Women of the Bible Lesson 19 Puah and Shiphrah: A Story of Faithfulness

Today we will look at two unsung heroes: Puah and Shiphrah, the Hebrew midwives whose faithfulness to God protected a generation of Hebrew boys from genocide.  

We read the brief account of their lives in Exodus 1:15-20, The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 

The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 

So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (NIV) 

These brave women demonstrate a deep faithfulness to God that inspires me.  There are a few lessons I believe we can learn from them. 

First, they feared God rather than man.   

Verse 17 tells us, “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.” 

There are two schools of thought about the midwives.  Some believe that they were Egyptian midwives who served the Hebrew woman. Still others believe they were Hebrew women. Regardless of their nationality, they feared God more than they did Pharaoh.   

These women knew that by allowing the baby boys to live they were putting their own lives in danger.  Pharaoh, as king, had the authority to kill them for their disobedience. It is probable that there were a few years between Pharaoh’s first and second meetings with the midwives.  As the Hebrew boys grew older it would have become apparent to Pharaoh that his orders had not been carried out.  I’m sure that as the years progressed the midwives were waiting for the fateful day when Pharaoh would discover their secret.  However, as we read in Exodus 1, this did not stop them from assisting the Hebrew women in preserving their baby’s lives.    

Matthew 10:26-28, “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (NIV)  

Acts 4:19, But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! (NIV) 

Acts 5:29, Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! (NIV) 

As we see in both the Matthew and Acts passages above, we must obey God rather than man.  Fearing him with reverent trust means obeying even at the risk of our comfort or even our lives. Faithfulness to God sometimes means becoming and enemy with the world.   

I want us to take a moment to consider what things we might fear more than God:

1. Culture 

2. The crowd 

3. Family 

4. Peers 

5. Colleagues 

6. Loss of reputation or status 

John 12:42-43, Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God. 

Galatians 2:11-13, But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. (NLT) 

We must make sure that we do not fall into the trap of the early believers.  We must put faithfulness and obedience to God above our desires to please man.  Proverbs 29:25, Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. (NIV)   

“The bottom line is that we will never display strength in the face of temptation, or courage in the face of opposition, or boldness in the face of disapproval unless we think it a bigger deal to disobey God than to disappoint men.” i 

Secondly, the midwives did not allow themselves to become co-conspirators/partners to sin.   

Ephesians 5:6-7, Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin].  So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]. (AMP) 

Psalm 1:1-3, Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (NASB) 

The enemy of our souls is looking for ways to tempt us sin.  He is subtle and often uses those around us to encourage us to follow his lead.  While there are many areas in which the enemy tempts us to compromise our stand, one place he often tries this is on our job.   

Puah and Shiphrah were midwives.  This was their job/profession.  Oxford Languages online dictionary defines midwifery as: the profession or practice of assisting women in childbirth. 

“Midwifery is among the earliest and most ubiquitous specialized functions in human society. It virtually always is a woman’s profession: it involves women assisting other women in a natural biological process. As a profession, it involves the instincts and emotions of the practitioners as well as technical knowledge and clinical skill. The care of a midwife tends to be holistic, providing emotional as well as physical support and assistance, as the case of Rachel indicates. In her duress, Rachel evidently exhibits fear, and the midwife consoles her.”ii 

By commanding the midwives to kill the baby boys, they were being told to go against their moral and ethical obligations to the women for whom they served.  As midwives they had dedicated their lives to the health and well-being of women and infants.   

They were not only being asked  to go against their moral or ethical responsibility, but they were also being asked to commit murder.  They were being asked to take the lives of precious gifts of God and then to lie to the mothers about why their baby boys died.   

While today we will probably never be asked by our boss to commit murder, we might be asked to stretch the truth, cover for an error in bookkeeping, or even outright lie to protect the company’s “best interests”.  

“Sometimes women (and men) in the workplace today find themselves facing an order from a boss that they cannot ethically carry out. Knowing God's will and doing it in such circumstances may cost them their job. But just as God honored the Hebrew midwives, God honors those today who stand up and fight for what is right in the workplace.” iii 

Like Puah and Shiphrah, we too must take our stand for right and righteousness in our workplace and in every area of our lives.  

Finally, they understood that what they did mattered.   

1 Corinthians 10:31, So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (NLT) 

Everything we do matters.  For a Christian, there should be no separation between our “secular” and “spiritual” life.  As Paul wrote in the passage above, everything we do must be done for the glory of God.   

Puah and Shiphrah changed the course of history by saving a generation of Hebrew boys. You or I might never be given a responsibility like that, however, we are daily given the responsibility to be salt and light in the world around us.  We are called to love the unlovely, bless those who curse us, share with those in need.  To be the hands and feet of Jesus here on the earth.  

Matthew 25:40, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (NLT) 

It has been said, “You might be the only Bible someone else reads.” What will they see written on the pages of your life?   

In closing, we like the Hebrew midwives must, fear God rather than man, we must not allow ourselves to become partners with sin, and we must always remember that what we do matters.   

Works Cited:i https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/oh-to-have-faith-like-hebrew-midwife/ 

ii https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/midwife-bible#:~:text=Midwives%20appear%20in%20several%20biblical,midwife%20in%20one%20poetic%20text.

iii https://www.theologyofwork.org/key-topics/women-and-work-in-the-old-testament/shiphrah-and-puah-two-ezer-midwives-defy-the-king-exodus-18-22/