Walking in Faith Series - Moses - From Luxury to Purpose

Listen to the Full Audio Version Here  

Hebrews 11 describes a hall of fame for people throughout the Bible that had extraordinary faith in God. 

This is the 6th devotional of a series I've entitled "Walking in Faith" that will take a deep dive look into each of the people who earned a place in the hall of fame described in Hebrews 11. We'll look at the lives of each of these people, what earned them a spot in the Hebrews 11 hall of fame, and what that means for us thousands of years later.  (Listen to Last Week's Devotional Here) - Walking in Faith Series - Sarah - The Mother of Many Nations – SimplyHealthyHome (shopsimplyhealthyhome.com)

This week's account is about a man named Moses whose faith led him to give up a life of luxury as the Prince of Egypt for a life of God given purpose marked by various trials and sufferings. 

Who Was Moses?

Moses was a Hebrew born prince of Egypt, who led the nation of Israel out of slavery. 

Below are a few additional quick facts about Moses - 

• Moses escaped a decree given by Pharaoh that all male new-born babies should be killed. (Exodus 1 and 2)
• Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian who he witnessed smiting one of his fellow Hebrews. (Exodus 2:11-15)
• After fleeing from Egypt, Moses lived in the desert for 40 years as a shepherd. (Exodus 3:1)
• One day while tending his sheep, Moses was led to the mountain of God called Horeb, where he spoke to God who appeared to Moses as a burning bush. It was during this occurrence that God called Moses to deliver the nation of Israel out of bondage. (Exodus 3:2-22)
• Moses had a speech impediment. His brother Aaron came with him to Egypt and spoke the words that Moses told him to speak. (Exodus 4:16)
• Through Moses, God unleashed 10 plagues in Egypt before Pharaoh finally conceded and let the nation of Israel go free. (Exodus 7,8,9,10,11,12)
• Water Turned to Blood 
• Frogs Coming from the Nile 
• Lice From the Earth's Dust 
• Swarms of Flies 
• Death of Cattle and Livestock 
• Ashes Turned to Boils and Sores 
• Hail in the Form of Fire 
• Locus Sent from the Sky 
• Three Days of Complete Darkness 
• Death of the Firstborn 
• Even after Pharaoh lost his son to the 10th plague, he still went against the will of God, and chased the Israelites down to the Red Sea so that he could bring them back into captivity. But God parted the Red Sea so that the nation of Israel could escape, and then let it fall on top of the Egyptian army while they were in pursuit of Israel. (Exodus 14)

What Earned Moses a Spot in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Fame?

Below is the description of Moses' faith found in Hebrews 11 -

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned." Hebrews 11:23-28 NKJV

What Does This Mean for Us?

Below are a few key takeaways from the story of Moses' faith that I believe also apply to us - 

1. There is nothing more rewarding than following the will of God. 

• Moses was at the peak of success. As a prince of Egypt, he had more riches and luxuries than one could ever dream to enjoy within a lifetime. But despite his position and power, Moses still elected to side with following the will of God, rather than enjoying temporal pleasures. 
• Just like Moses chased after an eternal reward, we should also strive to fulfill the will of God rather than the will of our flesh. 

2. God's strength shines through our weakness. 

• God used Moses to deliver a nation despite his speech impediment. 
• Never let your unbelief dissuade you from following the will of God. God can use you despite your weaknesses and shortcomings. 

3. God is not partial. His instruction and correction apply to all. [ please forgive the error in the audio version where I said God is not "impartial". God is impartial. :) ]

• We see God's impartiality two times during the book of Exodus. Frist, we see that God almost killed Moses for not following the Jewish law of circumcision and circumcising his newborn Eliezer. (Exodus 4:24-26) Moses was the man that God elected to deliver His people from bondage, but yet Moses was not above the law and reproach of God. Second, we see that even the people of Israel, God's chosen people, were subject to the law of the Passover. And those who failed to observe the Passover shared the same fate as the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:21-28)
• We should never think that we are above the law or reproach of God. Sometimes we get into this mode of thought where we think just because we call ourselves Christians and go to church that we are better than the rest of the world and that we are exempt from God's judgement. This isn't the case. God's instruction and reproach always applies to us all. 

Hope You Have a Blessed Week, and Don't Forget to Stay Tuned In for Next Week's Devotional!

Your Sister in Christ, Julia