In an interview, many of us have been asked the question, “What motivates you?”. When asked, did you have to stop and think before you answered, or did it come readily off your tongue? Have you ever been tempted to answer that question by listing your fears? We likely would never correlate fears to behaviors that drive us. Yet, if we really stopped and considered our actions, most of us are way more likely to be driven by our fears than by our desires. Or maybe more aptly put, our fears stem from our ungodly desires, so there is a duality of forces driving us. I can so clearly see this as I begin the book of Exodus. As I read through Chapter 1, and I take in the actions of Pharaoh, I not only see a leader desiring power, but I see just as clearly a man ruled by the fear of losing that power. The great house (the meaning of the word Pharaoh) of Egypt was afraid of the people of God’s house because of their ability to affect his power. Through these fear-based actions, we discover that the great house of Egypt is no match for the house of God. Pharaoh’s actions, which were grounded in fear, seemed to be the beginning of his demise. As he started down this path, he became further and further invested in sinful, cruel, and violent behavior and he brings his entire nation down with him. All of their plotting and maneuvering didn’t work so they tried harder and harder and became more and more deeply entrenched in their sinful behavior. What began with scheming and plotting, quickly moves to oppressing and mistreating, and ends with the mass murder of innocence. As a friend of mine says, “The hearts of the people follow the heart of their king.” Instead of shock and grief and loathing over the behavior and decisions of Pharaoh, the people of Egypt were sickened by and loathed the Israelites. Lord God, my king, show me ways I might be following other gods, how my heart is not following your heart. How am I being ruled by fear instead of ruled by my desire to bring honor and glory to your name?
The irony in this story is that the one with power was the one who was ruled by fear. The powerless, slave, midwives were fearless, and the mighty leader was the one driven by fear. When we compare Pharaoh’s behavior to that of the midwives, we see the one with the power plotting and scheming to retain it and women without any control whatsoever, except for their own choices of whether to obey God or Pharaoh, rested in the Lord. If asked in an interview what motivates them, their response would have been, without hesitation, “to obey the Lord”. They feared God and desired to please Him more than they feared pharaoh.
These women were named by God with names meaning fair and splendid.What beautiful and precious names that point to their God and King, a testament to the character of God!These women were known by God.He saw them.He named them, had dominion over them, and knitted them together in their mothers’ wombs to fulfill this very task on earth.He not only protected them in their walk of obedience that defied Pharaoh’s orders, but also bestowed favor upon them for their faithfulness.The value and worth of these women were crafted by the hands of God and they recognized that.The purposes and works of these women were imagined and developed for them by God.Before their birth, God designed their identity as helpers to bring forth new life.What a beautiful, God-given purpose.What does Satan try to force on them, through Pharaoh? A distortion of the truth!Pharaoh, as a pawn for Satan, tried to force them to become life takers. But these women held firm to the truth of who they were, the truth of who God created them to be.When you are known by God, you know your purpose and walk in that purpose.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).
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