The faith of Moses

Hebrews 11:23-28

Key Verses 11:24-25

(Read Exodus 1-2; 12, and Acts 7:20-35 for background)

Moses is one of the great servants of God, whom God used to fulfill His purpose of redemption. 

Moses could have lived as one of the most terrible sinners of all sinners, but thanks to his faith he rose above his own level to God's level, so that the Lord could use him preciously for His redemptive purposes. From his example we too can have the hope to overcome our lowly condition and grow to maturity, reaching a lightened state of our being. 

1. Read verse 23. What does "the king's edict" refer to? What is an "edict"? Why might it not have been easy for the Hebrew parents of Moses' day to go against the edict? Yet, his parents were able to hide the boy "by faith." How does faith make a difference for this kind of action? What practical applications can we learn from Moses' parents?

** Exodus 1:22

** Edict = decree, order, injunction, proclamation

In those days Pharaoh's power was absolute; his edict meant law itself, enforceable with the punishment of Pharaoh's choice for disobedience.

** As described in Hebrews 11:1-3, faith enabled them to see that there is a higher being, that is, God himself, who represented an authority which is higher than that of Pharaoh. In fact in God's eyes, Pharaoh is merely one of many subjects God uses to fulfill his own purposes.  Therefore, to those who have faith in God, Pharaoh can be seen just like one of the pieces a chess player moves here and there on a chess board. 

** Among other things, from their example we as shepherds or shepherdesses learn the importance of faith. When a shepherd has faith in God, he can work to protect and save sheep from being thrown into the river of sinful corruption of the present generation. 

2. Notice the relationship between what Moses' parents did in verse 23 and what "the people" did in verse 29. What does this indicate about the significance of what Moses’ parents did? What lessons can we learn from Moses' parents?

** It planted a seed of hope for the redemption of the slave nation Israel; this seed started growing in Moses. 

** Parents (physical or spiritual) should not just point out the problems of their children/sheep. Rather they must first live by faith, and thereby make disciples out of their children/sheep.  

3. Read verse 24. How did Moses come to be known as "the son of Pharaoh's daughter"? (Exodus 2:5,10) What would it have been like for Moses to grow up as the son of Pharaoh's daughter? (Acts 7:22) In what respect might it have not been easy for Moses to refuse to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter? Yet, how was Moses able to do so? 

** Exo 2:1-10

** For forty years Moses received royal education, perhaps receiving on the job training as the successor of the Egyptian Empire. 

** It has been said that parents who adopt and take care of a child are the true parents rather than the biological parents who only give birth to a child physically and then do nothing to raise them. Indeed, Pharaoh's daughter was a benefactor to Moses. So it might not have been easy to ignore her favor, turn his back against her, and leave. 

** He had faith in God. Faith is faith that God exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Faith in God enables a man of faith to see everything clearly, enlightening him to make a correct judgment on what is valuable what is not, what is worthy, what is not, and why anything or anyone is worthy or not worthy. In Moses’ case, he must have learned from his biological parents that God is in control of everything; it was, after all, the invisible hands of God who put Moses under the care of Pharaoh's daughter. So in the eyes of faith, Pharaoh's daughter is no better than merely a tool or an instrument which God uses to fulfill His purposes. 

4. Read verse 25. Describe the two choices Moses had. Can you think of any modern day parallels comparable with the two choices Moses had? 

** 1) to be mistreated along with the slave nation Israel (the people of God); or 2) enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short period of time. 

** All peoples on earth can be divided into two categories: those who belong to Jesus' camp; and 2) those who do not. Read Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

So you are either with Jesus or against Jesus. There is no middle ground. This means you must either suffer along with Jesus and his people or remain in this world and indulge in what the world has to offer. 

5. Read verses 25-26 again. This passage describes why Moses made the choice he did.  In what respect is "the disgrace for the sake of Christ" of greater value than "the treasures of Egypt"? How was Moses able to see the difference (in value) of the two choices he had? What can we learn about the way to make a good judgment on the values (of the choices coming our way)? 

** The phrase "for a short time" is a hint. The life of sin is short, and after that comes the penalty for such a life, for the Bible says that the wages of sin is death, and after that you’ll have to face judgment and pay the penalty all on your own, for the sins you’ve committed. But the life that participates in the remaining sufferings of Jesus comes with lasting rewards. Read 2Co 4:17. 

Remember that while those who are self-seeking and indulgent in sinful pleasures, are going from bad to worse, so that they only "earn" pains in exchange for momentary pleasures, those who serve the Lord, participating in his sufferings, will be compensated richly for every little sacrifice they are making for the Lord, for unlike worldly employers, our Lord Jesus is a graceful Lord who never takes for granted anyone's sacrifice for him, even the little service of giving a cup of water to one of his servants. Read Mat 10:42; Mark 10:29-30.

** Again, it was thanks to his faith that he was able to see the difference. Faith can be compared to eyeglasses or a telescope or microscope with which you can see things that are not seen to normal eyes. Without the aid of faith (spiritual eye glasses), one is stuck to see what is physical, for what is physical, such as Pharaoh, exists on a lower level (in importance or order of existence) whereas what is spiritual (or invisible) exists on a higher level, so that what is physical comes from and is dependent upon what is spiritual. 

6. Read verse 27 and think about the two verbs: "left" [Egypt] and "persevered". In order to do these (leaving and persevering) what do you think Moses had to overcome? How was he able to leave and persevere to the end? What can we learn from Moses' example?

** In order to leave Egypt, he had to overcome the gravity pull coming from the Royal Palace of the Egyptian Empire. And the pull consisted of the temptations for the pleasure-seeking life, the desire to please people around him, such as Pharaoh or the daughter of Pharaoh. 

The first forty years of life at the royal palace must have been very comfortable, but the next forty years of life in the desert must have been very uncomfortable, at least physically, because instead of many people serving him, he had to serve many others, including the seven daughters of his father in law. Plus, during this period of time of service, he must have struggled to overcome the sense of despair and frustration, the thoughts that his life was being wasted away for nothing. And it is not easy for anyone to be treated as “Mr. Nobody” for 40 long years. 

** He had faith in God. He saw the Lord who was not physically visible. He lived before the Lord. I think he meditated on the Lord, making the most use of his time with God's creation, such as the blue sky, rock formations, olive trees, lizards, sheep, the stars at night, winds, and mountains. 

** His example teaches us among other points: 

- the way of service, for a truly great servant of the Lord must first learn to humble himself, by learning to serve others with the attitude of an unworthy servant; and

- the way of prophecy, for a prophet must thoroughly empty himself of the world (Egypt is symbolic of the world), and of himself (for during the first forty years of life at the royal place, he was filled with a proud self which consisted of the ideas, -isms, theories, and all other bodies of knowledge that exist on the levels that are lower than the level of God), and thereby fully attach himself to God without any undesirable stuff hindering the fellowship.  

7. Read verse 28. The events concerning the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood are recorded in Exodus 12. Why was "faith" necessary for Moses to keep the Passover and the sprinkling of blood? What spiritual applications can we learn from Moses' example? (Hebrews 10:22; 1Co 5:7; Col 3:1-10)

** The promises of God (to break down Pharaoh and grant the Exodus from Egypt) were not visible; he had to first believe in the promises. In addition, he had to believe that keeping the instructions on the Passover lamb and its blood would keep them unharmed from the impending judgment that was to fall on the Egyptians. 

** The Passover lamb in Exodus 12 and the sprinkling of the blood are foreshadows of the reality to come, that is, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who came to shed his blood to save us from the hands of God's judgment. It is thanks to Jesus, the Lamb of God that we came to receive the grace of salvation. 

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