Exodus 1

Defiance.  When is it ok to break the rules?

The midwives feared God and did not follow the command of Pharoah – who wanted to commit mass murder quietly.  They even lied to Pharoah (though the Bible doesn’t say this was ethical – that is a question we debate) – this lie and their actions would have cost them their lives had they been discovered.  They were in an action of outright defiance against the most powerful man in the world – because of their faith in God.

At the end of the chapter Pharoah moves to open murder – calling on his people to go to their neighbors, take away their sons, and murder them.  This is racism, hatred, jealousy, and more – and the mourning of the Hebrew people (our spiritual ancestors) can not be measured.  This brutal action has to be remembered as the background for the entire book of Exodus, especially the night of the angel of death – where Egpyt’s firstborn sons are killed – not by the Hebrews, but by God – who looks out for His people.

We have to know when to take a stand against injustice, and always be people of prayer.
http://nlt.scripturetext.com/exodus/1.htm