Hebrews - The Faith of Moses

By any standard of measurement, Moses was a great man. He was a great liberator, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. A great legislator, as he gave God's law to the people to govern their lives. A great leader, who brought them to the edge of the Promised Land, turned them over to Joshua, who then led them in to conquer the land. And Moses was a great man.

He was a great man because he laid hold of some great truths. He was a man of faith. And if you and I will do what Moses did, lay hold of the truth of the word of God and act upon it, we too can accomplish His will in our sphere of ministry.

God may not call us to the kind of greatness that Moses achieved—there can only be one Moses—but God can call us to the kind of achievement in our own world, in our own sphere of ministry, our home, our job, our school, wherever we may be. God can use us to accomplish His great purposes.

Moses was certainly a great man of faith. Moses had the vision of faith, Hebrews 11:27: "For he endured as seeing him who is invisible." He also had the values of faith, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. And because he had the vision of faith and the values of faith, he was able to share in the victories of faith.

And some of these victories are recorded here in Hebrews 11:27-29: "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned."

When you believe God's word and when you obey God's word by faith, you too can experience the victories of faith. I notice that these three victories are victories I need today. In Hebrews 11:27, faith keeps us in. Moses had to be in Egypt facing Pharaoh day after day, but he wasn't afraid. Faith keeps us in, gives us victory over fear.

In Hebrews 11:28, faith brings us out and gives us victory over death and bondage and judgment. And then in Hebrews 11:29, faith takes us through. Here's the Red Sea, it opens up, and the nation goes right through. I wonder if you need these victories today?

First of all, by faith, we can stay right where we are and endure. Faith keeps us in. "By faith he forsook Egypt," but before he did that, "not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." Now, 40 years before, Moses had been afraid.

In Exodus 2 we read how Moses attempted in his own way to solve the Egypt-Israeli problem. He saw that his people were under bondage and he did his best to solve the problem by using a sword. He hadn't yet learned that what he needed in his hand was not a sword but a rod—the rod of God, the power of God. And Moses killed a man, and Moses became a fugitive; he became frightened and he ran away because Pharaoh was going to kill him. You see, Moses began his ministry, so to speak, in unbelief.

Exodus 2 tells us that he looked this way and he looked that way. When you start doing that, you know you're in trouble. The only way to look is to look up. Not to look around and see if people are watching. The question is not, "Is it safe?" The question is, "Is it right?" And Moses began in unbelief. He had his plan and his timing and his method.

It somewhat reminds me of the Apostle Peter there in the garden. Peter was going to defend the Lord Jesus Christ when the soldiers came to arrest the Savior. And so Peter pulls out his sword and he attacks a man, and he had the wrong weapon, at the wrong time, for the wrong purpose, with the wrong motive, and everything was wrong. And so it was with Moses. Moses began with unbelief.

By the way, it's a good thing to know that no matter how many mistakes we may make, God can restore us and God can use us.

You see, in Hebrews 11, not one of Moses' mistakes is recorded. We don't read anything about Moses losing his temper and smiting the rock. We read nothing about Moses killing a man. We read nothing here about Moses getting impatient and discouraged and wanting to die. All we read here is that Moses was a man of faith and he did not fear Pharaoh because he was a man of faith.

Faith kept him in. Now it wasn't easy for Moses to minister day after day after day there in the land of Egypt. His life was in jeopardy. There were times when even his own people did not understand him. And yet, it was faith that kept him in.

Now I must confess to you that all of us at times feel like running away. Even the psalmist said that, Psalm 55:6: "Oh that I had wings like a dove that I might fly away and be at rest." We all feel like that at times. If only I could just get away from this office, or get away from this home or neighborhood, or if I could just get away even from the church or my Sunday School class.

Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our ministry that we just get overwhelmed by it and it's easy to want to get away. Sometimes we feel like running away, just turning our back on the whole thing. Jonah did that, didn't he? So did Elijah. Didn't work out quite so well.

Faith and fear cannot live together in the same heart. Jesus said to His disciples, "Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?" If there's little faith, there'll be great fear. If there's much faith, there'll be no fear. Faith kept him in a dangerous, difficult place.

He was not afraid to return to Egypt. He was not afraid to confront Pharaoh. He was not afraid to bring the plagues down upon the land. Where did Moses get this kind of faith? From the word of God. He knew he was obeying the word of God.

When God met Moses out there in that Midianite pasture, when Moses was caring for his father-in-law's flocks, God said to Moses, "Come now, I will send you. You're the one I'm going to send. Moses, you're my man. Don't look back at your past mistakes. Don't look within at your own inadequacy. I made your tongue, I know all about you, and now Moses, I'm going to send you." And Moses, without any fear, returned to Egypt. Without any fear, he confronted Pharaoh.

It's an amazing thing how God took this man who ran away and made him a stalwart, bold, Rock-of-Gibraltar man of faith. Now, where’d this faith come from? The word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17. "He endured," says Hebrews 11:27, "as seeing him who is invisible."

Now how do we endure? Hebrews 12:1-2: "let us run with endurance, patience, the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Just keep your eyes upon the Lord Jesus. If you look at yourself long enough, you'll get discouraged. You look back, you'll be discouraged. Look around at other Christians, you'll be discouraged. But just keep looking up to Jesus.

The first victory of faith: faith keeps us in. It is always too soon to quit. It is always too soon to quit. Just stay right on the job and God will give you victory.

I notice secondly that Moses had faith that not only kept him in, but it brought him out. Faith brings us out. Hebrews 11:28: "Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them." This was the last plague. Yet one plague more will I send upon Egypt, said the Lord, and it was a plague of death. The firstborn were going to die. And it was through faith that the Jewish people were protected and then delivered.

Now, Pharaoh wanted to keep the Jews in Egypt. Egypt, as you know, is a picture of the world. The devil wants to keep us in the world. Moses said, "Now let my people go, we want to offer a sacrifice out in the wilderness." In Exodus 8:25, Pharaoh said, "No, stay in the land." That's compromise, isn't it? Then in Exodus 8:28, Pharaoh said, "Well, don't go too far away." That's where most people like to go—don't go too far away.

Don't get too excited about this business of being a dedicated Christian. Don't become a fanatic. A person can become a fanatic about fishing or bowling or golf or football or baseball or gardening, raising radishes, but don't let them become a fanatic about separation, because there's something wrong with a man like that.

Really? Moses said, "No, we're going to have to cut off from Egypt. We're going to have to go out." And then finally Pharaoh said in Exodus 10:24, "Well, don't all of you go out. Just the men can go out, don't all of you go out." And of course the world wants to get a hold of our children, wants to take that next generation and raise them to be worldlings instead of God's children.

God's plan for His people is complete separation. And the mark of this separation is the blood. The Jewish families were marked by the blood on the door, and what a difference that blood made. The lamb died and the blood of the lamb was applied, and because of faith, they were protected when death came and, because of faith, they were delivered from the land of Egypt. They trusted the word of God. They trusted the blood. They didn't trust their feelings.

I receive letters from listeners who say, "I don't feel like I'm saved." Well, I'm not so sure I know exactly what it means to feel like you're saved. What's it feel like to be married? What's it feel like to be an American or to be British or whatever? We don't go by our feelings, we trust the word of God.

God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you," and that settles it! And I can see a little Jewish family sitting in their home and the little boy says, "Daddy, I'm afraid. How do we know the death angel is not going to come and take the firstborn?" And Father says, "Now don't be afraid, the blood is on the door. It's not your feelings, it's your faith in the word of God that makes the difference. God will keep His promise."

Faith brings us out. Jesus Christ died that He might deliver us from this present evil world, Galatians 1:4. And God wants to continue to work out redemption in our lives. He wants us to be a delivered people, a dynamic people. He doesn't want us to be in bondage to this world. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Faith keeps us in, and faith brings us out, and finally faith takes us through. Hebrews 11:29: "By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land:" Only God can turn a sea into dry land. "Which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned." That's interesting. Pharaoh said, "You drown those Jewish babies," and God said, "All right, you're going to reap what you've sown." And Pharaoh's crack army, his best troops, 600 chariots and soldiers, were drowned in the sea. We reap what we sow.

It's interesting, no sooner had the Jewish nation been delivered from Egypt than they confronted problems. People have the idea that when you trust Jesus as your Savior, you are delivered and that's the end. Oh, no—your enemy is outraged.

Pharaoh said, "We're losing our servants." The devil doesn't like to lose his servants. And God permitted Israel to face impossible circumstances. An army behind them, a wilderness around them, and a sea in front of them.

What do you do now? What do you do now? You go back? Oh, no—that's the theme of Hebrews. Don't go back, don't go back. You rush out in the wilderness impulsively? No, you wait for God to tell you what to do.

When you come to a Red Sea place in your life, you just wait for God to do a miracle. You are there right now. You say, "I'm in an impossible situation." God majors in the impossible. Eugene Clark's marvelous song: "Nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God." And God brought them through.

It's interesting in Exodus 14 to see the different reactions of the people when they face this situation. You know, a crisis doesn't make a person, a crisis shows us what a person's made of. I've watched this in committee meetings, in congregational meetings, in families. A crisis comes along. Exodus 14:10, there were many who were afraid. Oh, they were so afraid.

In Exodus 14:11, they start blaming other people, blaming Moses. I've seen that happen. Trying to find a scapegoat. "Oh, you're the one that did this to us! Oh, it's all because of you!" Blame the pastor, blame the Sunday School teacher.

And then in Exodus 14:12, some of them said, "Let's go back! Oh, let's go back! Why did you bring us out here to be killed by the Egyptians? We could have stayed home." And that again is the theme of Hebrews, isn't it? Let us go on to maturity, let us go on to perfection. Let's not go back into the old life. People respond differently when they face a crisis, don't they?

But God takes us through if we trust Him. Moses the intercessor just stood up and said, "Now look, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." And all that night, God caused a wind to blow and He opened up the sea, and they walked right through the sea. First, Moses said, "Stand still," then Moses said, "Go forward." There's a time to stand still and wait, there's a time to go forward and walk. And walk by faith. And they did! They went right through the sea.

And then when Pharaoh said, "Well, we can do the same thing," God said, "Oh no, you can't. This can only be done by faith. You are not people of faith." And as a consequence, Pharaoh's army was drowned. God took them through and God was glorified. In Exodus, He tells us that His whole purpose for the plagues was that His name might be glorified in Egypt. He said, "I'll let them know that I am God, and I will be glorified in the land of Egypt."

Faith keeps us in. Now if you are—if you are ready to quit, you say, "I'm going to throw in the towel, I'm going to resign," don't do it! Don't look at the visible; it will just discourage you. Look at the invisible. Look at life from God's point of view. Look at it through the word of God. God is on your side, God is with you.

Are you serving where God placed you? Then stay there. Are you doing the work God's called you to do? Then do it. Now, maybe He wants you to step out into some other ministry, I don't know, I want His will for your life. But don't quit. We never leave a place, we always go to a place. Don't quit.

Faith keeps us in and overcomes fear. And faith brings us out—God has His plan and God has His time. And then faith takes us through. And I don't know what circumstance you may be facing now. It may be economic, it may be physical. You might be on your way to the doctor and wondering what the report is going to be. I have news for you: faith will bring you through and God will be glorified, because He tells us this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Now, not faith in faith, not faith in feelings, not faith in past experience, not faith in circumstance—faith in the living God as revealed by the word of God. And may the Lord help each of us to imitate Moses in the values of faith, knowing that as we trust God's word, He will see us through.

Now we're going to see in our next study that this same faith that keeps us in and brings us out and takes us through, also brings us in to share in all the inheritance that God has for us. I recommend to you: walk by faith and not by sight, for this is the victory that overcomes even our faith.