Egyptian king (Pharaoh) came to power who did not know* of Joseph and what he had done for Egypt
(verse 8). This king saw the Hebrews as a threat (9). So, naturally, he goes all Hitler on them. He tells
the Hebrew midwives** to kill the baby boys (16). Because of their fear of God, they did not do it (17).
Naturally, the Pharaoh learns of this and asks them why they did not obey him (18).
Here is the rub. Basically, the Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) tell him, “The Hebrew
women have their children too quickly for us to get there in time to kill them” (19). This sounds really
odd to most, so many assume that this is a lie.
For the midwives’ obedience and faith, God blesses them by giving them houses and allowing
the Hebrew nation to grow stronger (20-21).
People say, “Hey, the midwives lied to save lives, and God blessed them for it! Therefore it is
okay for us to lie in extreme situations, too.” But hold up a second, tell me where God blesses them for
lying? Who says they were lying in the first place?
The Hebrew midwives could have been telling the truth. Unless the Bible tells us they were
lying explicitly (Peter denying Christ) or indirectly (Rahab the Harlot and the spies), we are to assume
they were telling the truth. Here are three options:
1. Maybe it is true. Maybe the Hebrew women really did have their children quickly, and were able to
do something with the baby boys before the midwives got there.
2. Maybe the Hebrew women waited until their children were born before telling the midwives they
were giving birth. When the midwives came, the baby boys would be long gone.
3. This option is just a twist on the second. The midwives could’ve made an agreement with expectant
mothers beforehand not to come until well after the women had their children. The baby boys would be
hidden. This is #2 except “pre-meditated”, with the midwives in league with the Hebrew women to
save their children.
Simply put, the midwives were telling Pharaoh the truth. The Hebrew women had their children
too quickly for the midwives to get there. In their obedience to God, the midwives defied the supreme
ruler of the land. They are an example to us.
Now back to the purpose of the post. No, the Bible does not condone sin in this instance,
because the Hebrew midwives did not sin. Simple as that, really. I'll get into Rahab's sticky situation
next.
* Some speculate that this Egyptian king was Hyksos. The Hyksos attacked Egypt and ruled it for a
time. Eventually, the Egyptians overthrew them and rules themselves once again. This makes sense. A
foreigner would have no clue about Egypt’s history, and therefore no knowledge of Joseph. (If you
click the link, you will have to scroll down to get to the part where the writer states that the Pharaoh
most likely was Hyksos. It's a somewhat lengthy article)
** Some speculate that the Hebrew midwives weren’t actually Hebrew, but were midwives to the
Hebrews (as opposed to Hebrew midwives). This doesn’t change the post, but it is an interesting note.
time. Eventually, the Egyptians overthrew them and rules themselves once again. This makes sense. A
foreigner would have no clue about Egypt’s history, and therefore no knowledge of Joseph. (If you
click the link, you will have to scroll down to get to the part where the writer states that the Pharaoh
most likely was Hyksos. It's a somewhat lengthy article)
** Some speculate that the Hebrew midwives weren’t actually Hebrew, but were midwives to the
Hebrews (as opposed to Hebrew midwives). This doesn’t change the post, but it is an interesting note.
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