January 23 - Faith Rejects the World Prestige
Scripture
- Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Observation
For forty years Moses had been a prince of Egypt, the wealthiest, most cultured, and advanced society of that day. He was therefore highly educated and skilled, as well as being a part of the royal court. "And Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds" (Acts 7:22). His formal education would have included learning to read and write hieroglyphics, hieratic, and probably some Canaanite languages. He had, of course, learned Hebrew from his mother. He could enjoy everything Egypt had to offer. But his training in Egypt never blunted his knowledge of the hope of Israel and of the promises of God.
When Moses reached the age of forty, he faced a crucial decision. He had to decide between becoming a full-fledged Egyptian, with absolute loyalty and no reservations, and joining his own people, Israel.
The deciding factor was his faith in God.
By faith Moses... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. In all those years he had never wavered in his devotion to the Lord. Somehow God also indicated to him that he had been chosen for special service and that, from then on he would be an Israelite first and only. Moses knew he had a mission to perform for God and for his people.
In the world, fame always brings a certain amount of honor. If you are born into the right family or are a successful athlete or entertainer, the world will think of you as great, whether you are or not. If you have a lot of money, regardless of how you got it, the world will hold you in high esteem. If you have enough degrees behind your name, certain people will think you have arrived. The same is true in regard to political power and many other types of human success. Moses had most of these things, yet he gave them up.
From the worldly standpoint, he was sacrificing everything for nothing. But from the spiritual standpoint, he was sacrificing nothing for everything. He renounced the world's power, honor, and prestige for the sake of God, and knew that for so doing he would gain immeasurably more than he would lose, for he was looking to the reward (v. 26).
The things the world counts great have nothing to do with what God considers great. He honors people on a totally different basis. He is not interested in what family we came from or how much money we have or how much education we have or what positions we hold. These are not related to His primary concerns for us.
Moses cared nothing for his Egyptian heritage or advantages. They were both pagan and worldly, and he had given himself to much greater things.
The world has little to offer compared to the riches and satisfaction of Christ. Moses gladly joined with God's chosen people, though they were slaves, rather than take advantage of the prestige and privileges of Egypt and be unfaithful to God.
Understanding
What is God saying to me?
By faith Moses... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Can you imagine what people must have thought?
To refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter it meant that he gave up the right to be considered to be the next Pharaoh. People around Moses must have thought he had lost his mind. How many people must have hung their future on him and the pressure on Moses must have been great. His adopted mother was probably heart-broken and that surely put pressure on Moses as well. Yet he chose to turn his back on worldly prestige because he believed that God had called him to something else.
And Moses could have rationalized that he would have more influence as the Pharaoh – but God was calling him out of Egypt – so he left the applause of men for the rewards of heaven. He took the long view.
Life Application
What will I do about it?
When God calls you don’t be afraid to act in faith because you are not giving up anything, you are gaining everything – the pleasures of this world are for a season – the things of God are eternal.
-Pastor Gary
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