Shiphrah and Puah — The Midwives Who Feared God Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “The midwives feared God.”
Long before, Jacob’s whole family had moved to the land of Egypt. Jacob’s son Joseph had been a great helper to the king there. Jacob’s new name was Israel. So his family was called Israel too. They were God’s people. When they came to Egypt, there were seventy of them. Seventy is a lot – more than all your fingers and toes, three times over!
Years went by. Joseph and his brothers died. But their children had children, and those children had children too! God’s people grew and grew. Soon the land was filled with them.
Then a new king came. He was called Pharaoh. This king did not know Joseph. He said, “The children of Israel are more and mightier than we.” Mightier means stronger. Pharaoh was afraid of God’s people. He said that in a war they might fight against Egypt.
So Pharaoh put bosses over them. The bosses made God’s people work very, very hard. They had to make bricks out of mud. Slap, slap, slap! Can you pat pretend mud into a brick? They built big cities for Pharaoh, with houses to store his things.
But the harder they had to work, the more God’s people grew. More and more babies were born!
There were two midwives named Shiphrah and Puah. Can you say their names? Shiph-rah and Pu-ah! A midwife helps mommies when their babies are born.
Pharaoh was a powerful king. Everyone had to obey him. Pharaoh called the two midwives. He gave them a very bad order. The new baby boys of God’s people must not live. Only the baby girls could live.
Shiphrah and Puah were just two women. Pharaoh was the mighty king. But God was much greater than Pharaoh. Much, much greater! So they would not do the bad thing. The midwives feared God. To fear God means to honor him most of all. They honored God even more than the king. They did not do what the king said. They kept the baby boys alive!
Each time a baby boy was born, the midwives helped him. And the little boy lived! Can you rock a baby gently in your arms?
Then Pharaoh found out. He called the midwives again. “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?” he asked.
The midwives said, “The Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women. They give birth before the midwife comes to them!” The Hebrew women were the mommies of God’s people. The midwives feared God.
So the baby boys lived. Baby brothers and baby sisters grew up together.
God saw what the midwives did. God dealt well with them. That means God was good to them. The midwives feared God.
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. Maybe they had little babies of their own to hold.
God’s people grew and grew, and they became very strong.
God was good to Shiphrah and Puah. And he cared for all those little babies. The midwives feared God.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think Shiphrah and Puah felt when Pharaoh called them?
- Why do you think the midwives did not do what the king said?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Color the 2 brave midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“But the midwives feared God” — Exodus 1:17 (the midwives → rock a baby in your arms; feared God → bow your head)
Dear God, thank you for brave people who help little babies. Thank you that you love every child. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Brave enough to do right
Memory verse: “But the midwives feared God, and didn't do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.” — Exodus 1:17 · WEB
The Bible story
Two brave midwives in Egypt had to choose between a king's cruel command and God, and their quiet courage helped keep a whole nation of babies safe.
Talk about it
- Where did this story happen? — In Egypt
- What had happened to God's people in Egypt? — They had grown very many
- How did the new king, Pharaoh, feel about God's people? — He felt afraid of them
- What were the names of the two brave midwives? — Shiphrah and Puah
- What was a midwife's special job? — To help mothers have babies
- What did Pharaoh command the midwives to do? — To harm the baby boys
Where is Jesus in this story?
The midwives stood against a king who wanted Hebrew baby boys killed. Many years later, another king, Herod, tried the same evil thing in Bethlehem when he heard a new King had been born (Matthew 2:16). But God warned Joseph in a dream, and baby Jesus was carried safely to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–14). No king could ever stop God's plan.
What God wants to tell us
Shiphrah and Puah were not soldiers or kings, yet they were wonderfully brave. When a powerful ruler told them to do something wrong, they chose to obey God instead. God shows us that even quiet, ordinary people can be mighty heroes when they trust Him and stand up for what is kind and good. When you choose to do the right thing, God sees you, and it makes Him very glad.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for brave helpers like Shiphrah and Puah. Please make me brave too, so I can always choose what is right and kind, even when it feels hard. Thank You for holding me safe in Your loving hands. Amen.
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