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Looking Through Heaven’s Eyes: Powerful, -Fearing Women in the Narrative

In the Moses narrative, the female characters included in the story all contribute to

Moses’ journey to becoming the deliverer of the in a variety of ways. Each character defies gender expectations of the culture in order to do what is morally right in the eyes of God.

Each character accomplished great things in a relatively small period of time and text. The women’s contributions to Moses’ life all affirm the importance of their existence and actions, thus asserting the importance of women and their voices in the culture of the time.

The first chapter of Exodus introduces the midwives, , who directly disobey ’s order to kill all male Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:16). The midwives even lie to

Pharaoh’s face, using a stereotype about Hebrew women as a reason to get away with their act of civil disobedience. In response to the midwives actions, the narrator of Exodus informs the readers that “God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” (Exodus 1:20-21). The editor’s inclusion of this blessing shows how the faithfulness and godly fear of the midwives is seen and honored. Shiphrah and Puah go against the word of the most powerful man in and are rewarded for it. These characters show that fearing God is the best action for any individual, regardless of gender and social position, ought to take.

Chapter two of Exodus recounts the story of Moses’ birth to a Levite woman. Moses’ mother hid him for three months in defiance of Pharaoh’s rule that all baby boys were to be killed (Exodus 2:2). In order to save her child’s life, (named in Exodus 6:20) sends her baby floating down the River in a reinforced basket. While it is not directly stated that Stahl 2

Jochebed fears God, as in Exodus one with the midwives, her choice to save her child by trusting his life to the river that he was meant to die in displays some sort of faith in God.

Jochebed’s choice to send her child down the river did miraculously end well. Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing in the river and happened upon the basket baby Moses was in. She immediately recognized that this was a Hebrew baby, but that did not stop her from making the choice to save the baby and keep him as her own. As the hit 90’s animated film says, “When the send you a blessing, you don’t ask why it was sent” (). It is even more significant that this woman would choose to save the life a Hebrew baby, as her father was the one who made the mandate. Here, there is a tenderness in the woman’s choice to save baby

Moses—a tenderness that is aligned with the gender expectations of women. Even in this tenderness though, she is still defying her father’s word. Moses’ sister, , was also present when Pharaoh’s daughter found him, and immediately intervened, which shows an incredible amount of courage on her part to approach royalty as a Hebrew. The interaction that takes place between Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter is remarkable. During their conversation, there’s a certain level of unspoken dialogue between them. Miriam offers to bring a nurse for the baby, who ends up being Jochebed. In this exchange between two women of extremely different social strata, a common goal is reached, and baby Moses is saved. Here, the narrative shows the importance of these women’s actions. It is because of their collective choices to save this child that the Hebrew people were delivered out of Egypt’s bonds.

Along with Moses’ mothers (biological and adoptive) and sister, his wife is also an essential part of his narrative. Zipporah, a Midianite, bore Moses a son named Stahl 3

(Exodus 2:22). During a short scene in Exodus four, Zipporah saves her husband’s life by acting quickly during a moment of supposed danger. The text reads:

“On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him.

But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’ feet with it,

and said, “Truly you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So he let him alone. It was then

she said, “A bridegroom of blood by circumcision.” (Exodus 4:24-26).

It is because of Zipporah’s quick action and remembrance of the covenant in that moment that

Moses was saved. Zipporah circumcised her son and used that symbol of the Hebrew people’s commitment to God to shield him from God’s wrath. Here, a woman from a foreign land is shown standing up to God, but in a way that illustrates God’s covenant with his chosen people.

Up until this point in the Moses narrative, this is the most direct interaction any woman has had with God. Once again, a woman is shown acting outside the cultural expectations of women at the time.

After the successful deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, the story concludes with the women of Israel celebrating with a song: “Miriam, ’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea’” (Exodus 15:20-21). The women of Israel have the last, celebratory say in the deliverance of the Israelites. There is another important detail included in this passage, which is that Miriam is a prophet. Miriam holds the most sacred role any human could possibly have. She speaks for God to his people. A woman who would never have a voice in her society has the most important voice of her people! Stahl 4

Throughout the Moses narrative, women act in ways that are completely unacceptable within their culture, but are celebrated and rewarded by God. Women are shown to be intelligent, cunning, and the most fearful of God and his covenant. The women of the Moses narrative make it possible for Moses to survive and become the deliverer of the Israelites. Without their intervention, Moses would not have lived to save Israel. The integral roles women play in

Moses’ narrative makes a statement about their worth and importance in society. The editors of the purposefully leave in these women’s stories. They demonstrate that fearing God and following his covenant surpasses gender roles. Fearing God is the driving force in all of these women’s actions. Through their faith, they help to save God’s chosen people.

While the Moses narrative centers around the life of a man, the women who are included in his story are strong and outspoken. They defy societal rules and risk their lives and positions in the Egyptian world to act on the will of God. These women are all shown in roles that are not unexpected. Even the Pharaoh’s daughter was simply going about her daily tasks when she chose to save the life of a Hebrew baby. The midwives who refused to kill Hebrew babies were rewarded with families of their own for their defiance. Miriam, Moses’ sister, who approached

Pharaoh’s daughter after she found Moses in the river, was rewarded for her boldness with an

Egyptian woman of high power with the the role of prophet for God. Her bold voice was used to communicate the word of God to her people. Even Zipporah, a foreign woman who chose to fear

God and remember his covenant saved her husband from death. These strong female characters all provide support to the message of the Bible—to fear God and follow his will. Stahl 5

Works Cited

New Revised Standard Version Bible. HarperCollins Publishers. 2009.

The Prince of Egypt. Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells,

DreamWorks, 1998.