REVISIONING AND RECONSTRUCTING THE WORLD
BIBLE STUDY
Women, Agents of Liberation (Exod. 1:15, 2:10)
R.L. Hnuni
I am very grateful to God and to the organizers of
this seminar for giving me the priviledge to lead the worship and Bible
study this morning. This seminar is unique as it inaugurates the
Women Programme here at UTC. I cherish this event as a very
important occasion, as it opens a new chapter in the history of UTC.
I have selected the passage Exodus 1:15-2:10, for
our study with the them Women, Agents of Liberation. Before I
share with you my thought and reflections on the passage, I want all of
us to take part in the study of the passage. I will raise some
questions and everyone is invited to take part and wrestle with the
questions.
1. As we read through the story of Shiprah and Puah,
what impresses you most in the story?
In this question members answer differently.
Some said the courage of Shiprah and Puah is very impressive.
Another said, Shiprah and Puah feared God rather than their leader
Pharoah, yet anothers said, Shiprah and Puah risked their life.
They stand firm for the truth, they are very wise as they can give good
answer to Pharoah: God blessed Shiprah and Puah's faithfulness.
All have responded very well. All these points
have to be taken together and no point can be taken apart from the
other. It is fear of God rather than that of Pharoah that makes
Shiprah and Puah courageous even to encounter with Pharoah and wisely
and daringly answered him face to face and risked their life for doing
what they think is true and right. They are blessed and rewarded
by God.
2. Among the figures we come across in Exodus 2,
which one struck you most? and give reasons for your answer.
Here some said Moses' sister because she has
wonderful concern for her brother as she keeps watching the baby in the
basket kept on the bank of the river. She is also very
intelligent in that she asked Pharoah's daughter to find a nurse for
the baby and she called the baby's own mother to nurse him. She
acted promptly and wisely according to the need of the situation.
Some other said, Moses mother. Because, she
loved her baby so much and tried her best to save him while the father
does not appear in the scene. Here a mother's heart is clearly
revealed. She thought out the best way she could and took all the
trouble in her attempt to save her baby.
Another said, Pharoah's daughter. Because, she
has a compassionate heart. Even though she knows that her
father's command is to kill all the Hebrew babies and that the baby is
a Hebrew, she has compassion and took the baby and adopts him to be her
son.
All answered very well and all of
them have interesting and wonderful points to justify their
response. It is interesting to see that all these women,
irrespective of race or status including the small girl, have important
role in saving baby Moses, the future leader in the great liberating
event. None of them is less or more important. They all
contribute in saving baby Moses' life and indirectly but significantly
responsible for the liberation of the oppressed.
3. What do you think is the story about Moses' birth
narrative important?
(1) from the viewpoint of the
story teller?
There are not many answers to this question.
Some said the story is told in order to show the important role women
played in saving Moses' life. Another said the story is told
probably to show the cruelty of Pharaoh and the suffering of the
Hebrews under his rule.
It is almost impossible to give a definitive answer
to the question. To do so one has to find out the writer's mind
or the social and cultural context out of which such story rose.
It is said that such a story of how the hero was miraculously saved
from the danger that confronted him when a baby is also attested in
ancient Near Eastern texts. This kind of story, with some kind of
miracle attached to the person, tries to show and confirm that he is a
hero, a divine appointed leader to the important task ahead of him.
(2) from the viewpoint of the
theme 'revisioning and reconstructing the world?
Here there is no variety of answers. The
answers have one focus which may be surmised that women are important
in the reconstruction of the Hebrews into anew life of nationhood of
Israel. So also women are important agents of God to change the
unjust society and save the world.
I think this is a good answer.
I need not repeat or retell the story. Various
answers to the questions have taken care of the story and the important
role each women played in saving the situation. I just want to
note some important points from the study.
A. The motivation is important.
What move these women in saving baby Moses in
particular and all male babies in general. There is no single
motivation, but various motivations all of which work together for good.
1. For Shiprah and Puah their motivation is 'Fear of
God', this motivation is religious in character. They have a
desire to do God's will. I call this an acted-faith.
We find this acted faith also in our Bible Study
yesterday a bent-over woman. On her part she acted out of her
faith in Jesus and overcoming all the difficulties to approach him she
came to the synagogue and she was healed. Her faith, in turn,
helped Jesus in his continuing reconstruction work of the Jewish
orthodoxy. He has to violate the Jewish law by healing her on the
Sabbath.
2. Love is the fundamental motivation for the mother
to save her baby. It is over for one's own flesh and blood.
A mother's loving heart cannot submit to the order of the cruel Pharaoh
to see her baby killed. She did all what she could to save
him. Likewise, the sister' love and concern for the baby brother
is as amazing. She did what she could in her capacity as a small
girl. I call this kinship-ties motivation.
3. The compassionate feelings move Pharoah's daughter
to save the unknown baby. She probably has no fear for God, neither did
she has blood relation nor even racial relation with the baby.
Yet she has compassion on him. I call this humane feeling and
humane concern.
Every one needs certain kind of motivation for doing
good work. But it is not possible that all have the same
motivations though some may be moved by similar feelings. Some
may do good work out of fear for God, that is, out of faith, while some
others may be motivated by kinship ties and yet another may be
motivated by humane feelings alone. All these different
motivations are important for group action to save the situation.
II. Saving baby Moses' life is a co-operative work.
Shiprah and Puah have started the good work of
saving the male babies. This prepares the way for the other women
to save baby Moses life. These women cannot belong to different
groups and ranks. They are representative of the noble high
class, middle class and slave class. Yet each of them as
important in the common work of saving the baby's life. No one
role is less significant or to be more valued than the other each of
them low or high think not her own gain or benefit, but the deliverance
of the baby alone was their prime concern. The mother, not
counting her limitations and the danger that involved in her endeavor
to save, would not withdraw herself, out of despair from her
determination. She did not speak a word but she acted out her
plan determinatively. When one plan is no longer valid she
thoughtfully made out a new plan that worked out successfully but with
the co-operation of the small girl.
The sister did not count herself insignificant or
feel unable as the small girl. She insisted her mother
discretely. She took the advantage of being a small girl who
would not be suspected of any mischievous deed. She was ready to
take care of the baby at the time when the mother could no longer have
access to the baby. When they had done what they could as mother
and sister. It was the turn of another lady whom they regarded as
their enemy to save the situation.
Pharaoh’s daughter saw the child and took pity on
him. She did not care that she was a princess or the baby was the
child of the slave. She did not care about the rude order of her
father. Her pity and compassion for the child excels the respect
she had for her father's command. She stepped down from her high
position and took the child in her arms. In this way the life of
the child, whom she named Moses, the future great liberator of the
oppressed Hebrews, was ultimately saved.
Such was the contribution of these women to save
baby Moses. Each of them tried her level best not counting the
danger involved in doing so and they were finally rewarded. They
alone took the initiative which led to the great deliverance II. W.
Wollf interesting note ".... it is women whose actions are
decisive for the formation of God people," (The Elohistic Fragments in
the Pentateuch," Interpretation XXVI. 1972. P. 165) Phillis Trible also
Whimsically notes, "II Pharaoh had realized the power of these women,
he might have reversed his decree (Exod. I:16,22) and had females
killed rather than males!" (Depatrialchalizing In Biblical
Interpretation," journal of American Academy of Religion XLI, 1973. P.
34)
Women or men, of low or high positions, have to
co-operate together in the reconstruction of the world.
Remembering the proverb "United we stand, divided we fall," women of
all age groups regarding of race, community, status need to stand and
work together. Women of low class or status should not think that
they are insignificant. likewise women of high rank should also
be ready to step down to receive the 'oppressed' in their arms and save
them. Just as Moses was the victim of oppression and the agent of
liberation all the same, so also are women victims of injustice and
oppression, and yet we are to be agent of liberation. Not mere
words, not mere discussion of academic standard, but good co-operation,
selfless devotion with 'acted-faith', 'acted-love and 'acted
compassionate feeling' is of utmost importance in order to reconstruct
and transform the society and make the world a better place for women
to live in.