Naaman was captain over the army of Syria.  He had a high position of prominence and respect.  He was also a mighty man of valor.  However, he had one big problem; he was a leper.

Fortunately for Naaman, God was willing to cure him of his leprosy, and Naaman had been told that if he would go to God’s prophet, Elisha, he could be healed of this horrible disease.  That Naaman came to the door of Elisha’s house with great hope and desire of being healed there can be no doubt.  Naaman had great expectations, but something happened that caused Naaman to be angry and disappointed.  Instead of Elisha coming to meet him, a messenger was sent out of the house who told Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan river seven times and he would be healed.  The Bible says in 2 Kings 5:11-12, “But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.  Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.”

Now, consider Naaman in the state he is in at this point.  He has a cure for his dreaded disease of leprosy, but because it is not what he expected, he is choosing to continue to suffer instead of being cured.  The Bible reveals that later Naaman changed his mind, but suppose he had stayed in this mindset?  He would have continued suffering by allowing what he thought to overrule what God instructed, and leprosy would most likely have caused his death.

How often is this repeated in our day.  When it comes to discussions about what God requires of us, many often say, “Well, I think…”, or “I believe…”, or worst of all “I know the Bible says that, but…” instead of giving heed to the actual words of God. Those with this mindset refuse to be swayed by God’s instructions and—following their own beliefs—will continue suffering from spiritual leprosy: sin.  If they do not change their minds, it will ultimately cause death (Romans 6:23).  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Let us strive to not give what we think or feel but what God says (Jeremiah 10:23; Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17).  “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

-Mark Day

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).