Remembering Two Women of Faith
Scripture – Exodus 1:15-17: 15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
Reflection: My guess is most people are not familiar with these two women – Shiphrah and Puah. Yet in this Exodus story their faith and courage pop out as examples for life today. They were given a clear, direct order from the king of Egypt. In the face of that, they chose to obey God instead.
Today I’m going to keep an eye out for choices like this. When will I be challenged to bend my beliefs instead of standing firm? Seldom is the issue as clear-cut as it was for Shiphrah and Puah. It usually comes to me in more subtle forms. If I’m not paying attention, I find myself compromising my faith “just a little.” Yet that’s a slippery slope that easily leads to obeying the king rather than God.
Keep these two women in mind today. They risked their lives because of their faith. By the grace of God, I really don’t expect to face that consequence today. Still, how will I respond? How will you?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting tomorrow morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We’ll meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reading for Sunday, November 30
Scripture – Exodus 1:20-22: 20So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Reflection: My guess is most people are not familiar with these two women – Shiphrah and Puah. Yet in this Exodus story their faith and courage pop out as examples for life today. They were given a clear, direct order from the king of Egypt. In the face of that, they chose to obey God instead.
Today I’m going to keep an eye out for choices like this. When will I be challenged to bend my beliefs instead of standing firm? Seldom is the issue as clear-cut as it was for Shiphrah and Puah. It usually comes to me in more subtle forms. If I’m not paying attention, I find myself compromising my faith “just a little.” Yet that’s a slippery slope that easily leads to obeying the king rather than God.
Keep these two women in mind today. They risked their lives because of their faith. By the grace of God, I really don’t expect to face that consequence today. Still, how will I respond? How will you?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting tomorrow morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We’ll meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reading for Sunday, November 30
Scripture – Exodus 1:20-22: 20So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
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