Overview
Puah was one of two Hebrew midwives serving the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt. When Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill all Hebrew male newborns, Puah and her colleague Shiphrah chose to obey God rather than the king's wicked decree. Their courageous faith resulted in the preservation of Hebrew lives and earned them God's blessing.
Key Scriptures
"The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other 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'" (Exodus 1:15-16, ESV).
"After him arose Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he judged Israel twenty-three years" (Judges 10:1, ESV).
Application
Puah's example teaches believers that fearing God must take priority over fearing human authority, especially when obedience to earthly rulers contradicts God's moral law.