Use Your Brain!

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 1, 2; Ps. 88; Luke 21

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 1:15-21
¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ¹⁶ “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

²⁰ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

OBSERVATION: So here we go again with a story where principles and values in the Word of God conflict with each other. The Bible has many scriptures which clearly state that lying and deception are wrong. In fact, wrong is too light of a word. Lying and deception are sin. We are also taught in the Bible that we should submit to those in authority over us (although Peter does make it clear in the N.T. that when our authorities tell us to do things that are in conflict with God's will, we obey God rather than men). In this passage the Hebrew midwives are disobeying the civil authority (Pharoah) and they are lying to and deceiving him. Yet God blesses them for doing that. Does that mean that God approves of lying and disobeying authority? The answer is NO and YES. No, in general, God abhors a deceptive and rebellious heart. But God also has a very high value on LIFE. People are created in his image and so the harshest judgment is reserved for those who kill, harm or maim other human beings. The midwives correctly discerned what was most important to God and took actions in accordance with what they knew to be true of him. And so they were blessed!

APPLICATION: The Bible is a difficult book. It bugs me to no end when Christians are taught to live according to rules from the Bible and not to think critically about what they read in the Word. Living non-critically makes passages like this one difficult to assimilate because it contains biblical values that are in conflict with each other. We must do as the midwives did and "discern and learn". God gave us brains and we are supposed to use them! Too many believers stand stupefied when non-believers confront them with legitimate questions stemming from reading the Bible with a critical eye. They resort to some lame platitudes that just don't cut it for people who think. Let us "study to show ourselves approved" and be able to give answers to those who are truly seeking to understand the seeming conflicting truth in the Bible.

PRAYER: Father, I know there is much more I don't know than what I do know about you, even after years of studying and reading your Word. I know I won't have answers to everyone's questions, but I do not want to be guilty of laziness in trying to seek out truth. I am fine with telling someone "I don't know" when I haven't figured something out myself, but I want to keep learning as much as I can. Continue to take me on a journey of learning and growing. I seek understanding and wisdom from you. Thank you that you promise to give both of those to all who seek and ask for them. In Jesus' Name, Amen.