I doubt that Abraham had any idea when God promised him that He would make him a great nation that his people would be so many and so great a nation. When Joseph had his brothers, their families, and his aging father move to Egypt, he did it to reunite his family and give them a safe place to live.
As time passed, a new king came to the throne in Egypt, one that did not know Joseph. He looked over the nation of Israel and realized that they were “more and mightier” than the Egyptians. So, he devised a plan to make slaves of them. They built cities for him, and he made their lives hard.
It seemed that the more Pharaoh worked them, the more they multiplied. His answer to this problem was to have a talk with the Hebrew midwives. Two women, Shiphrah and Puah were charged with seeing that all boys born to the Hebrew women were killed. Girls were allowed to live.
Though the Scripture does not tell us, these two midwives were most likely not the only ones who served the women of Israel. They would have been expected to carry the message back to the other midwives.
“But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive” (Exodus 1:17). You can almost hear the discussion among these women as they devised a story for Pharaoh when he realized the baby boys were not being killed.
It probably didn’t take long for the king to notice and call for the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. His question was simple. “Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?” Their reply was also simple. They related that the Hebrew women were stronger than the Egyptian women, and they often delivered their babies before the midwives arrived. Pharaoh must have accepted this explanation, because they were evidently dismissed.
God’s response to them was to deal well with them. The people multiplied and grew stronger. So, Pharaoh ordered that “all his people” were to throw every boy born into the river, and every daughter was to be allowed to live.
Sometimes we think our place in life carries no opportunity for serving God. We tell ourselves that we are unimportant and not in a position to make a difference. What if Shiphrah and Puah had thought that? What would have happened to all the precious babies born into the families of the Hebrew people? What would have happened to the baby boy born to Amram and Jochebed?
Listening recently to a dear friend speaking to a group of ladies, she gave us some direction about serving God in unusual places. She said, “Pray for opportunities.” Don’t limit yourselves, but pray for God to open a door. Just be sure when He does, you walk through it.”
Serving God is not always about preaching, teaching, or being an elder or deacon. Sometimes it is about sending cards, inviting people to worship, preparing a meal, sitting with someone who is sick or lonely, or just listening. Serving God may come in the form of mowing grass for a neighbor, picking up someone’s children from school or ball practice, baking cookies with some little girls (or boys), offering assistance with groceries, or just opening a door for someone.
Serving God is about doing what needs to be done wherever you are, even in unusual circumstances. Sometimes it is about standing up for your beliefs, even when it might mean trouble for you. But just like Shiphrah and Puah, don’t be afraid to fear God and do as He has commanded.
Sandra Oliver