By Faith Moses...

Throughout Hebrews 11, we seen that faith is trust and obedience, and that such faith pleases God.

We have seen that those who had such faith forsook the pleasures of this world, and gave themselves to the promises of the next.

In this passage, we have a clear example of this in the life of Moses.

By faith, his family resisted evil forces.

In vs. 23, the author speaks about the faith of Moses’ mother. “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.” Here the author recounts the story told in 2:1-3. The Bible says, “And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife, a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.”

In this case, it was Moses’ mother (Jochebed) his sister (Miriam) and their midwives (Shiprah & Puah) and not Moses himself, that acted in such faith. Yet, it was her faith and trust in God that allowed her to see her son’s life saved. 

Thus, we have a model here. This person trusted God, and because of it, she and her family were protected.

By faith, he gained a heavenly reward.

In vs. 24-26, we are reminded of Moses’ willingness to give up everything to serve God. “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” The point is simple: he forsook luxury for the sake of Christ.

Yet, a couple of things stand out. 

• Forsook luxury. In vs. 24, he says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” That is, he could have had all the fine things that Egypt had to offer. Yet, because he knew his Hebrew roots, he forsook this and chose to defend his Hebrew brethren against an Egyptian abuser.
• Endured hardship. In 25, it says, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” It wasn’t just that he forsook luxury; he also had to endure hardship. In his eyes, it was better to have hardship and serve God than to disobey God and have an easy life.
• Focused on the reward. Verse 26 explains why he would do all these things. It says, “esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Simply put, he saw Christ and knew he had a greater prize.

3:7-11. “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Matthew 6:19-21. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Thus, when we trust God, we can avoid making this world our prize.

By faith, he gained redemption.

In vs. 27-29, the author explains the way faith brought redemption to Moses. It says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.” Again, several things stand out:

He had a vision of Christ, and this gave him strength. In 27, he says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” Here he sounds much like Daniel in the Fiery furnace.

Daniel 3. Three in the Fiery Furnace. “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

He trusted God’s provision in the Passover. In vs. 28, he says, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” In Ex. 12, we see the play out. God commanded them to take the blood of a lamb and smear it across the doorpost of their homes. As the death angel passed over, he would skip the homes covered in blood. 

He trusted God and was delivered at the Red Sea. In vs. 29, he says, “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.” In 14, we see God deliver His people against Pharaoh.

11:7. Noah. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

In the end, we see how trusting God led to salvation and redemption for God’s people.