Book Study: Chapter 9, The Fear of the Lord

Read Exodus 1-2:10

Quick Background Information

Our study this week looks at the story of the Hebrew midwives in the beginning of the book of Exodus. Although we won’t be able to dive into all of the historical aspects of the book, it is helpful to know the basic context of these first chapters.

The name of this book captures the big event on which the book centers. The Lord rescued Israel out of their slavery in Egypt. There was a literal exodus — a mass departure. The origins for what happened in Exodus can be seen in Genesis 15, where God tells Abraham: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions” (Exod 15:13–14). In the first portion of Exodus, we also see the beginning of God’s fulfillment of his promise to make a great nation out of the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:2).

When Exodus opens we are told that the sons of Jacob who first came into Egypt had died, but the people of Israel remained fruitful and increased in number (Exod. 1:5–7). The tides would soon change for Israel, however, as a new king arose over Egypt who didn’t know Joseph and the good he had brought to Egypt. The increasing number of Hebrews was viewed as a threat to Egypt’s new king, and as was foretold, the oppression and affliction of Israel would begin.

Hebrew Midwives and the Fear of the Lord

The people of Israel were afflicted in every way. They were enslaved and forced to do hard labor, but that still wasn’t enough for Pharaoh. He also wanted to ensure their growth would cease—because even with all of the persecution, the Israelites continued to grow in numbers and spread throughout the land (Exod. 1:12). So Pharaoh went after their sons—their babies.

The Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill every son born to a Hebrew woman. With all we know, even in part, about what was going on during this time, it would seem that these women would obey the king out of fear for their lives. If Pharaoh had the authority to command them to kill children at birth, he could easily have killed them. But they did not submit to his maniacal plan. Instead Exodus records, “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Exod. 1:17).  God preserved the lives of the people of Israel and again, the people grew stronger and multiplied. God also had favor on the midwives and gave them families (Exod. 1:20–21).

Then, in Exodus 2, when Moses is born, we see once again the fear of the Lord lived out as Moses’s mother and sister hid him from Egyptian authorities. Amazingly (and ironically), it’s Pharaoh’s daughter who ultimately preserves the life of Moses by seeing to his care. She finds him and orders that he be cared for by, unknown to her, Moses’s own mother (Exod. 2:6-10).

There’s much to be said here. From the meaning of Moses’s name (“to draw out”) to the parallels we see in the New Testament with Jesus’s birth and Herod’s similar edict. God is good and fulfills all of his promises. He promised to bring Israel out of the slavery and did so through Moses. He promised to bring his people out of slavery to sin, and he so through Jesus. God always does what he says he’ll do.

So the question is, can we trust Him? Are we willing to fear Him above all earthly powers?

These Hebrew women weren’t strong and mighty in power—they were strong and mighty in faith. They knew that preserving the lives of these children and disobeying the Pharaoh was sacrificing their own security. It could have meant their lives, but it didn’t matter. They feared God—the God of wrath and judgment, the God of mercy and grace.

You and Me

Make no mistake, there’s no guarantee that God will keep us from earthly harm, or even death at the hands of Pharaoh. But God does say that those who trust in Him are safe (Proverbs 29:25)—eternally safe. He reminds us that man can only kill the body, not the soul. Who should we fear then? “But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

At some point we all must decide whether God is worthy of our trust and admiration. In many ways, we make this choice every day—every minute of the day. But there also may be a situation where, like the Hebrew midwives, you must decide whether to obey the voice of God—the commandments of our Lord—or submit to an authority that is opposed to Him. My prayer for you and for me is that by God’s grace and power, we’d choose to obey the Lord. Let’s ask God to help us fear him above all things, and let’s trust him, if he wills, to use our faith to bless many generations to come.

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