Honoring God
- Aug 20
- 4 min read
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live."
1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. (Exodus 1:15-17, 22, 16:1-3, 5-6)
The people of Israel - literally, Israel and his descendants - lived in peace in Egypt for many years. But eventually a new pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph, or about the blessing he had been to Egypt and nations beyond. Instead, this pharaoh only saw the growing population of Israelites as a potential threat to his power and he was willing to take drastic measures to eliminate this threat. Initially the king ordered the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill any male Hebrew babies they helped birth. Because they honored God and were unwilling to snuff out precious life, the women lied and told the king that the Hebrew women gave birth too quickly for them to intervene. The king then ordered all people to throw all male Hebrew babies into the Nile. One crafty couple hid their son for three months. When they could no longer conceal him, they obeyed the order to put him in the Nile, but they placed him carefully in a little tar lined basket and allowed the current to carry him to the place where the pharaoh's daughter bathed with her attendants. The baby's sister, Miriam, watched from a distance. When Pharaoh's daughter realized that this had to be one of the Hebrew babies, and Miriam saw the compassion of the princess for the child, Miriam offered to get a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. Miriam then brought her own mother, who was then able to care for her own son until he came of age to be handed over to Pharaoh's daughter and raised as a prince in the palace. The princess had named the child Moses because she drew him out of the water, not realizing that one day he would draw his people out of Egypt.
Each of the women in Moses' life, as well as the two midwives, chose to go against what their society, culture, and authorities told them to do. They chose to see the lives of vilified male children as valuable, precious, and worth saving. It is no coincidence that brown-skinned boys are maligned and denigrated even today. While they are still children, they are perceived as a threat. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. They become who we tell them they are - through our words, our attitudes, and our care, or lack thereof. But we too can choose to go against society, culture, and the authorities of today. We can choose to see potential and possibility. We can choose to see the power and presence of God, and nurture them as the kingdom heirs they are intended to be. This too can
become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When Jesus asked his disciples who the world said he was and who they said he was, Jesus understood the power of perception. Who we believe people to be affects how we treat them. Who we believe Jesus to be affects how we honor him, how we see ourselves and how we see others. We honor God by loving others - seeing the value in each person. Conversely, how we treat others is a reflection of how we honor God. So, who do we say Jesus is? Does the way we live our lives, and the way we treat one another, confirm or deny our claim?
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
prevail against it. (Matthew 16:13-18)
This powerful video includes scenes from the movie "Selma"
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