Bible Studies

Womens Bible Studies

Womens Bible Studies: Have you heard of Shiprah and Puah?

For most of you the names probably don't ring a bell, yet they were major players in the plan of God when their turn came to step out in faith.

Through the course of this booklet we are going to take a look at some of the pivotal moments in the history of the people of God. Some of the turning points. And look and see the people who were there at the time and the things that they did.

There is a lesson in these events for us, as we shall see as we read about some of the unsung heroes of faith….

Womens Bible Studies: Shiphrah and Puah.

We take up the story of the nation of Israel in subjection to the Egyptians living in Egypt…

Exodus 1:7-21

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel [are] more and mightier than we:

Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and [so] get them up out of the land.

Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all

manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, [was] with rigour. And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one [was] Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see [them] upon the stools; if it [be] a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it [be] a daughter, then she shall live.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women; for they [are] lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

That scripture passage is translated a bit awkwardly there. Houses mean families of their own. Therefore the midwives were blessed with their own families because they feared God more then the Pharoah.

And so at this pivotal moment, the time when God was beginning to deal with Egypt and was about to bring into nationhood this people of Israel who were up until this time related in a genetic or a blood sense but were not a nation. They were tribes and a people who were slaves in Egypt and had never operated before as anything more then a family.

God was about to anoint them, bring them out through the Red Sea and make a nation of them. A special nation, they were people of the covenant. A people whom God promised he would deliver, and a land he promised to Abraham that he would give them.

And right at this time the enemy of Israel was seeking to destroy them, to kill them.

However two faithful women Shiphrah, and Puah who feared God and loved Israel were not afraid to withstand the might of Pharoah and who were happy to risk their lives for God and the people… Were able to stop the intentions of the Egyptian King and were a vital part in the amazing events that were about to take place.

Because it was from that time forward that God began to deal with Moses and with Aaron along with the Pharoah of Egypt and the end result saw Israel marching out of Egypt, across the Red Sea into the wilderness and eventually into the promised land.

Womens Bible Studies: Two of the key people in this episode of history were the two Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah. They were just ordinary folk but they feared God and withstood Pharoah and were not afraid to risk their lives for what they believed in.

Think about what they were doing for a moment… They were just doing their day to day job. Nothing special - it's what they did all the time. Yet an opportunity came their way and they were found faithful.

Perhaps in your day to day life things may seem ordinary, dull or even dreary at times however I wonder how many opportunities come your way?

I'm sure if you have faithfulness as the midwives had you will make a difference in someone's life…

Bible Studies