What a powerful verse-and what a powerful choice. The Bible says the midwives “feared God” (Exodus 1:17). That fear was not terror, but reverence. It was a settled conviction about who God is. And right behaviour flowed from that right belief. They did not simply make a brave decision in the moment; they acted out of a heart that already honoured the Lord.
Their fear of God produced courage before men. We often fear man so much because we fear God so little. When God is small in our thinking, human authority feels overwhelming. But when God is big in our hearts, man becomes small in our eyes. Pharaoh sat on a throne-but God ruled the universe. The midwives understood that.
I recently read a book by Gretta Vosper, a United Church pastor who identifies as an atheist, titled With or Without God. She argues that what we do-our lived values-is more important than what we say we believe. She critiques traditional doctrine and suggests churches should focus primarily on justice, compassion, and community rather than belief in a supernatural God. It is certainly true that how we live matters. And it is also true that some profess belief with their lips while denying it in their lives.
But Scripture shows us that belief and behaviour cannot be separated. Our actions ultimately flow from what we truly believe about God. You can claim doctrine, but your daily choices reveal your real theology. The midwives did not merely hold a private opinion about God-they feared Him. And because they believed He was sovereign and holy, they refused to obey a wicked command.
These midwives feared God more than Pharaoh. And because they did, they chose obedience over safety, righteousness over convenience, and truth over tyranny. Their courage was born from conviction.
Note Proverbs 29:25
Obedience to God sometimes requires civil disobedience. That is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake-it is reverence for a higher throne. When earthly authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, the believer is faced with a choice.
In this case, the king’s command directly contradicted the Lord’s moral law. “Thou shalt not kill” was not suspended because Pharaoh issued a decree. The midwives understood that no ruler, however powerful, has the authority to overrule God.
So they chose divine authority over human authority. Their allegiance was settled. Pharaoh may have held political power, but God held ultimate authority. They were willing to risk consequence because they feared the Lord.
The Bible clearly teaches that we are to submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7). Government is ordained by God for order and justice. However, submission is not absolute when it demands sin. In Acts 5:29, when commanded to stop preaching Christ, the apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” That principle did not begin in Acts-it was lived out by these midwives in Exodus.
True submission to government never requires disobedience to God. When the two collide, the faithful must stand where Scripture stands-even if it costs them.
What a powerful verse-and what a powerful choice. The Bible says the midwives “feared God” (Exodus 1:17). That fear was not terror, but reverence. It was a settled conviction about who God is. And right behaviour flowed from that right belief. They did not simply make a brave decision in the moment; they acted out of a heart that already honoured the Lord.
Their fear of God produced courage before men. We often fear man so much because we fear God so little. When God is small in our thinking, human authority feels overwhelming. But when God is big in our hearts, man becomes small in our eyes. Pharaoh sat on a throne-but God ruled the universe. The midwives understood that.
I recently read a book by Gretta Vosper, a United Church pastor who identifies as an atheist, titled With or Without God. She argues that what we do-our lived values-is more important than what we say we believe. She critiques traditional doctrine and suggests churches should focus primarily on justice, compassion, and community rather than belief in a supernatural God. It is certainly true that how we live matters. And it is also true that some profess belief with their lips while denying it in their lives.
But Scripture shows us that belief and behaviour cannot be separated. Our actions ultimately flow from what we truly believe about God. You can claim doctrine, but your daily choices reveal your real theology. The midwives did not merely hold a private opinion about God-they feared Him. And because they believed He was sovereign and holy, they refused to obey a wicked command.
These midwives feared God more than Pharaoh. And because they did, they chose obedience over safety, righteousness over convenience, and truth over tyranny. Their courage was born from conviction.
Note Proverbs 29:25
Obedience to God sometimes requires civil disobedience. That is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake-it is reverence for a higher throne. When earthly authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, the believer is faced with a choice.
In this case, the king’s command directly contradicted the Lord’s moral law. “Thou shalt not kill” was not suspended because Pharaoh issued a decree. The midwives understood that no ruler, however powerful, has the authority to overrule God.
So they chose divine authority over human authority. Their allegiance was settled. Pharaoh may have held political power, but God held ultimate authority. They were willing to risk consequence because they feared the Lord.
The Bible clearly teaches that we are to submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7). Government is ordained by God for order and justice. However, submission is not absolute when it demands sin. In Acts 5:29, when commanded to stop preaching Christ, the apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” That principle did not begin in Acts-it was lived out by these midwives in Exodus.
True submission to government never requires disobedience to God. When the two collide, the faithful must stand where Scripture stands-even if it costs them.