A Higher Authority

The Life of Moses – Act 1, Scene 2:

“We have to answer to a higher authority.”
Do you remember that slogan from a popular TV commercial years ago? Hebrew National Hot Dogs – “We have to answer to a higher authority.” According to those who know such things, this was one of the most successful, longest-running campaigns in advertizing history.
The commercial would begin with Uncle Sam standing there, smiling, holding a hot dog. Nothing more American than that. Well, then there would be a voice-over: “The government says that we can use fillers in our hot dogs. They say that we can use meat by-products. They say we can use artificial flavoring, artificial coloring. We can’t. We’re kosher, and have to answer to an even higher authority.”
With that, a light would shine overhead and Uncle Sam would sheepishly look heavenward.
The point? As with all advertisements: that our product is the BEST. Yet here with a particularly theological wrinkle: That ours is the very best because we take our orders from God – no one else. A secular ad with a curiously sacred message: That the way to the very best in life is to put God in charge. “Answer to a Higher Authority.”
Well, this is something of what I’d like to talk about this morning, something of what I’d like to suggest today, namely: That we all go KOSHER! Not necessarily in our dietary habits; but in our whole approach to life itself: put God in charge. The path to the very best life: ANSWER TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY. This is our topic today...

This morning we continue our look at the opening of the story of Moses. And as you may recall, last week things began with the king of Egypt, feeling threatened by the growing numbers of Hebrews (the people of Israel) in his midst, lashing out against them – seeking to limit their growth and strength, by taking them into slavery.
Well, unfortunately (for the King of Egypt), this has failed. The Israelites continue to prosper even amidst oppression, so, in our text today, the he heightens his attack against them: He orders the Hebrew midwives (sort-of the earliest form of obstetricians), that as they are assisting the women in childbirth, if a girl is born they are to allow her to live; but if a boy is born they are to kill him. This in a sort-of sick, twisted attempt to control the physical strength (and thus the potential military might) of the Hebrews while keeping them as slaves.
Well, as we see in our text today, this plan also fails; but this time simply because the command is DISOBEYED. Specifically, two Hebrew midwives are mentioned: SHIPHRAH and PUAH – presumably, the leaders of what would have had to have been a larger number of midwives. They refuse the king’s decree and when questioned, offer a convincing lie to cover their actions – saying: “Sorry, we tried. But the Hebrew women are just too strong – they have their babies before we show up!”
The women disobey the king of Egypt in favor of obeying God. Basically, two AUTHORITIES seek to lay claim over their lives and they wisely choose the HIGHER AUTHORITY. Between pharaoh and God, they put God in charge – and notice what results: The work of pharaoh is thwarted, lives are saved. The women themselves are blessed. They navigate their way through this dangerous minefield. These two women undo the power of evil – in the world around them and in their own lives. And that’s the point...
This text is a study in POWER. It all seems to rest in the hands of the mighty king; but he is shown to be defeated by two seemingly insignificant women. The text even naming them while leaving the king un-named - in effect implying: “Who is really important here? Where is the real power?”
A story of EMPOWERMENT. God saying to all of us, “You are far more powerful than you imagine. Even though you may seem powerless, you have the power to change the world, to stop evil its tracks, to navigate your own life and others through the most threatening and deadly circumstances. To undo destruction and pain; and instead work blessing in even the worst situations. But it comes down to placing your life in my hands – putting me in charge, answering to a Higher Authority.”
This is a text for a world where evil often seems to be in charge; a text for when your own life seems to be spinning out of control and you feel powerless to stop it. These women claim the power of God and are victorious over seemingly far greater forces. Not that they make everything all perfect, bring an end to all wrong forever. No, the king of Egypt will try another approach – a reminder to us that evil is always seeking new ways to take from us the life God wants for us. But only that, this text teaches us: as each threat arises, we have the power to defeat if it we place our lives in God’s hands.
So how do we do this? What does it mean to “answer to a Higher Authority,” to put God in charge of our lives? How do we tangibly do this? A few suggestions:
(I)
Step One: FEAR GOD.
As the scene opens, we’re told that the reason why the women choose to obey God over Pharaoh is that they “feared God.” That is, they’re undoubtedly afraid of what the king can do to them – and will do to them if they are found out; but even more, it seems, they’re fearful of what God can do to them. And this initiates the action.
Now, last week we noted how this story begins with fear run rampant, mishandled – and how this is a major destructive force that we must counter in our own lives. Well, here we get the other side of this issue: the proper use of fear, namely: the fear of God. A major Biblical principle – as it says in the book of Proverbs: “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and those who practice it have a good understanding.”
What does it mean to “fear God”?
Well part of it is to have a sense of AWE of God, a sense of WONDER at God’s majesty and might; and a basic of REVERANCE and RESPECT. But also it’s just simply to be, at a certain level, AFRAID – in its most common understanding. This not in the sense (as some wrongfully maintain) that God is a vengeful Creator just waiting to stick it to us. The classic: “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” kind of thing.
No, quite the opposite. As it is written: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” God loves us overwhelmingly, wants nothing but the best for us; it’s just that, in this, central to this, is that God takes good and evil, righteousness and sin very seriously – and this is what really matters! That the greatest danger is to be OUTSIDE THE WILL OF GOD.
And this is what it means to be a person who “fears God”: It means recognizing that God’s issues are the ones I really have to worry about! That so often I’m worrying about entirely the wrong things: Do I have enough money in the bank? Will I get sick? Will I get well? Will I do well? Do people like me? We fear the wrong things! As Jesus once said: “Do not fear man, who can only kill the body; fear God who can kill body and soul in hell!” The real issue is what matters to God and how am I outside that, how do I need to get right with God?
It’s asking: How am I outside the will of God? How am I deliberately choosing to do what I know is wrong? How am I willfully remaining blind to my errors? Who, or what, is most often in charge of my life besides God? And most especially, in all of this, it’s having a CHALLENGING FAITH, demanding a God who doesn’t just comfort and care for me; but a God who asks difficult things of me regularly!
One of the greatest religious failings of our modern age is that we have so DOMESTICATED God that he never challenges us, never opposes us. Quite the opposite: God’s point of view always matches our point of view, and God’s whole purpose is to just make us feel good, comfort us in times of trouble. A God so irrelevant and self-defined that many people rightly say, “I can do without that. I already have myself!”
It has been said that “when the fear of God is gone, the decisions of daily life are in grave danger – for we are naturally drawn to the easiest path.” Basically, putting God in charge of our lives, answering to a Higher Authority, that we might truly be empowered for the lives we live means first, every day, DOING SOMETHING DIFFICULT FOR GOD. As Mark Twain once said: “Every day, you should do something you don’t want to do.” Instead of living a wimpy God who suits me, it’s living a demanding God who pushes me – every single day. Christian author Kevin DeYoung, on his blog, “DeYoung, the Restless, and Reformed,” writes:
“The greatness of God is most clearly displayed in his Son. And the glory of the gospel is only made evident in Christ. That’s why Jesus’ question to his disciples ‘Who do you say that I am?’ is so important. The question is doubly crucial in our day, because no one is as popular in the U.S. as Jesus; but not every U.S. Jesus is the same...
“There’s Republican Jesus — who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms.
“There’s Democrat Jesus — who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.
“There’s Therapist Jesus — who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves.
“There’s Open-minded Jesus — who loves everyone all the time no matter what (except for people who are not as open-minded as you).
“There’s Touchdown Jesus — who helps athletes fun faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls and Nascar races.
“There’s Gentle Jesus — who was meek and mild, never angry, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, walking around barefoot (while looking vaguely Northern European not Middle Eastern).
“There’s TV evangelist Jesus — who encourages us to reach our full potential, and to know that God wants us all to be rich – just so long as we send the money to the number on the screen.
“There’s Spirituality Jesus — who hates organized religion and would rather have people out in nature, finding ‘the god within’ while listening to ambiguously spiritual music (whatever that is).
“There’s Platitude Jesus — good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and simple answers to life’s most complex problems.
“There’s Boyfriend Jesus — who wraps his arms around us as we sing about his intoxicating love.
“And then there’s Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet or teacher or wonder-worker; but God in the flesh; the one who came to establish God’s reign and rule; to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed and Good News to the poor; the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
“This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord. He is our Master. He is God. Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins — more loving, more holy... and more wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible.
“Christians traditionally, as they’ve shaped Jesus, have been worried about getting it wrong. Americans today are not so worried. There isn’t the sense that this is a life-and-death matter, that you don’t want to mess with divinity. There’s a freedom and even a playfulness... The flexibility our Jesus today exhibits is unprecedented. There’s a Gumby-like quality to Jesus in the United States. And maybe that’s precisely the problem: We’re so busy bending him to suit ourselves that we’ve forgotten that we are supposed to be bending ourselves to suit him.”
Step One in answering to a Higher Authority and discovering the true power of God at work: FEAR GOD. And then...
(II)
Step Two: BE IN MINISTRY.
Returning to the text... The women choose to disobey the king, and where does this take them? Back to their jobs, back to where they already are. And what do they decide to do when they get there? Their jobs – what they’ve always been doing.
Their obedience to God takes them to where they already are, to what they’ve always been doing; but suddenly, now, what do we (and they) discover? That this is a place of ministry. That this common location and familiar task are a means of serving God – a holy place, a “mission field.”
And this is the second key point here: That when we put God in charge of our lives that transforms everywhere we are into a ministry. Our lives no longer become about this event or that event, this task, that responsibility; rather, everywhere we are becomes a place of service to God. God becomes our agenda.
And the second step in making this happen, in “answering to God’s Higher Authority” is by SEEING OUR LIVES IN THIS WAY. It’s seeing our whole lives, our everyday lives as a MISSION FIELD – at home, at work, at school, standing in line at Super Fresh... It’s realizing that God is present and active there, seeking to work wonders; and that our lives matters - how we chose to live in these places will make or break God’s wonders – for ourselves and others.
You know, I think that, so often, we see the “mission field” – the place where we are called to serve God as SOMEWHERE ELSE, somewhere FAR AWAY. And yes, we are called to serve God in places far across the world. But what this text seeks to affirm is that, also, our mission field is right where we are, in what we’re already doing every day.
To view every place we are as a mission field. Even (perhaps most especially) the places we DON’T WANT TO BE! You know, scholars tell us that in Ancient Israel, the midwives were BARREN WOMEN – women who could not have children. Now, in this culture, this put them lowest of the low, least blest – but this was a means through which they could share in birth and new life. Undoubtedly, this was not where they wanted to be; but God showed here that even when life takes you where you don’t want to be, if you give it to God, see it as a ministry, God can work wonders!
Strive to be continually in ministry. When you see your life this way, approach it this way, suddenly amazing things start to happen – God’s power in your life and in the world around you breaks out! Let me give you a personal example of this (And those of you in the Thursday morning Bible study who have already heard this story – I apologize, but I’m going to repeat myself here!):
This past winter, as you all well know, we had a whole a bunch of snowstorms. And in the midst of this, our church had lost the company that does our snow removal. So a number of parishioners took care of shoveling the church out (another one of those cases of faithful people serving God in ways no one sees!)
Well, in January, we had one storm that started on Saturday and spread into Sunday morning. On Sunday morning, as I got ready to head over for worship, not knowing what conditions I would face, I decided to take along a shovel from home in case I needed to dig things out. But when I got here, I discovered that Rob Schmidt and Bianca Aniski had already done all the clean-up – the place was perfect, so my help wasn’t needed.
Well, I went about leading the two services, and then following worship, the Barnegat folks were having a special meeting so I hung around a little bit to talk with them. Because of this, when I finally got set to go home, I was running later than usual.
I put on my coat and started walking home. There I am, walking down Stafford Ave: Clerical collar, black suit, black coat, carrying a shovel. At exactly that moment, some folks had shown up for an event at the American Legion building just down the street. As I walked up, there were two cars, and two women standing there, one of them trying to help a man get out of one of the cars and into a wheelchair. I could see that they were having a tough time, so I said, “Could you use a hand?”
One of the women replied, “Yes we can. But here’s the real problem.” And with that, she closed the car door slightly to show how the snow plows had pushed the snow up into a big mound at the curb. Even if they got the man into the wheelchair, they wouldn’t be able to get him into the building!
I said, “Oh, let me take care of that.” And with shovel in hand, I quickly dug a path to the door – it only took about a minute. As I got done, I turned around and the women laughing. I said, “What?” To which one of them replied, “You don’t know what a blessing this is. Now I know there is a God! Just this very moment I had prayed, ‘Lord, I need a shovel’ - when up steps a minister with a shovel!”
God delivers! We can be the answer to somebody’s prayer – every day! I thought I was running late; but I was right on time! I thought I didn’t need the shovel; but God had equipped me! I was in a rush to get somewhere else but I was right where God needed me. The Holy Spirit was alive and powerful – right there on Stafford Avenue! A blessing just waiting to happen – for others and myself – and all that was needed was to do what I could!
Step Two in answering to a Higher Authority that you might come to know God’s true power alive in your life: BE IN MINISTRY. And finally...
(III)
Step Three: BUCK THE SYSTEM.
In the end, the women’s act is essentially an act of CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE – they refuse to go along with the king’s command, they refuse the ruler of their world in favor of God. And this points us to our final lesson here:
Putting God in charge of our lives, “answering to a Higher Authority” will invariably lead to confronting the ways of this world. Simply put: Christians BUCK THE SYSTEM! They don’t conform to this world, they transform it! They know that, in God, they have the power to change the world and they set about doing it – realizing that this requires going “against the grain”, against the accept rules, not fitting in; but realizing also that only in this is God’s power truly realized.
How is God calling you to do this in your life today? How does the world need you to do this? In some grand way – say, out in the world at large; or in some simple way – in a common interaction between people? At work: being the person who is honest and caring while others are not. At school: being the one who steps up for the person being picked on. Out in daily life: refusing to let the bigoted comment, the hateful word, the hurtful action go by unchallenged. In the world at large: joining in the fight against injustice; choosing to live on less so that others can have more?
Discover the power of God working wonders in your world and the world beyond by answering to a Higher Authority: BUCK THE SYSTEM. Author Van Morris, in a New York Times article entitled, “What Could You Do Without,” writes:
“While waiting at a traffic light with her parents in Atlanta, Georgia, Kevin and Joan Salwen’s 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other. Hannah turned to her father and said, ‘Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.’
“Even as they pulled away, Hannah insisted she wanted to do something about the inequity. ‘What do you want to do?’ her mother asked.
“’Sell our house,’ Hannah replied.
“Eventually, that’s what the Salwen’s did. They sold their luxurious home, donated half the proceeds to charity, and bought a modest replacement home. Though the sacrifice was great, the benefits have been greater still. A smaller house has meant a more family-friendly house. ‘We essentially traded stuff for togetherness and connectedness,’ Kevin says. Even better, the $800,000 they donated helped fund ‘The Hunger Project’ which works to fight poverty in Ghana: building community centers, libraries, food banks, and funding agricultural programs.
“The entire project is chronicled in a book entitled The Power of Half. The aim of the book isn’t to get people to sell their houses, but simply to encourage them to step off the ‘treadmill of accumulation’ — to break with the ingrained ways of our society and discover something far better. (To buck the system and find life!) Says Hannah, ‘For us, the house was just something we could live without. It was too big. Everyone has too much of something, whether it’s time, talent, or treasure. Everyone has their own half; you just have to find it.’”
What is your “half”? Offer it to God and break free!

“We have to answer to a Higher Authority.”
The path to the very best: putting God in charge.
This week, go kosher – “Answer to a Higher Authority” and watch the power of God break out in your life defeating the evil. Fear God. Be in ministry. And buck the system.