Daily Devotions – Fear of God

Daily Devotions – Fear of God

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

Exodus 1:15-22English Standard Version (ESV)

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

I love this passage! Pharaoh, the leader of the greatest nation on earth at the time, demands that the midwives kill every male Israelite child. These midwives not only refuse to kill the babies, but then lie directly to Pharaoh’s face because they were more afraid of what God thought than Pharaoh. This leads to God blessing them with their own families and the Israelites continued to grow in numbers. Notice, also, that we are told the names of these seemingly insignificant women, but never in this whole account told the name of Pharaoh. God cares deeply about the seemingly small and insignificant things we do on a daily basis. Ask God to help you glorify him in everything you say and do and fear him above anyone else.