By Faith Moses
- Randall Brewer
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
‘By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.’
- Hebrews 11:24-25 -
God gave an amazing promise to Abraham 500 years before Moses’ birth, saying He would bless Abraham and multiply his offspring like the stars of heaven. Eventually, Abraham fathered Isaac, then Issac fathered Jacob and Esau. After 2 generations there wasn’t much progress in the fulfilment of God’s promise, but soon Jacob had 12 sons and things really began to move. God’s people multiplied so fast in 400 years that they numbered over 2 million. When Joseph had been alive, the Egyptians had loved God’s people, but when he died, a new king arose who feared so many Israelites. God's people faced hard labour, but He blessed them and their numbers kept growing. To combat this blessing, Pharaoh told his people: “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile” (Ex. 1:22).
This was true ethnic cleansing. Pharaoh told Hebrew midwives to kill all male babies that they helped deliver. Thankfully, the midwives feared God and wouldn’t obey the murderous edict. We can never underestimate the evil at work in the human heart, for ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked’ (Jer. 17:9). When Jesus was born, Herod did the same thing as Pharaoh. He ordered all male babies aged 2 and under to die in hopes of killing the One whom he heard had been born. So, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt. Thus Jesus was saved in Egypt and, as we shall see, baby Moses was saved in Egypt too.
Hebrews 11:23 says: ‘By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents.’ When he was 3 months old, it became too dangerous to hide him. What could his parents do? Where could they hide their beautiful baby? Pharaoh had said all Israelite boys were to be cast into the Nile (Ex. 1:22), so they hatched an ingenious plan to hide him in the very place that Pharaoh would have made Moses’ grave. They took a basket, covered it with pitch, put baby Moses in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river (Ex. 2:3). Miriam, his older sister, kept watch. As only God can orchestrate, the daughter of Pharaoh went down to the river to bathe and found the basket! She opened it and, when the Israelite baby wept, she had compassion, saying: “This is one of the Hebrew’s children” (2:6).
Having found the baby boy, Miriam cunningly asked the princess: “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” (Ex. 2:7). Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, so Miriam found her mother and led her to the river. The princess returned the baby to his mother and, by God’s grace, even paid her wages to nurse the child. ‘And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son,’ calling him Moses, because “she drew him out of the water” (2:10). This proves that, despite our sinful tendencies, grace and kindness are still found in unexpected places. Pharaoh’s daughter had every right to kill baby Moses, yet she did the exact opposite of what her father had ordered. Her heart was opened by the kindness of God.
Hebrews 11:23 talks about the faith of Moses’ parents, but goes on to talk about the faith of Moses himself. The writer draws out 3 things regarding his faith: the costly decisions faith makes, the perseverance faith brings, and the marvellous peace faith enjoys. ‘By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin’ (11:24-25). This was an extraordinary decision. Moses lived in the palace and enjoyed all royal privileges. He could have been like Joseph; second-in-command of Egypt. But Moses made an astonishing choice, refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God. This decision was made by faith.
Jesus did a similar thing. He left heavenly treasures and came to earth to be mistreated with the people of God. He went from a throne to a manger, and from a manger to a cross. Hebrews says Moses ‘thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward’ (11:26). Like Abraham, Moses caught a glimpse of the One who was to come and reward His people. The calling of God on Moses is not dissimilar to the calling that Christ puts on us, that “if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Jesus had a cross to bear and so do we. The cross we carry is the price we pay to follow Christ. The cross God gave Moses was to turn from luxury and stand with His suffering people. Hebrews 11 tells how he did this. He did it by faith, knowing earthly pleasure is only temporary.
Acts 7:23 says Moses was 40 when he saw more to life than fleeting treasures. By faith he took up his cross, pursuing a heavenly reward. Like Paul said: ‘If the only benefit of our hope in Christ is limited to this life on earth, we deserve to be pitied more than all others!’ (1 Cor. 15:19). Moses went on to spend the rest of his life in a desert leading millions of people who were ungrateful and uncooperative, to say the least. ‘By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible’ (Heb. 11:27). One day Moses went out to where his people were enslaved and was appalled to see an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers (Ex. 2:11). On impulse he rose up and killed the Egyptian, hiding him in the sand (2:12).
‘When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian’ (2:15). In one day, Moses went from being a favoured son of the palace to a fugitive on the run. Moses had a job to do, but God knew he couldn’t do it with such a violent temper. By faith he left Egypt and spent the next 40 years in the desert. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: “The worst thing that can happen to a man is to have success before he is ready,” and Moses wasn’t ready for the work God would call him to. He had to master his emotions, so in the desert God taught him self-control, shaping Moses into the meekest man on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3). By faith, Moses left Egypt to be moulded for the work God would have him to do. What courage was his, and what mighty faith in the God of his fathers.
‘By faith Moses kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them’ (Heb.11:28). This verse spotlights Moses’ personal faith in observing the Passover. He had spent 40 years in the desert preparing for ministry. Then, when the time was right, God delivered Moses to Pharaoh to work many miracles to convince him to free God’s people. Pharaoh continued to refuse to let God’s people go, so God’s final judgment was to send the Destroyer to take the life of every firstborn. To spare the Israelites, God told them to kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the doors where they lived. The Destroyer saw this blood and passed over their homes, sparing the firstborns who resided there.
It was by faith that this blood was confidently sprinkled, as the people trusted only God could save them. We are all sinners in need of a Saviour, which is why 2000 years ago, God the Son took on flesh and came as the sacrificial lamb for all who believe. Not only does faith know we need a Saviour, but it declares we have a Saviour in Christ. Faith says with confidence that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin and causes the wrath of God to pass over.
After suffering the loss of the firstborn in Egypt, Pharaoh relented and had Moses lead the children of Israel out. Leaving Egypt was no easy feat though, as Pharaoh changed his mind, scared to lose his slave workers. He took his army and pursued the Israelites with the goal of bringing them back to Egypt (Ex. 14:9). As he drew near, the children of Israel became afraid and cried out to the Lord (14:10). Pharaoh’s army was behind them and the Red Sea before. What were the people to do? Their leader, Moses, was a proven man of faith, so the people listened when he said: “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (14:13).
What was Moses’ message? He was telling the people: “We will trust God and He will be honoured and glorified.” Moses stretched his hand over the water and the Lord caused the sea to split. Hebrews 11:29 says what happened next: ‘By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.’ In the face of great opposition, faith kept on trusting. By studying the life of Moses, even just the few details that Hebrews highlights, we learn that only heavenly faith defeats earthly fear. As Moses himself said as he prepared to lead Israel through the Red Sea and out of bondage: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Ex. 14:14). Amen and amen.
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