Exodus 1:15-22
The Midwives Who Feared God
15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.
18So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
20So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.
21And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.
22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
Berean Standard Bible
Israel grows into a people while a new king turns fear into policy.
Do not turn the people in the scene into cardboard heroes or villains. Exodus shows fear, courage, impatience, violence, complaint, worship, and mercy close together. We can name what is wrong without pretending that our own household is above the same need for correction.
Choose one person whose work or burden is easy to overlook. Ask what practical help would actually serve them, then make the offer specific enough to accept or decline.
Let the prayer rise from the actual pressure in the room. The God of Exodus hears people before they know how to speak well. Let the family keep one clear thread from “The Midwives Who Feared God” in view during the week, and return to it when circumstances make faith feel less tidy than it sounded at the table.
Questions
1 What is happening in this reading?
AnswerIsrael grows into a people while a new king turns fear into policy. It invites the family to see what the people fear, choose, and learn as the scene moves rather than reducing the unit to a single inspirational sentence.
2 What should we notice?
AnswerNotice the words, actions, relationships, and limits in the reading. Ask who speaks, who acts, who is vulnerable, and who is accountable. The concrete details around “The Midwives Who Feared God” are part of the meaning, not background decoration.
3 What response does it invite?
AnswerIt invites honest attention and responsible trust. The household does not need to copy every action described. It can receive the warning, promise, command, or example that is actually present and ask how faithfulness would look at home.
4 What could a family practice?
AnswerA family could choose one practice of truth, rest, repair, welcome, or prayer that can be kept this week. Explain why that practice belongs to “The Midwives Who Feared God,” rather than treating the reading as a general prompt to be nicer. Keep the response concrete enough to recognize when it has been done.
What This Means for Us
“The Midwives Who Feared God” gives the household a clear place to notice fear, courage, complaint, and mercy. The text does not ask us to pretend that the pressure, cost, or unfinished work is absent.
Ask where this reading touches your household's use of power, memory, speech, work, worship, or care for people who depend on you. Keep the question close to home. Do not use Exodus as a quick verdict on another person's faith while avoiding the responsibility it places in front of you.
Choose one truthful response for the week. It may be a prayer, a repair, a shared task, a boundary, an act of welcome, or a remembered promise. Let it be concrete enough that the family can recognize it when it has been done.
Prayer
We pray: God of deliverance and presence, help us remember what You have done without becoming careless about what You ask of us now. Give us wisdom for our work and gentleness for one another. Amen.