Shiphrah & Puah

SHIPHRAH & PUAH

Ex. 1:8-22 (omit 14 & 20)

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: The convert

1. A stereo-type of Jews is that they only think about money.

2. Two Jews -- Abe and Shlomo -- were strolling down the street one day when they happened to walk by a Catholic Church. It had a big sign posted that says: - ‘CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM AND GET $100.’

3. Abe stopped walking and stared at the sign. Shlomo turned to him and said, “Abe, what’s going on?”

4. “Shlomo,” replied Abe, “I’m thinking of doing it.” Shlomo said, “What, are you crazy?” Abe thought for a minute and said, “Shlomo, I’m GOING to do it!”

5. With that, Abe strode purposely into the church and came out 20 minutes later with his head bowed.

6. “So,” asked Shlomo, “Did you get your $100?” Abe looks up at him and said, “Is money all YOU PEOPLE think about?” [from a Jewish website].

B. TEXT

8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10…if war breaks out [they] will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby 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.” 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

C. THESIS

1. Today, we’re looking at two valiant women of faith who stood up to the pressure of their culture.

2. In this passage we see The World’s Program for the Church, Valiant Faith Conquering, and God’s Boomerang.

3. The title of today’s message is, “Shiphrah & Puah.”

I. WORLD’S PROGRAM FOR THE CHURCH

A. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF GOD FORGOTTEN

1. "Then a new King, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt" (8). Joseph had saved all Egypt from famine and built the power/ authority of the Egyptian government, but was now forgotten.

2. One can’t help but think how this nation was founded upon the Bible by godly men. How they perceived the hand of God -- "manifest destiny" -- that God was setting up a New Promised Land where there could be freedom to worship & serving God; where justice and Christianity would prevail.

3. But now our gov’t/ people have forgotten what made them great. They've forgotten the God who gave them the freedom and the prosperity they enjoy.

B. BELIEVERS DANGEROUS TO GOV’T

1. "The Israelites have become too numerous... if war breaks out [they] will join our enemies and fight against us and leave the country."

2. When the new Pharaoh saw that a lot of people worshiped differently, talked differently, look differently and finally lived differently from secular Egyptians, he said, ‘we need to eliminate these guys.’

3. The king implied that the Israelites were dangerous to the government. It’s been the policy of persecutors to represent God's people as dangerous people, not fit to be

trusted or tolerated.

4. The media’s pushes this idea today! When the ACLU should be going after Muslim enclaves that are enacting sharia law -- because the Muslim faith always combines government and religion and attempts to snuff out all other faiths & crush liberty -- instead, they’re still going after Christianity!

5. Get Christianity out of the government, out of the schools, out of the military, out of social discourse -- and what do you end up with? Lawlessness, to be followed by dictatorship.

6. Let's pray that our civilization wises up and allows Christianity -- the one faith that promotes decency and freedom -- to once again be enshrined in its proper place.