Hebrews 11:23-29 23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. (He wasn’t going to let his connections to the royal family to disconnect him from the pain of his Hebrew family)25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ (that tells me Moses met Jesus before Jesus entered time and space as a human) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; (what an awesome example of faith over fear!) he persevered (Oh, Church, faith keeps going, even when it is tough) because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
Faith is a decision.
Though Pharaoh had ordered the drowning of all of the Hebrew baby boys, by faith, Moses’ parents hid him until they couldn’t hide him any longer. When he was three years old, they placed him in a basket/boat and put him on the Nile River where they expected the Pharaoh’s daughter to find him. She did. She fell in love with him and took him to be her own. He was raised in the palace and was afforded all of the amenities that came from that environment.
Moses’ incredible start in life was the result of the faith of his parents, but his parents’ faith isn’t what landed him in the “Hall of Faith” we call Hebrews 11. He isn’t commended for his faith because of something his dad or his mom did. He is lifted as an example of faith because of the faith choices HE made.
Fast-forward 40 years in Moses’ life. He was well-connected. He had power. He had life easy. But one day, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He stepped in to defend and protect that Hebrew slave. In that moment, he was giving up his status as a son of the Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was reverting back to his identity as a Hebrew slave. He chose to be identified with God’s people. He forfeited the path to power that could have been ahead of him.
Moses acted out of a faith that it was better to serve the Lord than it was to hold on to or to gain earthly power and opportunity. People who activate their faith will find themselves in all kinds of situations that become costly from a human standpoint. Moses wasn’t living for anything the palace offered. He was looking ahead to a different kind of reward. It wasn’t an earthly reward. It was a heavenly one.
Verse 27 of Hebrews 11 says, By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. This verse likely refers to the many confrontations Moses had with the Pharoah. God came to Moses and appointed him to be the guy who would lead all of the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. He had chosen to identify with the Hebrew people, his birth tribe, and now he would deliver them from slavery. In that respect, Moses is a type of Christ who identified with us as humans so that He could rescue us from sin!
He had already left Egypt and had fled to the land of Midian which is now the northwest part of Saudi Arabia. He had lived in Midian for 40 years, but God called him back to Egypt. Going back to Egypt was risky. There were reasons the king, reasons the Pharaoh would have had to have been very angry with Moses, not the least of which was that he had killed the Egyptian who had been beating the Hebrew slave. Going back didn’t seem like a good idea in the natural. That is why it took a decision of faith to go back. By this time, Moses was 80 years old, and the ruling Pharaoh was likely one of Moses “brothers” during those growing up years. Moses was going to confront someone who had been like family for half of his life. He was going to challenge the decision to keep the Hebrews enslaved. He was going to challenge the power the Pharaoh had to do as he wished. There was no way Moses could have made the decision to go back in the flesh. He didn’t have an army. He wasn’t a great speaker. He was a traitor to the Egyptians. He didn’t have the clout to demand anything, but by faith, at the call of God, Moses went to Egypt and demanded the Pharoah let the Hebrews go.
There were ten confrontations between Moses and the Pharaoh. Each time, God was with Moses and God performed signs and wonders that ultimately convinced the Pharaoh it was in his best interest to do as God through Moses was demanding. Even though Moses was eventually successful in doing his job as a hostage negotiator, the standoff wasn’t over in a hurry and it wasn’t without personal cost to Moses. Moses demonstrated faith as God leveled judgment after judgment against Egypt through a series of plagues.
Moses continued to follow the instructions of God, even when it didn’t appear to be working! Why? Because Moses had confidence in the word of God. God had told him before any of contests started between Moses and Pharaoh that Pharaoh would have a hard heart and would dig in his heels. God said he would multiply signs and wonders in Egypt against the Egyptians, but Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to Moses. Moses didn’t know how many plagues there would be, how many confrontations he would have, but he knew that God had said with mighty acts of judgment, He would free the Israelites, and the Egyptians would KNOW that He was God when God delivered them. Activating your faith puts you on the battle line. You have to make a choice to stand in that faith or to retreat, and what you decide determines whether you gain the victory or not!
Faith is a decision. Faith says, “God, I don’t understand why it is taking so long. God, I don’t know why you didn’t just decimate Pharaoh during plague one. God, I don’t understand what you are up to, but I’ll keep on showing up because YOU tell me to, and I’ll keep on fighting because you have assured me that YOU will deliver me.” Listen, Child of God, every day you wake up, you get to make a decision. Will you trust God for everything that is ahead, or will you abandon Him if the circumstances or the challenge is unfavorable or seems to be going on too long? After ten plagues, ten confrontations, the Hebrews were going to be able to leave Egypt. Look at Moses next faith decision.
By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. Hebrews 11:28
They had endured a lot. They had seen a lot, but this was the moment, when the lamb would be slain, the blood would be applied, and God’s people would be completely covered. Their deliverance was literally activated by their faith. As they ate the Passover and applied the blood, Moses led them to do it in faith. That act, done in faith, spared their lives and prepared them for the deliverance of the Lord. When the death angel came, the Egyptian firstborn were killed, but the Israelites were spared. Pharaoh waved the white flag. He let them go. They left in haste. They left with treasure. They in victory, but there was more victory to come.
Moses was commended for one more faith decision. Hebrews 11:29-29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
As they were leaving Egypt and came to the edge of the Red Sea, they saw Pharaoh had waivered once again and sent his army after them to capture them. What would they do? The Red Sea was sure death. There was no way they could cross. There were 2 million of them. Pharaoh’s army was sure death coming from behind them. But there’s was the God who makes a way when there seems to be no way! Here is the account from Exodus 14:13-16. 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
Moses lifted his staff, and the Israelites went through on dry ground. When the Egyptian army entered the dry riverbed, the waters came rushing back together and drowned them. What a display of God’s power and might, and what a message to the Israelites about how God intends to deal with His enemies! His judgment that was once incremental, was swift and complete. The Israelites saw with their own eyes that their enemy could never pursue them again, and the Red Sea, coming back together, provided the barrier between God’s people and their previous life of slavery.
Here’s the last point: People of faith make the decision to stand firm and to stand still so that God can part their waters!
Faith in Christ begins with one strategic decision. It is to decide to believe that the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for you on Calvary’s cross, bought you forgiveness and right standing with God. It’s called salvation. It is step one. Once you make that faith decision, each subsequent faith decision builds upon that choice.
There is a battle for your soul. Satan has enslaved you to sin. Christ has come to free you once and for all. Because Moses made the choice to trust Christ, that is what Hebrews said, 2 million people were delivered. By the faith of one, many were set free. How can your faith become the catalyst for the liberation of many souls for the Kingdom of God?
