City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.  ²⁹ By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 

Hebrews 11:23-29

Reflection

In a sermon several years ago, John MacArthur explained that the Hebrew word used for Noah’s Ark (TEVAH) is the same word used for the basket in which Moses was cast into the Nile River.  In both cases, salvation was to be casted adrift in a craft with no steerage.  That is to say, in neither case could one say that the captain of the ship was in control.  So, one has to look for another architect for the ensuing events.  Also, in both cases, the mechanisms of faith are fully active.  It is said that Noah built a boat to float on water, not knowing rain nor flood.  Likewise, Moses was an infant, trusting only in whosoever might care for him at any given moment.

In our passage today, I think there are a few different aspects of faith at work:

Inherited Faith – Moses being put into the river by his mother, in an act of desperation and hope, trusting that God would intervene.  It was not the faith of Moses that was effectual here, but rather the faith of his parents.  The fact that God, through his older sister, was able to work it out that Moses was still raised by his mother for his early years meant that he could still grow up in the Hebrew traditions and understanding the Hebrew faith.

Identifying Faith – When Moses came of age, after spending some time in pharaoh’s court, he refused the simple pleasures of riches and pursued a higher life. Note the thing that Moses refuses. It’s not just the riches, but he insists on identifying with the Hebrew people. Moses “…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

Calling Faith – In verse 27 it says that Moses left Egypt because he was “seeing him who is invisible.”  Often in the Bible, Egypt represents the world based on what you can touch, see, taste, smell.  The riches of Egypt were known through out the world, and all would come to gaze and lust for it.  This is a calling out to Man as one created from dust only.  However, Moses embraced the elevated nature of man, and man’s relationship to the living God, and so he pursued the calling out by that invisible thing.

Redeeming Faith – Verse 28 is interesting in that here the author of Hebrews seems to be giving Moses double credit, in that he “…kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood….”  I accept that this could be my stray thought but hear me out.  Moses is to be credited with faithfulness in following God’s instructions for the initial Passover, which saved the lives of all who were obedient to sprinkling the lambs blood on their door post.  This is what can be drawn from the plain reading of the verse. But note the word “kept.” This points to something more permanent than a single night.  Moses recognized that this event was a milestone in the salvation of his people.

Crossing Faith – At the time of Moses, how many Hebrews had been to the promised land?  I suppose one could argue that there may have been a special slave that was lucky enough to get a trip with an Egyptian royal who passed through the land.  But that is an extremely hard sell.  No, I think we are on very safe grounds to say that none of the Hebrews leaving Egypt had ever been on the other side of the Red Sea, let alone one having visited the Promised Land.  Imagine the scene.  A flock of slaves walking across desert land to a seaside, with the most powerful army in the world pressing on them.  If you were the leader of this group, what would your instinct be; negotiate a peace or find a way to cross? In order to make the “we cross here call” I think you need a confidence level that comes from personal experience. In this case, Moses had a personal experience with the living God.  I can think of no better source for confidence.

Application

Here are some steps:
1) Be born a slave

2) Get tossed into a river

3) Go back home and then get adopted by a royal

4) Meet God

5) Live an easy life

No?

Try this.  Spend time with God.  Come to know who He is.  Come to know His nature.  Come to know His people.  Comd to know His kingdom. 

You can do this by reading your Bible, praying, and spending time with God’s people. As you do this, you will see your faith grow and you will see yourself grow.

In this passage, the writer of Hebrews is only addressing one aspect of the life of Moses, but you should also know that Moses made mistakes too.  But he was humble enough to always return to God, repent and press in for a deeper relationship with the Lord. This you should also do.

Prayer

² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:2-5 ESV