Sephora and Phua: learning that fears God

The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded. Some before us saw in them the form of rational learning — a midwife’s craft that fosters both male and female births. Sephora, interpreted “sparrow,” lifts minds on the wings of doctrine; Phua, “red” or “modest,” trains manners and honesty. Better still: the two figure both Testaments — Sephora the spiritual law, Phua the Gospels flushed with Christ’s blood. That they made themselves houses because they feared God makes little sense as bare letter; it fits when fear of God fills the world with houses of prayer. So fear God, refuse Egypt’s command to love the present age, and keep alive the male within — the inner person healed by good acts and thoughts. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.