The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “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.” But the midwives feared G-d; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
– Exodus 1:15-17 [NRSV]
Unfortunately, an empire threatened by brown bodies is not new. The king of Egypt, the superpower of an ancient age, saw a threat to his dominance simply through the birth of children. He thought that Hebrew lives didn’t matter. And so, wielding his unlimited power, he ordered two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to kill all the baby boys.
Within the original text it is unclear if these women were a part of the Hebrew people themselves or if they were Egyptian midwives for the Hebrew women. In any case, they revered G-d more than they feared the most powerful man on earth; and so they refused to collude with the forces of power.
But they did collude with each other. They had each other’s backs. Together, they planned and plotted to sabotage Pharaoh’s decree. They even fed Pharaoh a line about the strength and vitality of the Hebrew mothers. They put their lives on the line because they knew that Hebrew lives did matter. With courage and faithfulness, they went head to head with a racist system of oppression.
Shiphrah and Puah are my heroes. But, I must confess, as a privileged straight white woman I often don’t know what I can do. I try to speak out about white privilege. I try to cross boundaries. But I really get confused when I try to imagine how I might effectively subvert the powers of racism so rampant, made bare by the killings of black men. How can I walk in the path of the Midwives?
Maybe this can be the question I hold before G-d during my wandering in the Lenten wilderness. Maybe this question will rub against my skin enough that I won’t put it down after Lent. Maybe I’ll be in prayerful conversation with my community of faith. Maybe I’ll listen my way into an answer.
In the meantime, I’ll remember Colby, a middle school student, whom I met last week. And I am thankful he wears this shirt. I hope he internalizes the message that his life matters. And I pray that he will remain safe.
JUST LOVE houston 