The Faith of Moses

We are learning about the nature of faith from Hebrews 11. Christians are saved by faith, but it is not mere intellectual faith. True faith is active and works. In Hebrews 11:23-28, the author speaks of Moses demonstrating such active, working faith.

Moses was a man of great faith, which made him a man of decision and mighty deeds. Today the Pharaoh who persecuted the children of Israel is not celebrated. But Moses, who defied Pharaoh and renounced his own princely status and privileges for the sake of God and his covenant people, is honored by Jews, Christians, and Muslims throughout the world. Moses honored God, and God honored him. “Those who honor me I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30).

Stephen describes Moses as one who “was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22). We could imagine him receiving Ph.D.s in multiple subjects, such as art, architecture, administration, military science, and theology. Just as he later chose Saul of Tarsus, God chose this highly educated man to lead his people out of Egypt.

The Source of Moses’ Faith

The source of Moses’ faith was his parents (Heb. 11:23). Before he was born, a decree came from the king that all male Hebrew infants were to be thrown into the Nile River. Pharaoh’s agents roamed throughout the country, searching for pregnant women or newborn males so that they could take the babies and throw them into the Nile. Satan was bent on destroying Israel, but Satan cannot succeed against God’s plan. If God is for his people, who can prevail against them?

Moses was an extraordinarily beautiful child. Stephen says the infant Moses was “acceptable to God” or “favored by God” (Acts 7:20). It appears that his parents were given a supernatural revelation that he would deliver Israel from Egyptian slavery. His parents, therefore, had faith that God would preserve Moses, despite the king’s threats, for they knew God had a plan for their son. Faith in God overcomes all fears. If we are afraid, we are not believing. Why should we fear a king when the King of kings is for us?

By faith in God and his revelation, Moses’ parents hid him in the house for three months after he was born. Then they placed him in the Nile River among the reeds in a basket coated with tar and pitch to make it watertight. The Holy Spirit was guiding these parents and they acted in faith to fulfill these peculiar directions of God. This is what faith is: obeying God and his clear word, not following one’s subjective ideas.

God ordained the steps of Pharaoh’s daughter to come to the river at just the right time. When she saw the basket, she was intrigued and opened it. At just the right time the baby let out a cry and Pharaoh’s daughter fell in love with him. She called Miriam, Moses’ sister, to find a nurse for the baby. God thus ordained that his own mother could be paid to take care of infant Moses until he was grown. We can imagine that Moses’ parents taught him about the God of Israel and his covenant with Israel, just as Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him piety (2 Tim. 1:5). When Moses was brought back to the princess, she adopted him, giving him legal rights in the palace of Egypt.

The faith of Moses’ parents in God’s special revelation enabled them to defy the king’s decree and hide their son. They took the chance that their entire family might be killed if Moses were discovered, yet they chose to believe that God Almighty would preserve both Moses and them. These parents chose to obey God rather than the wicked Pharaoh. Thus the Hebrew Moses, by God’s design, became a royal prince in Pharaoh’s court. He grew up in all splendor and wisdom to serve as God’s deliverer of Israel.

By Faith Moses Refused

The Bible says Moses by faith refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Heb. 11:24). As Moses grew up in the palace, God’s Spirit was upon him. His parents had taught him the basics of the history of Israel; now God directed him to do further research. He began to learn of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and of God’s everlasting covenant with the people of Israel. He learned how Joseph came to Egypt and became prime minister, saving Egypt and Israel from severe famine. He learned of God’s promise to Abraham to deliver Israel from Egypt and bring them back to Canaan four hundred years after going there. He learned of the specific prophecies of Jacob and Joseph concerning the deliverance from Egypt: “Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘I am about to die. But God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers . . . I look for your deliverance, O Lord'” (Gen. 48:21; 49:18). Later, Joseph told his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Gen. 50:24).

Moses discovered all this through historical research. He was educated in all the wisdom of Egypt. He might also have often visited his family and the elders of Israel to further his studies in Israelite history. As a result, Moses began to believe in the God of Israel and God’s covenant with his people. He began to identify himself, not as an Egyptian, but as an Israelite with a clear mission of delivering his people from Egyptian oppression. Thus, when Moses grew up and became great in stature and wisdom, “he refused to be known as the royal son of the daughter of Pharaoh” (Heb. 11:24). He renounced his royal status-the palace life, his power, and his limitless wealth-because he had faith in the God of Israel and his plan for the redemption of his people.

Was Moses foolish to say no to the Egyptian world and all its splendor? After all, was not the crown of Egypt within his reach? His action could be compared to resigning from the presidency of the United States to preach the gospel of Jesus. But Moses was like Jesus, who rejected Satan’s offer of all the glories of the kingdoms of the world for the death of the cross.

By Faith Moses Chose

By faith Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time” (Heb. 11:25). By faith in the God of Israel and in his plan for the salvation of the Israelites, Moses chose righteousness and eternal life rather than royalty, worldly power, fashion, treasures, and the fleeting pleasures of the sin of Egypt. He deliberately chose to suffer along with the people of God. He chose the way of the cross, with its danger, beatings, scorn, reproach, and privation. Instead of Egypt, Moses chose the city with foundations whose builder and maker is God.

By Faith Moses Considered

“By faith Moses considered . . . .” (Heb. 11:26). Faith thinks, considers, and reasons. Faith is not a leap into the dark. Moses used his mind to make his decision. He weighed all the issues. He considered all the status and pleasure he could enjoy in Egypt. Then he looked at God’s final judgment, and considered God, his people, his salvation, and his Christ. Moses chose the reproach of Christ because he understood truly that the reproach of Christ was of greater value than all the treasure Egypt could offer. Jesus asked, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). May God help us to use our minds and understand what is real and abiding, and choose God’s glorious plan of salvation!

Moses chose Christ and his people, his eternal life, and his treasure in heaven. In contrast, Esau chose a cup of soup; Achan chose a little silver and gold; Lot’s wife chose Sodom and its nightlife; Judas chose thirty pieces of silver; Demas chose the fame, power, and wealth of this world; the rich young ruler chose his great wealth; and the Gadarenes chose their pigs. All of these chose the things of this world rather than Christ and his salvation.

The choices we make in time are important because they determine our eternal destiny. Joseph chose to please God instead of enjoying the pleasure of fornication. The three Hebrew children chose to die rather than to worship an image of the king. Daniel chose to pray to the true God and so was thrown into the lion’s den. Jesus chose to die on the cross for our salvation rather than to obtain the glories of this world by worshiping Satan.

Like Moses, Paul had many worldly advantages. Yet read what this great man said when God opened his eyes: “But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ” (Phil. 3:7-9).

What are you choosing? What are you considering? Upon what are you fixing your eyes? Hear the call of Jesus: Deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow me. The disciples of Jesus left all and followed him to death, even the death of the cross. Where he leads, we must follow.

I urge you to join Moses and follow Jesus, who alone can give you eternal life. Forsake the pleasures of sin for a season so that you can enjoy the everlasting and satisfying pleasures of God.

Reason of Faith

Why did Moses leave all and follow Christ and his people? Why did he say renounce the royalty, power, and pleasures of Egypt for the reproach of Christ and a life of suffering and scorn? Why did he leave Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king? Moses did all these things because he was a man of faith. By faith in God and in his revelation, he saw something infinitely greater than Egypt and all the wonders of creation. He saw God himself-the God of glory who created all things out of nothing.

The Hebrews writer says the first reason Moses acted as he did was “because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb. 11:26). In the Greek it is, “because he wascontinually looking upon his reward.” We will not forsake Egypt unless we see something else of greater value. Moses’ eyes were constantly fixed on his reward, which was his great salvation and fellowship with God. (PGM) Like Abraham, Moses by faith was looking forward to the eternal city where God dwells with his people in effervescent and everlasting joy.

The Greek text says Moses looked away from the momentary allurements of this world and looked continuously to his heavenly reward of fellowship with the living God. Moses was looking at the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who called out to him from the burning bush; the God whose name is “I AM THAT I AM”; the infinite, personal covenant God of his people; the God of great power who through ten plagues defeated the gods of the Egyptians and drowned them in the Red Sea; the God who led them through the wilderness by the pillars of cloud and fire; the God who spoke to Moses face to face; the God with whom Moses engaged in sweet fellowship for eighty days without eating or drinking; the God who was his sole delight and to whom he prayed, “Now show me your glory.” (Ex. 33:18).

Psalm 73 describes what a psalmist discovered about this God: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (vv. 25-26). We are fools if we prefer the fleeting pleasures of sin for the eternal God who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).

The second reason is found in Hebrews 11:27: “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” or in the Greek, “For he endured continually seeing him who was invisible.” The key to perseverance is to see God: “Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” How can anyone be afraid if he sees God who is for him, with him, and in him? “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Heb. 3:1). We must see Jesus seated on the throne, the Sovereign Lord of the universe. If you are undergoing fiery trials of temptation and affliction, you can receive inspiration and strength by looking to Jesus: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:2-3).

We need to look away from the things of this world and look to the Son, who “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb. 1:3). Paul tells us what should we meditate upon: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1-2).

Do you have sufferings and troubles? Look to Christ. Paul writes, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). Then he says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37-39). Look up! Look to God in all his glory and mercy and power and love.

Elsewhere Paul says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). When some people cannot sleep, they will get up in the middle of the night, open their safes, go through all their financial documents and put them back. Their wealth is their Bible. They fix their eyes on such things.

Do not be like Lot and his wife, who chose Sodom (Gen. 13). Be like Abraham, to whom God appeared and said, “Lift up your eyes” (Gen. 13:14). As the hymn exhorts, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face; and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

When Stephen was being stoned, he looked up and saw heaven opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Paul says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven . . . this man . . . was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things” (2 Cor. 12:2-4). There is the transcendent God, mighty and seated, to whom we are going. John writes, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it” (Rev. 4:1-2).

What are you looking at? Gold? Silver? Sodom? We are all looking at something. I plead with you to look away from the things of this world and look up to God today.

By Faith Moses Kept the Passover

“By faith [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood” (Heb. 11:27). This tells us that Moses knew he was a sinner, along with all the Israelites. He knew the wages of sin is death but he also knew that God gives eternal life by grace through the death of a fit substitute. Moses, therefore, believed in the gospel of the Passover and acted on it by faith. He and his people obeyed every detail of God’s instruction, applying the blood of the lamb to the sides and the tops of the doorframes. Thus, the firstborn sons of Israel were saved from the destroyer who passed over their homes.

Paul says, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Through the death of Christ, our sin problem is gone, our guilt erased, and our hell done away with. Rejoice and be glad! We are the people of the Lamb of God who died for our sins. We have been saved from destruction and saved to serve for God.

Have you believed the gospel like Moses? Have you renounced the glories of this world to follow Jesus? A man is known by his choices. Have you considered and chosen Christ and his people? Have you left Egypt for the heavenly Canaan, or are you still lingering in the world? Elijah asked, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). We cannot afford to be undecided. What fascinates you, God or the world?

Paul writes, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.’ ‘Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty'” (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

I set before you today life and death. I beseech you to choose life. Choose Christ and his holy people, as Moses did, that we may together travel on to our eternal home, the city of the living God.