Hands of Defiance: Fear God, Not Kings (Part 3)

[Timl1980]

Part Three – The Quiet Defiance

Research: When Pharaoh later confronted the midwives, they answered: “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife arrives” (Exodus 1:19). This clever reply exposed Pharaoh’s scheme...he wanted secret killings, not public bloodshed. By the time a baby was in its mother’s arms, killing it would be open murder. The midwives’ words were both truthful and strategically brilliant, a blend of faith and wisdom that shielded countless lives.

 

Sometimes the loudest rebellion is spoken in a whisper.

 

The pounding on the door rattled the mud‑brick walls. The baby’s cry pierced the air, sharp and insistent, as if it knew its life hung by a thread. Shiphrah pressed the child against his mother’s chest, whispering, “Hold him close. Do not let go.”

 

Puah moved to the door, her palms slick with sweat. She slid the wooden bar aside, and the door creaked open to reveal two Egyptian soldiers. Their bronze helmets gleamed in the lamplight, their spears catching the glow like fangs.

 

“We heard a child,” one barked. His eyes swept the room, cold and calculating. “A boy?”

 

Shiphrah rose slowly, her shawl pulled tight around her shoulders. Her voice was calm, though her heart hammered like a drum. “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women...they are vigorous...they give birth before we arrive.”

 

The soldier narrowed his eyes. Silence stretched, thick as the smoke from the oil lamp. The mother clutched her son tighter, her knuckles white.

 

Finally, the soldier spat on the floor. “Then see that you arrive sooner next time.” He turned, his sandals grinding against the dirt, and the two men disappeared into the night.

 

The door closed. The room exhaled. The baby whimpered, then settled against his mother’s breast. Shiphrah’s knees nearly buckled, but Puah caught her arm. Their eyes met...weary, terrified, but burning with a quiet fire.

 

They had defied Pharaoh. Not with swords, not with shouts, but with silence and resolve.

 

Word of their defiance spread quickly...and soon, Pharaoh himself demanded their presence once more.