Devotion for Saturday 4 September
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of Exodus, Chapter One verse Seventeen, “And the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live, ” (NRSVB). The Book of Genesis closes with the death of Joseph. Before his death, he called his sons and asked them to taken his remains to Israel and bury him in his country of birth. He said to them, “God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land of Egypt to the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give to you,” we read in Genesis, Chapter Fifty verse Twenty Five, (NRSVB). In the time of Joseph the Israelites enjoyed favour in Egypt, but after his death, their fortunes changed and they became enslaved and suffered oppression. The Pharaoh and the ruling class were concerned about the growth of the Israelite population in Egypt. The Pharaoh decreed that the midwives, who assisted the Israelite women, had to kill the baby boys at birth, in order to diminish the future growth of the nation. It is under these circumstances that Moses was born, his life was saved, and he was raised to become the deliverer of Israel.
Moses was called by God, commanded and anointed to free the Israelites from the yoke of oppression and slavery. The brave work of the midwives, disobeying the royal decree of the Pharaoh, allowing the boys to live, was blessed by God. Moses was saved and prepared to fulfil his role in leading the Israelites out from the bonds of slavery. Jesus Christ, was born in similar circumstances in Jerusalem. King Herod decreed the killing of the baby boys under two years old. Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, was told in a vision, that he must flee with Jesus and Mary to Egypt. When Jesus’ family returned they settled in Nazareth, as foretold by the prophets. Jesus was visibly anointed through baptism to deliver humanity from the bonds of slavery to sin and condemnation. Moses gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and Jesus gave humanity the New Commandment of his love, shown on the Cross, the price he paid to deliver humanity from the prison of sin.
The midwives had the moral character to withstand the orders of the mightiest ruler of the Ancient Near East because they feared God and obeyed his laws, even if it meant punishment unto death by earthly rulers. They trusted God to sustain them as they sustained the lives of the baby boys. They helped the mothers to keep their babies from harms way. God ordained life as sacred, no human decree can denounce the ordinances decreed by the Almighty. To obey God above men can lead to persecution on earth, however, God will not disappoint those who put their trust in him and wait for his deliverance.
The Apostles were witnessing to the life and work of Jesus Christ in the temple, following the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The high priest and some of his supporters had the apostles arrested and thrown in jail for the night. During the night an angel of the Lord came and opened the prison doors and led them out, instructing them to go and teach in the temple forecourts again. Early in the morning the prison guards came to take the apostles to the court house for a hearing.
They found that the apostles were not chained in jail, but were openly preaching and teaching in the temple. The high priest told the apostle that they were strictly forbidden to testify to the name of Christ, and questioned why they continued their proclamations. “Peter and the apostles replied: We must obey God rather than human authority,” as we read in the Book of Acts, Chapter Five verse Twenty Nine, (NRSVB). The apostles were flogged and forbade to teach and to preach in the Name of Jesus, but they continued to spread the good news. They believed that the good work that Christ worked in them must be taught in this world. Christ’s commission was carefully and prayerfully obeyed by his twelve disciples. Their work is witnessed in the growth of the Christian church through the ages, a testimony to their obedience and suffering.
Father, we thank you that we have come to know the Good News through the faithful testimony of your prophets and apostle, converts, witnesses and martyrs, who feared and trusted you more than human authority. We ask that you will increase our faith through your grace so that we can obey you, Amen.
