Brown's Daily Word 8-25-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. I trust that you had a beautiful and a very blessed weekend. Praise the Lord for the Lord's day that we can gather in His house with His people to worship the living Lord. We have received a very disturbing news from Orissa , India. One of the Hindu Leaders who was responsible for the atrocities committed against Christians in Orissa during the Christmas 2007 was gunned down by the Maoist terrorists, this past Saturday. Four of his body guards and close associates were also killed along with him, This is causing a great political and religious-communal uproar in Orissa. The militant Hindus are blaming the Christians for the murder of their leader and they have started burning the churches, Christian institutions and the homes belonging to Christians. The situation is beyond control. I have been in touch with the Christian leaders and the family members. Many Christians have fled to the mountains and are hiding. I am sending some news clips in a separate mailing. The news we get is censored by the Pro-Hindu Government. Please pray for the volatile situation in Orissa, India.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Exodus 1 and 2. The book of Exodus opens by reminding us of Joseph and his family (the twelve tribes of Israel) residing and multiplying in Egypt: "the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them" (Ex. 1:7). This brief reminder, along with verse 8 are key to understanding the events that are to come in the life of God’s people. In verse 8, we learn of a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. Thus, with a new king in place who didn't know (or even care for that matter) about a Hebrew, “second-in-command” from years ago, the stage is now set! The Hebrew population living in Egypt was exploding. There is might in numbers! It would appear that these numbers worried the new king (vs. 8-9). In addition, Egypt had enemies who bordered them. It’s one thing to defend your country from an outside attack, it’s quite another to be attacked from the inside as well. The new king was obviously militarily minded and recognized a potential alliance with the Hebrews and their bordering enemies. Thus, in verse 11 we learn of his first attempt at preventing such an alliance: "So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor." Now, however, taskmasters were strategically placed over the slaves. What are taskmasters and what was their objective here? They were simply oppressive overseers of large groups of slaves. Their primary objective was to build these storage cites (Pithom and Raamses), however, the new king had a much more devious, underlying motive. We only read of it’s failure in verse 12, yet it would appear the plan was to work them so hard, to the point of exhaustion, thus leaving the men too tired to father children. It didn’t work! "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out…" (vs. 12). So, what are you going to do now “new king?” His next plan is down right hideous! It employees the services of our two women characters — Puah and Shiphrah. Puah is a personal name of which it’s meaning is unknown. Whereas, Shiphrah means beauty. They were midwives. It would be wrong to assume that Puah and Shiphrah were the only two midwives in Egypt. They were most likely high ranking midwives (due to their Egyptian names) who served in Pharaoh’s house and were in charge of all the midwives in the land of Egypt. Working the Hebrew men slaves to the point of exhaustion had no effect on controlling the Hebrew population; rather, it apparently had the opposite affect—the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied (vs. 12). This new, hideous plan attacked the problem from another angle. Rather than trying to prevent conception, the new king’s plan was one of “unnatural selection!” He would select which newborns lived and which died. In this case all the boys were to die! It’s hard for us to fully grasp the gravity of this situation. Puah and Shiphrah were called to stand before the most powerful man in the ancient world. His authority extended beyond reasonable measures. The wave of his hand could mean continued life or instant death! Puah and Shiphrah were told by Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew boy babies at birth. Refusing to comply would mean their lives. Yet they feared God more than Pharaoh and it would be God they obey! Most of us are not faced with life or death situations today; however, I think it safe to say that all, at points in their life, stand at a crossroad with a decision to make. Will I take the left road? Will I follow the wide, easy road ? On the other hand, will I take the right road? Will I follow the narrow, more difficult road, the one that makes me stand out in a crowd, the one that goes against society? Will I take the one that complies with God’s will? Remember the apostle Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome? "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2). What was Paul saying here? Choose the right road! If you take the wide road, you’re conforming, being molded, being just like everyone else in the world. You’re fitting in! You are allowing the world to form you. The world is in charge of your life, not God. Who was in charge of Puah and Shiphrah’s life? Was it Pharaoh (who represents the world) or God? We are not to be conformed, rather transformed. When we choose the right road we begin a transformation process. Puah and Shiphrah made a much harder decision than any of us will, hopefully, ever have to make. In the face of death… not peers, friends, or family, in the face of death they choose God’s way! Paul told the young Timothy to "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:7-8). Godly discipline is the theme surrounding our second key point learned from Puah and Shiphrah. Puah and Shiphrah were accountable not only for themselves but for all the Hebrew midwives. Their handling of this terrible request was crucial. When Pharaoh realized that the Hebrew babies were being allowed to live, he again called our two midwives in for an explanation (vs. 18). We can only speculate as to the truthfulness of their answer (vs. 19), yet I tend to believe that it perhaps wasn’t simply a bold faced lie. Puah and Shiphrah had probably told the other midwives what Pharaoh had ordered. The women must have decided to procrastinate until after the births and thus not be able to kill the children at birth. So what’s the point, you ask? The solution offered by Puah and Shiphrah was so wise and their courage to execute such a plan, which if it faltered could mean certain death, exhibited a Godly Discipline that wasn’t developed overnight. How does one develop such a strong faith in God? I think it’s developed with consistent prayer, study and worship! It’s hard to image that they were able to develop such an action and carry it out on their own. Perhaps this solution was an answer to constant prayer on their behalf. The faith it took to carry out such a scheme wasn’t shallow. I believe it was developed from years of prayer, and study, and worship. I believe they not only “leaned” on God, they also “leaned” on each other.Are we faced today with situations in our life that at times seem impossible? There are many things “thrown at us” by Satan that we alone can’t overcome. However, with proper Godly discipline—prayer, study, worship, and the help of our brethren, we can overcome! It appears that Pharaoh believed Puah and Shiphrah’s explanation and didn’t send them to their death for disobeying him. More importantly, God was good to the midwives… He established households for them. Again, the text isn’t specific in terms of Puah and Shiphrah, but the midwives in general were blessed for their obedience. God established homes (they were able to marry and have a family) for them. Likewise, the people (Hebrew people) were blessed and multiplied. If we choose the right road and develop Godly discipline, with prayer, study and worship, if we are obedient to God, I believe God will bless His people!
In His Grace,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6QE2k1FepQ