Women are believed to be the first to use civil disobedience against an unjust head of state. After Joseph (of the many colored coat) died and many years had passed there was a new Pharaoh in Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph and he feared that the Hebrew population was growing uncomfortingly large. He started to oppress the Hebrews and enslave them and the more he did so the more numerous they became. Finally he decided to control the male population by killing all of the Hebrew male babies. In Exodus 1:15-21 we read about two women who took on the challenge to defy the Pharaoh. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah. The refusal of Shiphrah and Puah to follow the Pharaoh's genocidal instructions may be the first known incident of civil disobedience in history and in some ways the most powerful example of resistance to an evil regime.
Exodus 1:15-21
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:
“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
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