By Faith, Moses

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. – Hebrews 11:24

The faith of Moses’ parents was rewarded by his life being spared and his adoption by the daughter of Pharaoh. We also marvel at Providence, as God designs it so that his own mother can nurse him and care for him until he is weaned and old enough to go be taken care of in Pharaoh’s house. We have to wonder as we study these things how much of an influence his mother was on him even at this young age.

There are many deep lessons to be learned in these next few verses about Moses. Many things we could cover and dig into. But I only want to focus on two things and try not to chase too many rabbits. Let us look at Moses’ faith, and the actions that resulted from his faith.

The first thing I want to note is that when Moses was grown, we move from talking about his parents faith and we see the example of his faith. He believes God. He takes God at His Word. Moses has faith of his own.

We know this as he is mentioned now as having faith and coming of age. Think of this. The only time his mother would have had to teach him about God was while he was young enough to be nursing. So from the time of his birth until the time he is weaned, Jochebed was busy teaching him the truth about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Can you see her, there nursing him, and talking to him, and praying for him. And him there attentive. We often think that children do not understand what we are talking about. We think they cannot understand a sermon or a lesson or even a conversation between adults. However kids are like little sponges. They hear and comprehend more than we think or believe. So much so that a study a few years ago proved that parents should not use “baby talk” when speaking to their children. Why? Because then the kids mimic what they hear and end up talking baby talk themselves and it takes them longer to learn how to communicate their needs and desires effectively. If we speak to them normally and conversationally, they hear, learn, and repeat.

Little children can learn a lot, but remember, the Bible tells us that Moses had faith and his mother would have been the source of what he learned. Faith, after all, as we have learned comes from the Word of God as a gift from His hand. Do we think that the mind of a child is impenetrable when it comes to the power of the Spirit applying the Word of God? We forget, don’t we, that before the Holy Spirit called us to life and gave us faith, we were all dead in sin, incapable of having faith or of even desiring to please God (1 Cor 2:14; Rom 8:6-7).

So if we all are incapable outside of the intervention of the Holy Spirit, then why would age make a difference? Can not the Holy Spirit even regenerate babies in the womb? (Luke 1:15). It is not our age that matters – it is the powerful working of the Spirit.

Parents, do not ever underestimate the effect of the teaching the Word of God to our children. Do not ever think that they are too young to hear the Word of God. Jesus said we have to have faith like a little child to enter heaven. Don’t water the Word down. They will gain from hearing it. Who knows when the Holy Spirit will use the Word we teach to give our children faith.

Secondly, in this verse we see Moses’ faith in action. We see how this faith works by noticing that when he was old enough to make his own decisions, he left Pharaoh’s house. He believed God and rejected life as Pharaoh’s grandson.

This was a huge step for Moses to take. He grew up in the royal household undoubtedly with incredible opportunities for learning and for having his needs met to the point of indulgence. He had made up his mind. Because of his faith, because he knew who and what he was, he identified with his own people and rejected all that Pharaoh’s daughter had to offer for him.

His trust in God was such that he would rather live with the slaves as a slave than sit at Pharaoh’s table. He was more than willing to leave that life behind and reject anything that this world had to offer. He set his mind on the people of God and their plight, and joined with them in their suffering.

How eager are we at times to let go, or to refuse to let go, of this life and all that it supposedly has to offer? How are we when it comes to having faith and living among the people of God as one of them instead of living among the world as one of them? That is a powerful question, isn’t it?

We are told not to love the world or the things in it (1 John 2:15-17), to not be conformed to it (Romans 12:1-2), to be separate from it (2 Corinthians 6:17), and instead to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) and set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1). Moses did this. He counted the cost. He was willing and ready to forsake all that this “worldly” life had to offer in order to humbly serve His God and his people. Are there things in your life that we need to forsake and reject today?

(Next: Faith and Suffering Affliction)