Who really saved the day in the Exodus story? Behind Moses stands an extraordinary lineup of women whose courage, wit, and quick thinking repeatedly preserved his life—from infancy through adulthood. This exploration of biblical heroines challenges our conventional understanding of what makes a spiritual leader.

The Hebrew midwives Shiprah and Puah kicked off this chain of resistance with their breathtaking act of civil disobedience, refusing Pharaoh's command to murder Hebrew babies. Their defiance created the possibility for Moses to be born at all. Then his mother Jochebed, facing impossible choices, crafted a waterproof vessel and set her son afloat on the Nile—not in desperation, but with a strategic plan. Standing guard was Moses' sister Miriam, perfectly positioned to suggest that Pharaoh's own daughter hire the baby's birth mother as his wet nurse! This delicious irony—Pharaoh unknowingly paying a Hebrew woman to raise her own child—demonstrates the power of subversive humor against authoritarianism.

Perhaps most surprising is Zipporah, Moses' Midianite wife. When God mysteriously attempts to kill Moses during their journey to Egypt, Zipporah performs an emergency circumcision that saves his life. With nerves of steel, she serves as mediator between God and Moses, foreshadowing Moses' later role as mediator between God and Israel.

These stories remind us that liberation never happens through a solo hero. Instead, it requires a community of brave individuals, often women, taking risks in moments both dramatic and ordinary. Their legacy offers a profound blueprint for courage in today's world, where small acts of resistance and moments of intervention can still change everything.

What might happen if we recognized that we're surrounded by such potential heroines and heroes today? How might our faith communities transform if we honored not just the charismatic leaders but also those whose behind-the-scenes bravery makes everything else possible? Listen in and discover your own calling to practice courage, compassion, and holy resistance.

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