Midwives of Egypt
Proverbs 31:30 “…But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised”
I personally like the segments where the biblical view is totally different from that of the world. When the world is going gaga about ‘Women empowerment”, the Bible stands out by associating women to “submission” and “fear”. With the International Woman’s Day round the corner, lets discuss about a few from the biblical context. No, it’s not about the usual Esther or Mary but about two women who stood out from the rest during their days – Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives in Egypt. The Hebrew midwives apart from helping the mothers to deliver their babies, they also applied a paste of date fruits on the palate of the new born baby training (Hanok – in Hebrew means ‘to train’) him to suck milk. Though small, their role was vital.
Exodus 1:21 says “And so it was because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them”. It was that fear that made them do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. When they saved the Hebrew male children, against the orders of the Pharaoh, they wouldn’t have realized that one of the survivors (Moses) would have their names written in the Book of all times! In the midst of kings and warriors in the bible, God, by His deliberate design mentions Shiphrah and Puah who risked their lives to do the will of God. So, for all those who think that their good works and efforts go unnoticed, here’s the good news. We have a God in heaven who looks into all the small details and has them praised in His time. That reminds me about the sermon last Sunday… “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Col 3:23).
-Reena Thomas
Image credit: https://www.jw.org/en/