June 23, 2026
Tuesday, June 23
At the start of the book of Exodus, God’s people are in terrible shape. Once upon a time, they thrived in Egypt. One of their patriarchs, Joseph, even served as prime minister to Pharaoh. But they became victims of their own success—and fertility. The Egyptians, alarmed at their rising population, forced them into slavery. Some toiled all day baking bricks in the white-hot ovens, the red dust clinging to their mouths, noses, and lungs, hardening and cracking on their skin. They were the lucky ones. Others labored in the blinding sun of the desert, carrying loads of those bricks to the cities of Pithon and Ramses. Anyone who fell behind was beaten. Anyone who was sick was left to die. All the while, they wondered about the God their fathers had told them of. Where was He? Did He care at all?
He did. But His deliverance started with small miracles, things no one noticed. In fact, the first heroes of the Exodus story were five women. This is remarkable, in a world where women and girls were seen as disposable. Archaeologists found a letter in Alexandria written in the days of the Roman empire—centuries after the Exodus—in which a businessman writes to his wife to say, “if the baby you give birth to while I’m gone is a girl, kill it.” Girls were seen as a burden on a family; boys were treasured.
Perhaps that’s why Pharaoh took his genocidal plan to the next phase, commanding the Hebrew midwives to kill every male child born to their people. His logic seemed to make sense. Little boys might grow up to be warriors who would revolt against Egyptian rule. Little girls, on the other hand, were harmless. They could easily be assimilated into Egyptian culture as concubines, house slaves, or prostitutes. Yes, nothing to fear from the Jewish females…or so he thought.
The chief midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, faced a terrible dilemma. Many men have caved under such pressure, and have done horrific things to save their own skin. But Exodus 1:17-19 records:
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 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.”
I love how these two women not only saved the lives of countless baby boys, but they boldly insulted the stamina of Egyptian women. Jews today might say that’s an example of chutzpah, a Yiddish word meaning “supreme self-confidence, shameless audacity, or impudence.” I say it’s an example of something even better: True faith.
“Father, it’s easy to say I believe in you. But I pray I would have true faith when the odds are against me, when it would be easier for me to compromise than to obey you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
