The Bible is full of examples of individuals that reaped a reward for their stance and walk of faith. Their stories are not intended to mock us, but rather to motivate us to live in such a way that our lives attract the favor of God. Of course our worth in God’s eyes is not dependent on our merits, but what we do in faith does not go without His notice and reward.
Throughout this series we’ve gleaned from the lives of those the author of Hebrews identifies as having lived exemplary lives marked by radical faith. Their lives preach. These men and women are commended to us as examples of what it means to live by faith and not sight in the midst of the contradictions and challenges of contemporary life. Today we turn our attention to Moses.
Read Hebrews 11.23–28.
Moses accomplished a lot in his lifetime. It could even be argued that Moses was the preeminent Old Testament figure. As we examine his life it is easy to conclude that he was a man of faith. He definitely trusted God. He was used by God to cause the ten plagues, part the Red Sea, cause manna to fall from the sky, cause water to spring from a rock and to present the ten commandments and civil laws. Hebrews also tells us that in faith Moses rejected identity as Pharaoh’s daughter, identified with God’s people, chose to be disgraced, stood up to the king of Egypt and prevented the death of the firstborn of Israel. (Read Exodus for the full story.)
Question: What did Moses give up to follow God’s plan? How could his life have been different if he made different choices? What was the result of his faith?
These things that Moses did were done in faith with corresponding rewards and results. In some cases the reward was material and immediate. In every case, however, there was an immaterial reward. In every instance Moses reaped the reward of a deeper assurance of the Father’s presence. The grip of the world increasingly gave way to the grip God had on his life. At one point Moses boldly declared that while the promised land was a welcome reward he would not move one more step in its direction if God’s presence did not go with him (Exodus 33.15).
How did Moses arrive at this place? His constitution had changed and his character had changed. His faith—his confidence in God—had become the truest thing about him. Essentially Moses became a man of faith and did things expected of such a person. There are two main principles that were true of his life and are also true of ours.
1. Our fate is often tied to another’s faith.
Hebrews 11.23 talks about the faith of Moses’ parents to hide him after he was born. His life was spared because of the faith of his parents. For Christians, our lives have been radically changed by a personal decision to follow Christ. This courageous decision, while uniquely personal, is not without the influence of others. Those who pray for us, give to us, counsel us and receive our confession are all component parts of our actual decision to follow Him. We didn’t do all of it alone and neither will others.
If we’re honest, we’d agree that our lives have a direct correlation to a praying mom, a praying church, a conversation with a youth pastor, or something similar. If that was true for us it will also be true of others. The scripture is clear that in faith Moses’ parents hid him. In so doing they preserved his life. How would history have been different if they had not? Real faith is never all God or all us, it’s both. Others may not step into their destiny and journey of faith if we don’t in faith minister to them.
Question: Who else is part of your faith journey? Who has impacted your spiritual walk? Can you identify people you have impacted in turn? How can you be more intentional about helping others move toward faith in Christ?
2. God’s presence changes our perspective.
Christianity is not idealism. Jesus is not simply a sophisticated concept, a historical figure or a cool buddy. Jesus is reality. He is life! We know this only to the degree that we encounter Him. Encountering Jesus helps us to make sense of life and created reality. Encountering Him brings us into alignment with His intentions for man and the universe as a whole. It predisposes us to being compassionate and unbiased in ways the logic alone can not. Encountering God empowers us and enables us to navigate life in a way that will cause others to say of us what was said about Moses and others in Hebrews 11: you are a person of faith. The results and outcomes of our lives will prove this statement to be true.
Encounters with God are not always to be had in the isolated moments facilitated by church leaders. Instead they are determined by God based on His self-revelation to us. These moments often happen in the dailiness of life. The challenge for us, therefore, is to slow down and behold the beauty of His majesty in the monotony of life.
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