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15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

In Eugene Peterson’s excellent book ‘Christ plays in ten thousand places’, he has some important things to say about Shiphrah and Puah. To quote him:

‘…it is significant that the first names that appear in this grounding account of God at work in history are Shiphrah and Puah, two midwives from the lowest social and economic strata of society…The king of Egypt, also referred to as Pharaoh, perhaps the most powerful world ruler at the time, is not even dignified with a personal name. but these two obscure Hebrew women are named and by virtue of being named are not obscure…The command to kill comes from the impersonal anonymity of privilege and power; the will to life comes from the marginal but very personal Shiphrah and Puah, representatives of the oppressed and powerless…World leaders are minor players in the biblical way of writing and participating in history. People like Shiphrah and Puah play decisive roles…If Shiphrah and Puah had done their Pharaoh-commanded work, Moses and Aaron would have been dead on arrival.’ (Pages 150,151).

These are such great observations.

No doubt you will notice that in their defiance of Pharaoh, these brave ladies were not strictly honest (20). At least, that’s my reading of it. But the Bible only commends them and God honours them. It is important to assert that Scripture does not encourage anyone to lie. It stands on the side of honesty and truth. But I wondered if a nuanced approach has to accept that in a fallen world, we may sometimes have to choose the lesser of evils?

In article published by ‘First Baptist Orlando’, I found these balanced comments:

“We must also remember that the midwives may have told Pharaoh the truth. It is possible that the Hebrew women did in fact give birth quickly, or perhaps they chose not to call for their midwives because they feared the king’s command.

Whether or not the midwives lied, they were not rewarded for lying, but were blessed because they feared God and refused to kill the baby boys. Their focus was to obey God rather than man, and—if they did lie—they were justified in their belief that God’s command to preserve life far outweighed the command of human authority to destroy it…

…The Bible does not condone lying for the sake of lying (Exodus 20:16, Colossians 3:9), but God does permit His people to act in a way that preserves His higher purpose, even if it is against the ways of human authority. We might not know whether or not the midwives lied, but if they did, we do know that God used their actions to fulfill His purpose so that He may be glorified.’

PRAYER: Lord please grant me the courage to live bravely in this hostile and, at times, menacing world.

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

‘The new Pharaoh was more concerned about national security than human decency.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.48.

These Hebrew midwives are not the most famous characters in the Bible, but they stand in that honourable line of heroes of the faith who chose, where there was a clash, to obey God rather than men. Obedience is always costly, but note how God honoured their obedience. Because they revered God they also had reverence for human life.

Yesterday I read part of an article by George Macdonald which included these words:

“Get up, and do something the master tells you; so make yourself his disciple at once. Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because he said, Do it, or once abstained because he said, Do not do it. It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in him, if you do not anything he tells you. …

We must learn to obey him in everything, and so must begin somewhere: let it be at once, and in the very next thing that lies at the door of our conscience!’

The midwives didn’t do what they were commanded by a powerful king, but were radically obedient to the omnipotent God.

‘It is wonderful to notice what unexpected instruments God uses to defeat the purposes of his enemies. Of all people these two women seemed the unlikeliest…You may be obscure and weak, but if you fear God he will make use of you…and multiply your spiritual children.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.37.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray today that you will strengthen all those whose lives, liberty and possessions are threatened because they seek to obey you.

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

‘They that take counsel against the Lord and his Israel, do but imagine a vain thing, and create greater vexation to themselves.’ Matthew Henry.

Warren Wiersbe says that in this first chapter we see God’s people growing and groaning. It has repeatedly been the case that amidst the pain of oppression the church has grown the most.
Tertullian famously said, ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’ It seems to me that in most, if not all, situations of persecution, you get a repeat of that mixture of threat, fear and multiplication we find in this story. At one level, it doesn’t make any sense. Outwardly Christians tend not to be all that impressive (see e.g. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).But Satan fears, and therefore hates, God’s people in this world precisely because he fears and hates God. This is why he is threatened by the church. The problem for him is Who we belong to,Who we represent, Who we are one with. Thus fearing and hating the God he cannot touch, he turns his attention to those he can attack and hurt. That opposition is regularly ‘ruthless.’

Yet this rebounds on him time after time. They say the underground church in China is so big no-one can supply accurate statistics. It is estimated there could now be around one million Christians in Iran. Christianity is exploding in that country. In the last week I have heard it said that the Afghan church is the second fastest growing in the world. This quote is from the ‘International Prayer Connections website:

‘A country with 48,000 mosques and not one church building; ranked #3 (behind North Korea and Somalia) on Open Door’s World Watch List of countries where Christian persecution is most severe, is listed by Operation World as the country with the second fastest church growth in the world. That country is Afghanistan.

Not to diminish this fact, but one reason the growth rate appears high is because the evangelical population is so small to begin with. Still, this trend is confirmed by all of our ministry partners working with Afghans both inside and outside the country. There is, without a doubt, a significant, identifiable work of God, such as never before, taking place among Afghans today.’

Jesus is building His church, and the gates of Hell can never prevail.

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

It really is the case that God buries His workers and carries on His work. After Joseph (who was such a great and gifted leader) was removed, the Old Testament ‘church’ exploded with numerical growth. This church started small (5), but it didn’t stay that way. How we need to take on board one of the early messages in 1 Corinthians; namely that we should place no human leader on a pedestal, be it ‘Paul’ or ‘Apollos’ or ‘Cephas’, or anyone else. At best, people are servants working in God’s field or on His building site. It is God Himself who gives the growth. He can do it without Joseph if He so chooses.

Ultimately, the growth of Israel in Egypt came about because it was God’s purpose (see e.g. Gen.12:1,2). God keeps His promises, but He does it in His own way and according to His own time-scale. So trust and patience will be required.

PRAYER: I ask for the faith and patience to walk in step with you, Lord – especially on those ‘quiet’ days when life is hard and nothing much seems to be happening.

“So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.”

Just a final word on Joseph from Dr. Campbell Morgan:

‘Commit your life to God, see vision, do the work that’s nearest, the work He appoints, truly and well and faithfully, and die knowing that you have started delicate influences, dynamic forces which will proceed through every succeeding generation until they gather up the harvest of glorious result about the throne of the Eternal. The man of God has not finished his work in the world when they put him in a coffin.’

“And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead” (Hebrews 11:4). What was said of Abel is also true of Joseph – and other great heroes of the faith. As Warren Wiersbe points out, we are still being impacted by Joseph’s life today. We have learned so much from him these past few months

John Wesley famously said, ‘God buries his workman, but His work goes on.’ This is something we will see as we move into the book of ‘Exodus’ on Monday.

“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

PRAYER: Take a moment or two to reflect on some of the blessings of the Genesis story for you. As you have read it again, how has it spoken to you? Thank God for what He has shown you. There will be no notes published tomorrow, but we will begin to look at ‘Exodus’ from Monday.

22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23 and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Note:

• The miracle of mended relationships (22): there is such grace lying behind the opening sentence of verse 22. Only God could bring this about. What forgiveness Joseph exhibited – all because of God. He chose, with divine help, to take the high road;
• The majesty of this long life (22b, 26a): Joseph lived to be 110. Now, at the end of his life, we can pause, look back, and remember the highs and lows, the peaks and troughs of Joseph’s journey. He had experienced such adversity; endured great injustice. But he rose above it all, like some huge mountain towering above the valley floor. There is a majesty about his story which, as we have seen, is a foreshadowing of the life of Christ Himself;
• The mortality of all men: even if you should live to be as old as Joseph, your day to leave the world will come. Life is short, even when it is long, and the greatest among us will pass away. As someone observed, ‘Death is the ultimate statistic: one out of one dies!’;
• The meaning bestowed by faith (24): On his death-bed Joseph spoke in faith, with the Spirit of prophecy upon him. There is almost a parallel with his father Jacob. He died trusting God’s Word. May this be true for us all.

‘Like his father, Joseph knew what he believed and where he belonged. If we consider all the experiences he had experienced in life, it is remarkable that Joseph had any faith at all. He knew God’s promise to Abraham that the nation would be delivered from Egypt (15:12-16), and he reiterated the promise to his family. Joseph had brought them to Egypt and cared for them in Egypt. His coffin reminded them that God would bring them out of Egypt. What an encouragement this was during the dark days of their bondage. Our encouragement today is not a coffin but an empty tomb (1 Peter 1:3ff.).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.46.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Here are three important things to always remember:

• You (and I) are not God (19). It’s stating the obvious, but we’re not. It is not our job to judge anyone. To our own Master we each stand or fall. (By the way, a weekly sabbath can help us remember we’re not God. It is one of its values. It reminds us that the universe, the world and the church do continue without our efforts. It can keep us in your place, and prepare us for the reality of death, when life will not stop because we have gone. It would, of course, if God were to disappear from the scene, but that is just not going to happen!);
• God is in control (20). Joseph had been given a wonderful perspective on his circumstances. In loving and forgiving his brothers, he did not minimise the gravity of their crimes. He didn’t sweep sin under the carpet. But he recognised that God had a higher purpose in all the wrong intended, and done, to him. The ultimate expression of this principle is worked out at the cross, of which we can say both bad men did it and a good God did it. Both are true (see Acts 4:27,28);
• Treat everyone with kindness and respect, and especially those who mistreat you (21). Joseph shows this is possible by God’s grace (see Romans 12:14;17-21).

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

Warren Wiersbe writes about three ‘burials’ in Genesis 50; and between the burial of Jacob and Joseph, coming at the beginning and end of the chapter, we have in the middle the ‘burial’ of the past.

No wonder “Joseph wept” when his brothers spoke as they did. He had been so gracious to them. He had forgiven them everything. He held nothing against them. It must have hurt deeply then, that they were not convinced of his love for them.

I was thinking, aren’t we so often like this in our approach to God. Like the prodigal son we say, ”…make me like one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:19). But He sees us as sons, and treats us accordingly.

PRAYER: Lord, help me please to really believe in your love for me, and to revel in it. Enable me to bathe in the wonder of ‘love so amazing, so divine…’

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

As a child, I was often given a penny, or half-penny, to spend on sweets from the ‘penny tray’ at a shop I passed on the way to school. But one day, for some un-remembered reason, I had a larger amount of cash than normal in my pocket. I entrusted this to a friend to go and buy the goodies. When he returned with quite a large stash he told me the shopkeeper had said to him, ‘Make sure you share these.’ Of course I did, and I’m sure I intended to. But I’ve often wondered, did she really say that, or was he just making it up out of enlightened self-interest?!!

Similarly, whenever I read this chapter, I find myself thinking, ‘Did Jacob say what the brothers claimed (16, 17)? Or were they just inventing a script to try to cover their backs? Was it fear talking? I can find no evidence Jacob did utter these words.

Well maybe he did; maybe he didn’t. But I know how easily I can invent scenarios in my mind that bear no correspondence to reality. I do it all too often. At times there is a strong whiff of manure lying over this fertile field of my thoughts. Anxiety can cause vain imaginings. You end up having unreal conversations with people inside your head, and sadly, believing what isn’t true.

Anyway, it’s not surprising Joseph was distressed that they so distrusted him, especially when his intentions towards them were totally gracious.

PRAYER: Lord, your word tells us not to lie, and we know we shouldn’t lie to ourselves either. Please help us in our human weakness. Again and again we ‘jump at shadows.’ Please forgive us for when we misrepresent others to ourselves. Lord have mercy, and empower us to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. May we controlled by wholesome thinking.