NOT FEARING THE WRATH OF THE KING
Wednesday – May 23, 2018, Sivan 9, 5778
Greetings and welcome back to this Wednesday edition of The Three Minute Word. I thought you might enjoy another look at the buffalo Patti and I had on the ranch in Texas. We named them Adam and Eve. We enjoyed them for over ten years. God is so very good. Today we will continue along with our faith study and as you know we have been dealing with Moses for several days in one fashion or another. Yesterday, we saw that although Moses was starting to understand his call to deliver the people of God he jumped ahead of God attempting it in his own strength. I know none of us have ever done that (sarcasm). If patience and faith were easy everyone and his brother (or sister) would be parting the Red Sea. Now, let’s read our primary text aloud and move more fully into today’s study.
Hebrews 11:23-27 (KJV)
23 By 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.
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 recompence 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.
Looking at verse twenty-five, have each of us rejected the pleasures of sin for Christ? Have we examined ourselves to see if we are hanging onto vestiges of Egypt and rationalizing that it is okay for us somehow. Anything that comes ahead of Christ is sin and another god. At salvation we came out of Egypt, bondage, into the Promised Land, did we bring any of Egypt with us? Remember, the sin(s) that we choose to hang onto are taking us out of the abundance of the will of God and keeping the door open for Satan (the thief) to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives. Since this life we have in the earth is for but a moment, a breath, and all of eternity lies ahead, to what should we give attention? As we look into verse twenty-six let’s take a look at it in a different translation and perhaps more of the meaning will come into view.
Hebrews 11:26 (AMP)
26 He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense).
I don’t know about you but I find the use of the word “Christ” interesting in this verse referencing an Old Testament account. That is not to say that the peoples of old were not aware of the Anointing which we and they also called the Holy Spirit. They knew that this Anointing of God was upon certain peoples principally the Prophet, the Priest, and the King but not individual peoples. Today all that receive Jesus as Savior also receive the Anointing. However, in our text the use of the word “Christ” is not referring to only the Anointing also named the Holy Spirit but to the Anointed One, the Messiah still to come at that time (time of Moses). Recently in our study we have learned that “the Scripture” preached the gospel to Abraham. The Scripture is the Word, the One whom we now call Jesus. We have also learned that Enoch pleased God and was no more, God having taken him into Heaven. However, before this God showed him the whole of the ages up unto at least the Second Coming of Christ. God has always had a people who knew Him and His plans for the ages, the redemptive story.
This brings us to verse twenty-seven where we are told that Moses forsook Egypt (life of sin) “not fearing the wrath of the king”. So, now the fear Moses had some forty years ago when he was out of the plan of God and acting on his own, now in this different time in the plan of God (albeit delayed), fear is gone. Like us, his spiritual eyes were focused on the eternal promises, the eternal Covenant of God, having faith in the One who he could not see, forsaking the temporal and that which was fading away. See, this verse in the God’s Word Translation.
Hebrews 11:27 (GW)
27 Faith led Moses to leave Egypt without being afraid of the king’s anger. Moses didn’t give up but continued as if he could actually see the invisible God.
We too have focused on the “invisible God” forsaking Egypt, sin, darkness, for righteousness and the fulness of light. I think the phrase “Faith led Moses” is quite interesting for we don’t tend to think of faith as leading us. However, once we have faith in a thing or in God we follow after or act upon that faith, for faith without works is dead. Dead faith is not of benefit to us, God, or the Kingdom of God.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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