Women of Valor: Shiphrah, The Midwife Who Feared the Lord

by David Chadwick

My wife, Marilynn, wrote a book called Woman of Valor where she explains that more than a virtuous or excellent woman, the Proverbs 31 woman in Hebrew culture is actually referred to as a woman of valor. A strong, mighty courageous presence in the life of her family and community.

This week, I want to look at five women of valor from the Bible who played a significant role in saving humanity.

Shiphrah is today’s woman of valor. You’ll find her story in Exodus 1:15. She was a Hebrew midwife during the tumultuous times when the Israelites were under Pharaoh’s captivity.

Pharaoh issued a decree to have every single Israelite baby boy killed. This was all a part of Satan’s demonic attempt to kill the seed of the women of Israel who would become the Messiah of the world and one day crush the head of the serpent, Satan.

But Shiphrah refused to obey Pharaoh’s orders. Exodus 1:17 says that she feared God and did not do as was commanded. After letting the baby boys live, Pharaoh called Shiphrah in and asked her what was going on. Shiphrah told him that by the time she would get to the moms, the boy babies had already been born.

Was she lying? We aren’t totally sure, but she clearly felt some prompting to protect and guard those precious Hebrew baby boys. And as we see in verse 20, “God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” Shiphrah’s protection seems to have received God’s approval. And because of her obedience, the birth of these boy babies allowed the Israelites to grow and grow.

Shiphrah is a true heroine of the faith.

Why did she do this? She “feared the Lord.” Isn’t that the key for all our faith? We must fear the Lord more than anything else. It’s the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Fear of the Lord leads to faith! And, as a result of their faith, God gave these women children of their own. God truly is the rewarder of those who have faith (Hebrews 11:6). The nation of Israel continued to grow because of Shiphrah’s faith.

And through that nation, Jesus was born—the one who would destroy the evil one’s works and life.

This midwife’s courage to save those young boys paved the way for the Savior of the world!

How to Keep Revival: Daily Desire the “Well Done”

by David Chadwick

As we wrap up this week’s focus on how to keep revival fires burning in our personal lives, remember the importance of the “daily” decisions. In a society that idolizes the big, the glamorous, the tantalizing moments, many of God’s treasures lie in secret and hidden places.

Think about the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46). Or the parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44). Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Learn to seek out the daily, small, quiet disciplines that allow revival to burn continually.

Daily desire to hear, “Well done.”

At the end of our lives, we will all face Jesus. What will he say to us? Jesus promised to those who have loved and served him faithfully, we will hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We all desire affirmation from superiors (coaches, bosses, parents, etc) for a job well done.

Is this your greatest desire? To hear the Lord Jesus say this to you when you meet him one day face to face?

We don’t know when Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36). But when he does, we should desire to have him find us DOING what he has commanded us to do. Sharing our faith. Serving the needy. Caring for our families.

The dictionary defines “revival” as “coming back to life” or “the restoration of force, validity, or effect to something.” Dear friend, may I be frank with you for a moment? If you will make the daily decisions to keep the fire alive, you won’t always have to search for ways to make it come back to life. If you don’t let something completely lose its force, validity, or effect, you won’t always have to restore it.

I believe with all of my heart that God longs to see the church, the bride of Christ, not only experience revival but come out of this season with tools to maintain revival. A church who walks in conviction, power, purity, and who knows how to remain daily connected to Jesus.

If the “Well done” from Jesus is your master passion, it will keep your revival fires daily glowing in your heart as you wait for his imminent return.

How to Keep Revival: Daily Love God

by David Chadwick

Yesterday, we talked about how in order to keep revival fires burning, you must daily choose to hate sin. You must kill it. Crucify it. Suffocate it. But there is another important step to this process.

You must daily cultivate a deep love for God. With ALL your heart, soul, mind, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5). With every ounce of your being, LOVE Jesus. Desire him and his kingdom above all else.

Any desire to crucify bad behaviors must accompany a deep desire to love God or it will not last.

John Wesley was right when he said, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”

A deep love and desire for God changes everything. We love Jesus because he first loved us (1 John 4:10). He took the first step toward us. In the incarnation, he became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). To know we are loved and forgiven of our sins prompts us to worship.

Here is a great daily exercise. Sit down somewhere and contemplate the cross. Imagine yourself at the foot of Jesus’s cross. Acknowledge that your sin put him there. You hate sin.

But it didn’t keep him there. His love for you and for me sent him on a rescue mission to bring back access to the eternal Father. What a great and wondrous love he has for us!

Now, go spend a few moments thinking about the empty tomb. It’s forever empty! And you are forever forgiven! These daily reminders of the meaning of the cross and the resurrection keep revival fires burning!

Then you walk in the Spirit, a military term of daily, disciplined promenade in God’s grace. And the fruit of the Spirit is produced within you: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Crucify your sin, yes. But love God. Love him with every fiber of your being. Watch as revival fires burn brighter and brighter in the hearts of God’s people, creating a unity that allows us to grow up and be a healthy and whole body, built up in love (Ephesians 4:13-16).

This is the kind of revival that will change the world for Jesus.