No ordinary child

Tonight I sat down again to read Hebrews 11, and discovered many new things!  I love it when I read a familiar passage and learn something new from God.

Heb. 11:23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

Growing up, I'm pretty sure I was told that Moses' parents hid him because they were afraid of Pharoah's edict:  "Then Pharoah gave this order to all his people:  'Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."  Exodus 1:22.  But, in this passage in Hebrews, it is clear that Moses' parents hid him because they believed God and did not fear Pharoah.  In fact, Hebrewss 11 and Acts 7 suggest that they hid him because "he was no ordinary child."  In the Greek, the word "no ordinary" can also translate "beautiful."  So, Moses was a beautiful child.  In Exodus, the text says that "he was a fine child."  Here the Hebrew translates "good, pleasing, desirable."  These parents, both from the Levitical (would soon be-priestly) line saw in Moses something beautiful and desirable.  Now, I can definitely say that I felt that about my own two girls when they were born, but I think the text implies something more here.

Moses' parents saw that God was at work in this extraordinary child.  They hid him because they believed that Moses had a purpose.  This is clearly seen by what Moses' mother does three months later.  She purposely puts Moses in the Nile (remember the edict?) right in the spot where Pharoah's daughter goes to bathe.  This was no random thought on the part of Moses' mom.  She had a plan and her plan worked!!  Timing was everything!  She didn't want just anyone to find him, she wanted Pharoah's daughter to find him.  That takes extraordinary action and amazing faith.

Bottom line, they feared God more than Pharoah.   They feared God more than man and anything man could do.  Guess what?  Their son followed in their footsteps.  When Moses is "grown up"  he refuses to be known as Pharoah's daughter.  He willingly denounces his royalty, his position, and his authority in the Egyptian empire and associates himself with the slaves.

Lets stop and think about that for a moment.  Would I do that?  Would I renounce any position I had earned, money I had made, authority I had gained to be known as a slave of Christ?  I think that if we have any real hesitation in this matter, we have some serious soul searching to do.  I have some serious soul searching to do. 

It seems that everything we humans do is to attain some kind of notoriety, popularity, acceptance, and praise.  If we feel we aren't attaining it, we change jobs, change friends, change churches, get divorced, etc. etc. etc.   Let me be frank, God is not interested in our glory--He is interested in HIS glory and HIS renown.  So, when I am feverishly trying to hold on to some kind of pedestal of my own making, I am not believing God.    Anytime I am siding with the world, I am trying to cover up my true identity as a slave of Christ!   I can think back on many times in my life when I wanted to cover things up--and even lie in order to not be looked down upon by my peers or students.  I still catch myself (or more rightly--am convicted by the Holy Spirit) trying to make myself look better than I am.  No chinks.
The fact of the matter is, those of us in Christ really are royalty--we are daughters and sons of the King!  But, we are also referred to as slaves to Christ rather than slaves to sin.

Moses chose the mistreatment of the Egyptians rather than "the pleasures of sin for a short time."  He regarded the disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater than any treasure in Egypt.  When will I get it through my thick skull that anything I do out of a lack of faith only has temporary satisfaction.  It will not last.  I could be tapping into eternal things here on earth, but I choose to grasp at straws instead.   The times when God speaks to my soul and refreshes me cannot be measured by earthly standards.  The most happy moments in my life can't compare to the joy He gives when I trust Him and spend time with Him.  But, I am so easily distracted and so easily lured by Satan to neglect my time with God.

How many of us can honestly say that we would give up everything for the sake of Christ?  This is exactly what Moses did.  Why?  "Because he was looking ahead to his reward."  Meanwhile, I usually keep my eyes thoroughly fixed on what is going to happen in three months rather than on what my eternity will be.   I'm reminded of the first verses in Hebrews 11:  "Now faith is being SURE of what we hope for, and CERTAIN of what we do not see."  Moses persevered because he "saw him who is invisible."  Well, guess what, we have "him who is invisible" inside US when we accept Christ.  He is present with us ALL THE TIME.  We don't have to go to a Tent in the desert to meet with God.  We are His temple!  We don't have to pass through a veil into the Holy of Holies.  Christ, as the great high priest and through His death on the cross made that veil obsolete.  God ripped it from top to bottom and now we have access to Him.   Oh, Hallelujah, what love and grace!

God please change my heart.  Please reveal to me just how temporary and unsatisfactory the "pleasures of sin" really are. 

Let me just qualify here that I don't believe the pleasures of sin are limited to sex, drugs, alcohol, lust, etc. etc.  I think any time we choose entertainment over God, we are indulging in the pleasures of this life.  Another great point that Chris Osborne made in his sermons on Psalm 19 (see the previous blog), is that entertainment (TV, music, magazines, books, internet, Facebook) will NEVER satisfy and it will NEVER make us feel more relaxed and unstressed.  I'm not saying its wrong to do those things.  But, when those things monopolize our day (after we get home from work or put the kids to bed) then something is wrong.  I am preaching to myself!  I am so guilty of this!  I so easily choose to skip my quiet time with God for reading a book, planning our next vacation, watching TV, spending hours on Facebook, cleaning house, etc. etc.  I admit that I don't usually "unwind" by reading my Bible.

The reason I haven't written a blog in a week is because I haven't been spending time with God!  Yes, I read my Bible a few times, but I wasn't reading, meditating, and waiting for God to speak to my soul.  I was checking it off of a list.  I was spending all of my time preparing a birthday party, planning our forthcoming vacation, learning the ins-and-outs of my new fancy camera---everything but spending time with Him.

But, to make the kind of stand Moses made, things have got to change for me.  Things have got to change for Christians everywhere, and it all starts by believing God--not by DOING more for Him.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him..."  2 Peter 1:3 

"Lord, I want to know you more.  Deep inside my heart I want to know you more."

I pray that this will be my heart cry and yours too!