to take a stand for truth, when it truly is a matter of principle.
We find that God honours those who honour him (1 Samuel 2:30), to the extent that the midwives gave birth themselves. Those who were responsible for helping others give birth, were blessed with children themselves. (Exodus 1:21)
No comments:
Post a Comment