By faith
Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they
saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;
for he looked to the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king;
for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept
the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn
should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
Disobeyed, refused, forsook,
are probably not words we’d use to describe Hall of Faith heroes.
But the Bible does.
By faith, Moses’ parents disobeyed the
king’s command—kill your kid.
By faith Moses refused to be called what
was politically correct—son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
By faith he forsook the nation he was in
for the nation he was of.
Here, they are recognized for their faith, not by working
miracles, or speaking, “Thus saith the Lord”, but by standing against
tyranny, for obeying, The King, rather than a king.
Walking by faith is a journey to courageous.
By faith Moses kept the Passover.
By faith, they passed over the Red Sea.
Faith grows and flows.
It passed over from parent to child, from child to
man, from man to entire nation, from the nation of Israel to the world, passing
over 3,476 years and countless miles from around 1451 BC to you and me, here
and now.
Your faith passes over to others, like seeds from
a tree.
By faith Moses...
Moses, the third most
mentioned in Scripture.
Jesus (1,281 times)
David (971 times)
Moses (803 times)
Moses, lived to 120. A
life split in thirds, by forties.
Forty years thinking he was somebody in the palace.
Forty years thinking he was nobody in the desert.
Forty years, God showing how He can make somebody out
of nobody.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was
hidden...
Why was he hidden?
Because he was born with a target on his back, simply
for being a Jew.
Why?
Because it wasn’t like the good old days when the pilgrims
of Israel immigrated to Egypt. Back then, Jacob’s son, Joseph, was the big man
on campus, second only to Pharaoh.
Why was Joe so well known?
Because God used Joe to show Egypt how to not only
survive but thrive through the hardest seven years of famine their world had
ever known.
Back then the God of Israel was revered. He directed
Joseph, and Joseph, indirectly, directed Pharaoh.
But then, about 400 years passed from when the
pilgrims of Israel landed on the Plymouth Rock of Egypt, and a new Pharaoh arose
that did not know Joe, or the God of his fathers (Ex. 1:8).
Think of the parallel. Four hundred years. Same
length of time since our pilgrims landed on our Plymouth Rock, December 21,
1620.
Back then our leaders revered the God of Israel too.
Now, there’s new Pharaohs in their ivory towers who do
not revere, or know, the God of our Founding Fathers.
Okay, back to our Bible story. Within 400 years from
Joe to Mo the people of God grow so strong that the new Pharaoh’s frightened.
If they unite with our enemies against us,
they’ll defeat us (Ex. 1:9).
Speaking of frightening, did you know the Pharaoh of
the Exodus is still around and displayed at the National Museum of
Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo.
The mummy is identified by many scholars as the very Pharaoh Moses spoke to, Ramesses II.
So, frightened Pharaoh set taskmasters over them and forced
them into slave labor.
But the more Egypt afflicted the children of God the more
they multiplied, the stronger they grew.
So, Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill all the male
Hebrew babies.
Imagine that. Big brave warrior Pharaoh (alleged to be
some kind of god), sent women to slaughter babies.
HIStory proves all leaders who slaughter babies to be demonically
driven.
It’s not difficult to discern the good guys from the
bad.
If the side you stand with promotes abortion—you’re on
the wrong side. Period.
So, frightened Pharaoh ordered all baby boys
butchered.
That’s why
Moses was born with a target on his back.
HIStory also reveals how the
enemy acts when God is about to perform a mighty deliverance.
Pharaoh ordered the
slaughter of all male Israel babies.
And Moses was born
and rose and performed a mighty deliverance of God’s people from the bondage of
Egypt.
Herod ordered the
slaughter of all male children two years old and under.
And Jesus was born
and rose and performed a mighty deliverance of His people from the bondage of
sin.
Today, the demons of pharaohs and herods order the biggest slaughter of babies the world has even known.
And you were born, dear Saint, to rise and declare the day of the last trump when the Lord will perform the Greatest Deliverance of His people the world has ever known.
For
yet a little while and He who is
coming will come and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37.
Moses’ parents were ordered to kill their son, but
they disobeyed, unafraid.
If you keep your eyes on The King, then a king’s
commands are not so scary (or news report or doctor’s report or bills or
meeting family for the holidays, or the “c” word, cancer, or the “d” word
divorce, or more so, death...)
If we simply focus on obeying the commands of The
King of kings, we won’t be deceived by a king, into killing our baby,
mutilating our children, thinking Johnny is really Suzy, and Tommy is actually
a cat.
So, Mo’s folks disobeyed a king to obey The King.
But they couldn’t hide little Moses forever. So, after
three months they put him in a basket and floated him in the river where
Pharaoh’s daughter was taking a bath. (Exodus 2:2-3).
Perhaps a wise form of: “If you can’ t beat ‘em, join ‘em”.
The little Pharaoh princess found little Mo in the
basket as he wept. Perhaps like a child finding a lost puppy, Pharaoh’s
daughter said, “Daddy can I keep him?”
Moses’ sister snuck out from the bulrushes, “Do you
want me to find someone to nurse the baby?” Pharaoh’s daughter said,
“Go”.
So, she brought Mo’s mom and Pharaoh’s daughter said,
“Nurse the child for me, and I’ll pay you.”
So, mom got paid to nurse her own son.
God’s plans are mind-blowingly awesome.
But, many times, mind-blowingly hard and painful. Once
the child grew and was weaned, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he
became her son.
Pharaoh’s daughter named him Moses, saying,
“Because I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:8-10. (Moses means: to
draw out).
Little did she know that one day through Moses, God
would say, “Let My people go!” and would draw His people out of Egypt.
One day soon God will say, in a way, to this world "Let
My people go" and the dead in Christ will rise, then we who are alive
and remain shall rise to meet them in the air, and so shall we ever be with the
Lord. Hallelujah! 1 Thes. 4:15-17.
24 By faith Moses, when
he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
Who told Mo his mom wasn’t the pharaoh princess?
His Parents? Pharaoh’s daughter? The Grapevine?
Either way, Moses didn’t have an identity crisis. He
knew who he was and refused to identify with who or what the world
called him.
Did you know the
value of a penny by the copper it’s made of is worth 4-5 times more than a penny?
Who God’s made you, what He’s put in you, is more,
much more than the world gives you credit for.
God calls you a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, the
light of the world, salt of the earth, kings and priests, beloved. 1 Peter 2:9,
Matt. 5:13-16, 1 John 3:2.
Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter.
25 choosing rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin,
Mo chose the people of God as His family.
We’re blessed if our earthly family is also our
heavenly family.
Jesus asked, Who are My brothers and sisters and
mother? Then, pointing at His disciples said, “Those that do the will of
My Father.” Mark 3:33-35.
We too must choose.
Ø Spirit
or flesh
Ø Word
or world
Ø God
or sin
Ø Eternal Reward
or passing pleasure
Moses, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, had the power
and position to do anything he wanted.
Lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Egyptians were so far advanced.
They had already, fairly accurately, calculated the distance
to sun.
Already figured the earth was round.
The architecture was astounding.
Their embalming mumification process still baffles us
to this day.
Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds. Acts 7:22.
He had access to the very best the world had to offer.
Yet, Moses saw something greater, in a band of slaves.
He chose to endure the brief affliction of this life
for greater riches and eternal Reward
Today Moses is happy, overjoyed, with no regrets.
One glimpse of glory makes all the world’s
treasures boring.
Mo knew, as we should too, that it’s better to be a
janitor in the House of God than a prince in a palace without Him. (Like David
said in Psalm 84:10).
26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
He looked beyond reproach to the Reward
Like Christ who endured the cross for the joy set
before Him.
Hebrews 12:2.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
Moses forsook Egypt, his worldly family, his earthly
treasure and training and position, to follow the One who is invisible.
Saying “I do” is also saying, “I don’t “ to all
others. Forsaking all others.
This is Covenant.
Seek first (foremost, above all) the
Kingdom of God... Matt. 6:33.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:30. (Also: Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Matthew 22:37-40, Luke 10:27).
To forsake all the world’s treasures, to not fear all
the world’s powers, Moses looked beyond the visible king to the Invisible
One.
To Greater Riches, Eternal Reward,
to that which is unseen.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while
we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things
which are not seen are eternal.
Hebrews 11:1.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not
seen.
Where are your eyes?
Lift your eyes, as Moses, seeing Him who is
invisible.
By faith he forsook.
By faith He endured.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest
he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith He obeyed and kept the Passover.
By faith, and fear
of consequences. "lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch
them"
If we don’t obey, it’s death to pay.
Consequences are good.
Godly fear is good.
Noah being warned of God, moved
with Godly fear and built the boat to the saving of his household. Heb.
11:7. And thereby to the saving of the world.
To disobey God is death.
Romans 6:23, The wages of sin is death,
but the Gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Death is not His will. It’s not what He wants.
The thief comes to steal, kill, destroy,
I've come to give Life and Life in abundance. John 10:10.
It’s not His will any perish. 2 Peter 3:9.
He takes no pleasure in death of wicked. Ezekiel 33:11.
But it’s according to His Divine Justice System
established in the garden after man sinned.
God established the death penalty.
So He could pay it.
In full.
Himself.
With His own blood.
Tetelestai!
Moses obeyed even if it made no sense to his natural
mind at the time.
Obedience brings understanding.
Now, for us, this side of the cross, we understand.
Now, we see Jesus the Lamb of God slain to wash away
the sins of those who repent, receive and obey Him.
The blood only saved those who obeyed.
God brought life from death. His specialty.
The obedient, covered by the blood lived. Death
passed over.
For those who weren’t, (obedient) it didn’t (pass
over).
God made a separation between His family and the world,
between the obedient and disobedient.
29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
After the Passover, they passed through
the Red Sea.
Here, God paints the picture clearer.
Before, anybody under the roof with the blood
of the lamb on the doorpost was safe from the death angel.
But now, just going through the motions doesn’t offer the
same protection.
Israel passed through the Red Sea safe and
sound on dry ground.
Likewise, the Egyptians passed through and were
drowned.
Going through the motions isn’t enough.
It’s not about motions, it’s about
motives.
One was obedient to God.
The other, going through the same motions, but obedient
to Pharaoh.
One seeking freedom.
The other seeking slavery
God sees the thoughts and intents of hearts and
discerns between good and evil.
One was saved.
The other drowned.
Today, the Lord calls us to come out from among them,
to be different from Pharaoh’s army. Separate from Egypt. In the world
not of it.
You are the salt of the earth the light of
the world, let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:13-16.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, please help our faith in You to
grow and flow refreshing and nourishing others. You see the thoughts and
intents of our heart, so, will you please prune and root out any thorns or
stones or selfish ways, that stunt our growth. Alert us when we’re going
through the motions, but our motives are messed up. Help us Lord, to simply,
purely, walk with You.
Thank You for the honor of loving You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
Call or text: 612-554-2522
Email: pray4measap@aol.com
Facebook: Church at WPV
Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling
Watch online:
Facebook: By Faith Moses, Hebrews
11:23-29
You Tube: By Faith Moses, Hebrews
11:23-29
This was feed for you to read. Now it’s
Seed for you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
No comments:
Post a Comment