Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month. Spirit of Abilene will highlight influential women, including biblical figures during the month.

By Leslie Strader

When we think of Moses in the Old Testament, Hollywood’s Charleston Heston most often comes to mind. A flowing mane of hair, staff in hand and standing before Pharoah demanding he, “Let my people go!” The Sunday school version of Moses appears strong and commanding – not only God’s messenger but also His friend (Ex. 33:11). This is true, but we should remember: Moses doesn’t stride onto the pages of Scripture a full-grown man. Moses is introduced to us helpless and hunted, an ordinary baby born into a dangerous world.

Exodus 1-2:10 is the origin story of a chosen nation and its unlikely deliverer, who began life needing deliverance himself. And a deeper dive into these 32 verses reveals the amazing and surprising women God used to work His will, demonstrating that those considered lowly in the eyes of the world are significant in the sight of God.

1.Shiprah and Puah. These women are introduced in Exodus 1:15 as “the Hebrew midwives.” Brought to Egypt by Joseph during a great famine, the nation of Israel prospered (Ex. 1:7) as God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 and Genesis 15 promised they would. Pharoah is threatened by their growing numbers and planned to “deal shrewdly” (Ex. 1: 10) with the Hebrew people by first, oppression through slavery and then, infanticide.

Whether they were the only two midwives for all of Israel or the leaders of many, Shiprah and Puah were given a command by Pharoah in verse 16: kill every male child born in Israel before they take their first breath. Imagine how this edict of death fell on the ears of two women dedicated to bringing life into the world!

There is no record of these women discussing their options or even “sleeping on” the decision. The very next verse describes not only their course of action but the content of their hearts:

“But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” (v. 17)

At great personal risk, Shiprah and Puah defied Pharoah. Because they were women, Pharoah did not consider them a threat, but they were the ultimate disrupters of his plan. They stood at the threshold of life every day, and because they trusted and worshipped God, they chose life every time. Even at the peril of their own. The Lord not only blessed them with their own families in their lifetimes (v. 21), but we know their names and their courage still today – more than 3,400 years later.

2. Jochebed. Undeterred by the actions of the midwives, Pharoah openly sanctions murder, now commanding all Egyptians to throw “every son that is born to the Hebrews…into the Nile.” (v. 22) It is into this time that Moses is born, and Jochebed (first named in Exodus 6:20) does all she can to preserve her infant son’s life. 

After hiding him for three months, Jochebed decides to entrust her son entirely to God. We will never know what was going through her mind as she prepared the basket that would serve, she prayed, as a “life preserver” for her precious child. Hiding her son in her own home was one thing; sending him alone into the unknown was quite another act of faith.

Exodus 2:3 simply and starkly recounts what seems almost unimaginable: “…she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and … put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank.” Yet, faith and reason aren’t usually compatible.

Reason requires explanation, common sense, and logic. Faith is a gift of God, and the evidence of its existence often appears irrational. Like Noah building an ark before anyone had ever seen rain. Or Daniel’s three friends stepping willingly into a fiery furnace. Like Hannah dedicating her son to the Lord before he was even conceived. Or a loving mother placing her helpless child in basket on a river.

Jochebed had no idea what would happen, but her act of faith saved Moses’ life. And ultimately, the lives of millions of slaves who were destined to become the nation of Israel.

3. Miriam. The Bible doesn’t name her or tell us how old she is when we meet her in Exodus 2:4, but we know from later passages that this young girl is moving toward a life of service to others. (Exodus 15:20) 

Moses’ big sister was probably more than willing to keep an eye on her baby brother after Jochebed placed him in the Nile. Miriam planned to faithfully stand by until the Lord revealed His next move. In what can only be described as the providence of God, Pharoah’s daughter finds Moses and has compassion on him. In an instant, Miriam appears on the scene and offers the perfect solution to the Egyptian princess: “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?” (v. 7) Moses’ mother was the obvious choice.

Here, Miriam demonstrates she is a quick thinker, problem solver, and bridge builder. God uses her and the gifts He gave her to reunite her family. Years later, she’ll continue to serve her brothers and her fellow Israelites, playing a pivotal leadership role in their journey to the Promised Land.

4. Pharoah’s daughter. This unnamed Egyptian princess is an unsuspecting participant in God’s divine plan for deliverance. Exodus 2:5 describes a “day in the life” of Egyptian royalty, but this ordinary moment becomes a turning point in history. 

Under the unseen guidance of the hand of God, the daughter of the king and the child of a Hebrew slave end up in the same place at the same time. The princess sees a basket near where she bathes and discovers a crying baby boy inside. 

Remember, it is her own father who decreed all Hebrew boys be drowned in the Nile. It could not have been any easier in that moment to comply. Instead, Scripture records a miracle: “she took pity on him.” (v. 6)

Then Miriam intervenes; Jochebed and the princess meet, and before the day is over, Moses is back home, completely unaware of the unbelievable chain of events that saved his life.

The princess pays Moses’ mother to nurse her own child until he “grew older.” (v. 10) This allows Jochebed precious years with her son, and she likely used the time to teach him about the God who saved him from death and would one day speak to him through a burning bush.

In yet another act of courage and faith, when the time came, Jochebed takes Moses to Pharoah’s daughter and “he became her son.” (v. 10) It is a heartbreaking verse, but it underscores the depths of Jochebed’s commitment to her son’s safety and future. Now, despite Pharoah’s best efforts, the one who was destined to deliver every slave from Egyptian captivity will be raised in Pharoah’s own household, right under his nose. 

Midwives and a mother, a sister and a daughter. Slaves and royalty, side-by-side, carrying out the intentions ordained by the King of the universe. Not only did God choose to involve women in His rescue mission, He preserved their story in His eternal Word. Their actions and obedience bring glory to God, and their presence in Scripture reveals the heart of our ultimate Deliverer, Jesus: 

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Former Abilenian Leslie Strader is a freelance writer in Tyler