As in everything else they teach, Apostles such as Peter and Paul (whose writings we began to consider in the first article in this series) stand in line with what we now call the Old Testament. Their thinking on the relationship between Church and State enjoys the twin privilege of being rooted in the Scriptures and being itself inspired by the Holy Spirit. And in the Law and the prophets there are numerous examples of those who, on the basis of their relationship with the Living God, refuse to comply with the contrary demands of civil authority.
Perhaps the most obvious place to start is in the opening chapters of Exodus. As part of one of the most vicious expriences of persecution the Church has endured, the king of Egypt unleashes a policy of gender specific genocide. Unwilling even to resource the efforts to eliminate the peple of God, Pharaoh delegates the responsibility of killing the male babies to the Hebrew midwives themselves: ‘When you are helping hte Hebrew women during child birth … if the baby is a boy, kill him….’ (Ex.1:16). Of course, this isn’t the last time that a dictator seeks to prevent the birth of a Saviour (Matt.2:16), but that’s for another time! Our focus in this article is on the midwives’ decision to disobey Pharaoh.
Ex.1:17 tells us about their decision: ‘The midwives however feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do. They let the boys live’. There are two elements to their decision. Positively, they feared God. Their rebellion wasn’t born out of personal angst, or political preference. It is rooted in their vision of God, His commands (Gen.9:6), and of His purposes for His people. It is rooted in their awareness of His majesty and His supreme authority, and that they too are accountable to Him. In this sense their decision is a deeply theological and spiritual one, rather than a merely moral or political one. It is easy to miss this, but it is in fact the foundation of authentic Christian civil disobedience. They do what they do because of their vision of God and of their relationship with Him.
This is also what gives them the clarity and courage required to make their decision. It’s a similar dynamic to the one Jesus articulates in Matt.10:28, when he is again addressing a context of persecution. The basic question is who do I fear more? Earthly or Heavenly rulers? Whose displeasure am I most anxious to avoid? Whose reprisal am I most concerned to evade?
The outworking of that is their refusal to be party to Pharaoh’s brutal cruelty. They won’t simply ‘obey orders’ or follow policy, or just do their job, as if that would have eased their conscience, or helped them to avoid the dilemma of disobedience, and their fear of the consequences. Their fear of God helped them to concude that obedience to God is always the safest thing. Mind you, that is something that it takes great faith to cling to when you are facing the consequences of defiance of earthly rulers.
The midwives are ‘wise as serpents and innocent as doves’ in their subsequent dealing with Pharaoh. There is a huge amount of ink spilt on the question of whether they lied to Pharaoh, and whether this was legitimate. They may well have stood in the grey area between not being completely honest, and actaul dishonesty. Perhaps the Hebrew women were in fact vigorous and gave brith before the midwive’s arrived (1:19), but in the light of v.17, that is unlikely to be the whole story. Perhaps they were mocking Pharaoh as well as disobeying him. Whatever our moral sensitivities and scruples - and it is easier to have them when we’re not in the same position - ‘God was kind to the midwives …’ (1:20). Their preferencing His laws over the unjust laws of human rulers reveals His seal of approval, and their actions had ramifications for global history in their own generation and for every generation that followed. It is worth pausing on that. GOd is pleased with with their civil disobedience. It was a constructive, right and godly thing to do. It was something the LORD took pleasure in, not something tolerated as the lesser of two evils. There are times when to obey God and honour Him demands we disobey and dishonour earthly structures of authority.
We might wonder if their behavious was so wise? After all, the story takes a turn for the worse because of their actions. It is likely that at least some among the Hebrews disapproved of their action given what happens next. Every Egyptian is given authority to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile. Can you imagine the atmosphere of perpetual terror this created? But the rightness o the midwives’ actions is not to be judged by its immediate consequences. It is likely of course, that not every Egyptian took advantage of the order… though some undoubtedly did, and took it upon themselves to police the Hebrew ghettos. The quiet, unspectacular defiance of Pharaoh through passive disobedience, simply not doing as they were told, is not uncommon in a situation where a majority of people recognise that injustice is at work. It creeps even into Pharaoh’s own household, as we see his daughter draw Moses out of the river, rahter than throw him in it.
And in this we are reminded of the place of God’s providence. God is sovereign over the rulers of the earth (something that will be made explicit later in Exodus [see 3:18-22, 4:21 etc], and in the Scriptures, just in case there is any doubt at this stage), as well as over the affairs of His Church. As we work through our series we will have to navigate this colossal theological truth. It provides the context within which we wrestle with the question of civil disobedience, and the consequences that will flow from it when compelled to engage in it.
What is intriguing though is Moses’ own divinely orchestrated strategy. Have you ever noticed that he doesn’t engage in civil diobedience? He could have simply defied Pharaoh and led the people out of Egypt without even telling him that he was doing so. Presumably God could have kept them safe in the midst of such an operation. Yet Moses is sent to confront Pharaoh and to demand that he give permission for the Exodus. There is much that God is doing here in terms of demonstrating His sovereignty over this ancient super-power and the man at its’ head. But it does give us pause for thought, as we realise that civil disobedience isn’t always the appropriate response even to the most evil and cruel of regimes. Alongside the defiance of the Church in the face of oppression and tyranny is a second respnose - that of prophetic confrontation. The two are often intertwined, but they are distinguishable nonetheless.