Ripple Effect
13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. (Exodus 1:13-21)
Two brave women refused to take part in the geocide of a generation of Hebrew boys. Midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, were instructed to kill the sons born to Hebrew women in their care - allowing the girls to survive. Their refusal didn't fix the situation - the king, then demanded that all boys born to Hebrew women be thrown into the Nile river - but it did allow time for Moses' mother to preserve his life. We'll never know how many others were able to keep their sons out of harm's way. We do know that Moses being given the opportunity to live would eventually be a blessing for the Hebrew people as a whole.
Sometimes we downplay occasions to do good when we think the payoff isn't obvious or grand enough, but any good we do has a ripple effect that goes further than we'll ever know. May God open our eyes to the many small opportunities we have to bless someone else each day, and may we trust God to do great things with our efforts - to the glory of God.
1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side -- let Israel now say -- 2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, 3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; 4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 5 then over us would have gone the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm124)
