יּקנרק'ד

Hebrews Chapter 11  Verses 24-29 

: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 recompense 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.”

“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 recompense of the reward.”  There were two very significant changes in the life of Moses.  One took place when he was forty years old and he slew the Egyptian and fled from the wrath of Pharaoh.  The other was when he was 80 years old and God appeared unto him and told him to go to Pharaoh and be a vessel to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage.  In the above passage it is not perfectly clear if this was his departing from Egypt at 40 or at 80.  I suspect it was when he was 40 years old as that was the time that he went out to see how his brethren fared and he took the cause of the Israelite who was being beaten by an Egyptian.  When he slew the Egyptian he effectively chose to no longer be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and to suffer affliction with the people of God.   

One lesson we are taught about faith in the above example is that through faith we are often called upon to make difficult and life changing decisions.  If Moses had not done what he did, he could have had great riches in Pharoah’s kingdom and great esteem and great adulation as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  However, Moses chose to give all that up so that he would be associated with the people of God.  It is important that we remember that he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of  them that diligently seek him.   

Another lesson in the above is that there are two types of treasures.   There is worldly treasures and worldly honors and worldly positions that can be sought after in the world.  However, there is a greater treasure and that is a spiritual treasure.  Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ, which is a great spiritual treasure to be greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.  Today, we are called upon to seek by faith the greater riches of spiritual treasures and to forsake the treasures of the world.   

“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.”  Indications are that this phase of Moses life began when he was about 80 years of age.  It was at the backside of the desert that the LORD appeared unto Moses in a bush that burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed.  In this manner, Moses saw him who is invisible.  Up until this time Moses had kept his father-in-laws flocks.  Now the LORD had a greater task for him: A task that could only be performed by faith.  Moses was to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Lord’s people go.  Moses was to go the greatest king on the face of the earth at that time and demand him that he let the children of Israel go.  This was done by faith in that God had promised that by and by Pharaoh would let them go.  Moreover, it was the reason that Moses did not fear the wrath of the king.  When we go in faith by the direction of the Lord, then who can successfully stand against us?  We have the LORD on our side.   

One lesson we are taught about faith in the above is that when we go by the direction of the LORD trusting his promises, he is on our side and will deliver us.  

“Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.”  There are several points we can make about the Passover that the children of Israel observed at that time: 

1.  The blood of the lamb was only given to the children of Israel.  It was not provided to the Egyptians. 

2.  The blood of the lamb pointed us to a greater Passover which is Jesus Christ who died to redeem us from our sins and thus we escape the wrathful judgment of God that we deserved because of our sins. 

3.  The observation of the Passover by the children of Israel was a timely deliverance that pointed to an eternal deliverance.  If any of the families of the children of Israel had failed to observe the Passover, then the firstborn of that house would have died, just as the firstborn of the houses of the Egyptians died. 

4.  The observing of the Passover by the children of Israel was by faith.  They had the promise of God that they would be passed over if they kept the Passover in the fashion the LORD commanded them to keep it.  They were trusting the LORD to keep his promise, which of course he did. 

“By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.” The parting of the Red sea was done by God for the benefit of the children of Israel.  They trusted that the wind and the congealing of the waters on either side were performed by the miraculous power of God for their benefit.  The Egyptians had no such promises and when they assayed to pass through the sea, the waters returned and drowned Pharaoh and his mighty host.   

Verses 30-35   

:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. 32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:”

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”  The walls of Jericho fell down because of the power and wisdom of God.  The children of Israel compassed about the walls according to the commandment of God.  Their faith was that God would perform his promise and, of course, the Lord did according to his promise.   

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”  By faith Rahab believed the report of the power of Israel’s God and believed that Jericho was marked for destruction.  She hid the spies who were come to spy out the land.  In doing so she hazarded her own life.  Her request of the spies was that she and those with her in the house be spared from the destruction of Jericho.  She was rewarded for her faithfulness in trusting in the God of Israel. 

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”  In this statement Paul is showing the faithfulness of God’s servants in summary form and the resulting greatness of God’s deliverance in response to the faithfulness of his servants.  The many examples of the faithfulness of God’s children set forth for us in the scriptures should be a source to strengthen our resolve to walk by faith and not by sight and to trust in the living God. 

“Women received their dead raised to life again:”  In this example, the prophets, Elijah and Elisha had both been blessed to go to the dead sons of a woman and raise their body back to life again.  This illustrates the faith of the prophet who was following the instruction of the Lord and the resulting inheritors of that blessing. 

“And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:” Not all that walk by faith are spared from natural sufferings, afflictions, and death.  Those who are cruelly persecuted and tortured and do not accept deliverance by denying the Lord are blessed to have a better resurrection from their circumstance than they would experience by denying the Lord.   

Verses 36-40  

:36 “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” 

Sometimes we get the mistaken idea that if we walk by faith that nothing bad will ever happen to us.  Sometimes people will think that if something bad happens it is a result of not walking by faith.  However, the above passage clearly shows that walking by faith does not exclude us from cruel persecutions, torments, trials, afflictions or destitution.  The persons in the above examples showed to us a willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ and his word.  Even in the New Testament we see examples of people suffering on account of their faith: Stephen was stoned to death and James was put to death by Herod and Paul spoke of his sufferings: 2 Cor. 11:24 “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”  However, whatever we may suffer in this life is nothing to be compared to what our Savior suffered for us on the cross.   

When we walk by faith we should have a willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ: 2 Tim 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”   

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”  The Old Testament witnesses of faith were looking for the coming of a better day, a better king, and a better kingdom that was frequently prophesied of in the Old Testament.  We who live on this side of the cross have possession of that better day and better kingdom that was prophesied and is headed by the King Jesus Christ.  In this we have received the promises made in the Old Testament.