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The People of Israel Suffer
1-5 When Jacob went to Egypt, his son Joseph was already there. So Jacob took his eleven other sons and their families. They were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Altogether, Jacob had 70 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who went with him.
6After Joseph, his brothers, and everyone else in that generation had died, 7 the people of Israel became so numerous that the whole region of Goshen was full of them.
8 Many years later a new king came to power. He did not know what Joseph had done for Egypt, 9and he told the Egyptians:
There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are. 10 If we don't outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.
11The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, where the king could store his supplies. 12But even though the Israelites were mistreated, their families grew larger, and they took over more land. Because of this, the Egyptians feared them worse than before 13and made them work so hard 14that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields.
15Finally, the king called in Shiphrah and Puah, the two women who helped the Hebrew mothers when they gave birth. 16He told them, “If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!”
17But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to. 18The king called them in again and asked, “Why are you letting those baby boys live?”
19They answered, “Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born.” 20-21God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own.
The Hebrews kept increasing 22 until finally, the king gave a command to everyone in the nation, “As soon as a Hebrew boy is born, throw him into the Nile River! But you can let the girls live.”
Reflect
Have you ever been torn between doing what is right and doing the right thing? Did you even know that there was a difference between the two? Allow me to explain:
- Doing what is right or Doing the right thing
- Abiding by the rules or Breaking man-made rules to do things God’s way
- Obeying the law & over-ruling integrity or Making choices that keep your integrity intact
- Sticking with the script regardless of morals or Re-writing the script to keep moral standards
Perhaps you’ve been intimidated by an abusive spouse. Or maybe a boss has given you instruction that will potentially lead to your promotion. However, in order to carry it through, you must go against everything you morally believe in. No less importantly, what if you wish to bless someone in need at your church but there is no clause in the budget that indicates that is “politically correct”?
In Exodus 1:1-22 we find two Egyptian women caught between doing what was right and doing the right thing. Fortunately, for the sake of the Hebrew race, they were women who were faithful to their heavenly Father above and beyond their allegiance to their earthly king.
I am a rule follower. However, I also believe that there are times when exceptions need to be made. There are times when extra grace is required. I guess I would say that rules are more like guidelines to follow. The apostle Paul speaks to this in Romans addressing the difference between law and grace. Doing what is right (the law) vs. doing the right thing (under grace).
Let’s not stop doing what is right. However, take time before you do, to ask yourself if it’s also the right thing to do.
Respond
Jesus, thank you that you are full of truth. Thank you that you desire truth in my innermost being. But thank you also that you are full of grace. Thank you that you not only do what is right; you do the right thing by extending grace to me. Amen.
Lisa Elliott
Lisa Elliott is a popular inspirational speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple; Choosing to Live through Loss with Purpose and Dancing in the Rain. Born and raised in Toronto, ON, Lisa is a graduate of Ontario Bible College (Tyndale). She is a pastor’s wife of over 25 years and mother of four children (3 on earth, 1 in heaven). She has written for Just Between Us Magazine and writes a column for Word Alive Press’s website entitled, Straight from the Heart. Lisa’s passion is to share the life changing truths and principles from God’s Word straight from the heart. She and her husband, David are presently serving the Lord in London, Ontario.