Moses Faithfully Forsakes Egypt (Heb. 11:27)
Notes
Transcript
Call to worship:
Call to worship:
7 Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.
Reading #1, for perspective:
Reading #1, for perspective:
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; 23 they did not see one another, nor did any rise from his place for three days; but all the people of Israel had light where they dwelt. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your children also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our cattle also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take heed to yourself; never see my face again; for in the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”
Reading #2, main text:
Reading #2, main text:
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
I.
The last time we were together, Moses had left Egypt in that passage as well, after just killing a man. And he was very afraid of Pharaoh at that point!
But now our passage points out Moses’ departure from Egypt again, and this time he wasn’t being afraid...
So I just want to take a moment and start with pointing out the progress and evolution of Moses that we’ve now seen in the last three weeks we’ve been together in this little series.
* * *
It’s really an interesting progression and movement through these Hebrews 11 verses, just from verse 23 to where we are now in verse 27.
When we started this series, it was the fearlessness of Moses’ parents that we first considered. — Hebrews 11:23, “they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
Moses’ parents put him in the basket and hid him in the bulrushes, totally against the edict and command of Pharaoh. (And we pointed out that Pharaoh’s own daughter exemplified this fearlessness as well, by taking in the Hebrew boy and raising him herself, rather than destroying the boy according to her father’s own command!)
But then we considered Moses the last time, in the killing of the Egyptian slavedriver and Moses’ subsequent fleeing from Egypt—and we noted of course Moses’ fear that shaped him in that moment and which sent him scurrying out of the land in order to join the people of God.
Pharaoh once again had put a death threat upon Moses—and Moses in fear went scurrying out of Egypt, into Midian.
* * *
Now we’re in the third week in the Hall of Faith, and Moses now joins the fearlessness of his parents—and the author of Hebrews makes it explicit and specifically mentioned that Moses was fearless.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Moses was afraid of Pharaoh—and now, fast forward, he isn’t!
Even as a prince, earlier, Moses was running—and now, as an ambassador and spokesperson for the Hebrew slaves, Moses is fearless!
II.
So I’ve tried to think about correlations who “spoke truth to power”—and I particularly thought right away of Frederick Douglass as a runaway slave, who traveled the North and across Europe speaking out against slavery, to crowds who supported him and crowds who didn’t. For sure it came to mind of Douglass being in Scotland and him ridiculing there the Free Scottish Church for money that they accepted from southern slaveholding Presbyterians—urging the Scottish to send back the “bloodstained money” they had used to build their church buildings and pay their pastors.
Douglass of course, then, is in the category of what we’re seeing with Moses.
Yet, we can do even better and get an example even closer to our text, too.
* * *
So then I came across Moses Brown, the former slaveowner who turned abolitionist. (He also was a founder of Brown University.) Brown began to convert against slavery when his family’s slave ship returned from voyage (1765) with over half the enslaved people aboard dead. He freed his slaves in 1773, and then in 1796 he reported his own brother to officials for his brother violating the federal law banning the equipping of any slave-trading ship. A public attack ensued in the press between Brown and his brother, along with their respective supporters. Brown also used his influence and position to push and push against fellow merchants and legislators to ban the slave trade in Rhode Island.
III.
That Moses “wasn’t afraid” of Pharaoh, I find remarkable!
Moses comes with this announcement of darkness, the ninth plague that Moses has announced—and, in the eyes of Pharaoh, Moses is a Hebrew: a slave. Moses, in the eyes of Pharaoh and the Egyptian state, had no standing, no legal recourse, and he enjoyed no functional power or place before the royal throne.
Moses was a Hebrew, a slave, and a previously-wanted fugitive runaway from the law. That he shows up in the first place to the Pharaoh’s palace is brazen enough.
But that Moses is permitted and recognized as a spokesperson for the freedom of the Hebrews, is downright miraculous!
Moses by modern standards probably would be locked up on a warrant.
He would be whisked away from Pharaoh, carted away, and probably never heard from again.
But Moses shows up: and boldly he is an ambassador for the enslaved Hebrews, calling for their immediate freedom and bringing down plagues in the meantime while waiting for terms to be met.
IV.
It’s an incredible confidence (poise) and assurance that Moses carries with him.
Recalling where the author of Hebrews began this Hall of Faith chapter to begin with:
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Moses is confident. He is downright bold.
He is operating “by faith,” Hebrews reminds us, the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
And so we recall the words of Jesus here, himself who would be so bold and faithful before the throne of Pilate.
Jesus says to his disciples,
9 “But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
This is Jesus, of course, who himself was so able and keen before the throne of Pilate, when he was arrested before going to the cross—so that Matthew and Mark both tell us that Jesus’ ways with Pilate, left Pilate “amazed” (Matt. 27:14; Mk. 15:5).
In other places Pilate is left speechless, or he sends Jesus off altogether so that HEROD would have to deal with Jesus instead.
* * *
All in all, it’s the bold approach that the author of Hebrews encourages elsewhere in approaching the THRONE OF GOD:
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
And Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hear it again:
Hold fast…with confidence.
Don’t discard it.
Cling to it.
Seize it, grip it, hold it close.
With “boldness”, the author says---with confidence, with freedom, with a “loose tongue,”
With frankness, candor, openness, and plainness.
Don’t “draw up short,” as we say. But come in close, lean in to the THRONE OF GRACE, MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE ADVERSARIAL, ANTAGONISTIC THRONE OF PHARAOH—and there, at the throne of grace, find mercy and grace for help “in time of need”.
V.
There is room for confidence here—and that can build, as our passage says, “endurance.” You see it there at the end of the verse:
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Endurance is the ability to press on, even while facing resistance.
Endurance is for “the long haul,” we say. It’s the key to a marathon (rather than a sprint).
Endurance by nature is the opposite of ease.
Endurance comes in difficulty, in trial, and in adversity.
It’s stamina…perseverance…pressing to the goal...and, in a way, it includes stubbornness and tenacity.
Endurance is “digging in,” no matter what.
* * *
It’s the poem of the frog falling in the pot:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4327 Two Frogs in Cream
An hour or two he kicked and swam,
Not once he stopped to mutter,
But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,
Then hopped out, via butter!
Spurgeon reminds:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4344 Epigram on Perseverance (Science)
By perseverance the snail reached the Ark.
Or there’s a saying I came across in my studies:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4344 Epigram on Perseverance (Science)
There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for getting ahead in the world—just hard ones.
And Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited saying:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4270 Epigram on Patience
A man is a hero, not because he is braver than anyone else, but because he is brave for ten minutes longer.
VI.
Moses had a motivation for his perseverance, which I pray can be yours today too: Moses “saw him who is invisible.”
That was Moses’ motivation. It kept him going, and it kept him fueled.
Moses, in the accounts, again and again had the very voice of God before him.
He had the promise of God.
Repeatedly, Moses heard “no” from Pharaoh—Pharaoh would not let God’s people go. This had to be a trial no doubt.
BUT when Moses promised—whether it was the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the darkness—the promise Moses gave “came to pass,” and it came true!
* * *
But Moses, by faith, “endured as seeing him who is invisible.”
Hebrews 11:1 again,
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
If our faith is based on the seen and the visible—then (1) it’s not “faith!” And (2) we’re going to be thoroughly disappointed again and again.
But by our faith, we trust the unseen Spirit who ushers us before the throne of grace. We receive the Word, and we take in the sacraments.
And in CONFIDENT FAITH, we approach that throne—and there we find our Jesus, who has risen from the dead and has ascended to be at God’s right hand.
And our Jesus is no Pharaoh. But he is good, and kind, and compassionate, and he cares for you, and he cares for me.
We have heard this testimony. We have read this testimony. And the apostles (1 John 1:1-4) have seen it, touched it, heard it for themselves—and 1 John 1:3-4,
3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.
Conclusion:
The apostles say have “joy” this morning—and Moses points to fearless confidence.
Faithfully Moses “forsook” Egypt. — “Forsake” and “faithful” usually aren’t words that we pair together.
But in our passage today, those words connect!
Moses by faith has been transformed from a fearful man, to become a man “not being afraid of the king (of Egypt)”.
By faith then he left and forsook Egypt, and left it behind, once and for all.
Our Jesus meanwhile promises “NEVER” to “leave (us) or forsake (us).” (The Great Commission, Matthew 28:20)
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
He will be faithful to us, and for us, forevermore.
And one day we shall “see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
And by his Holy Spirit, we are ushered into his presence and care, even at this very moment.
So by faith then, come to him now—and enjoy the confidence and the boldness that is ours to savor, as we come to the “throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
* * *
Amen.
Parting blessing:
Parting blessing:
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.”
Translation/notes:
Translation/notes:
27. By faith he (i.e., Moses) left-behind/deserted/abandoned/forsook/(disregarded)/(set out to go far away from) Egypt,
not being frightened by the anger/fury/wrath/fierce-rage of the king,
for—as seeing the invisible/unseen (Rom. 1:20)—he endured/persevered/persisted (was steadfast/patient/staunch/stubborn).
Faith and confidence in Hebrews:
Heb. 11:1-3 “1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
Heb.4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Jesus facing his final hours and path:
Lk 9:51 “51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”
Jesus assuring our confidence before thrones:
Matthew 10:17-20 “17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Mark 13:9-11 “9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus confident before Pilate, even making Pilate afraid:
Matthew 27:13-14 “13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.”
Mark 15:4-5 “4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.”
John 18:33-38 “33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.”
John 19:9-11 “9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.””