The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:17 (Exodus 1)
370 years have passed since Joseph was governor of Egypt. The Pharaohs have long forgotten their debt of gratitude and begin to feel threatened by the growing population of Israelites. This fear led to prejudice and oppression and soon the Hebrew/Israelite children were enslaved. Egypt became the world’s wealthiest and most advanced civilization, all on the backs of this exploited labor.
God hears the cry of those who are broken and hopeless. Pharaoh’s answer to the growing numbers of a culture he did not approve of, was to murder all the baby boys, but allow the baby girls to live and eventually intermarry among the Egyptians. His objective was genocide. God sent rescue by way of faithful midwives who honored human life rather than the edicts of their government. Among those saved from infant death was a child, from the tribe of Levi, named Moses.
My words sound somewhat political. They are not. I am summarizing a story that displays God’s character and heart. He is good, He is love. Cries do not go unheard and man’s evil is never the end of your story. Pray, trust, hope and know, that God is doing something beyond the visible.
Love,
Gretchen