Persevere by standing firm by faith
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:23-27
In his record of the Old Testament characters of faith in Chapter 11, the author of Hebrews moved from the patriarchs to the great lawgiver, Moses. The faith of Moses, however, was preceded by that of his parents, Amram and Jochebed. Though godly parents cannot pass on their faith as they do family traits, they can certainly create an atmosphere of faith at home and be examples to their children. It is in the home a child learns about faith. Moses’ parents perhaps realizing that God had destined their son to lead His people, defied the decree of Pharaoh that all newborn male Israelite children be put to death, and hid him for three months (see Exodus 2:1, 2). Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses where his mother had hidden him and reared him as her son in the royal household. Yet, later on Moses renounced the Egyptian court, with all of its position, advantage, comfort, and promise for the future. He identified himself with his despised and oppressed Israelite brothers rather than enjoy the temporary pleasures of what had become to him a dishonorable position of privilege and prestige among their oppressors (see Exodus 2:3–15). He affirmed that “disgrace for the sake of Christ” was more valuable to him than the wealth of Egypt (Hebrews 11:26). Moses looked in faith beyond the seen to the unseen, beyond the present to the future, to a greater reward than Egypt could offer. Here we have a great lesson in faith for any child of God who weighs present earthly pleasure against future reward in the face of God’s commands and the requirements of His kingdom. He was able to persevere because of his faith that helped him focused to look ahead to God. He persevered despite the stubbornness of the Israelites who grumbled, blamed, complained, and rebelled when they were in the wilderness. He persevered, despite the criticism of Miriam and Aaron, his own sister and brother (see Numbers 12). We might think that we are strong enough pressing on with a full tank of resolve. But even then we might find ourselves getting shaky and beginning to listen too closely to our critics or seeking approval too much from others. Moses persevered even in his old age by focusing his attention on "Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). His heart and soul were focused on the One who, alone, judges righteously. He continually reminded himself that his sole purpose in life was to please the Lord, obey Him, glorify Him and to gain His approval at all cost. It is our faith in God that will help us persevere that will bring about victories in life.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
