We continue our look into these great people of faith with a second look at Moses. Of course in our last study we looked at Moses’ faith while he was still in Egypt but that moves us away from his early years to now look at his faith as he leads the children of Israel out of Egypt. We know the story of how the Israelites became slaves to the Egyptians. God sent them there under the rule of Joseph who was second in command to Pharaoh. But as that Pharaoh dies off another came along some years later that did not like how the people of Israel was prospering. It was then that they were placed as slaves in Egypt.
We learned how God sovereignly kept Moses alive and in fact had him to be in the family of Pharaoh as an adopted child. Moses during that time grew up in the house of Pharaoh but never left his connection with his own people. He killed a man, buried him in the sand and this led to his first departure from Egypt. It was in that 40 year timespan that God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery. Even though there was some reluctancy from Moses, he eventually did as God commanded.
As we approach our text for this study we must remember that Moses could never have led the children of Israel on his own but only through the power of our sovereign Lord and God. Moses was only special because God made Him this way and not by his own doing or a work of his own. This leads us to look now at our first point in this section that shows Moses’ faith to lead the children of Israel out of slavery.
1.Moses has faith in God’s protection.
Look with me at Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the rage of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
We are looking at the fact that Moses has faith in God’s protection here but this was not always the case for Moses. Even though he killed an Egyptian because of how bad he was abusing one of his fellow Hebrew kinsman this was not an act of valor. Moses knew even before he did it that he was wrong for doing what he eventually did in killing this man. Exodus 2:12 says So he turned this way and that, and he saw that there was no one around. So he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
He did not do what he did to become an instant hero for Israel but was more from a personal vengeance against the oppression. Even though we do see in Acts 7:25 speaking of this matter that And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them salvation through him, but they did not understand. I do not believe that he went about this from the right perspective but only from his own personal choices that led him into Midian for 40 years.
All of this led to Moses leaving Egypt out of a fear of Pharaoh and not God. Exodus 2:15 says And Pharaoh heard of this matter, so he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
So the first time Moses left Egypt he feared man but what we are going to see is that he now in this departure from Egypt fears God. Look with me again at Hebrews 11:27 that says By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the rage of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
The first time he left, he left out of fear of Pharaoh but here he leaves by faith. This faith was not there the first time he left. His fear of man was what drove him away then but this time he comes back to Egypt to leave with his kinsmen who we know is the children of Israel. It is clear that this time around he had no fear of the rage of the king as our text says. This time we see he endured not because of his trust in himself to set the people free but because as seeing Him who is unseen.
Even though we can look at the story of God talking with Moses and it seems like a very reluctant person that did not want to do this, ultimately we see Moses’ faith as he goes to do what God had commanded him to do. He goes back to Egypt to meet with his kinsman and to tell them all of what God will do. It is in this time that we see God move through the hand and mouth of Moses and his brother Aaron as they meet with Pharaoh on 10 different occasions to come to some agreement for the children of Israel to leave Egypt. We know Pharaoh was hardened against the people of Israel even though there were 9 extremely tough plagues God sent during that time.
After the 9th plague God tells Moses that the next plague will in fact give them the freedom that had been promised. Exodus 11:1 says Then Yahweh said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.
The plague is told in Exodus 11:4-6 that says So Moses said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the servant-girl who is behind the millstones; and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.
This sets us up to look at our next point in our Hebrews text. We looked at Moses’ faith in God’s protection and now we look at our second point.
2.Moses has faith in God’s promise.
Look with me at Hebrews 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
We just read the plague in our last point that showed that every first born in the land of Egypt will die. That is animals and humans alike. This would be what brings Pharaoh to the point of sending the children of Israel away. This of course took faith to believe that the instructions given to them would in fact keep their firstborn safe. The Passover is a shadow of Christ’s work on the cross. It symbolizes a sacrifice of an animal, the sprinkling of blood and the protection from death. The Passover lamb is a type of Christ that is not Christ but a picture of Christ in the Old Testament. The instructions that were given to the children of Israel for their protection is found in Exodus 12:5-13 but I want to just point out what is said concerning what will happen.
We see this in Exodus 12:5-7 Your lamb shall be a male, without blemish, a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
Then also I want to point out Exodus 12:12-13 that says And I will go through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am Yahweh. 13 And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and I will see the blood, and I will pass over you, and there shall be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
It is this promise that God gives that Moses and the children of Israel would have to be protected from the wrath of God. I want to point out that we do not see God giving this opportunity to those in Egypt. This again is another example of God’s sovereign choosing in protecting and saving Israel from His wrath. This is a continual theme throughout the Bible and here again this can’t be refuted. Israel had not been some special people or even done anything to receive this mercy but because of God’s covenant and purpose that is beyond our understanding.
The fulfillment of these promises in seen in Exodus 12:29-32 that says Now it happened at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Then Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have spoken. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have spoken, and go, and bless me also.”
With this we now have seen Moses have faith in God’s protection and promise which lead us to look at our last point.
3.Moses has faith in God’s providence.
Look with me at Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land, and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
God’s providence is seen all throughout the Bible and even today. I know for myself I could tell story after story of how God providentially guided me even before I was saved. One of the best places to see God’s providence is seen in the crossing of the Red Sea. Here God moved the people of Israel out of Egypt just to be chased by the Egyptian army just a little bit after being set free. This brought fear and anxiety from the people but Moses continued to trust God in spite of their slander towards him and God.
They were so fearful that they started questioning why they ever left Egypt. Then we see how Moses responds to this in Exodus 14:13-14 that says But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 Yahweh will fight for you, and you will keep silent.”
This was amazing faith in God in spite of the situation that they were in and the fact that he was being mocked and questioned by the people. I love that God tells Moses in Exodus 14:15-16 “Why are you crying out to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel so that they go forward. 16 As for you, raise up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.
Notice Moses did not tell the people what was going to happen but only to move forward. This must have seemed to be an ignorant command with the Sea roaring in front of them. We know how this story goes, they move along on dry land through the Red Sea, the Egyptians are confused and unable to keep up because of the Lord working in Israel’s favor and then eventually after the children of Israel are safe on the other side, God closes the Sea on the Egyptians and all that went in after them died.
Even though we are looking at the faith of Moses in this study we see the faith of Israel here. They were afraid and then went into the parted Sea to escape the Egyptians. Here is God’s providence to keep His covenant that He made with Abraham is in full effect. All of this was not a response by God to what was happening concerning Israel but all of this was in the plan of God from before time as we know it began.
No doubt that even though at times we see Moses’ fear, reluctance and disobedience to God’s commands that we still see his faith in God through the most difficult situation in his life. There is so much more that we could talk about concerning Moses but for this study we will leave it right here where the writer of Hebrews left it as well. In our next study we will look at the story of the walls of Jericho coming down and the faith of those that led that great victory. Along with that we will look at Rahab that God providentially saved through that victory.
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