Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’” — Acts 5:29

"We must obey God rather than human beings" is a declaration by the Apostle Peter that every Christian should learn by heart and put into practice whenever faced with a dilemma between obeying God and pleasing people.

Peter made this declaration at a time when preaching the gospel had been forbidden. Acts 5 recounts the trials the apostles faced because of their obedience to Christ. In verse 17, the high priest and his associates arrested them and put them in prison because they were preaching the gospel. During the night, however, God sent an angel to release them and instructed them to return to the temple and continue proclaiming the message of life. They obeyed without hesitation.

As a result, they were arrested a second time (Acts 5:28). When the high priest reminded them that they had been strictly ordered not to teach in the name of Jesus, Peter boldly replied, "We must obey God rather than human beings."

The apostles were not the only ones who chose obedience to God over obedience to men.

In Exodus 1:16, Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every Hebrew baby boy at birth because he feared that the growing Hebrew population would become stronger than the Egyptians. Although they were ordinary women with no political power or authority, the midwives refused to obey the king because they feared God (Exodus 1:16).

They did not expect recognition or reward for their courage. Yet God honored their faithfulness. Scripture tells us that God was kind to the midwives, the people continued to multiply, and because the midwives feared God, He blessed them with families of their own (Exodus 1:20–21).

The common thread in both accounts is God's faithfulness. He delivered the apostles from prison and rewarded the faithful midwives. These stories remind us that whenever we face the choice between obeying God and obeying people, we should choose to fear God. His presence remains with those who are faithful to Him, even when they cannot immediately see His hand at work.

May we always choose to fear God rather than human beings, trusting that He will stand with those who faithfully obey Him.