Moses Part One

MOSES PART ONE

EXODUS 2:1-10. Moses was born during a time when the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were suffering terrible slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh had ordered that newborn Hebrew boys be drowned in the Nile, but by God's providence, Moses' parents hid him for three months. When it become impossible to hide him any longer, they relinquished him to God and set him floating in the Nile in a waterproofed basket. Again by the providence of God, Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, who had pity on him, and adopted him as her own son. Acts 7:22 says that Moses was educated, and came to have power in word and action. From a human point of view, Moses had it all: privilege, power, education, and high social standing.

When Moses was about 40 he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. He responded as an Egyptian, with violence and deception, murdering the Egyptian and burying his body in the sand. But other Hebrews saw him, and rejected his attempts at leading them. Pharaoh learned that he had murdered an Egyptian, and ordered Moses himself killed. Moses escaped from Egypt and fled to Midian.

For the sake of time this morning I’m not going to say much about this episode, other than this: God’s work must be done at God’s time and in God’s power. I think Moses knew that he was to deliver Israel out of Egypt. But he tried to deliver Israel according to Egyptian values: violence and deception. He tried to deliver his people by his power. He wasn’t ready yet, and wouldn’t be ready for another 40 years.

Hebrews 11:24-26 says,

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24–26)

Moses’ faith led him to separate himself from the world in which he lived, a world of privilege, pleasure, and immediate gratification.

Now, what did Moses have in Egypt?

EARTHLY ADVANTAGE

He was called Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter. This wasn’t just the description of his relationship with Pharaoh’s daughter, but a statement of position and privilege. It’s almost a title. In fact, the word “the” is missing from every Greek text I have. He wasn’t simply “THE son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” but “SON of Pharaoh’s daughter.” That involves tremendous privilege and power. Everyone knew that Moses was Hebrew, but he was protected by his position. Acts 7:22 says that Moses was “educated in all the learning of the Egyptians,” a privilege given to him through his adopted sonship.

He had access to the passing pleasures of sin. The Hebrew people were just trying to stay alive. They certain could sin, and did sin, but Moses had access to a vast market of sinful behaviors that are not available to the poor and oppressed. (In Exodus 1:10 we read that Pharaoh was concerned that the Hebrews would depart the land. Perhaps he was concerned because the Egyptian quality of life depended on having a very large number of slaves.)

Moses could enjoy the treasures of Egypt. It’s not saying that he had ownership of the treasures of Egypt, but certainly as Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter, Moses enjoyed the use of the treasures of Egypt. He also may have been in line to inherit something as Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter, gaining significant wealth in the process. By the way, it was Joseph, Moses’ fellow Hebrew, who had so greatly increased the wealth and property of the Egyptian monarchy. Genesis 41:56 says that when the famine hit Egypt, he SOLD food to the Egyptians. Genesis 47:16 says that when the Egyptians had no more money, Joseph took their livestock in exchange for food. And Genesis 47:20 says that when their money and livestock was gone, Joseph took their land for Pharaoh in exchange for food. So the treasures of Egypt were as great as they were because of a Hebrew.

But Moses turned his back on those privileges and pleasures and treasures.

Why?

ETERNAL PROMISE

There was an eternal promise that far outweighed any earthly advantage.

Moses believed Yahweh’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about a future, eternal reward for the people of God.

Hebrews 11:24-26 begins with the words “By faith,” and ends with the words “he was looking to the reward.” By faith Moses was looking to the reward. We can summarize everything in this passage with that simple statement: By faith he was looking to the reward.

WHAT WAS THE REWARD?

The reward was the promises made to the patriarchs. Their descendants would be impossible to number. They would be blessed by Yahweh. They would be the source of blessing to the entire world. Yahweh made an eternal covenant with them. The eternal nature of the covenant meant that there was a spiritual nature to it. Hebrews 11:13-16 says that the reward is a better country, a heavenly one.

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13–16)

It didn’t matter to Moses that he was called Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter; he was a stranger and an exile on the earth. It didn’t matter that he had easy access to temporary pleasures and earth treasures. He wanted a better country, a heavenly one. As Hebrews 11:10 puts it, he wanted the city whose architect and builder is God.

If Moses had not believed the promises of God; if he had not believed that there was a city which God had designed and built; if he had not believed that there was better, heavenly country; then he would have been a fool to give up passing pleasures and earthly treasures.

But because Moses believed the promises of Yahweh, and believed that God had designed and built an eternal city, and believed that the people of God would enter a better, heavenly country, he did the only rational thing: he gave up the paltry, meager, puny advantages of earth in order to set his heart and mind firmly on that which is eternal.

EARTHLY DISADVANTAGES

Because Moses had this faith, he willingly suffered certainly earthly disadvantages.

ILL-TREATMENT WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD

First, he chose to suffer ill-treatment with the people of God. The phrase “ill-treatment” is a relative to what happens in a particular culture at a particular time of history.

For us, ill-treatment might mean slightly marginalized, or being the object of humor, or being accused of being mean-spirited or narrow-minded.

For Moses, ill-treatment meant the confiscation of all wealth and property, the brutality of slavery, the murder of infant boys, being treated like an animal rather than a human being. Moses chose that over the ease and comfort of palace life. He crossed the line in the sand and stood with his people.

The murder of the Egyptian was a sin, but Moses committed that sin because he had determined to stand with his fellow Hebrews because of his faith in Yahweh’s promise. As a result not just of the sin, but of that faith, he spent forty years in the land of Midian, which is now the north-western border of Saudi Arabia, on the Gulf of Aqaba. He spent those years working as a shepherd – the profession of his ancestors – in a hard, hard place to handle sheep and goats.

THE REPROACH OF CHRIST

Moses also chose the reproach of Christ. It’s not that Moses could look 1,400 years into the future and see what Jesus would encounter during his earthly life and ministry. Rather, the author of Hebrews is saying that Moses served as a shadow of Christ. We see that when Moses is hidden because of the threat of murder; Jesus was taken to Egypt to save Him from Herod’s command to murder baby boys. We see it in Moses choosing ill-treatment; the Son of God emptied Himself of His divine privileges, and took on the form of a slave, and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross.

Moses spent forty years in relative peace. He worked as a shepherd for a man named Jethro (who is also known as Reuel). Moses married one of the man’s daughters, a woman named Zipporah, and she gave him children, Gershom and Eliezer.

And then after forty years in Midian, Yahweh spoke to Moses from a burning bush, and sent him back to Egypt to deliver the people of Israel. Moses chose the reproach of Christ, the sacrifices and suffering of one who gives his life to deliver others. It’s not that Moses gave his life as a sacrifice for sin, but Moses did give his life.

The apostle Paul describes what he suffered for the sake of Christ:

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

Three times I was beaten with rods,

once I was stoned,

three times I was shipwrecked,

a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

I have been on frequent journeys,

in dangers from rivers,

dangers from robbers,

dangers from my countrymen,

dangers from the Gentiles,

dangers in the city,

dangers in the wilderness,

dangers on the sea,

dangers among false brethren;

I have been in labor and hardship,

through many sleepless nights,

in hunger and thirst,

often without food,

in cold and exposure.

Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24–28)

2 Corinthians 11:24–28 NASB95

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

While the definition of “the reproach of Christ” does change depending on the work and the culture and the circumstances, every believer and every worker in the kingdom bears some measure of “the reproach of Christ.”

BRINGING IT HOME

Let’s take a few moments and think about what this means for us.

In the faith of Moses we are given the example of someone who had it all, from a fleshly point of view, but because of faith in Yahweh turned his back on his world, and pursued eternity.

Some are religious atheists; they hold to atheism as a belief system. That might sound strange, but atheism IS a belief system. Atheists insist that they deny that God or anything apart from nature exists.

But many are behavioral atheists. What I mean by behavioral atheists is that, even though they say they believe God exists, they live as though this world is all there is.

We must not be behavioral atheists! We must not say “Jesus is Lord,” and at the same time live as though everything evolved and nothing ultimately matters.

Moses had the privilege of being the Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter. He had easy access to the temporary pleasures of sin. The treasures of Egypt were within his reach.

But by faith he understood that Yahweh had made promises to the people of Israel, and so Moses turned his back on the things of the world and pursued the things of eternity.

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you before His crucifixion? It’s in John 17. Jesus prays for His apostles, and then He says, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.”

In that prayer Jesus acknowledged to the Father,

John 17:15–17 NASB95

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

If you have been born again by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, then you are not of the world, any more than Jesus Himself is of the world.

You are still IN the world, until the Lord takes you home. You were born into a country, a state, a county, a town or city. You were born into a particular culture, raised to speak a certain language. You reflect the values of the time and place where you were born and raised. You remain IN this world.

But if you are in Jesus Christ by grace through faith, you are not OF this world.

You have another country promised to you, a better country, a heavenly country. You have another city promised to you, one whose architect and builder is God Himself. You have been adopted as a child of God and placed in His family. You have a new culture, defined for you in the Scriptures. As His child you have been provided with new values that reflect His kingdom and His Lordship.

The challenge – and it is a huge challenge – is to live HERE while belonging THERE, to have your heart THERE while you remain HERE.

This is why it’s a matter of faith. By faith Moses looked to the reward. By faith he rejected the privileges, pleasures, and treasures of the world, and set his heart and mind on that which is eternal.

We are called to do the same.

Yes, there will be ill-treatment as a result, but the ill-treatment is as temporary as the pleasures. The Day of Judgment will put an end to both ill-treatment and sinful pleasure.

Yes, there will be reproach, or shame, or opposition in living faithfully for Christ, but one day you will learn that the reproaches and shame of Jesus Christ is an infinite treasure, far beyond the puny and meager treasures of this world.

Why wait until you die to realize that there is a reward that is better than any promise the world can make? Why wait until the end to live for the Lord Jesus? Why hope in temporary, momentary experiences?

Why not instead set your sights on Him today? Why not instead loosen your hold on the things of the world, so that they can’t own you? Why not instead be at peace because of the guarantee of His promise?