By Adam Winn, Ph. D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Biblical and Religious Studies at Samford University
The Inspiration for our Worship
Exodus 1:16–17, 22–2:10
The fear of God leads us to treasure all human life. (1:16–17)
Here we find God’s people living in the Land of Egypt. Since the time of Joseph two important developments have taken place.
First, a new Pharoah has come to power who did not know Joseph.
Second, the Hebrew people had multiplied greatly, out numbering the local Egyptian population.
They became so numerous that the local people and their rulers felt threatened by their presence in the land. Because of this fear, the new Pharoah makes life extremely hard on the Hebrews in an attempt diminish their population. The final step taken is to kill all male children upon their birth. This is the order found in these verses.
It is noteworthy that the primary motivation for this extreme devaluing and eliminating of human life is fear, fear of the loss of power, of livelihood, and perhaps ultimately even the loss of life itself. When we fear such things, we can go to extreme and evil lengths to protect ourselves.
This response is not only seen in this story of the Egyptians, but it can be seen in the story of all people. Our fear is often a catalyst for our evil behavior. Yet, the answer to that problem of fear is given in these very verses: “But the midwives feared God.”
Here fear does not likely refer to being afraid of God, but rather reverence for the God of Israel, a reverence that brings obedience and trust.
Out of this fear of God, the midwives disobey the evil commands of Pharoah and preserve the lives of those made in the image of the God they feared.
Treasuring human life leads us to protect others. (1:22–2:3)
Because of the midwives’ disobedience, Pharoah commands all Egyptians to drown any Hebrew infant in the Nile River, thus, all of Egypt is brought under the evil of Pharoah’s fear.
This command leads the mother of Moses to hide her newborn son as long as she can.
Yet, when she can no longer hide him, she must take extreme measures and part with her son. She knows to keep him will mean his death, and so she devises a plan that is extremely risky. It might lead to the boy’s death, but it also might save him.
She places him in a basket that is well sealed and places that basket in the Nile River. In this heartbreaking act of giving up her son, she ultimately trusts in God to save his life.
Treasuring human life leads us to provide for others. (2:4–10)
In these verses, we learn that the plan to place the infant, Moses, in the basket might have been more intentional than it first seemed.
The basket was placed in a part of the Nile where the daughter of Pharoah came to bathe.
It seems the hope of Moses’ mother was that the very daughter of the man who had ordered the death of her son and others might defy him and be the means of her son’s survival. As we see, the plan works, and Pharoah’s daughter takes the son and raises him as her own son.
We also see the special faithfulness of God, as the daughter of Pharoah, guided by Moses’ sister, brings Moses to his own mother and asks her to nurse the infant.
I propose that in this story we see two contrasting responses to real and perceived threats — one that fears and does not trust the creator God, resulting in great evil, and one trusting the creator God, which ultimately brings both life and salvation.
In this new year, may we trust God and not ourselves in the face of fear.
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