Hebrews 11 brings the varied phases of faith before us, and in verses 24 through 30 we have the “refusing, choosing, esteeming, and forsaking” of Moses, the man of God.
The Refusing
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” He was brought up there in all the luxury and with all the learning. He has been in that house–that court–for forty years. He knew little or nothing outside of it.
All at once he refuses, turns his back on the whole thing. He has come to years, and faith comes to maturity in that way, refusing in different ways this poor world and all that it has to give.
The actions of faith, or the path of faith, to the wisdom of this world is a very foolish thing. He gave up all that the world had to give, all that he was heir to as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, a child of the court of Egypt.
The Choosing
What did he choose? That is very striking: “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God.” Now it may seem contradictory, a paradox, to say in one breath it was a foolish, but wise course. You can hardly put those two things together. But from the standpoint of human wisdom, what a foolish thing to give up the palatial home–that place in Pharaoh’s court, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Here is a grown man now, able to enjoy it all, and he gave it up to identify himself with a suffering and afflicted people.
We often see the poor world looking on us with pity and saying, “You don’t know what you’re losing.” The path of faith is to this world a path of folly. But at the same time, while the children of this world pity us, we pity them, and we say, “You don’t know what you are losing.”
When the prodigal in the far country came to the end of his own resources, he found degradation for his position, and he found husks for his food. And in the end that is all that this poor world has to give us. Many crave it, but after all is said and done, it proves to be nothing but husks.
The Esteeming
The next thing is that faith “esteems.” Esteeming what? “The reproach of Christ.” That is a remarkable phrase: the reproach of Christ. That is the character the Spirit of God gives to the suffering of the people of God, but it also tells what the world thinks of Him.
To illustrate it, suppose you are on a train; does it, or does it not, take courage to take out your Testament and read it? If people see you reading your Bible on a plane, you are a marked man. That very fact isolates you.
That tells what the world is. You would not need courage to read your Bible in heaven, but you do here, and to confess the name of Christ will bring reproach. It tells us what a difference there is between the earth and heaven–“the reproach of Christ.” In heaven there will be no such thing as bearing reproach for Christ’s sake.
We read, “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt.” When the treasures of Egypt, and those who have possessed them, have passed away, we will be enjoying the blessed and eternal result of having suffered reproach for Him.
J. N. Darby once remarked that the only man who is ashamed of his religion in this world is the man who has the true one. He said a Muslim will take his mat and drop right down on his knees and pray. It is the name of Christ that brings reproach.
Who is ashamed to speak of President Lincoln or any other historic figure in the company of the world? No one. But go into that same company and make mention of the name of Christ. At once you feel you are out of place, and that name has no place there.
“For he had respect to the recompense of the reward.” Faith looks ahead. Faith is wise. Faith says, “The pleasures of sin are for a season; the reward for the reproach of Christ is enduring.”
The Forsaking
“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” If we turn our backs on the world, we will get its wrath. If we are faithful to Christ, we will get the world’s cold shoulder.
“For he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” What can sustain us in this path of faith? We are enabled to endure by just having that One before us, “whom having not seen we love.”
We often say that the Christian is like the bee, a most wonderful little creature. It has two sets of eyes. One set it uses when it goes out and gathers the nectar from the flowers. But then, there are no windows in the hive. It is all dark in there, so it needs the other set when it goes in to put the nectar in place inside. So it is with the Christian. He not only has natural sight, but spiritual sight–the eyes of faith. “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen (with the natural vision) are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).
Moses was a remarkable servant of the Lord. Faith led him to do what he did, and sustained him in it. Moses has been seen in glory with Christ since–on the Mount of Transfiguration–and that is where enduring “as seeing Him who is invisible” will end for all the children of faith. This is the path of true wisdom. It may be the reproach of Christ now, but it will be glory with Christ very soon.