When Righteous Women Rebel

On January 22nd you read for your devotions &

Tonight we are going to look at and the story of the Midwives

When you read it says

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

Exodus 1:1 NKJV

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

But the Hebrew text says

1 וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ׃

But the Hebrew text says

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

Exodus 1:1 AFAT

1 וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ׃

The New King James Version. (1982). (Ex 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

What this means is the first word is the book of Exodus is the word “and.” The book of Exodus starts right where Genesis ends.

So into should read

So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

So notice that Genesis and Exodus flow seamlessly into each other.

Take a couple minutes to study this passage and explain the “flow of this passage.”

Notice the flow of the Passage

It starts with the Israelites in Egypt. Joseph who is righteous dies, yet God blesses his family. A new Egyptian King sees the Jews, and fears them. So he creates an unrighteous plan (for they have not done anything wrong.) He carries out his evil plan which causes the Jews to suffer, yet God blesses His people, so the Egyptians fear them even more. The King turns up the heat and causes the Jews even more pain! The King commands the midwives to carry out his evil plan of killing all the male children born to the Jews. Unlike the King, the midwives are righteous and do not harm the children. The king becomes furious that his evil plan was not carried out. God blesses the midwives because of their righteousness. In response, the king commands the death of all the newborn Jewish males - he hopes this evil plan will work… sadly for the King, Moses is born, and Moses will bless his people by freeing them from Egypt.

I could sum up the passage this way. God’s blessing in your life can cause unrighteous people to envy you. As a result they may create evil plans which bring you suffering. However, in the midst of suffering, obey God and cling to His righteousness, for God will bless you and deliver you in ways you can’t imagine.

In verse 5-7 the old generation passes away, but God blesses the new generation. The family of Jacob grows into a nation.

70 people went into Egypt and 430 years later during the exodus, an estimated 2,000,000 (or more) left!

*Note - there were 600,000 men who were twenty years and older who left at the time of the Exodus (.) By adding the women and children we come to the number above.

600,000 men who were twenty years and older (

Notice the timeline and major event.

In verse 8 a new King comes to rule over Egypt. The new king (according to the early date theory which is based off of ) is Thutmose III. This places him about 302 years after the death of Joseph.

600,000 men who were twenty years and older (Ex. 12:37

Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (p. 10). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.hundreds of years removed from Joseph and did not care for the Jews.

Thutmose III views the Jews as a threat because of their number. His fear leads him to enslave the Jews.

The faithlife study Bible states:

“The servitude described is not domestic slavery, as was the case with Joseph (). The terms here describe harsh oppression. The Israelites were tasked with making bricks for building projects and laboring in the fields (see ; compare 5:7–19).”

According to verse 12 the Jews were enslaved and abused, yet the people grew in number! It is implied they grew because God was blessing them.

This was fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham when the Angel of the Lord said to him ()

Genesis 15:5–6 NKJV

5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 22:17–18 NKJV

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

The New King James Version Chapter 22

blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

(NKJV)

6 And he (N)believed in the Lord, and He (O)accounted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:5–6 NKJV

5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Genesis 15:5-6

6 And he (N)believed in the Lord, and He (O)accounted it to him for righteousness.

The Egyptians became even more fearful than before as they watch the Jews enduring their bondage. In fact the Jews were having more and more children!

The wicked King wanted to stop the people once for all with his evil plan.

The King’s wicked plan is very simple. He commands the Jewish midwifes to kill any newborn Jewish boy. Without men, there would be no threat of a Jewish uprising for they would have no military strength.

Two of the leading midwives - Shiphrah and Puah would become heroines to the Jewish slaves. They feared God more than the King, so they decided to save the babies and not kill them.

Wiersbe writes;

“Were the midwives lying to Pharaoh? Probably not. The babies were born before the midwives arrived because Shiphrah and Puah had told their assistants to be late! God blessed the two leading midwives for putting their own lives on the line in order to save the Jewish nation from extinction.”

Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (p. 12). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.

Be Delivered 1. The Deliverer Needed (Ex. 1:1–22)

Were the midwives lying to Pharaoh? Probably not. The babies were born before the midwives arrived because Shiphrah and Puah had told their assistants to be late! God blessed the two leading midwives for putting their own lives on the line in order to save the Jewish nation from extinction.

We are told to obey our authorities. Paul wrote in

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

However, Christians are allowed to disobey authorities when they command people to engage in sinful activity.

Daniel prayed to God even through the King forbid it (.)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to worship the King’s image (.)

Peter and the Apostles were forbidden to preach about Jesus (.)

says, “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

So Biblically you must obey your authorities unless they command you to sin.

29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

What did God do for these courageous women? He blessed them with children of their own!

Solomon would later write in Proverbs 11:18

“The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.”

18 The wicked man does deceptive work,

But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.

Proverbs 11:18 NKJV

18 The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.

The King’s plan has failed - so he commands that all Jewish newborn boys be thrown into the Nile and drowned.

The New King James Version Chapter 7

17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months.

This was all part of God’s plan! He would allow the evil King to do these works because it would set the stage for Moses.

Moses’ mom would hide him, and he would end up getting a royal education in the King’s Palace!

This would prepare Moses for leading over 2,000,000 Jews to the Promise Land!

Stephen explained this all in when he said...

17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

God told Abraham all these events would take place in

Remember the words of Joseph

17 “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Also remember that God has a master plan… Remember the words of Joseph

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Remember the words of Joseph

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those (A)who are the called according to His purpose.

I could sum up the passage this way. God’s blessing in your life can cause unrighteous people to envy you. As a result they may create evil plans which bring you suffering. However, in the midst of suffering, obey God and cling to His righteousness, for God will bless you and deliver you in ways you can’t imagine.

When Righteous Women Rebel

What You Read

Background

How You Study The Text

How You Read The Text

How Pastor Kenny Studies the Text

Back to the Passage

Timeline

New King New Trouble

But They Grew

Repay Evil For Good

Evil Game-Plan

Two Heroines

Was It Wrong To Disobey?

Examples of Righteous Rebellion

God Blesses The Righteous

Raging of The Unrighteous

Why Did All This Happen?

God Saw It Coming

Sum it up