Exodus 1:15 introduces two midwives by the names of Shiphrah and Puah.  These were instructed in verse 16 to kill any son born to the Hebrew women.  No doubt the midwives were faced with a dilemma.  They had been given a command by the king of Egypt to do something they knew to be wrong.  What did they do?

Exodus 1:17 says they “feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them but saved the men children alive.” A principle is illustrated here that is important for Christians to consider.  It is the same precept Peter stated in Acts 5:29 to the Sadducees, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”  God has given government as his minister to execute wrath upon the ungodly, and a Christian is expected to obey the civil authorities (Romans 13:1-4); however, when government gets out of its realm and begins to make and enforce laws that are contrary to God’s will Christians must follow the example of the midwives and Peter.  Egypt’s king did not recognize that God’s laws held rank over his laws (Exodus 5:2).  The civil authorities of today often likewise overlook this fact.  Christians need not only recognize this fact, but also must be bold and courageous enough to act accordingly when the time comes.

The king of Egypt questioned the midwives for their disobedience (Exodus 1:18).  Their reply in verse 19 does not seem to be entirely truthful when compared to verse 17.  Some scholars point to verse 20 where God deals well with the midwives and ask if God is sanctioning their deception.  Is this true?  God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18).  His word is truth (John 17:17).  God does not uphold lying, so let’s consider some plausible alternatives.

First, it is possible that the way they saved the Hebrew boys was by not being involved in their births.  If they were informed of a Hebrews woman going into labor, the midwives may have hesitated and were dilatory in their arrival. The sons of the Hebrew women may then have been born prior to the midwives’ arrival, so the midwives could have told the truth, at least part of it. 

Let us also remember that Exodus 1:20 does not necessarily indicate that God blessed them for lying to the king.  Verse 20 is saying they were blessed because they feared God rather than Pharaoh, not for their deception. It is much like the situation with Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2). Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 commend Rahab for her reception of the spies, but her lying to the king’s servants is not mentioned in these commendations.  The deception of the midwives and of Rahab are both told as part of the story and no comment is made regarding God’s judgment of these individual acts; thus, God is not sanctioning the lies.  The Bible does not have to stop each time a sin is committed in historical narratives and make a comment as to what is right and wrong and why.

Finally, we should remember that God judges man based on the overall tenor of his life.  God does not take the worst moments in our lives and judge us by them alone.  Faithful people like Abraham, the midwives, and Rahab lied on occasions when they felt their lives were at stake.  It was not right, but God forgave them and considered the overall picture of their lives and what their aim was.  Would any of us do better if we were in the same situation?  Hopefully we would, but if not, we ought to be thankful that God is forgiving. When we fall short of His glory, as we all do (Romans 3:23), He is willing to forgive us if we repent of our sins and confess them to Him (1 John 1:9).