Tuesday: Moses: Believing in the Unseen
Read Hebrews 11:20-28. What did these men of faith do? How are their actions related to hope and to things not seen?
Moses is the second major example in this chapter of faith. The life of Moses is introduced and concluded by two actions of defiance to the king. His parents hid Moses when he was born, because “they were not afraid of the king’s edict” (Hebrews 11:23, ESV), and Moses left Egypt, “not being afraid of the anger of the king” (Hebrews 11:27, ESV).
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The most significant action of Moses was, however, that he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (Hebrews 11:24). The reference to Moses’ adoptive mother as “Pharaoh’s daughter” suggests that he was slated to be the next Pharaoh. Moses, however, was willing to leave behind the prospect of becoming the ruler of the most powerful nation at that time and to become, instead, the leader of newly freed slaves-refugees, actually.
Compare Hebrews 11:24-27 and Hebrews 10:32-35. What were the similarities between the situation of the original recipients of Hebrews and the experience of Moses?
The greatness of Moses was that he was able to see beyond the promises of the king of Egypt and look toward the unseen, namely, the promises of God. Hebrews says the key was that Moses’ sight was fixed on “the reward,” not on the riches of Egypt. This reward is the same reward mentioned in Hebrews 10:35, which God has promised to all who believe in Him.
Paul’s words about Moses’ decision must have echoed powerfully in the hearts of his original readers. They had been enduring reproaches and insults because of their faith in Christ. They had also been afflicted and lost their possessions (Hebrews 10:32-34). Some were in prison (Hebrews 13:3). In parallel, Moses chose to be mistreated with God’s people, exchanging the wealth of Egypt for bearing the insults associated with Christ because he believed that the reward of Christ was greater than whatever Egypt could offer.
| What are some of the struggles that you have faced because of your faith? What have you had to give up for it? Why, ultimately, is the reward worth it, even if you can’t see it now? |
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I had a little reflection to myself about this notion of acting in faith. I know where the lesson is leading today, and I could illustrate this by telling of my own action in choosing to work for Adventist institutions instead of secular universities. However, I thought that approach was a bit egocentric. And besides, I have many Christian friends who have deliberately chosen to work in secular institutions and who have done a seriously good job of representing Jesus. They have been role models of faith in action.
Exercising your faith is so much more than believing a lot of stuff in spite of your friends and acquaintances saying it's stupid. It is more than just choosing the less recognised job because you believe in heaven.
Some years ago the Adventist Education system had a bee in the bonnet about Integrating Faith and Learning. A series of workshops were run all over the world and we were invited to write papers and present them at the workshops. The idea was to show that faith and learning worked together. Bible and History and Literature teachers had a field day. They had no difficulty in showing examples from their disciplines that demonstrated faith.
At the time, I was teaching COBOL programming - those of you with a bit of knowledge of computing history will be able to put a date on this story. What spiritual lesson could I include in a lesson about COBOL syntax and program structure? Finally, I found the idea for my paper. It wasn't about the content; it was about the relationship with my students. My faith would be on show, not by my ability to quote Bible texts that related to COBOL programming, but by how I related to my students professionally. I had to be a Christian and that was a lot harder than just quoting scripture.
Integrating faith and learning - integrating faith and living. That was what Moses chose. He chose the professional relationship with God's people and lived the faith, even when they were real ratbags (Yes ok, that's an Aussie term for people you love who get up your nose at times)
Faith is not so much about believing the unseen, but about helping others see what they can only see through us. That is tough faith.
Thank God for people like Sir Maurice, indeed today’s lesson could not have been better without your thought. Indeed”faith is not so much about believing the unseen “ it’s a way of life. May God continue to use you to bless us. Amen.
How did Moses know the future of the children of Israel?
What did Moses give up?
The elders of Israel were taught by angels that the time for their deliverance was near, and that Moses was the man whom God would employ to accomplish this work. Angels instructed Moses also that Jehovah had chosen him to break the bondage of His people. He, supposing that they were to obtain their freedom by force of arms, expected to lead the Hebrew host against the armies of Egypt, PP 245.2
Moses knowledge
Moses was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all ages. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he stands without a peer. PP 245.4
Moses status
Moses was to be their deliverer, to free them from bondage, a type of the promised Messiah, to do the LORD's work, but they had to wait another 40 years for it to happen.
We learn that both Abraham and Moses got a message from the LORD about what He would do through them but they tried to achieve it through their own power instead of trusting and waiting for the LORD to accomplish His promises in His Time and in His Way.
It makes me wonder how that truth applies to me? What is the LORD's will for my life? How do I discover it? How has He led me in the past? Am I ready or do I need to learn patience and trust? Moses had to spend 40 years in Pharaoh's court and then 40 years as a humble shepherd before he could free the LORD's people.
Realy am sure, working for God in relation to everlasting promise is something of serious matter to our souls.
Faith friends can deliver us.
To my understanding, there are two kind’s of faith – God’s spiritually based faith and man’s faith in himself. I think faith to be a disposition of the heart. In the case of the believer, it is there because he/she believes in a God Supreme and His Love, first.
Heb.11:16 states: ”And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those wo earnestly seek Him.”
With this definition of 'spiritual' faith, which depends on first believing that God exists, one cannot look toward 'deeds' as the only evidence of the presence of faith; spiritual faith has to be paired with the verbal confession that one believes in a loving God from whom we have learned this truth and believe it!
Moses wanted to believe God, but He asked for ‘evidence’; God gave the evidence, but it was not because of Moses’s ‘faith in the unseen’, it was because God had to convince Moses that His Love’s power is able to work in the ‘unseen’.
It is God's Goodness and Love which empowers the gift of spiritual faith to prompt us to do the ‘good deeds’ we were called to walk in and which manifest God’s love in man’s heart and life.
Our spiritual faith has its foundation in God’s love for man, leading us to turn to Him, again and again, requesting to increase in us His love to empower us to rightly love Him and our neighbor – living in peace with each other.
Faith is not evidenced by ‘good deeds’ - LOVE is!! The ‘good deeds’ are the evidence of God’s work of loving Grace and Mercy on behalf of mankind. Eph.2:9-10 - ”…not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”
Regarding man’s ‘faith’ (wishful thinking) without believing in the God Supreme –
On one hand, leaders organize people to do ‘good deeds’; at the other hand, the personal life of the people involved might not at all reflect the spirit of love and compassion.
World leaders and people ferment strive and discourse between peoples and each other on one hand, and on the other hand they accept the 'organized help’ which supports the people whose lives were potentially effected through their own callousness.
I believe that people who know God personally prevent at all cost, self-sacrificially, ‘needs’ to arise in the first place; their personally lived faith is in God’s love, not man’s response! Scripture points out: 2Tim.3:4-6 – v.5: ”having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from these.”.