Next in line in the Hall of Faith is Moses:
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Heb 11:23).
The pharaoh of Egypt commanded in Exodus 1:22 that all Jewish slaves’ male babies were to be killed. When Moses was born, his parents recognized that he was beautiful in God’s eyes and risked their lives hiding Moses in the bullrushes of the Nile River for three months. As the supposed son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses became a powerful manager of Jewish slaves. But God spoke through Moses’ heart that these slaves were his own people, the Israelites, whom he was expected to torture with impossible work requirements leading to death. However:
“By faith Moses, when he was 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 fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Heb 11:24-26).
In the midst of Egyptian rulers piling impossible loads on his fellow Israelites, Moses by faith suddenly claimed his true identity as God’s chosen one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. His heart convicted him that standing with suffering brothers and sisters was great wealth in the eyes of God and that God would reward him in the end:
“By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them” (Heb 11:27-28).
In the persecution of the church of Jesus during the pandemic of 2020-2021, when churches were closed and “family” worship was banned, the great leaders of the faith, and some in government, stood like Moses as heroes and demanded our constitutional rights. Why?
For the same reason as Moses: so that the Destroyer – Satan himself – could not touch us. He did cut some wounds in us, but the church stood tall in one of the greater demonstrations of unity with God in our lifetime.
By Faith! By seeing the One who is invisible!
Pass it on and hurry back for Part 5. Heroes of faith abound!