I was reading in Exodus this morning (chapter 1) of how God dealt with two Hebrew midwives as they demonstrated their fear of and commitment to the one, true God. Pharaoh had commanded the midwives to kill every Israelite child born who was a male. Instead, because of their fear of God, they let the male children live.
I thought of the great risk these women took in defying the absolute rule of a king. Yet, because of their fear of God, they maintained absolute integrity in doing what was right, regardless of the price they might have to pay. Could pharaoh have them killed? Yes. Could he torture them to the point of making them wish they were dead?
So, what would make these women defy this ruler and risk such horrible consequences? Perspective. They understood that nothing this man could do to them could compare with they fury of a holy and absolute sovereign God. They knew that God had the power and compassion to protect them if He so chose, but that they would rather be in the hands of an irate earthly dictator than the hands of a jealous God. As we see, they demonstrated great wisdom as God “dealt with the midwives.” Either way, God would have dealt with the midwives, but because of their faithfulness to God, He not only protected them from Pharaoh, He blessed them with families of their own.
Why do we miss so many blessings in our lives? Often, it’s because we fear man more than God in our dealings? Is there a tough ethical or moral decision to make at work? How do we respond? Often, we see the immediate results and compromise in order to stay out of trouble with the boss or the IRS or whomever. After all, God is a forgiving God. You know, it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. However, we forget that God is holy and just and will often either directly punish us or, perhaps even worse, simply grow silent and quietly remove His hand of blessing. That, above all else, is reason for great fear.
We struggle every day with decisions of faithfulness…crises of belief. Well, hold on and stay faithful. God is big enough, compassionate enough, and strong enough to carry you. He’ll deal with the issues you’re facing and the reward for obedience far exceeds the potential cost you may face.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'” ~Psalm 91: 1-2
