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Exodus 1:18–21
“Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families” (v. 21).
Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives who lived near the time of the exodus, did not follow the pharaoh’s orders to kill the male infants of the Israelites. Driven by the fear of God—reverent awe of the Lord that understands His power and grace—they let the baby boys live (Ex. 1:15–17). Their story of faithfulness continues to be told, reminding us that doing the right thing requires us to fear our Creator more than what others can do to us.
When the king of Egypt learned that his plan to reduce Israel’s population was not succeeding, he demanded that the midwives explain what had happened (v. 18). Evidently, the pharaoh, though revered for his wisdom, did not know that the male Hebrew children survived because of the midwives’ direct disobedience to his command. This reminds us that even the most powerful world leaders are not omniscient, despite their expertise. In any case, the midwives told the pharaoh that they could not carry out his orders because the Hebrew mothers gave birth before the midwives could arrive to help (v. 19).
Matthew Henry argues that God providentially guaranteed that the Hebrew mothers gave birth before the midwives arrived; therefore, the midwives did not deceive the pharaoh. This seems unlikely, for the text stresses the midwives’ fear of God and disobedience to the pharaoh, implying that they played an active role in ensuring that the Hebrew boys would live. One modern commentator suggests that the midwives could have intentionally taken their time when they were summoned, allowing for their words to pharaoh to be formally true while hiding their active disobedience. If so, there was deceit involved, though not to the same degree if the midwives were outright lying to the pharaoh, which is what most likely occurred.
Accordingly, this story raises the question whether it is ever right to tell a lie. After all, the text does say that the midwives feared God and that the Lord even rewarded them for their actions (vv. 20–21). Many esteemed Christian thinkers, including Augustine and John Calvin, have argued that lying is always a sin, and so what the midwives did was itself wrong even though they had the right motives. Others, such as Dr. R.C. Sproul, have pointed out that truth is not owed to those who intend to commit evil, so using deceit to save an innocent life is not a sin. However, such cases are extraordinarily rare, so telling the truth should always be the default position of the Christian (see Eph. 4:25).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
In a day when too many people fail to tell the truth, our truth-telling is a powerful witness to God and His truth. We are not called to be naive, and we should be aware when people are looking for truth only because they want to use it to cause harm. Nevertheless, our goal is to be as truthful as possible for the sake of righteousness.
For Further Study
- Joshua 2
- 1 Kings 18:3–4
- Luke 20:1–7
- Galatians 1:20