The Hebrew Midwives

I was just reading this morning in the book of Exodus about the bravery of the Hebrew midwives to save the male babies amongst the Hebrews.

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. Exodus 1:18-22

I wondered about the expression that God blessed them by giving them houses. How was this a blessing to be given a house and why would Pharoah reward them with a nice house when they had not done what he asked of them. It didn't make sense. So I dug a little deeper into the text for houses.

Strongs H1004: Probably from H1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.): 

So this term can mean family as related to persons in a household rather than the building itself. This is how another translation put it.

And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own. Exodus 1:21

Because the midwives considered life to be sacred and were willing to sacrifice to preserve life, it gave them a better appreciation of the value of life. Thus in their own homes, they treasured the children given to them and this strengthened their personal family units. 

Do we value the persons in our family? Do we treasure them as a gift from our Father in heaven? The family unit is the conrerstone of the community. 

Society is composed of families, and is what the heads of families make it. Out of the heart are "the issues of life"; and the heart of the community, of the church, and of the nation is the household. The well-being of society, the success of the church, the prosperity of the nation, depend upon home influences.  {AH 15.1}  

Let us treasure our families today and thank the Lord for the life He gives us and our families.