From Riches to Rags

In what did Moses base his faith?

Here's Stephen Davey. We're told that Moses endured as seeing him who is unseen. Verse 26, he was looking for the reward.

Okay, who's the him who's going to bring the reward? Go to the beginning of verse 26 and you're introduced to the person Moses is ultimately trusting in. See, at that point to Moses, Egypt was nothing more than a windy sandbar compared to the coming glorious kingdom of the Messiah. The kind of faith that Stephen was describing a moment ago is truly remarkable.

How is it possible? Today, we continue through our series on heroes of the Christian faith with the lesson Stephen Davey is calling, From Riches to Rags. Most of the riches to rags stories that you find in the Bible are stories of men and women who lost everything because of their foolishness and disobedience to God. But Moses story is the opposite. Moses willingly exchange all his temporal possessions for an eternal one. Today, you'll learn why Moses never regretted that decision. Let's rejoin Stephen with today's lesson from God's Word.

Let's quickly catalog how you could measure Moses' life provided here in Hebrews 11. The words by faith appear in verse 25. We'll call that the first chapter. Verse 24, by faith.

You could circle that. Verse 27, by faith. See that? And verse 28, by faith. And I'm going to leave verse 29 for our next study simply because the pronoun, if you look carefully, changes from he to they. It really focuses on the faith of the Israelite.

So we'll deal with that separately. Now, back in verse 23, the condensed biography of Moses begins with what we'll call the first chapter. I want to just call it a preservation of faith. Notice by faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king's eating. Now, right away, you're struck with the fact that this first chapter is really about the faith of whom? His parents, Amram and Jacob. You need to understand that Moses is born to slaves 64 years after the death of Joseph. In fact, if you go back to the full story, you discover that this slave couple already had a daughter, Miriam, and then they deliver this baby boy.

Life becomes extremely complicated. Now, the writer of Hebrews repeats the phrase here. Would you look? It says they saw he was a beautiful child. That struck me. That's kind of redundant, isn't it? I mean, what parent doesn't think their baby is beautiful, right? And sometimes it's only the parents who have that opinion.

Isn't that true? I guess grandparents, too. I mean, what are you supposed to say when they bring their baby up to you?

You just look at it. Oh, as a pastor, you know, this has really created a predicament for me. And so years ago, I decided to adopt what Jay Vernon McGee did when he pastored a large church in California. He wrote the parents would bring up their newborns to him and he'd look down and he'd smile and he'd say, well, that's a baby.

That's a baby. So why the reference here to Moses being a beautiful child? Of course they thought he was beautiful. I would agree with John Calvin, the reformer who wrote that Moses was marked by something, although we're not told what. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, wrote that Amram, the father of Moses, was visited by God in a vision who informed him that Moses was the promised deliverer. Whatever it was, Amram and Jacob, the parents of Moses risked their lives to save his. And for three months, did you notice, they tried to hide him out of sight. The full story tells us, imagine how hard that would be. How do you hide a newborn? How do you keep a baby quiet? For three months, Chuck Swindoll writing on this text said that he remembered how their firstborn son never slept through the night for 18 long, weary months. He wrote, there were times when I longed for a wicker basket in the Nile River nearby.

You've been there. Evidently, something happens because after three months, they realize it isn't going to work anymore. We're not told, but maybe it's because Pharaoh ordered a hut-to-hut search, suspicious that Jews were hiding their babies, and they certainly were, I'm sure. Rather than give up or give in, they hung on. Hebrews tells us how. They hung on by faith.

They would do the right thing, even if it cost them their lives, they would not take their son's life. So the book of Exodus tells us, indeed, they fashioned a wicker basket and covered it with pitch. The word for pitch, bitumen, is the word. It was a plant boiled into paste, commonly believed to repel crocodiles who happened to be the supposed servants of the god Emanation, Nile River. And they set the basket among the reeds, Exodus chapter 2 verse 3. It isn't an accident that they placed the basket right where they did. They happened to know that was the exact spot along the path where the daughter of Pharaoh would walk.

By faith, they did what they could do. They placed him there knowing he would be discovered, and then leaving him in the hands of God, Miriam hiding nearby, trusting God to do what he would and sparing the life of their son, perhaps believing if there was indeed that vision, if Josephus was correct, we don't know, but that indeed he would be the deliverer, that they had prayed and longed for for so long. If you went back to Exodus 2, you discover that sure enough the daughter of Pharaoh comes to bathe at the Nile, not in the Nile, by the way, to bathe in the Nile would have opposed the custom of their people according to historical accounts. In fact, the pharaohs had their own bath houses made of marble where they didn't need to worry about crocodiles getting in the bathtub. So why is she coming to bathe at the banks of the Nile? Well, the Nile River was believed to be an emanation of Osiris, one of their chief gods, and the waters were considered divinely magically empowered that they could produce not only long life, but get this, fertility.

So you add to the fact that Jewish historians had long held that this was the 19th dynasty of pharaohs and that this particular daughter was childless. The daughter of Pharaoh wasn't coming to the Nile with a bar of soap to get a bath and hopefully beat away the crocodiles. She was coming to ceremonially bathe with water from the Nile in hopes of having a baby. She didn't need to be clean, she wanted to have a child. God perfectly timed her desire and her longing to coincide with a three-month-old baby they just couldn't hide any longer. There he is in a basket floating there for her attending women to just so happen to discover. And when they opened the lid, every one of their hearts melted, Jewish or not, the princess announces he's mine. The Nile god has answered my prayer. Josephus adds as well that the princess took the basket around his servants or the maidens with her to see if any of them could nurse the child. She had no success and only then did Miriam come out from behind the bush she was hiding in by orders and asked the princess if she'd like some references and the princess said of course and Miriam went and got her mother. The Bible tells us in Exodus chapter 2 verse 9 that the princess paid Moses's mother to raise her son. Is that great or what? Mom gets the allowance, that's just perfect, isn't it?

That's the way it ought to be. What started it all? An act of preservation by faith. Second chapter.

This one we'll call the renunciation of faith. Hebrews 11 24, by faith Moses when he'd grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin considering that is factoring it all out that the reproach of Christ the Hebrew would read the Messiah was greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. In the Exodus account we're told that the princess made Moses her son that is she made him her legal son and heir.

Think about that. In Stephen's message in Acts chapter 7 he speaks of Moses being trained in all of the wisdom of the Egyptians so that he became powerful in speech and deed. He is being groomed. On the outside he's going to look like an Egyptian but on the inside like Joseph he's still a Jew. See his mother had taught him well in those early years before he moved into the palace most scholars believe that he would have moved into the palace at age 12 so the faith of his slave parents would take root and become the faith of this young man. Extrabiblical historians tell us that by the time Moses reached the age of 30 he had already led the Egyptian army to a strategic victory over the Ethiopians that he had become one of the best military strategists in his day a bronzed warrior a seasoned soldier a wise and competent leader and by the way he just so happened to be among the leadership in the greatest united empire power currently reigning on the planet perhaps some believe the heir to the throne of Egypt. The writer says 10 years after that victory he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. The word refused in the Greek language literally means to disown. He disowned the royal family.

How's that? The prince of Egypt walked away from it all. He's volunteering for one of the greatest riches to rag stories ever recorded in human history. Now that begins chapter 3 and I mustn't slow down. There is the preservation by faith there is the renunciation by faith now thirdly the separation of faith verse 27 informs us by faith he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is unseen. Now if you've studied the life of Moses in any detail you know how he lived 120 years and you can divide his life into three sections of 40 years fairly simply right. The first 40 were spent in the palace of Egypt the second 40 years were spent in the desert of Midian and the final 40 years were spent in the wilderness leading the people of Israel. Now because of that easy division you might automatically think when you get to verse 27 that it's talking about his 40 years in the desert of Midian and I think that's where we make our mistake. In fact we know that this can't be talking about those 40 years because if you look again it tells us that Moses left Egypt how by faith not fearing the wrath of the king. If you go back to Exodus chapter 2 we're specifically told that after murdering that Egyptian who was beating a Jewish slave probably killing him and let me quote Exodus 2 14 then Moses was afraid and said surely the matter has become known and when Pharaoh heard of the matter he tried to kill Moses but Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian. He's not running at that point in faith he's running in fear. So this can't be what Hebrews 11 verse 27 is talking about in fact if you look back at verse 27 we're told that Moses endured as seeing him who is unseen.

This is a positive thing. Who was him? Seeing him who is unseen.

Who was him? Go back up to the last part of verse 26 he was looking for the reward. Okay who's the him who's going to bring the reward? Go to the beginning of verse 26 and you're introduced to the person Moses is ultimately trusting in the Messiah. See at that point to Moses Egypt was nothing more than a windy sandbar compared to the coming glorious kingdom of the Messiah. He just didn't know when that was going to come and we're still waiting. Well now wait a second Moses now before you do something rash what about all the pomp all the ceremony all the wealth all the comfort and all that you know what about verse 25 here and the pleasures of sin I mean you're at the top of the food chain you can have anything you want you got the world by the tail you're gonna really walk away from all of that and some super saints gonna be quick to say well there aren't really pleasures in sin they pass away so quickly yeah but that's not what it says here Moses doesn't walk away from the passing of sin he walks away from the pleasures of sin G. Campbell Morgan the great expositor of nearly a century ago in his commentary on this verse and I quote it's a foolish thing to say there is no pleasure in sin as if that'll keep somebody from finding out of course there are pleasures in sin Gordon's hymn for the church reads my Jesus I love thee I know thou art mine for thee say with me for thee all the follies of sin I resign Morgan said that's not what Gordon wrote I didn't know this he originally wrote for thee all the pleasures of sin I resign but some pious soul thought it would be bad to sing about the pleasures of sin in church and so they changed the words to follies that sounds better maybe the younger generation won't find out happens to be a pet peeve of mine we've changed others you know would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I has been changed to would he devote that sacred head for sinners such as I what's wrong with worm I think it fits me perfectly amen not so loud that was a trick question listen what was it that aided Moses to be able to walk away from the pleasures of sin we're told here he compared the pleasure of sin to the reward of Christ the pleasure of immortal joys he didn't try to say sin wasn't fun he just believed the kingdom would be a funner bad grammar but you get the point that this is funner isn't it true that we lose heart because we lose sight of the eternal glory that will far outweigh our troubles and temptations second Corinthians four I love the way one author cleared the fog away in his his comments here he talked about Moses waiting for the glory of Christ and how that allowed him to endure 80 years and then he never really saw it right we're waiting to he saw him Hebrews 11 says who is unseen he saw him by faith and believed it reality who Jesus the Messiah we haven't seen him either but we by faith believe he came this author went on to say just think of what it would mean to literally see the fulfillment of our promise glory in heaven and the Messiah for just sixty seconds while still living on earth just sixty seconds he wrote the first fifteen seconds to view the face of Christ then if you can tear your view away from him which you wouldn't be able to do after only fifteen seconds if you could then take the next fifteen seconds to survey the angelic millions then another fifteen seconds to scan the architecture of heaven and finally fifteen seconds to scan the faces of friends and loved ones already there he said that sixty seconds would change your life but wait a second it changed Moses's life without having had the vision and it's changed your life and mine too and it's given us a perspective and a passion and a focus by faith to consider the invisible a coming reality amen chapter one is the preservation of faith chapter two is the great renunciation of faith chapter three reveals the separation of faith and now chapter four reveals the institution of faith verse twenty eight by faith he kept the Passover in the sprinkling of the blood so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them now for the sake of our younger brothers and sisters in the faith this takes us back to exodus and the eve of of the nation Israel's departure from the land of Egypt into freedom from bondage the final plague from God is coming the death angel more than likely God himself is going to come riding on the wind and sweep into the land of Egypt to claim the firstborn of every home that's unguarded by the blood of the lamb splattered along the doorposts for those homes so unguarded death will come but for those guarded as it were by the death of a lamb death will pass over them and you have them the creation of Passover and this is the institution that by faith Moses instituted Moses the text here says kept the Passover playa owes the verb literally he instituted it by faith an institution that points to a future and final atonement by Jesus Christ the lamb of God who comes to pay the penalty for the sin not only those who are elect but the sin of the whole world so that common grace can be experienced and enjoyed by the entire world and those who are elect will be given heaven he he starts this Moses starts this several thousand years ago the Egyptians are trying to do good things to hopefully get into the afterlife and they're not sure they've done enough even the Pharaohs no matter how big those pyramids were they were tombs hopefully getting the attention of their God they're still not sure you see religions favorite word is do Christianity's favorite word is done wait a second now that you've trusted in Christ alone for what he has done he turns around and asks you to do as Paul wrote to Titus you remember be ready to engage in good what deeds works not so you can be accepted by God but because you you have been now you've got a you've got a life to live for the glory of God who like Moses you'll discover at times the sacrifices in life will not be partial they'll be total and Moses becomes your model of faith and I close with this I've just begun reading the biography of Adoniram Judson heard about him read clips about him finally found an outer print copy that has all his letters in it and journal entries and he was another Moses in a way in fact he's the first American Protestant missionary he's gonna walk away from his life in America he's gonna give away everything to spend his life in the land of Burma which is just a north of modern-day Thailand before he embarked on his journey he'd fallen in love with a young lady from a respectable well-known family and she also loved Christ and she loved him he wrote a letter to her father asking permission to marry his daughter you know this really touches me because I got two girls and so just think about that if you have a daughter what it would feel like to get a letter like this listen this is in 1800s English it's a little formal Adoniram Judson writes to the father I have not asked whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring to see her no more in this world whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of the missionary life whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean to the fatal influences of the southern climate to every kind of lack want and distress to degradation insult persecution and perhaps a violent death can you consent to all this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her and for you for the sake of perishing immortal souls for the sake of heaven and the glory of God can you consent to all this in the promise of meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of heathen now saved through her means who will be there praising her savior can you consent wow and he said yes and so did she and he would never see her again I later what God is calling you to give up to renounce to wait for to pursue for his name sake but I do know how we're to go about it by faith believing that the unseen is reality faith is our abandonment of past desires present delights and future dreams out of loyalty to God and if I had had room in that little green square it's all the space they've given I didn't I would have added the words out of loyalty to God in light of the coming promises of God that will compensate you beyond your wildest imagination let me say that again out of loyalty to God in light of the coming promises of God that will compensate you beyond your wildest imagination which leads us to live then and to think and to have the perspective that effectively says goodbye Egypt I am going to a promised land that's God's promise to us he's preparing a place for us and one day he will bring us safely home to live with him forever I'm so glad you joined us today here on wisdom for the heart Stephen Davey is working his way through a series entitled heroes it comes from Hebrews 11 where we find a biblical hall of faith Stephen's latest book also comes from this series the book is called Hebrews 11 and is a beautifully bound hardback book give us a call at eight six six forty eight Bible you also have the option of going to our website the book Hebrews 11 is available in our resource section our website is wisdom online dot org there's lots of ways that you can connect and interact with our ministry please be sure and install the wisdom app to your smartphone so that you can take these lessons wherever you go and access the complete archive of Stephen's teaching also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter or Instagram to receive updates about our ministry thanks again for joining us today and please be with us tomorrow for more wisdom for the hearts you