Hebrews 11:23-29 Part 2 Bible Teaching

Hebrews 11.29 part II
September 14th 2014

Welcome to our afternoon verse by verse gathering which is known as Meat.

At CAMPUS we promote gathering, prayer, singing the word of God set to music, some silent time for reflective worship, and then getting into the Word verse by verse.

We do a morning gathering called Milk and then this afternoons.

For reasons far too numerous to present we believe in subjective Christianity, which simply means we believe it’s important to do our best to teach the word contextually and as thoroughly as it is reasonable, and then to allow all people, of any race, gender, lifestyle or religion choose whether to receive and believe what has been taught . . . or not.

PRAYER
SING
SILENCE
THEN VERSE BY VERSE

Okay, last week we spent some time hearing a thumbnail sketch of the Life of Moses – and we paid particular attention to the faith exhibited by his parents – particularly his mother Jochebed in her civil disobedience toward the Pharaoh’s orders to toss all newborn males into the Nile River.

So let’s take the rest of the verses that speak of Moses actual faith and discuss them. (beginning at verse 24)

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Okay back to verse 24

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

After forty years of grooming under Egyptian hands it appears that Moses had a sound confidence that God had called him to be the leader of his people.

Now, we have to ask ourselves, “At what point did Moses know He was called of God?”

We could suggest that way back when his mother say that he was a handsome child that she, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, whispered to him that He was called. This is certainly possible – but it’s also conjecture.

We know from the account in Exodus that he had it “on his heart” to go out and observe his brethren.

So maybe this was the call? Shortly thereafter we also know that he killed an Egyptian. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, this was not murder because from their history he killed the man for raping an Israelite woman.

This is Jewish tradition and information not found in scripture.

But let’s suppose that Moses knew in his heart at the time that he went out to observe his brethren that God had called him – we are left with some fascinating facts:

First, it appears that Moses somehow believed that he was going to liberate the Nation of Israel through the arm of his flesh – beginning with a murder.

Of course he subsequently fled from the wrath of Pharaoh (and an imposed death sentence) and remained absent for forty years thereafter so if he was under this impression (that the arm of his flesh would do the liberating) we see the Lord had other plans – and took His time getting Moses flesh to take a back seat to the Spirit.

No matter what we say it was the killing that got Moses to exit Egypt and we then know that a full forty years passed with Moses working as a shepherd (a fitting occupation for a man who is going to lead millions through the desert) before the Lord was going to actually put Him to work.

(beat)

Of late we have had some people leave CAMPUS due to personal frustration. It’s okay – love them – as we are all free in Him to pursue the course God has for us.

But in one specific case the person left because he could not figure out how to understand (or perceive) God’s call on our lives, and then what it looks like to walk by faith.

All of these stories illustrate for us how God seems to work. But note, in the case of Moses, while it was put on his heart to go out and look upon his brethren, how stinking long God prepared Him to actually put His hand to the plow.

I realize we have touched on this a couple of times in the recent past but the longer I live the more I can readily see that when it comes to God working on individuals, He takes His time.

So first, our job is to recognize the call, or vocaire God has on our lives. This comes by examining our desires, our heart, our ambitions, and sometimes what we are naturally gifted with by Him.

I would suggest that once we discover our God given propensities, and clearly understand the contents of our hearts, that we then (it’s the best way I can explain this) then we begin to let Him lead.

We watch doors open and close and we react accordingly.

We take advantage of opportunities that are given, all the while keeping our head in the clouds (in the pursuit of an eternal view of things) and our feet on the ground (by taking care of the material elements around us like relationships, home, religious duties, family.

All the while God will be leading and working – and our job is to trust this completely.

Along the way we exercise our propensities, and apply them to situations that help mirror the ultimate goal.

Moses shepherded out in the wilderness for forty years for goodness sakes before shepherding people another forty.

David did the same, and fought lions and bears before fighting Goliath and the enemies of his kingdom.

Many of the apostles were fishers of fish before they became fishers of men.

Back in the early 1970’s my mother called a grocery store called Alpha Beta quite upset with the quality of a roast she purchased.

I remember two men dressed in grocery store garb (which included ties in those days) coming to the house with another roast, hearing her complaints, and then helping her forgive the chain for failing to provide her with the best groceries.

Years later one of the men, in the later years of his life took those skills gained through face to face interaction with troubled people and lead a generation of hippies to the Lord. His name, Chuck Smith.

The point is the Lord is preparing the faithful and He takes his time doing it.

Moses, believing that God was able to deliver his brethren and trusting Him so much that he was willing to forego the splendid prospects which opened before him in Egypt, or, as the writer says:

BY FAITH he refused to “be called the Son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”

This is a heavy line because it intimates that Moses turned from all the blessings of this life for the honor and blessing of serving the living God.

I am personally overwhelmed by people of such faith – you know, we’ve met them, they are NOT AT ALL of this world, and the fearlessly pursue the things of God excluding the things of this world.

I am not such a man. I have things in this world I love – music, film, art – I like a moth to a flame I am drawn to them.

But those totally committed souls just blow me away – especially when they turn from things of this world for an exclusive relationship with God.

I can’t help but think of Kirk Cameron when I say this. He could have pursued Egypt as he was a son of Pharaoh’s daughter – but he turned from it and serves Him instead.

It’s impressive.

But far more impressive is the story of Moses, who, according to verse 25 did not just walk from Egypt but . . . (verse 25).

25 Choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

So not only did Moses turn from luxury and fame He turned to problems and affliction.

Psalms 84:10 adds to this attitude, saying:

“For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

I tend to think most of us have limits to our devotions to God – no matter how devout we think ourselves to be.

Some would never sell him short for any material benefit, but maybe they would for the love of another person? We see this when men listen to and follow women more than God, or choose the opinion of Man and our culture over Him.

Some of us would serve God every day of their lives . . . unless the opportunity of a lifetime came their way in a given occupation, or for some, education, or ability to work in an art form, or to acquire a large enough house, or a big enough bank account.

Through a little self-reflection we can all almost predict what might possibly remove us from our first love, and to stay in Egypt.

I want to know what my weakness is – and I want to beat into submission through the Spirit.

Scary as it is to say this, I want it to be presented to me on a platter, and I want the opportunity, while I am alive, to decide, to choose the offer, to choose Egypt . . . or the Lord.

The irony of such a challenge is most believers come to a point where the big offers carry little weight.

Sure, they can be enticing for a minute, but in the end most tenured believers would trade most of the big draws for the Lord – “whether they be gold, glory, or girls” (a little line we learned in school about the three things that bring most pastors down.)

Doesn’t mean they aren’t enticing in their allure.

A number of years ago we had a man call the television station and tell us that he wanted the ministry to be the heir to his will, and he asked if I would be willing to come and meet him.

So I pull up to his place and it is the end unit of a dilapidated apartment complex.

I’m greeted by the fellow who was a huge fan of the show. Excitedly he tells me to come inside and I am really fearful of getting lice or rabies or something but am trying to be kind so I go in with him.

We are talking total and complete hoarder – one of the worst I have ever seen and I’ve seen a lot while on a mission for the Mormon church in Pennsylvania.

Floor to ceiling there were stacks of either papers, corrugated boxes, or nutritional suppliments – by the boxload.

Dehydrated squid beek kind of stuff. The place smelled awful.

So the guys says that there is some valuable stuff scattered around through the mess, and he proceeds to take me through the house – kitchen first.

He had a nice juicer we would get – with the juices of varied food products still in, on and around it.

He had three or four unopened boxes containing unused appliances like Larry Holmes grills and the like.

And I’m really getting itchy. Then he takes me into the back bedroom and opens the door. Stacks of wood crates cover the floor but all of them have papers and boxes on top of them.

The man clears them away and lifts the lid on the crates and inside are . . . guns.
Collectible guns of every kind imaginable. At least ten full length boxes full of guns.

Casually (and kind of confusedly) the guy says:

“I,I, I, I would say, yeah, I would say that there is probably, two hundred to two hundred and fifty . . . THOUSAND dollars worth of guys here.”

Suddenly, I am a different man inside. I mean I’m trying to think of how to liquidate guns, and where to put em, and on and on – all the while smiling like Jesus and appearing as longsuffering and helpful as possible.

I would draw the story out but honestly, when everything was said and done, the man had – buried under all that crap – about 3 quarters of a million dollars in guns, gold and silver coins, bearer municipal bonds and investment services accounts.

Three days later I picked him up and took him to an attorney’s office who wrote up his last will and testament and assigned all of it to Alathea ministries.

The guy then left on a two month trip (via broken down vehicle) across country and didn’t think he would make it back alive.

I’m ashamed to admit what when through my mind while he was gone. I considered breaking into his place and taking all of the stuff . . . just for safe keeping, I thought. I mean, horrible, selfish actions passed through my mind.

And I finally got to the point where I had, in my mind, to decide – do I love God or what these things offer me more.

Literally. And by His grace I chose Him. And all the machinations and deviousness left me – and I saw the man and his possessions in their correct light.

(beat)

I would love to tell you that Alathea continues to be the heir of his estate. But after nearly two years, something happened.

The man called me. He had been getting visits from the LDS sister missionaries and being old sort of fell for one of the cuter ones (a Russian) who worked at temple square.

He asked me if I would go with him to temple square to sit down with them and share the truth – because he was really concerned for their salvation.

I had never been to temple square prior (nor since) but I went partly for him and his request and partly to keep him happy (which sort of bothered me at the time that this played into my motives).

Anyway we sit down and here’s this eighty year old a googlie-eyed over this twenty two year old who is playing him like a violin.

Not appreciating the charade things got hot pretty quick and before you know it there are eight LDS missionaries all surrounding us, and they are not being honest.

So I call them out. And old man horder starts getting all troubled that his little Babushka’s feelings are getting hurt.

I could tell that our benefactor was won over by the pitch . . . and that he really didn’t want the missionaries challenged.

Realizing this, I got up to leave, and an older missionary man, placed his hands on my shoulders and said, “Heeey, my brother, we’re all children of our heavenly father. Your friend is here to learn more about Him . . . let’s just talk about the truth.”

At this, and looking into the face of our benevolent contributor, I knew that if I was to retain my favor I had to control my behavior.

I gently put my hand on top of the kindly old senior missionaries and removing it, said, in the kindest tones I could muster:

“Bite the wall.” And wisely or foolishly walked away from three quarters of a mil (as the old man called the next day to inform me).

Moses seems to have been impervious to such things of the flesh, and as the writer says,

25 Choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

In my LDS days, especially when I was younger, I was enamored with famous or accomplished people. And I had my favorites.

Time in the word and expose to life, and to salt of the earth people, and the love of my family, and the presence of the Holy Spirit has taken me from this personal Egypt, and actually caused me to sort of feel sad for them and of what their lives truly consist.

While doing the show on local TV and traveling up to Salt Lake every week I worked in a guard shack in between Newport and Laguna Beaches.

It was there I would prepare the shows, wrote Born Again Mormon, and did school work assigned by the school of Ministry.

Over the years I met several people famous people who would come to the beach there – Clint Eastwood, Leann Rhimes, and Diane Keeton.

Diane Keeton inadvertently took a book I was reading with her in her car and then backed up to return it.

She looked at the title – A history of the Church – and said, “huh?”

I felt bad for Diane Keeton – that she had no passion for the History of the Church, or the King (from what I could tell).

At this point in my life I say her (and the others) differently than I saw my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

I saw them as wanting, lost, and in great need of the King.

Moses, instead of hobnobbing with Egypts high and mighty chose, as we pointed out last week, to make “his people,” the Israelites – oppressed and down- trodden as they were – His own.

What a picture of Christ who did the very same thing, eh?

I mean what both Moses (and Jesus after Him) did was they willingly chose to save a nation of slaves, leading them out of miserable captivity of indentured servitude, and into the promised land.

In both cases the poor, the crushed, the despised – not the powerful and the mighty.

Submitting himself to their lifestyle and travails in the wilderness, just as Christ submitted Himself to the same to emancipate us!

The writer of Hebrews says that by faith Moses chose this, not because he was driven away due to the killing but forty years after it returned because God called to Him, He listened, and in faith moved forward to do God’s will.

“Rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

We could supposed that as an accepted Egyptian in the kings court Moses embraced a lifestyle of sin (which would have certainly been plentiful in that day and age). But we might also be wrong.

It could be the writer is just generally referring to the life of an Egyptian ruler as one of “sin” due to the surrounding avarice AND the lack of the true and living God in their lives.

In verse 26 we learn of the attitude Moses had as the writer says:

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

The first thing to note about this passage is the writers use of the term Christ.

At first glance, especially if you have been LDS, we might think that Moses knew of Jesus Christ personally (meaning in his spirit) and the writer is literally saying that Moses, during His life, believed that suffering for Jesus Christ was of greater value than all the treasures in Egypt.

In a way the writer could mean this but not in the way the LDS would suggest.

We know that Moses prophesied of the coming Messiah. The prophesy is found in Deuteronomy 18:15, which says:

“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”

Even though the word for prophet is nawbee in Hebrew (meaning inspired one) and not “MAYSHEE AK” which means Messiah, the Jews take Deuteronomy 18:15 as a prophetic utterance and promise of someone more than just a prophet but a literal messiah.

So in this sense the writer could be saying that Moses esteemed the reproaches he would take because he trusted that a promised Messiah would be sent of far more value than all the treasures in Egypt.

Some believe that the writer was suggesting that Moses esteemed or believed the reproaches that he suffered were like the reproaches Christ suffered, and Moses bore them because he believed the rewards or wealth from God was of far more value than all the material treasures in Egypt.

Either way, Moses, by faith, walked by faith, suffered for it, and what seemed to move him was his love for his brethren, because he was called or elected by God, and because he trusted God’s promises to do what he said he would do.

Then we get a fumbly line (at least in the King James) which says:

“For he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”

What do dis mean?

It means he fixed his eyes and believed in a coming reward.

There was certainly no earthly remuneration for Moses and His efforts.

And in yet another example of faith the old boy trusted, believed that recompense (reward) was coming from God hereafter.

I am going to share a view I maintain and it is one that is not fun to think about or accept. Could be wrong, but if I really did think I was wrong I wouldn’t share it with you, would I?

In the sermon on the mount, chapter six of Matthew, Jesus has been speaking says beginning at verse 1:
1“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Jumping down to verse 16 of the same chapter we read Jesus repeating the same line one more time, saying:

6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

So, in these short passages Jesus emphatically says (prefacing it with a Verily) that when we give alms, when we pray, or when we fast to be really secret about it – private – because if we do it to be seen of men, “we have our reward” which would be the praise of men, the fact that men have witnessed us doing what we have done and heap glory upon us, you know.

Now, I can’t help but believe the no matter what we do in this life we can break the results down into three broad categories in terms of rewards:

We receive them here,
We receive them later (in heaven or there) or
We receive them here and there.

Instead of trying to provide a laundry list to fill each category I think we can generally say that whatever we do – in whatever arena of life – God knows the exact motivation, and we will receive the rewards for the virtuous act here, there or possibly in both places.

And this is ESPECIALLY true of things we do to be seen of men.

Just a thought. (verse 27)

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

We’ve already covered his leaving Egypt but what about this line that says:

“As seeing him who is invisible?”

As if he saw God.

Now, last week Kari asked about the scripture saying that Moses saw God or spoke with Him face to face.

There are a number of words for seeing used in the Greek. One is blepo, and it means see in the literal physical sense – like you are seeing me and I am seeing you.

Another general word is HORAO, and it means to perceive the presence absent physical validation.

We would use HORAO when we say to someone, “I see what you mean.” We don’t actually see what a person means but we understand or perceive what they mean, right?

So when the writer of Hebrews says:

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Is the Greek word blepo (physically seeing or Horao (as in understanding?)

That’s right you sharpies, its HORAO.

But through his perceptions Moses had no more doubt that God had called him to this work, and that he would sustain him, than if he saw him with his bodily eyes.

In this description we find a really fine illustration of what it means to walk by faith.

Verse 28

Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

It seems that instead of this meaning that Moses kept the Passover rite or ritual it appears, through some rigorous understanding of the Greek that the writer best means that he “INSTITUTED the Passover by faith, got it rolling in the first place, and the sprinkling of blood that came in association with it BELIEVING, TRUSTING that God would, in fact, kill all the first-born of Egypt if he didn’t.

Of course the sprinkling of blood refers to act of taking animal blood and placing it on the doorposts and lentils of every believing Jew so that the angel of death would pass them by, another tremendous picture of Christ, his blood, and the angel of death passing over all who claim it.

Again, all these things were done by faith on Moses behalf.

Interestingly, our last verse, where I initially assigned it to speaking of Moses specifically doesn’t – it now speaks of the children of Israel as a whole, saying:

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

We now see that the leadership, and certainly the miracles Moses performed, had an influence on the nation of Israel because here the writer says it was by faith that they passed through the Red sea as if on dry land.

I don’t suppose this means every single soul was believing in this miracle, but generally speaking it was by faith that they entered onto the dead sea floor and crossed as a whole.

The writer cross references the faith of those who entered the dry dead sea floor by faith with those who didn’t – the Egyptians who pursued them.

Their lot?

The same lot for all who try to exit bondage and to pursue after the living God without faith . . .

They perish. In this case, drown.

And there ends our coverage of Moses as discussed here in Hebrews 11.

Q and A?