We must be reminded to stand in awe of a God who is awesome in the correct sense of the word. This awe-inspiring fear leads to faith. Rightly-placed fear reminds us that God sees, hears and acts for his people.
As Shiphrah and Puah spared the male children, they did so with the fear of the Lord in mind. While their fear of Yahweh was likely intermingled with fear of the Egyptian king who could kill them, their gaze was on the all-powerful King who can destroy both soul and body (Matthew 10:28).
In the command to fear not, there is a tender Father calling his children to come back to him in our fretting, but there is also an omnipotent King reminding us of who he is.
When we feel like we’ll be crushed beneath the waves of anxiety and we can’t stay afloat amidst the expectations of those we lead, we must remind ourselves to not fear that which is fearful, but to fear God. As God’s people, our hope does not lie in ourselves, our friends or our government. Our hope—and our fear—are in the Lord. Fear not the world; fear God.
The Fear of God and God’s Reward
The fear of God is powerful and leads us to do remarkable things. God rewards this obedience.
As a result of Shiphrah and Puah’s leadership and obedience, Exodus 1:20-21 says, “God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families.”
God rewarded the Hebrew midwives with families. He gave them the very thing they were protecting, and the very thing Pharaoh sought to destroy. Shiphrah and Puah did not obey God to get a reward—they obeyed God because he was their ultimate reward. They obeyed God because they feared him, and they received a reward for their faith.
God’s reward for Shiphrah and Puah is also tied to God’s greater promise for his people. Exodus 1:20 says, “So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous” (emphasis mine). Previously, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous (Gen. 15:5). In Exodus 1:7, we see God’s fulfillment of this promise to his people as “the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied and became extremely numerous.”
God Always Makes a Way
In Exodus 1:20-21, we’re reminded that God’s promises to his people will not and cannot be thwarted by the plans of man (Ps. 2:1-4; Prov. 19:21). God made a way for his people to multiply despite being enslaved, and he proves his faithfulness in Shiphrah and Puah’s reward and the continued multiplication of his people.
Through the leadership of two female slaves that feared the Lord more than man, we learn this leadership principle: The fear of the Lord allows spiritual leaders to remain faithful to God even when it is costly.
God’s promise to his people was fulfilled from the garden, to the Nile, to the cross. As we look to Jesus, we see the true leader that feared the Lord until the point of death on a cross.
As we lead God’s people, remember that God has kept his word throughout all time. He will continue in his faithfulness until he brings us safely home.
This article originally appeared here.
