Hebrews

By Faith Moses

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Conversations, Panels, and Sermons

Lesson: 28-33

Genre: Lecture

Track: 28

Dictation Name: RR198P28

Location/Venue:

Year:

Let us worship God. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon. Let us pray.

Our Father, we come into Thy presence rejoicing in Thy mercies and Thy providential care, and Thy daily provision for us. Make us ever grateful, give us joyful hearts, that in everything we may give thanks, knowing that in everything Thy hand is present, for our good and for our ultimate blessing. We give thanks this day for the privilege of salvation, for the majesty of Thy word and of thy kingdom and for the certainty of Thy calling. Use us, bless us, prosper us in Thy service in Christ’s name, Amen.

Our Scripture is Hebrews 11:20-29. And our Subject: By Faith Moses. Hebrews 11:20-29… 23, I should say. 23-29.

“23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

 24By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

 27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

 28Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

 29By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.”

Earlier in verse 20 we are told by Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Now our reaction on reading the Genesis 27 account is to focus on Isaacs false hope concerning Esau. Hebrews on the other hand places the emphasis on Isaac’s faith in that realm whose builder and maker is God. Where men walk by sight they have short term vision, but to walk by faith means that we move in terms of all time and eternity. This Hebrews never allows us to forget.

Jacob also is singled out for his faith and for having blessed Joseph’s two sons. They were thus exalted to the position lost by Reuben the first born. This is a curious fact because Judah is actually the one who replaces Reuben. Jacob blessed Ephraim, the youngest of Josephs two sons. Why were Josephs sons blessed? What was their relationship to the city of God? Humanly speaking, Joseph’s two sons as half Egyptians, and born in a powerful family were born rich. They needed no additional blessing, surely. But Jacob by his blessing included them in God’s promise. Their future was not to be in Egypt, but in Israel.

Then Joseph in dying looked also to God’s promised realm, and he therefore instructed his family to carry his body in due time back to the Promised Land. But the focus of this chapter is on Moses. In verses 23-29 Moses is the soul concern. At age 3 months he was hidden by his parents in faith, discovered, adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, but on coming of age identified himself with the Hebrews rather than with Pharaoh’s family. His choice was affliction as against the pleasures of sin. He did this we are told, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

In other words, far back in the Old Testament they looked for the Messiah who had been promised, as far back as the time of Adam and Eve. Very literally this means that any and all present contempt Moses may have endured meant less to him than the very great reward, however distant and remote, down ages beyond him, that would be his from the Messiah. We are plainly told that not only was the coming great kingdom of God very real to Moses, but so also was its king.

This was logical. All kingdoms have kings, and from the early day’s Gods realm had for the believers its coming king. To assume otherwise is to assume an illogical and unwarranted stupidity on the part of Moses and others. The law then given to Moses, was the law of the king, the king who reigned in heaven and was to come. The reward from this king of all kings made any other recompense trivial.

Moses by this faith was moved to forsake Egypt; not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Not a vague faith but a very specific one moved Moses. Because modern faith is often vague and fuzzy, we must not assume that Moses faith was similar. Hebrews tells us that it was specific and firm. How specific this faith was verse 28 tells us. The death of all firstborn in Egypt was decreed by God. Israel could only avoid this judgement by recourse to the Passover blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Having seen the other nine plagues, Israel obeyed God at this point and saved its firstborn. Faith requires specific action. To limit faith to an easily held belief is a serious error. The Hebrews here had occasion to know the power of God against Egypt, and potentially against them. Israel complied in God’s requirement as set forth by Moses, was obeyed. But we are told that it was Moses that through faith kept the Passover, not Israel. They obeyed, but it was Moses who by faith kept the Passover. The firstborn of Egypt died, but not of Israel.

In verse 29 we are told “By Faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.” For Moses the parting of the Red Sea was the act of God for Israel, therefore they could pass safely to the other shore. For the Egyptians it was a freakish natural even that they could take advantage of, and as a result they were drowned. Natural events are not so selective.

In the wilderness Israel whined and complained about both God and Moses, none of this is mentioned by Hebrews, because its emphasis is what God’s supernatural faith accomplished, accomplished for people through one man and his submission to the Almighty. It was not Moses faith or work that did it, but the Lords doing. But Moses was Gods instrument.

In Numbers 12:3 we read that the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth. Moses did not seem to be meek to his contemporaries, nor was he. His meekness was towards God, whom he served faithfully and well. It takes a strange arrogance for men to find fault with Moses. 5 times in 6 verse we read: “By Faith Moses,” Or “By Faith he, Moses”.

This strong emphasis on Moses as a man of faith is telling, by faith Abraham appears twice. Abraham held fast to the faith and he is called the father of the faithful, he was cirtually alone. Moses demonstrated his faith in the face of Egypt an ungodly empire, and against Egypt a rebellious people. One man against millions. Like Enoch before him Moses walked with God, and Michael the Archangel had a part in his burial.

Exodus 33 and Numbers 12:7-8 tells us that Moses was closer to God than any other prophet and unique in his revelation of God to the people. He accomplished more in his lifetime than any other Old Testament saint. And it was Moses and Elijah who appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. God gave His law through Moses, and of Moses was also the first of the prophets.

Hebrews 11 tells us of men of faith who lived and died. The epitaph in Westminster Abbey for the Wesley brothers is a fitting one: “God buries His workmen, and carries on His work.” Hebrews 11 gives us a list of men who worked and died in the faith as an encouragement to us. We have no right to be discouraged, and we have been blessed by their labors.

We should so live and work that others who follow us will be richer for our efforts. Let us pray.

Our Father, we give thanks unto Thee that by faith men of old stood against great and monstrous evils, against empires, and triumphed in Thee. Teach us that as we face our Pharaoh’s and our rebellious people’s, we stand fast in the faith and become more than conquerors through Christ. Thou hast called us to victory, teach us to stand fast. In Christ’s name, amen.

Are there any questions now about our lesson?

[Audience Member] It a little off the subject, but regarding Moses, what do you make of his pleading with God because of his speech impediment?

[Rushdoony] He pleaded with God regarding his speech impediment, yes. When he first went back to Egypt apparently the experiences he had had of disillusionment both with Egypt and with Israel, and his flight into the desert, had left him stammering. I’ve seen this, I’ve seen it in persons who have been viciously treated who without any cause have been made the target of unspeakable acts in order to destroy them and in order to take over what they had or to drive them out of a position, were really shattered and for some time thereafter had a marked tendency to stutter, to stammer. And this apparently had happened to Moses. Apparently after the encounters with Pharaoh and as he led the people into the wilderness he had overcome this, but when we meet him in the desert He is a man who has been deeply hurt, and cannot speak too clearly.

If he is speaking to a large group.

[Audience Member] It didn’t show a lack of faith on his part?

[Rushdoony] No, he was ready to go. He did not want to embarrass the cause by his inability to speak well. We have to realize that the events in Moses life, the shattering events of the flight that led him into the wilderness in the first place, his marriage to the daughter of a very Godly man, but not a very good woman, also took their toll. It left Moses a very much unhappy man and a lonely man, and then when he married the second time after his wife’s death, to have his sister and brother turn on him must have enhanced his loneliness. Moses did not have an easy life.

Are there any other questions or comments? If not, let us conclude with prayer.

Our Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast given us such great examples of faith, and hast made clear that that which Thou hast done in saints of old, Thou art able to do still. Use us oh Lord, make us faithful to our calling, bold by Thy grace, and more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, amen.