17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
The fate of a nation was held in the hands of two midwives. They were given orders to kill the male babies born and allow the girls to live. They chose to put their own lives at risk for the sake of the males. This medical ethics case is over 3500 years old. We face some very similar medical ethics cases in our current society. In some countries, and there is a push for it here in this country, medical professionals are being forced to perform or provide medical intervention that is against their personal moral values. Even in the healthcare reform legislation recently passed, we as citizens will pay for some medical procedures that go against our moral values. These are difficult choices to decide. Do I lose my job, my livelihood, my financial support for the sake of my values? That is exactly what these two midwives did in ancient Egypt. But they did more than that. They put their own lives on the line. Disobeying the Pharaoh was punishable by death. They even lied about the circumstances of the males’ births in order to protect lives. For what are we willing to put our lives on the line? I serve in the Military. I serve those who put their lives on the line for their country, their families, and their values. There is no finer group of people. They have learned the lesson of sacrifice for a cause larger than themselves. They put up with harsh living conditions and training schedules to serve. They don’t do it for the pay. We don’t get paid that much. How much would you want to get paid to put your life on the line every day? How much would you want if you knew many people were plotting your death? How much would you want if your job took you away from your family over half the time? No one gets paid enough to do that! And yet we do it, not for ourselves, but for others. These midwives served God and the Israelites with distinction. So should we!
The Arnold Journey 