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Ripples through the Nile River

We need to bring up a possible concern that some of our more researched subscribers and readers might have had with our previous article regarding the genealogy of Bezalel, the chief architect of the Tabernacle: It is not fully clear that Moses’ sister Miriam and mother Yocheved are in fact the midwives Shiphrah and Puah who defied the Pharaohs’ order to murder the Israelite males by drowning them in the Nile as recorded in Exodus 1:15-22.

What’s really significant about all of this is that Shiphrah and Puah may not have been Israelites at all and may actually have been Egyptians who served the pregnant Israelite community. We are not certain if they were Israelites, converts, or simply regional midwives who were inspired by the faith of the Israelite mothers.

While some, though not all, Jewish traditions contend that they are Moses’ mother and sister, the possibility that these women were not related to Moses, had no real personal connection to the consequences of the Israelite genocide, and were motivated wholly because they “feared God, [so they] did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do” (Exodus 1:17) makes for a far more compelling and inspiring story.

Their fear of God is not based in self-interest, as they were defying the Pharaoh of Egypt, the most powerful leader in their country, exposing themselves to possible execution for treason. They realistically could have believed their obstacle was too large and their contribution was too small.

They had everything to lose.

These extreme consequences are the reason why Exodus 1:21 expounds that “because the midwives feared God, He (`asah bayith)”. This last part has been deciphered many different ways, with “built them houses”, “gave them their own families”, & “established their family dynasty” all being reputable translations. This relates to the true definition of prosperity, since they were not just blessed in a financial aspect, but more importantly, Pharaoh, with his zeal for murder, was unable to touch or harass them. In fact, even though they remained in Egypt, their names and families gained power and prestige because they carried the weight of God’s blessing.

This phrase (`asah bayith) is also seen in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain”. All our efforts to ensure the PMT Campus’ completion will fail if God is not in it. But because we have already seen His Hand moving mightily, our greater concern is that people will miss out on the blessings God has for those who fear Him and do as He wills. We need to remember that Shiphrah and Puah’s names could have been replaced by others who had the courage to claim the blessing.

We’ve had several God-fearing readers ask what they can do to help contribute to the Vision of the Tabernacle if they don’t feel called to make the PMT Campus their long-term homestead. Prayers and financial gifts are of course always needed, but sharing our articles, videos, and podcasts with your friends, family, and other networks helps us reach others that God may intend to be a part of this new move He has for the Church.

We’ve received many other relevant questions and will be addressing them in a weekly segment during our Sunday broadcasts.

God will bless you and your family for following His Voice. Your actions have a profound ripple effect that spreads out to the rest of your family, church, community, and the World as a whole as we see with the midwives’ decision to fear God more than man, leading to the emancipation of Israel. As we’ll see in our next few articles, regular people’s decision to trust God’s Voice not only lead to great blessing for themselves and their families, but caused tidal waves which shook the known world.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

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