Human Response 103: Fear and Obey God

Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egyot commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

The children of Israel were multiplying and growing large in Egypt, posing a threat to Pharaoh. To avoid a potential slave revolt he ordered that all baby boys born in Israel be put to death when they are born. Killing infants and aborting babies is nothing new. Witness Herod’s slaughter of the babies in Bethlehem. Witness China’s one-child policy, resulting in the murder of millions of baby girls.

All people are commanded by God to obey the governing authorities, but what do believers do when the orders of a human government themselves disobey the clear Commandments of God? God-fearing people disobey humans in order to obey God. ”We must obey God rather than men [Acts 5:29].” The God-fearing midwives of Israel disobeyed human government in order to obey the Commandment of God, to save many human beings alive.

The absolute power of God supersedes the derived power of human authority, since humans can sin, err, and be mistaken. God cannot lie or make a mistake. Therefore, we may disobey authorities if we can clearly prove their orders contradict God’s Law. The case of the midwives may be a no-brainer, but sometimes the decision is not so obvious. Thus we should carefully know the Word of God.

In any case, God-fearers respond to God’s Word by saving lives. We know God’s will: “that all men be saved.” We, like the midwives, do what we must to see God’s will be done. This is what we pray.