5 Women Who Helped Topple Pharaoh and Save God’s People
Moses’ Mother by Alexey Vasilievich Tyranov; image from Wikimedia Commons; {{PD-US}}.
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In the first chapter of Exodus, we discover that Pharaoh, the great king of Egypt, had a pest problem. The Hebrews were multiplying, and this minority group within his kingdom was starting to count as the majority (Exod. 1:8-10). Pharaoh had to do something about it to get their numbers under control. He wanted them to shrink, not to swell.
Pharaoh sought to get the Hebrew population under control.
So, he pulled out his population control toolbox. First, he imposed on the Hebrews the arduous tax of forced labor (Exod. 1:11). Surely, job accidents will be an effective birth control, but it didn’t work. The Hebrew numbers kept going up. Pharaoh reached back into his toolbox and withdrew slavery—steal their freedom and feed them with the whip (Exod. 1:13-14). Yet again, it didn’t work. Instead, the more Pharaoh oppressed the Hebrews, the more they increased.
Next, Pharaoh summoned the midwives (Exod. 1:15). He called to his court the two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. Now, the text is ambiguous at this point. Hebrew midwives could mean those who served as midwives were ethnically Hebrew. Or it could mean they were non-Hebrews who worked as midwives for the Hebrews. Which one it is we are not sure.
On one hand, if they were Hebrew, it seems pretty foolish for Pharaoh to employ them. Surely, Pharaoh wasn’t this stupid. Yet, their names, Shiphrah and Puah, are Semitic, which means they hailed from Palestine. The evidence slightly tips toward them being Amorite or Ugaritic, though we can’t be sure.
Either way Pharaoh employed them in his new population reduction program of infanticide (Exod. 1:16). When the Hebrew mothers were giving birth, if it was a boy, the midwives were to kill the baby. But, if it was a girl, they were to let it live. Pharaoh mandated that these midwives become his executioners. Yet, why does Pharaoh choose midwives?
Pharaoh was implementing an incognito program of infanticide.
Well, midwifery was a profession that was considered honorable and distinguished. It was also a job that was open only to women. In fact, until modern times, being a midwife was exclusively a female vocation because it was regarded as a violation of the code of modesty for men to be in the labor and delivery room. Even male doctors were forbidden. Thus, the selection of midwives was part of Pharaoh’s secretive designs.
Pharaoh was implementing an incognito program of infanticide. He mandated that the midwives act as his abortion doctors in disguise. During the throes of labor, they could murder the baby boys, and in an age of high infant mortality rates no one would be the wiser—just another tragic misfortune during the dangers of giving birth. This was Pharaoh’s clandestine policy to murder every Hebrew baby boy.
God made a covenant promise to raise up a Son to be the Savior of his people.
Additionally, Pharaoh chose to abort the boys and let the girls live. In reality, wiping out either the boys or girls would work as population control, so why the boys? Well, whether it was intentional or not, Pharaoh’s scheme targeted God’s promise more sharply.
The covenant promise was to raise up a Son to be the Savior of God’s people. Daughters were essential to the life of the covenant, but the hope of a deliverer fell upon a son to be born. Therefore, Pharaoh again showed himself as raising his hand against heaven. Under the cover of darkness, he hoped to murder the covenant promise before the umbilical cord was even cut.
Pharaoh had put these midwives in a pickle. Their job was to save lives; they took an oath to do no harm. But now, they had been ordered by Pharaoh to perform partial-birth abortions. What a terrifying predicament! Yet, these midwives were not cowards. They had eyes for an authority higher than the king of Egypt.
SHIPHRAH AND PUAH
Shiphrah and Puah were willing to become criminals in Egypt in order to be obedient towards God.
Shiphrah and Puah feared the Lord. They cared for doing what was right in God’s eyes over obeying some earthly monarch. Thus, the midwives did not obey Pharaoh (Exod. 1:17). The first recorded account of civil disobedience goes to these midwives. They blew off Pharaoh’s commands as if it were a little thing. They let the Hebrew boys live.
The midwives risked their own lives to save the Hebrew baby boys, for they trusted in God to be their reward. They were willing to become criminals in Egypt in order to be obedient towards God. With heroic fear of God, the midwives became the saviors of God’s people. Pharaoh had his own intelligence service, though, so he soon found out about the treason of the midwives.
He called his court to order and laid his charge before these women: “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” (Exod. 1:18). He assumed their guilt, but he wanted to know their motive. What in the world could possess these midwives to disobey the great Pharaoh? And more than likely, this charge was a matter of life and death for Shiphrah and Puah.
As wise women Shiphrah and Puah exploited the ignorance of Pharaoh.
These two women’s lives hung in the balance. The executioner was polishing his axe in the corner. Well, the midwives were not just courageous for God, but they also were smart. As wise women they exploited the ignorance of Pharaoh. They pulled both the gender and race cards:
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” (Exod. 1:19)
The cultural differences between Egyptians and Hebrews are obvious. Of course, Pharaoh was going to believe this. But then there is gender. These Hebrews are vigorous, very vigorous. Hebrew mothers are their own midwives. Their water breaks, but before the midwives can even arrive, the moms are nursing. This, of course, was a lie, but in times of war deception is a virtue, as the enemy has no right to the truth. And under Pharaoh’s clandestine scheme of infanticide, this was a war between Egypt and God.
Moreover, what did Pharaoh know about Hebrew women, especially their habits with childbirth? The midwives played to the too-much-information card Pharaoh likely didn’t want to know about Hebrews giving birth; thus, he believed the midwives. He accepted their excuse and didn’t punish them. The midwives were guilty of high crimes against the crown, but they walked out scot-free.
Through the courageous disobedience of the midwives, the Lord furthered the covenant fruitfulness of his people.
The midwives were wiser than Pharaoh, and the Lord blessed them (Exod. 1:20). First, the people of Israel continued to increase and multiply. Through the courageous disobedience of the midwives, the Lord furthered the covenant fruitfulness of his people. And next, the Lord blessed the midwives themselves (Exod. 1:20-21). He made for them families—he granted them husbands, children, and a lasting family line. The midwives saw their grandkids to the third and fourth generations. And such a family blessing aligned these midwives with the blessings of Israel. Whether they were Hebrew or not, the midwives were matched with God’s people.
Nevertheless, even though Pharaoh was a fool, he was a persistent one. The midwives spoiled his clandestine strategy of infanticide, so he took his agenda public. In frustration Pharaoh made a universal injunction:
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.” (Exod. 1:22)
And this went out to all his people. This means Pharaoh had just conscripted all Egyptians to be his baby-killers. It was now the duty of the public at large to throw newborn Hebrew males into the crocodile-infested waters of the Nile. Now, every Egyptian worked for the crown as agents of Egypt’s SS to murder babies with a watery grave.
In a split second, pregnancy had become a terrifying chance at death.
This was a true reign of terror where all the Hebrews were prey to all others in Egypt. Pharaoh legalized violence against babies, and Egyptian thugs could be going door to door listening for crying babies. Crime bosses could be paying for babies tossed in the river.
Gangs might be hunting in the Hebrew neighborhoods. No place would be safe. As a pregnant Hebrew, your giving birth to a boy had just been criminalized. In a split second, pregnancy had become a terrifying chance at death. To give birth to a boy made you an outlaw. Hebrew couples were surely thinking twice about getting married.
Pharaoh just created the most compelling abstinence program ever. Exposure and certain death for baby boys? Talk about an effective form of birth control! And yet, as all these horrors flood our minds, the text is completely silent. It tells us nothing about the effects of this genocidal edict. How many babies died? How long did this last—years? How violent were the Egyptians in their obedience to their king? Did the Nile’s crocodiles grow fat? Yet, the text leaves us shivering in silence. Instead, we are told about a Levite man.
THE MOTHER OF MOSES
The infant’s mother hid him for three months after he was born.
There is nothing particularly special about this infant’s father; he was just your average Levite. He was sweet for a Levite lass, so he popped the question and she said yes (Exod. 2:1). What would typically be ho-hum normal, as people are always getting married, became bold and risky. Was this wise?
Next, he went into his wife. For a moment of pleasure, they were taking the risk that their son would be murdered. Where was their sense of prudence? Under the infanticide policy, having sex was like playing Russian Roulette. And sure enough, his wife became pregnant and had a boy. This new mother had just become an outlaw. The very life of her boy was a felony.
The mother looked at her beautiful and healthy boy and hid him (Exod. 2:2). She would not obey Pharaoh; instead she chose the criminal life. This Levite lady was now guilty of treason, and with blood-thirsty Egyptians lurking, concealing a new baby is no easy task. After three months, the mother could no longer remain in the shadows. Yet, she had a plan.
Because she trusted the Lord to save her son, Moses’ mother built for her infant an ark.
The mother of Moses made a basket out of papyrus and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She laid her sweet man-child in it and set it afloat upon the Nile (Exod. 2:3). This scheme, though, is significant on several levels. First, in one sense, the mother obeyed Pharaoh. He ordered that baby boys be put into the Nile and this is what she did.
Yet, where Pharaoh commanded the boy to be tossed violently into the Nile, she very gently tucked her boy into a sea-worthy vessel. Secondly, the buoyant basket is literally called an ark. It is the same word for Noah’s ark that sailed through the flood; it reveals the mother’s faith and hope. She built an ark for her infant in the hope that it would carry him safely through the deathly waters.
The mother of Moses would rather be an outlaw to Pharaoh than a criminal with God.
This ark was her trusting the Lord to save her son. This mother feared the Lord just as much as the midwives. She was also disobeying Pharaoh. She would rather be an outlaw to Pharaoh than a criminal with God.
Next, we learn that the baby’s older sister was on the lookout to see what happened to the ark, and this sister was actually Miriam (Exod. 2:4). Her watchful eye hints that mother and sister had other schemes up their sleeves. These ladies were giving providence a helping hand. And sure enough, Pharaoh’s daughter was nearby. The princess of Egypt was washing up in the Nile (Exod. 2:5). The time and place of the princess’ bath hardly seems to be a coincidence.
The princess spotted the miniature ark. Her maids collected it for her, and she opened it to see a crying baby boy. And note well what the text says about the princess’ reaction. She had pity on the baby (Exod. 2:6). Her heart was full of compassion and mercy, and this tenderness is the heroic love of humanity. By this warmth, an empire will fall.
The mercy of her heart wins out, and the princess chooses to be an outlaw.
The princess knew no confusion. She immediately recognized the infant was Hebrew. He is a Hebrew boy (Exod. 2:6). And this information made her fully responsible. The princess knew this child had to die. She felt the duty to obey Pharaoh, to honor her father. If the lowly Egyptian had to obey Pharaoh, how much more his own daughter!
The moral conscience of the princess was screaming to sink this ark, to drown the baby’s cries in the Nile, but the mercy of her heart won out. As a woman, she couldn’t bring herself to harm a forsaken baby, so the princess chose to be an outlaw. She committed treason and sided with the forbidden baby. This princess feared God as well.
MIRIAM, THE SISTER OF MOSES
Miriam, the spying sister, is smart and her timing is perfect.
The princess got some help in her outlaw lifestyle. The spying sister was smart and her timing was perfect. Miriam asked the princess if she could go fetch a wet-nurse for her (Exod. 2:7). She assumed the princess would keep the boy, so she would need a wet-nurse. The princess loved the idea and off went the sister.
And who did she find but the baby’s mom! (Exod. 2:8). You can’t get a better wet-nurse than the mother. The princess was either ignorant or she went along with it, for she made a deal with the mother:
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. (Exod. 2:9)
The mother was getting paid for a chore! Nursing your own child is a supreme chore—it is duty not a job. But in the too-good-to-be-true providences of God, this mom got paid with Egyptian money to nurse her illegal son. The princess used royal funds to support her criminal lifestyle. Yet, this deal was actually a contract of adoption, which was common in the ancient world. A person would discover a foundling child and pay a wet-nurse until the kid was weaned.
THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH
The Egyptian princess loved the illegal child as her own son.
And the payment was the guarantee of adoption. Thus, the princess concealed her crime by adoption. Her compassion for the baby was so pure that she had to make him her son. The princess loved the illegal child as her own son. Therefore, when the child was old enough, he was brought to the princess and he became her son.
Hence, the naming privilege went to the adopting mother. The princess got the honor to name the boy. Note that up to this point the baby had gone unnamed. The daughter of Pharaoh named the boy found on the Nile, Moses (Exod. 2:10). And what a name! For one, Moses is an Egyptian name, so she concealed his Hebrew nature behind an Egyptian name.
The princess was furthering her criminal lifestyle. Yet, she explained the name with Hebrew. I drew him out of the water, or more literally, the one drawn from the water. She saved this child from the death waters. Yet, there is a twist here. She explained the name as passive, one drawn from water, but the form of Moses’ name in Hebrew is actually active—he who draws others out of the water.
Pharaoh with all his pomp and power was no match for the devotion of women.
The princess is probably unaware, but the narrator here foreshadows Moses’ destiny. He would be the one who draws his people out of the waters. He would save Israel through the waters of the Red Sea. Hence, the compassion of the princess would be the downfall of Egypt. The one she illegally saved would save all the Hebrews from her father and her father and his army would perish in the waters.
Hence, we see that Pharaoh made the wrong choice. He selected the boys to die and the girls to live. Surely, the boys were more of a threat, as they grew up to be soldiers. Yet, here at every turn Pharaoh was defeated by women. The midwives foiled his clandestine infanticide. Moses’ mother defied Pharaoh and with hope entrusted him to God. Moses’ sister kept a watchful eye and bravely took action quickly to ensure her brother would have his own mom to nurse him.
And Pharaoh’s own daughter became a traitor to the crown by adopting the Hebrew baby, whose very life was criminal. Because these women feared God, they chose to be outlaws and by their criminality the son was born who would topple Egypt and save God’s chose people Israel. Pharaoh with all his pomp and power was no match for the devotion of these women.
The birth of Moses foreshadowed the birth of Jesus.
And in this way, the birth of Moses becomes a picture and foreshadowing of the birth of our true Savior and Redeemer. While Rome had no infanticide policy against Hebrew boys, Herod the Great did massacre all the boys under two years old in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, the unlawfulness of Christ’s birth started before then.
Mary ended up pregnant out of wedlock. Virgin births were not exactly common within God’s promises. When an engaged girl ended up pregnant, there was no other conclusion than pre-marital sex. The community shamed Mary as a loose woman. She brought such dishonor on her family, and this is why Joseph planned to break off the engagement.
Because he was an honorable man, he was going to do it on the down low. Yet, he was still going to divorce her, which would have left Mary a single teenage mother in the first century. Mary had good reason to believe that her father might kick her out on the street. Thankfully, the angel corrected Joseph and he stayed with Mary.
Jesus was born under a cloud of scandal and shame.
But, to remain with Mary was essentially a public confession of guilt. Joseph was saying, The child is mine; we messed up. This means that Jesus’ birth was considered by the public as a product of sin. Jesus was born under a cloud of scandal and shame. He came into this world, the Holy One of God, like one born of sin.
Moses’ birth was illegal, and Jesus’ birth appeared immoral. And the criminal accusations against Jesus didn’t stop with his birth. Even though Jesus lived without a speck of sin, despite being the very Righteous One of God, charges of sin kept being lobbed at him.
He didn’t keep the Sabbath correctly. Jesus failed to wash before meals. Jesus forgave sins as if he was God, which was blasphemy of the highest order. Jesus spoke evils against the temple. He didn’t keep his disciples in line with fasting. The Pharisees would not stop painting Jesus as a criminal under the Mosaic law. And it got so bad that the high priests convicted him of deserving the death penalty.
Jesus entrusted himself to the Father, and he obeyed God over man.
The Sanhedrin convinced Rome to execute Jesus for treason. The words “King of the Jews” were nailed over his head. He was a threat to Caesar that had to die. The world shamed Jesus as an outlaw, a rebel, the worst sort of criminal. Yet, despite all the testimony of the world, Scripture teaches us that he was truly one who feared the Lord.
Jesus entrusted himself to the Father, and he obeyed God over man. What the public judged as unlawful was actually Jesus being obedient unto death. The alleged criminality of Christ was his fulfilling all righteousness. No even deceit was found upon his tongue. And because Jesus willingly obeyed, his instrument of execution—the cross—became his altar.
The voluntary submission of Jesus made him a pure and holy sacrifice for our sin and salvation. Jesus’ death as a criminal in the world’s eyes made him our redemption, our atonement, our life. Moses saved Israel from the waters of the Red Sea, but Christ delivers us from the lake of fire. By his death, Christ draws us up from the waters of death and curse.
The challenge, the dilemma, of obeying man over against God will come our way.
Yes, Jesus Christ is our only Savior because he loved you to the point of dying like a criminal. And how the world viewed the Master is how it will also view the servants—us. Indeed, the fear and faith of these women mimicked Christ from afar. So also, these women set the pattern for our lives.
For loving Jesus, we will be those whom the world will seek to outlaw. The challenge, the dilemma, of obeying man over against God will come our way. We aren’t called to seek out such ultimatums. Scripture tells us to obey human authorities. Our normal disposition is to love our neighbor and respect those over us, for the Lord’s sake.
We don’t want to be criminals. Yet, times will come when the powers-that-be turn bestial, tyrannical. The world may force us to act against our Lord; it may outlaw our fear and obedience to Christ. And when such a time comes, we must fear God. We must be loyal to Christ first and foremost.
May we ever fear the Lord, no matter the cost.
We must not love our lives even unto death, but be willing to expose ourselves to loss and death for the honor of Christ. And our courage to do so comes straight from Jesus himself, for Christ has earned for us a better homeland—a richer inheritance in heaven. The grace of Christ enables us to let go of house and home, of family and friend, of this very life, because he holds us in his hands.
So, let us keep entrusting ourselves to the Author and Perfecter of our faith. May we ever fear the Lord, no matter the cost. And may we ever rejoice that our salvation is found completely and forever in Christ who died for us.
This article is adapted from the Rev. Zach Keele’s sermon on Exodus 1:15-2:10 preached on August 23, 2020, and was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on September 30, 2020.
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