I have read the book of Exodus and have heard these stories over and over, but have never seen how God used different women to accomplish his will! He uses the following women to preserve his people:
~Shiphrah and Puah (Hebrew midwives)
~Moses' mother
~Moses' sister
~Pharaoh's daughter
~Zipporah (Moses' wife)
Exodus begins with the Pharaoh realizing how great the people of Israel had become in number and strength and for fear that war would break out against the Egyptians he made the people of Israel work as slaves. Then to make matters worse he commanded that the Hebrew midwives kill all sons born! And there we see a pillar of strength! These midwives, Shiphrah and Puah specifically, feared God more than they feared the king of Egypt. God used these two godly women to preserve his people! They did not do as the king said, but rather let the male children live. Verse 20 of chapter 1 says, "So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families." God will always bless us for doing what is right just as he blessed these midwives!
Then Pharaoh decides to command every son born to the Hebrew's to be cast into the Nile.
A Levite couple gives birth to a son. This son was good, and healthy. Knowing the command given by Pharaoh this woman hides her son for 3 months. He really must have been good to be kept hidden for so long! Well, when this woman could no longer hide her son, she made a basket out of bulrushes (papyrus reeds), placed her precious son in the basket, and placed the basket among the reeds by the river. This brave woman was Moses' mother. She knew she could not cast her precious son into the Nile as Pharaoh has commanded. So she did what she could to preserve his life! And oh did God bless her!!
This little boys sister stood a little distance away from where her brother was placed into the river by his mother to see what would happen. Obviously, she must have loved her little brother because this simple act showed how she cared. Well, after a time, Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe in the river. She saw the basket and sent her servant to grab it. Pharaoh's daughter opens the basket and saw the child. He began to cry and Pharaoh's daughter took pity on him and saw he was one of the Hebrews' children. Moses' sister then comes to Pharaoh's daughter and says "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" Pharaoh's daughter agrees and Moses' sister ran and called her mother! So, then Pharaoh's daughter says to Moses' mother, " Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages."
Oh! How God blessed the faithfulness of these women! Here was a mother who could not commit such a sin of killing her own son, and how God blessed her! She was paid to care for her son! And this sister who was brave and cared for her little brother and who God used to work his mighty plan in the life of Moses and the children of Israel! But there is one more woman that God used!
Moses, after he fled from Pharaoh to the land of Midian, took a wife from the priest of Midian. Her name was Zipporah. After God commands Moses through the burning bush to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt the Lord sought to put Moses to death because he had failed to circumcise his son. This command to circumcise goes back to the covenant God made with Abraham. Well, Zipporah steps in and takes care of the circumcision and once again Moses' life is preserved thanks to a godly woman!
In just 4 chapters we are introduced to 6 women who God used mightily to accomplish his will in the life of Moses and in the lives of the children of Israel! God used these women to preserve his people! Guess what! God can use us even today to accomplish His perfect will in the lives of those around us and in the lives of future generations. How are you doing? How would you rank your faithfulness? Would you be able to have the strength to do what was right if placed in the situations these women were placed in? Do you fear God more than you fear man? Let us strive to be faithful women! We don't know what kind of impact our decisions to follow God will have on the lives around us or the lives of those who come after us!
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