I'm not doing that! (Exodus 1.11-21)
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I’m not doing that!
I’m not doing that!
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
“When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.”
But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?”
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.”
So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
Intro:
As I studied this text
the Question arose in my mind that asked,
Are there.......... some things in our lives worth standing up for?
Because......
......everybody has to have a limit
......a line that we draw in the sand that suggests,
this is something I must do......
And at the same time,
.....this is something I will never do...
(pause and optional expound)
And make no mistake about it Freedom,
There will always be some people who think they can command our actions in order to get what they want.....
(pause)
This week we witnessed an unimaginable moment in history unfold as thousands incited with hatred stormed the capital building in Washington D.C.
And while those actions will be etched into our minds for some time. There is another picture that should never be forgotten.....
....and that picture includes Stacey Abrams and other selfless women who made a sacrifice to stand in the role of midwife that gave birth to the first african american and Jewish Senators in the state of Georgia.
(pause)
And.....
....as we reflect on these current day examples couched behind these midwifes Shiprah and Puah in today’s biblical example.
We began to realize I pray.......
.......that there are some things in our lives that are depending on us for their birthing!
(pause)
Look at it now.....
As we begin to peek into Exodus here in the first chapter.....
.....we find that it demonstratively expresses the necessity for deliverance.
(slight pause)
For some time now after the death of Joseph, the Isarelites multiplied phenomally in number....proving the promise that God gave to Abraham.
And as this new dynasty of leaders emerge in Egypt they inagurate a new policy towards the Israelites.....
.......due to there extreme sensitivity towards the possibility of a foreign adversary.
(slight pause)
And there fear was that as these Semitic Israelites are multiplying in number, they are going to one day support these foreign adversaries.
(pause)
And so these Kings devised programs that were destructive towards the people.
And while the Kings are devising programs for Israel’s destruction....
God is orchestrating plans for Israel’s preservation!
And I don’t know if you realize it or not.......
But God is a God of Consistency.....
And.....
........what I mean by that is that God is still intervening in the lives of our humanity to carry us forward
......while at the same time the devil and his evil influences are building destructive programs against us.
But the good thing about it is......
.......there is not a program the devil can design or imagine
.....that God cannot REORDER!
And some of you have testimonies of how your life has experienced......
Destructive programming...........
But GOD!!!
The devil tried to use everything and everybody.......
......to put together a program that would take you out....
But........
Everytime...........your enemy put together an equation for DIVISION in your life
God.........
sends somebody along
......or does something to help you “GIVE BIRTH!”
(slight pause)
and so your testimony now sounds like Joseph when he was talking to his brothers!
....when he said,
“You meant it for evil......But God meant it for good!”
(pause and slight expound)
And I don’t know about you.....
.....but I have lived long enough now to know that...
.........God will always get the “FINAL SAY!”
(pause and expound)
Look at it now....
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
According to the text.....
Egypt tried everything they could to stop the growth of Israel......
But the more they tried.....
......Israel just kept on multiplying!
(pause)
And.......
......the reason this was taking place is because God’s promise towards the people cannot be DIVIDED.....
(pause)
And so......
......everytime Egypt would try to tear apart God’s people
....God would step in and offer ASSISTANCE!
That’s why Romans 8.28 says
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
It is because.......
The New Testament penmanship understood that we serve a God that will turn MANIPULATION into MATERIAL that is usable in our PURPOSE!
And that’s why......
......what you went through did not destroy you
........it’s because God saw you under ATTACK and offered ASSISTANCE!
(pause and expound)
Watch this.....
.......because when we find 2 phases of persecution that Egypt enforces towards Israel in the next few verses.
(pause)
And......
The first phase is found in verses 13 and 14.....
The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
According to the text......
Egypt intensified forced labor on Israel....
Made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick making...
(they built cities)
“bitter” in the hebrew here means to become desperate or bewildered.
ii. Made their lives bitter with every kind of field labor...
(one example is that they were made to complete irrigation projects, by digging out canals throughout the city)
(pause)
And remember......
....this persecution intensified is because they wanted to DISCOURAGE GROWTH
(pause)
Which leads us to the next phase of persecution that is found in verses 15 and 16.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.”
The text says.....
.....that the King of Egypt has now intensifed the level of persecution to population control.
(pause)
And.....
....in this third plan, the king has plotted to kill all of the male children of Israelite mothers while they are giving birth.
And when I looked at this......
.....God showed me the level of evil this King has resorted to
(pause)
Because in order for his plan to work he has to try and enlist these midwives in the text to carry out his divisive plan.....
And so he pulls these two midwives Shiphrah and Puah into his narcissistic idea.......
.......to make a decision to destroy babies in the delivery room.
(pause)
And when I went back and researched the midwife in this biblical context.....
....I found out that this was a very prestigious occupation in Egypt that was reserved for only women until late into the 16th century.
....because it was a violation of modesty for a man to be present when a woman is giving birth...
(pause)
And so when you are looking at Shiphrah and Puah in the text.......
........you are not looking at insignificance
.......you are not looking at unimportance
But on the contrary......
.........you are witnessing 2 practitioners who are overseeing a medical facility that is positioned under the canopy of heaven where thousands of women...........
......squat on two stones to be assisted by their own personal midwife as they go through the birthing process.
(pause)
And I know that all of the attention is on the baby MOSES who is coming a little later....
But can we just talk about the SIGNIFICANCE of these 2 women in the text who are responsible for the “BIRTHING OPERATION of a NATION!”
I know it could be easy to OVERLOOK them.....
But don’t miss this.....
Because if they dissappear........
So does Moses!
(pause)
And so.......
......when this Pharoah approaches these Practitioners
I said to myself......
.......self this is an incredible CONFLICT.
(pause)
Because now he wants them to choose between the laws of Pharoah, and the laws of God....
And at the core of this conflict is the fear of the Pharoah.......
......and so he looks to control the actions of the MIDWIVES with his MOTIVES.
(pause)
Watch the text........
The command says,
“When you act as a midwife to the Hebrew women, and you see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him.....”
Now.......
The definition of the midwife is a woman who aids or supports the womb, and helps to give birth.....
(pause)
And so if they are to follow this command.......
.......they will find themselves standing outside of the definition of who and what they are purposed to accomplish in their role as a midwife.
(pause)
And according to verse 17 the midwives thought about what the king was asking....
......and then responded in civil disobedience in defense of a moral imperative!
But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
And in my spiritual imagination I see these midwives speaking to one another saying......
Wait a minute Puah.....
.......did he just ask us to do what I think he did?
(slight pause)
Shiphrah......
.....Did he just ask us to ASSIST him in creating CHAOS and DESTRUCTION in the birthing room?
(slight pause)
And I see these women........
........shaking their heads
saying to one another.......
“I’m not doing that!”
(pause)
We don’t help to DESTROY in the birthing room
But......
When we show up....
We show up to assist in DELIVERY in the birthing room!
(pause)
And he can’t just.......
........come up in here and change our purpose.
(pause)
And Freedom family.......
whatever you do.......
......never let an evil influence come in and try to MUTATE your PURPOSE
(pause)
Because the truth of the matter is.......
it’s just too much at stake......
......to contaminate the birthing room with evisl intentions!
(pause)
Freedom.....
........I thought about the women of Israel who were in that room getting ready to give birth...
and.....
......I thought about how they were depending on their midwife to help them while they were in the birthing position...
(pause)
And I thought about the fact of how the last place you expect somebody to be against you.......
......is in the place where you expect them to be helping you!
(pause)
And I don’t know if these soon to be mothers are aware of what has been commanded of their midwives.....
because if these midwives were to follow the foolishness of this king.......
........they would turn a birthing room
......into a murder scene
(pause)
And then I wondered.....
.....what is being destroyed when we refuse to fear God in our decision making?
And.....
......what could be birthed, or delivered if we feared God in our decision making?
(slight pause)
And according to the text........
.......these 2 MIDWIVES made a decision that says.....
I hear what the King is ORDERING of us out of his fear........
But we got to be OBEDIENT out of our fear of the TRUE KING!
(pause)
And as believers in Jesus Christ.......
We can’t allow our lives to be terrorized with a fear that snatches us out of our purpose!
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination........
I see them coming up with their OWN PLAN.............
.......that suggests,
(slight pause)
We are not DESTROYERS......
We are DELIVERERS..........
and.....
We don’t SUSPEND life.........
We SUSTAIN life...........
(pause)
And so.....
I see these Midwives standing up for something that God is pleased with!
(pause)
And when the king came back and asked them.....
What happened?
Why did you not follow through with the command?
(pause)
They responded.....
They give birth too easily!
Before we can even get to them the babies are already being bathed and handed to their mothers
(pause - Preach Baker!)
And in my spiritual imagination what I heard them say was,
King while you’re sitting around trying to figure out a way to STOP them......
God is WORKING on a way to ADVANCE them!
(pause and expound)
And oh by the way King.......
“I’m not doing that!”
(pause)
And I wonder if there’s anybody in here that knows........
God is depending on us to help GIVE BIRTH.........
God is depending on us to PRESERVE and PROMOTE......
(pause)
And no devil in hell has the right to CHANGE what God has CREATED!
And once you find your role in the birthing room..........
DO IT to the glory of God!
(pause)
That’s what I see when I see these midwives......
I see two women in charge of a birthing room that made a decision to take a stand for something worth standing up for......
And once they came out of their prayer room........
And once they came out of discussion with one another
In my spiritual imagination I hear them saying......
“Come on PUAH.......
Come on Shiphrah..........
“IT’s time to bring these babies out......
GIVE BIRTH!”
.....................................EXPOUND/CLOSE/CONCLUSION...............................