Shiphrah and Puah

By Guest Writer

Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:6-21

Sometimes following God leads to hard decisions. Early church believers chose between bowing down to Roman gods or being thrown into the colosseum and torn by wild beasts. In Romania I know a man who lost his job—and his home—for calling himself a Christian during Nicolae Ceaușescu’s reign.

And in ancient Egypt, we read about Shiphrah and Puah, two midwives who faced their own hard decision. Pharaoh told them to kill every Hebrew boy they delivered because he feared the Israelites were too numerous in the land (Exodus 1:9–16). Pharoah was not only a brutal and powerful dictator, he was also viewed as the supernatural link between the gods and the Egyptians.

Shiphrah and Puah had to answer much larger questions in deciding how to respond to Pharoah’s command— what power would the midwives bow down to? Which god would they serve? Which power would the midwives bow down to? Which god would they serve? If they chose to disobey Pharoah, he could have them tortured or killed.

We can imagine Shiphrah and Puah’s epic moments of decision. They pulled forth boys from wombs. They saw the head, then shoulders, arms, and legs of tiny image bearers of God miraculously brought forth, and even if they didn’t have the words to say it, each life was a reminder of the Creator. The helpless babes would lay in the midwives’ hands as new life pulsed through their fingers. What would Shiphrah and Puah do?

They let the boys live. The midwives feared the one true God more than Pharaoh and Egyptian gods (Exodus 1:17). They knew their future was unsure, but they surely would not dishonor God.

Our decisions in following the Lord may not be as dangerous as the midwives, but we personally face all kinds of faith-based decisions. Do we compromise godliness in our relationships or honor God’s Word (1Corinthians 6:18)? Do we file our taxes with integrity, giving “to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21)? Do we confess Christ even when it might cost us a promotion or social connections (Matthew 10:32–34)?

Pharoah questioned the midwives, and they convinced him that the Hebrew women gave birth before they could arrive. Shiphrah and Puah feared the Lord, so the Lord blessed them with families of their own (Exodus 1:19–21).

But following God does not always lead to earthly blessing, such as my eleven-year-old recently learned at school. Another kid teased my son’s friend. So my son stood up for his friend, but when the teacher turned and saw the altercation, my son was in the middle of it and got in trouble. I was moved when he said, “I learned today that honoring God by sticking up for my friend cost me.”

Yes, my son. Following God takes on risk. Sometimes we are blessed like Shiphrah and Puah for our faithfulness to him. But other times—we suffer. Yet the consolation for us all is the same: if we fear the Lord, we worship Him with our lives like the godly midwives of Exodus.

Written by Seana Scott