Shiphrah and Puah: Fearless Midwives

 ^“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.”  ^{Exodus 1:15-21}

Shiphrah and Puah were gutsy women. They were Hebrew slaves and understood the consequences of disobedience yet they chose to disobey the great Pharaoh and save the Hebrew children. Why? Because they feared God. 




Because of what they did, fearing God and saving the lives of the male children God dealt well with these women and He made them houses. I simply love women who take God at His word, who are not intimidated by the enemy’s lame roar.


Shiphrah and Puah positioned themselves to help birth the deliverer of Israel whom they saw firsthand. God could have bypassed them and raised another but they stood their ground, their faith tested even at the most difficult period. God ensured their lives were spared. It never occurred to Pharaoh to execute them or refuse to accept their claim that the Hebrew women birthed vibrantly. Through them, the people multiplied and waxed mighty. 


That was a huge responsibility but they didn’t fail God.

1.      Shiphrah and Puah feared God and as a consequence were not afraid of the repercussions of their actions and decision

2.      They followed God’s assignment for their lives, to save every male child and through their obedience, the people multiplied.

3.      God highly favoured them and blessed them.

May every assignment, every seed the Lord has committed into our hands be judiciously utilized and sown in righteousness and like the servant with the ten talents, may the Lord come that day and say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Amen and amen!

(c)Histiara

Mothers of Mothers: Lois & Eunice

"When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also." 2 Tim 1:5 (KJV)

"I am calling up memories of your sincere and unqualified faith (the leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), [a faith] that first lived permanently in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am [fully] persuaded, [dwells] in you also." (The Amplified)

I read that Timothy was only fifteen when he left his Mother (Lois) and Grandmother (Eunice) to join Paul’s evangelistic team. And Paul loved and talked glowingly of Timothy’s godly heritage which informed his trust in the young man. These two women no doubt had invested so much in Timothy’s life such that he was an outstanding witness for the Lord. 

We can never over-emphasize the importance of giving our children a godly heritage. We were not given any other information save the testimony of Timothy’s life and that was a powerful testimony. 


These women loved God; had an unshakable faith in Him and it translated into a transformed life. Timothy was a faithful follower, a true servant and one who had genuine faith. He was the product of two outstanding women of God.

Lois and Eunices’ testimony stresses the fact that nothing is more important in the life of a God-fearing mother’s life than the early training of her children. It brings to mind the scripture: 

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov:22:6 (KJV)

..and I love this translation: 

"Point your kids in the right direction—    when they're old they won't be lost."  (The message)

At just fifteen years of age, Timothy was matured spiritually. Lois and Eunice recognized his gifting and let him go to do the work of God. They didn’t invest in his life for themselves but they understood they were merely custodians of their son. At the right time, they let him go. Letting go must have been hard for them but they knew the time frame and keyed into God’s timing.

May we like Lois and Eunice be such godly women, fully equipped to invest deeply in our children’s lives and with wisdom and sensitivity in the spirit, steer them in the right direction and usher them to the threshold of their destiny. Amen!
(c)Histiara

The Widow And Her Mite (Might)

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."  ~ Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat by the treasury to observe the offerings. He knew how connected our hearts are to money and he knew he could judge the condition of our heart and our commitment to God through our use of and attitude to money. People gave very impressive offerings, stupendous amounts that would make anyone go ‘wow’. 

But Jesus wasn’t impressed until this widow came in and dropped two very small copper coins (The message bible called it ‘a measly two cents’). It wasn’t just the copper coins that got our Lord’s attention, it was the woman herself. The message bible puts it in better light when it says: “All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford.”

I shivered when I read more about her:

1. She was a widow. She had no income or source of sustenance thus she had the perfect excuse not to give. (The amp bible states that she was ‘poverty stricken’)

2. She loved God. We don’t know if she knew about Jesus but she was definitely a daughter of Abraham who loved the God of the Old Testament and obeyed His commandments.

3. She was a powerful giver. She didn't give just anything; she gave her all without any regrets, doubts, cold-feet or fear of the future. She gave unreservedly. She gave out of her need. She gave sacrificially.

4. She trusted God to take care of her needs when she gave her all.

5. She acknowledged God as her source.

6. She gave with the right heart.

7. She worshipped God with her substance.

Jesus was impressed with her and that’s why her acts were recorded for us to read and learn from. It’s never about the size of our offerings, how noble our titles are, how uppity our positions; it’s always about the sacrifice behind our giving, the sacrifice in what we do for God. God is not interested in our leftovers but our first fruits, our very best; the costly oil.

This singular act sets her aside as a woman of God, a woman of great might, a woman of worth and value.

 (c)Histiara 

Anna, the Prophetess

The 84 yr-old Herald With A Singular Purpose. ~Luke 2:36-38

In three short verses we get a full dossier on Anna; a very impressive lifetime achievement.  (The daughter of Penuel of the tribe of Asher) Here's what the bible says about Anna's life, character and purpose:

1. She was a prophetess. We're not told if she daily gave prophecies or commanded a gathering.

2. She was of a great age. She wasn't a spring chicken. Age was not an issue and she wasn't planning on retiring until she'd finished her work.

3. She married as a virgin for only 7 years. She married for a short 7 yrs and thereafter became a widow for life.

4. She was a widow for fourscore and four years/84 yrs. Re-marriage wasn't in the books for her. She was sold out to God.

5. She departed not from the temple. Totally committed and sold out.

6. She served God with fastings and prayings day and night without relenting, without waiting for Holy Ghost goose bumps, encouragement or validations.

7. She gave thanks to God. The moment Jesus showed up at the temple, she broke into praise for the Messiah had come. 

8. She spoke of Him to all that looked for redemption. 

Interestingly, we are not given an account of the exact words or message she gave. Rather, the bible focused on her life, her character and her commitment. Her main goal, her main purpose was to wait at the temple until Jesus came so she could testify of Him. She had to wait 84 long years for what seemed like just one day's testimony and then the curtain falls. But that's it. Her life-long purpose fulfilled.


It is not of him that willeth or runneth but it's of him that shows mercy.

The thing about fulfilling one's purpose in life is about zeroing in in the exact plan and not deviating from it. Anna's purpose was simply to herald the coming of the Messiah. Anna could have grown weary of waiting for the Messiah to come. She could have been tired of living in the temple, being unmarried, not seeing the immediate result or fulfillment of her purpose but she was committed. She loved God with a passion and knew that it wasn't just about the explosive revealing of the promised Messiah but about living a life of purpose, a life that was pleasing to God. In all her 84 yrs she could have grown weary or discouraged.


Imagine if when Jesus finally showed up, she wasn't there. She had errands to run, friends to visit, places to go, a husband to worry about...just simply cares of the world. She would have wasted 84 yrs and not fulfilled her purpose and her acts would not have been recorded in the bible for us to read and learn from. She would have been a forgotten soul. Lived in eternity with regret knowing she never accomplished what she was born to do. That is sad.


It's not about the big things we do for God but about being committed to WHATEVER He has called us to do no matter how small or insignificant it seems. There are women called to be home-makers. Their rewards is the same as those called to be Evangelist. It's not the title or magnitude of the calling but the commitment to obey.


The 5 things I learned from her life and testimony are:


1. Faithfulness
2. Consistency
3. Having a passion for God
4. Obedience pays
5. Commitment to a vision

Thanks for reading.


(c)Histiara