Trust in the Lord

In my scriptures next to Exodus 1:17 I have written, "[Puah and Shiphrah] became a world conscience that takes away the whole argument of 'I was just following orders'." Verse 17 says, " . . . the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them . . ." Because these women trusted God they were able to save a whole nation. I love so much of what Heather from the Women in the Scriptures blog has to say about these two women.

She speculates: 

• Some scholars say that midwives in Israel were always barren women, who in order to find their place in a society where family was valued above all else, were given the responsibility of helping other women bring life into the world. If this is true then it makes the fact that God gave them "houses" or "posterity" as a reward for their faithfulness an even more beautiful blessing. 
• They may have been the midwives who attended the birth of Moses and consequently saved his life. Moses was the one who wrote the book of Exodus and it is probable that the reason we know their names and so much about them is because he was grateful to them for sparing his life as a baby. 

She also gives her thoughts:

• Righteous women of God have always chosen, and always will choose, to conceive, deliver, and protect life above all else. This is because righteous women understand the value of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan. They also know that each life, male and female, is sacred to God and that to bring life is one of the most noble and sacred callings God has given on this earth. Righteous women also understand that without women who are willing to bear, deliver and raise children none of God's plans could come forth. Without their courage and sacrifice there would be no hope for a future and no purpose for the present. 
• It may appear that it is always the men in the scriptures who always do the delivering out of bondage, the saving, and the rescuing, but the truth is that God's plans usually start with women. For example, without the courage and dedication of Puah, Shiphrah, and other midwives like them who chose to ignore the commands of the Pharaoh and do what they knew was right, Moses would not have survived to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. In fact, one could say that these women were the "first delivers" of Israel because they delivered the deliverer. 

I love these women's examples of doing the right thing no matter what, trusting completely that the Lord will take care of you.