Fear the Lord

If you fear the wrong thing, it will lead to sin. If you fear God, it will lead to blessing. The new Pharaoh, who did not know Joseph, feared that the Jews would side with an enemy army over Egypt, so he decided to oppress the Jews. God is not the author of sin, but He is working all things for His glory and the good of His people. The greatest evil that people have ever done is to take the sinless Son of God and nail Him to the tree. Ruthless means without regard for the good of the people. The government of Egypt did not care for the welfare of the Jews, they just wanted the job done. The ruthless, mistreatment of the people was rooted in fear of the people. No government, individual, parent, or anyone else has the authority to command you do something that God forbids. It is better to die then to sin. We must desire to do the will of God, not man. We do not do things that God says are wrong. The Bible is totally honest in telling us the truth, even when, in this example, the midwives lied to Pharaoh about the Jewish women. Christians ought to be the most hard working, honest people in whatever country they are in.