Vers. 15-21.-The conduct of the midwives. I. NOTICE WHAT WAS PRAISEWORTHY IN THEIR C01'"DUCT. "They did not as the king of Egypt commanded them but ~aved the men-child:en alive," and this conduct was made possible because b~hind it there was a praiseworthy feeling. "The midwives feared God." They saw how real was the power of Pharaoh in enslaving and oppressing the Israelites, but they were not thereby misled into supposing the power of Pharaoh to be greater than the power of God. They had ample opportunity, even more than the rest of Israel, to mark the Hand that was producing this extraordinary ,increase in the numbers of the people. Their very professional experience was of a kind to impress them dee_ply with the fact that Israel was increasing at a rate not to be accounted for by the ordin':"11' processes or natur~. They could not see God as they saw Pharaoh, but bis superior pow:er wa~ made eVIdent by the things he did. Then, on the other hand, with all the ma~i.ifes~tions of Pharaoh's power, it was impossible for him to conceal that be was afraid himself. Moreover, as the oppression and affliction of Israel increased it became still clearer that God was with the people, and the-more confirmed would th; midwives be in their fear of him. Hence it would have been a very poor sort of prudence to comply with Pharaoh's order, to avoid his displeasure, perhaps to gain his rewards, and then find themselves face to face with an angry God, from whom there was no escape. What a rebuke, out of these depths of bondage and suffering, and out of a very imperfect moral state, these two women give to us! They feared God, and that fear kept them safe, aud made them prosperous. The fear of mm ever bringeth a snare; but a real, practical and all-dominating sense of the presence and the power of God takes snares and stumbling-blocks out of our path. II. NOTICE "1!AT WAS CENSURABLE IN THEm CONDUCT. It must not be supposed that because they feared God, and God dealt well with them, everything therefore which they did was quite as it should be. With all their deep sense of God's presence, these women were living but in the twilight of the revelation, as far as they personally were concerned. They knew enough to fear God, i.e. they knew the reality and great- ness of his power, but they did not know enough to love him. With them, conscience was in such a half-enlightened, half-awakened state, that while they felt it wrong to obey Pharaoh's comma,nd, and would probably not have obeyed it if the sword had been hanging over their heads, yet they have no scruple as to deceiving Pharaoh. Un- doubtedly, women who had been fully instructed in all the will of God, and who were fully alive to all the round of duty, would have faced the king boldly, and said, " We cannot do this thing, come what may." But they were living, as we have already noticed, in a very imperfect moral state. They honestly felt that deceiving Pharaoh was a quite permissible way of showing their obedience to God. Hence, while upon certain considerations we may excuse their deception, we must not· slur it over as e. matter of no moment; and though it is said that God was pleased with them as it was, this does not prevent us from feeling that he would have been even better pleased if they had said straight out to Pharaoh, " How can we do this great wickedness and sin against God ? " ill. CONSIDER THE CONDUCT OF THESE TWO WOMEN AS ILLUSTRATIVE OF .A CERTAIN STAGE IN THE PROGRESS OF SU.'NEBS TOWARDS GOD. There are many who have got so far as to fear God, and this is no small attainment. It may be that there is something slavish, terrifying, paralysing even in the fear; but, even so, it- is better to have the fear than be as those who are completely destitute of it. For, with a feelinu of real fear to lay hold of, God can do great things. He can gradually bring us neare:" and nearer, so that we shall love as well as fear him. He can show us his loving spirit and bis power to fill our lives with blessing .and •.surround them with security. He c~n show us that there is really no more reason to live in restless dread of him than there is for a little bird to fly hastily away at-the approach of some ·kind-hearted human beina. But where there is no fear of God, what can be done? When the chief thing you dread is the laughter of fools ; or the censure of unsympathising friends and neigh- buw·s or threatening superiors; or the fear of temporal loss and pain in gener~l; w!13t can then be doIIe? Be tha.Iikful if you have got so far as to fear God. Feanng hlDl, err. JI, 1-10.J THE BOOK OF EXODUS. 23
dreading him, trembling before him, feeling his power more than any other of hie attributes-this is II long way short of loving him, but nevertheless it is a. stage towe.rd that glorious state of the heart; antl it is incomparably better than to have no feelin,g for God at all, and to let an arrogant world fill his place. It is a great point gained, when once we clearly perceive, and act upon the perception, that to be safe and right with man is II mere trifle to the great necessity of being safe and right with God. One Pharaoh goes and another comes, but the God of Israel, the God who i~ bringing all these men-children to the birth, abides for ever. Before we begin to pity Shiphrah and Puah for their defective notions with regard to truth, we had better make sure that they do not rise in the judgment against us, on account of our gross indifference to the-majesty and authority of God.-Y. Vers.15-22.-The way of sin. I. Tm: GROWING SHAMELESSNESS OF CRIME. 1. Murder was intended from the first-the hope was that the people should be diminished-but the intention was veiled. 2. (15, 16.) The crime was now looked in the face, but it was so arranged. that• it might be done secretly. 3. When this failed, then public proclamation was· made that the murder should be deliberately and openly done (22). No man steps at first into shameless commission of sin. Every sin is a deadening of the moral sense and a deepening of shame. II. THOSE -WHO REFUSE TO AID IN PHABAOH'B CRIME FIND BLESSING, 1. The refusal of the midwives wa.s service to God. (1) It prevented secret murder. (2) It rebuked Pharaoh's sin. 2. Their refusal was justified because it sprang from obedience to a higher authority : "they feared God." Disobedience to human law must have a higher sanction than a factious spirit. 3. God gave them inheritance among his people. In that dread of sin and heroism for the right they were :fit allies for God'~ people. 'l'hose who separate themselves from evil God will lead into the light. III. THOSE WHO AID BRING JUDGMENT UPON THEMSELVES. The king appeals to his people and they make his crime their own. But Egypt's sin is set at last in the light of Egypt's .desolation. Obedience to unjust laws will not protect us from God's just judgment. The wrong decreed by authority becomes by obedience a nation's crime.-U