Hebrews 11:27 "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."
"By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt." In verse 25, we read that
Moses made a decision "to suffer affliction with the people of God, than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." This was a conscious
decision made by Moses. It can be readily understood the choice was given to
him and the proper direction was guided by the Lord God Almighty. He
chose to walk away from sin. He chose to walk away from the pleasures of Egypt.
He chose to walk away from the riches of the palace of Pharaoh. I assure
you the results of his decision did not cause him to accumulate earthly riches,
but he was blessed by the Lord to see and experience things that he never would
have seen in Egypt.
He chose to forsake Egypt with no fear of the king. He realized Pharaoh had the
earthly capacity to kill him with one movement of the finger. But he did not
allow that to be the guide in his decision making process. Though the
passage was not written when Moses made this choice, he certainly lived by this
principle: He could "boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:6)
"He endured, as seeing him who is invisible." He trusted the Lord. As
with Abraham and every other human being that has ever lived, Moses was not a
perfect man. He was not allowed to enter the promised land because he did
not follow the Lord's instruction when it came to the second time of getting
water for the people. But there were many times when various individuals
tried to rise up against him. It even began immediately after the people left
Egypt. Upon arriving at the Red Sea, the people began to murmur and complain.
Moses endured. People questioned his authority. Moses endured. People
tried to go back to worshipping the cow of Egypt. Moses endured. Moses became
discouraged, but he endured.
How could he endure such great hardships? He would not look at the
situation; rather, he looked to the Lord. How can you and I endure the
hardships, struggles, and tribulations of life? We do it in the very same
manner. Let me bounce ahead to chapter 12 for just a moment to look at the
ultimate example. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) For
consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest
ye be wearied and faint in your minds." (Hebrews 12:2-3) Keep
looking unto Jesus. He has promised to see us through.