Wednesdays in the Word

Having given birth with midwives four times, I have a special place in my heart for them and it is probably why I love Exodus 1 even more. 

And... it could be why I love this show: 

 which starts again at the end of March! Yay!
(my family has already warned me that they don't want to walk through the living room and accidentally see anyone giving birth on a 60" screen - LOL!!!!
so I'll have to watch it on my tablet)

Anyway, back to Exodus 1:
I think this is one of the saddest verses, especially after all that God used Joseph to do in saving Egypt (and the world).
"Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." 
During the famine, Joseph brought his family to Egypt and I think there were 70 people, now they are a huge number and Pharaoh feels threatened by their numbers, lest they ever rise up against them by joining Egypt's enemies in a battle.
So, he comes up with a plan to limit the number of future soldiers..
 He wants all the baby boys to be killed at birth and who better to do that than the Hebrew MIDWIVES!

I've known some gutsy, tenacious ladies who are/were midwives, so this verse makes me smile:
"But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive."
(hooray & applause)

I guess the births of lots of baby boys did not go unnoticed by Pharaoh because he calls these two brave midwives, Shiphrah and Pauh, and asks them: 
"Why have you done this thing and saved the male children alive?" 
Their own lives were probably on the line for this and I love, love, love their answer, which I'm guessing wasn't the truth:
"Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women;
for they are lively and give birth BEFORE the midwives come to them." -In other words, "We always get there too late." LOL
-So, all of you pregnant women out there, pray to be "lively"! : )  It means 'having vigor for life, bearing quickly and easily.' Amen!
Here's what God thought of what the midwives said and did:
"Therefore God dealt well with the midwives...and it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them."  
He gave them families of their own!
Someone had to 'call the midwives' for them! : )
Best reward ever! Love it!!!

~Becky