Faith must always be placed on what God’s Word ACTUALLY promises, otherwise faith becomes folly. A well-known “faith confession” in Christendom is “I am a Hebrew woman. I deliver without pain.” The basis for this is an eisegetical reading of Exodus 1:19:
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are LIVELY and give birth BEFORE the midwives come to them.”
This text is understood when the antecedent and succedent verses are properly examined. The king of Egypt had just issued a decree to the Hebrew midwives for all male-born children of the Hebrews to be killed (see vv. 15-16). But the midwives, having reverence for God saved the male children (vs. 17). When their actions were questioned by the king, they actually told a lie to cover up for what they had done (vv. 18-19).
The Hebrew woman did not have a “miraculous ability” to give birth “without pain” or medical assistance (nothing in the text even implies that). They had to deliver naturally, like any other woman. The Hebrew midwives only said this (vs. 19) to save themselves from the king’s wrath!
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2020.
