Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Six Women

Were it not for no fewer than six women, Moses would never have been able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Who are these women? Jocheved, Miriam, Pharoah's daughter, Shifrah, Puah and Tzipporah.

Jocheved, Moses' mother, who hid him for three months after he was born and then placed him a little ark and trusted that God would take care of her son.

Miriam, Moses' older sister, who watched her baby brother and ran to Pharoah's daughter and got as a midwife for her brother none other than his own mother.

Pharaoh's daughter, who took compassion on the baby Moses and instead of turning the little ark over and letting the baby drown or get eaten by a crocodile, took him into the palace and raised him as her own son.

Shifrah and Puah, Hebrew midwives who defied Pharaoh's order to kill all male babies of the Hebrews. And because they feared God, God established households for them. They were of lowly status in Egypt but they stood up the most powerful man in the kingdom.

Tzipporah, Moses's wife, daughter of a Midianite priest, who saved Moses' life, when Moses was gravely ill on his way down to Egypt.

Because of these six brave women who hardly get the recognition they deserve in Bible studies and sermons and commentaries, Moses was able to stand before Pharaoh and say let my people go. Moses could perfom signs and wonders and lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Sinai and receive the Torah and lead the Israelites for forty years through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Moses is arguably the most famous character in the entire Torah. The Torah is called the "Five Books of Moses." And yet, were it not for these six women, there'd have been no Moses.

Praise God for Jocheved, Miriam, Pharaoh's daughter, Shifrah, Puah and Tzipporah.