The Example of Moses

The so-called "list of heroes of the faith" is found in the text of Hebrews 11, where various ancestors of the people of Israel, as well as of humanity in general, are highlighted, showing the feats performed by those who had faith in God the Creator and in the promise of the sending of the Savior… even if they died without the opportunity to know Jesus in their earthly life.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For it was through faith that the ancients obtained a good testimony.
Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

(Hebrews 11:1-3 – KJA)

The chapter begins with the definition of "FAITH," that is, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"—as it is currently said, it is believing in something that cannot be proven, felt, or analyzed by the human senses—as well as having the conviction that even things that do not appear exist, even if they cannot be perceived by man in his earthly state.
In this reflection, we will highlight Moses, writer of the Pentateuch (that is, the first five books of the Bible) and considered the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. The passages that refer to him will be transcribed below, as we conduct an expository study:

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was exceptionally beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

(Hebrews 11:23 – KJA)

This passage clearly shows the Creator's CHOICE of Moses, setting him apart for a specific purpose, which would be fulfilled no less than 80 years in the future: the liberation of Israel from Egyptian captivity.
His parents, though unaware of God's plan for the baby, were touched by his beauty and refused to obey the tyranny of Pharaoh, who had ordered the death of all male babies born to the Hebrews.
It is well known that, to protect the baby, his parents even placed him in a basket and left him on the Nile River, trusting that God would protect him, as indeed happened, and he ended up becoming a member of the Egyptian court.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

(Hebrews 11:24-25 – KJA)

Here we see another virtue of Moses, namely, INTEGRITY.
It is not known exactly when Moses learned that he was not Egyptian (and this generates many variations in the scripts of films and series that narrate his story), however — as seen in this passage and as reported in the book of Exodus — it can be said with certainty that, in adulthood, he already knew this fact.
Therefore, already believing in the true God, he refused to worship the stone gods and statues of the Egyptian pantheon, which certainly earned him rejection from Pharaoh's family, who had raised him as a son.

This was no small feat: Moses was a member of the court of the greatest economic and military power of his time.
It would be like someone today refusing to enjoy the benefits of being a member of the American, Russian, or Chinese government in order not to distance themselves from the true God in whom they believe.

Out of love for the Messiah, he considered his dishonor a greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he contemplated his glorious reward.

(Hebrews 11:26 – KJA)

This point is closely related to the previous one.
Moses was righteous because he possessed another virtue: VISION, in this case, in the sense of seeing beyond immediate advantage and success.
As the passage itself mentions, he knew that the treasures of Egypt were nothing compared to the heavenly reward that God grants to those who love him.

All earthly riches and pleasures are fleeting, whereas heavenly ones are not only inconceivably greater, but also eternal.
Therefore, even without knowing the Savior's name, he already knew that the one who would come in the future would suffer reproach, that is, he would be mistreated, much more than he himself was being, but that this would be for the salvation of humanity and reconciliation with the Creator, far greater joys than anything that can be obtained on Earth.
And he knew all this, for he is the writer of the book of Genesis, where the first promise of the Savior's life is found, that he would crush the serpent's head (see Genesis 3:15).

Through faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the king's wrath, and he persevered, for he gazed upon the One who is invisible.

(Hebrews 11:27 – KJA)

What is evident in this passage is Moses' DECISION.
Even though he had to flee because he had killed an Egyptian (and would certainly suffer serious consequences for it), the truth is that this once again reveals that, even being a flawed and sinful man like any other—after all, he took another person's life in a moment of anger—Moses trusted in the Lord to the point of not hesitating to go to the desert, where his chances of survival were remote, to find another God-fearing family in Midian, and there find his wife Zipporah and father his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.
And in this, another part of God's plan was fulfilled, for Moses learned humility by being a shepherd for 40 years, after having lived as an authority in Egypt for the previous 40 years.

Through faith, he celebrated the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroying angel would not touch the firstborn of the Israelites.

(Hebrews 11:28 – KJA)

Here we see the OBEDIENCE of Moses, who celebrated Passover (which pointed to the future sacrifice of the Savior) by divine command, and, with this, ensured that no firstborn Israelite would have their life taken by the destroying angel.
In the case of Egypt — where the vast majority of people did not accept the true God — the outcry was indescribable, with a dead person in every house, which meant that no one could even count on the comfort of any relative or friend, as each person had to deal with their own grief.

And this obedience remained throughout the rest of his life, fulfilling all the orders he received from God and glorifying Him throughout the desert crossing, only failing in the episode at the waters of Meribah, where he and Aaron, certainly irritated by the years and years of complaints from the Israelites, lost control, leading Moses to strike the rock instead of speaking to it… and this cost them the prohibition of entering the promised land (see Numbers 20:2-13).

By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to cross it, they were drowned.

(Hebrews 11:29 – KJA)

Finally, Moses' RESPONSIBILITY.
No one in their right mind would expect the sea to part before them so that all the people could cross it, but he went ahead even though it might seem like madness to many: the fact is that he only acted this way because God had told him to do so (check Exodus 14:15-31Therefore, it was not a thoughtless act, done out of impulsiveness or desperation.
And, just as God had revealed to him, the Egyptians who were pursuing them were never seen again by the Israelites (see Exodus 14:13-14), having been drowned in the sea that closed in on them.

All of this was only possible because of something common to all the virtues that Moses demonstrated, and which was the root of them all: FAITH, as is stated several times in the passage where Moses is highlighted.
Moses' faith was not essentially different from that of Christians today; it simply focused on a different time, awaiting the coming Savior, whereas today we believe in the Savior who has already come.

And if that same faith made him an example of conduct and obedience to God, even though neither he nor any of us can be perfect in earthly life, it can certainly do the same for every Christian who truly surrenders themselves completely to God, trusting that what is NOT YET seen will be seen after the end of earthly life, especially the face of God in the New Jerusalem.

And there will never be another curse.
In it will be the throne of God and of the Lamb; and the servants of the Lord will serve him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night; they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

(Revelation 22:3-5 – KJA)

Let us be like Moses, setting our hearts on heavenly things, trusting in Him who never let any of His promises fail.
Even though Moses and so many others died without seeing the fulfillment of the promise (see Hebrews 11:32-40The reward for all who trust in God will be granted in eternity, both to them and to Christians of all ages, including today.

We live in a time when people seem incapable of even following the development of a line of reasoning, let alone believing in the future!
Such shallow personalities, satisfied only with immediate solutions, are just another example. indication That the end times are rapidly approaching, and before the Lord returns like a thief in the night, the prophesied reign of the Antichrist must be consolidated not only in Brazil, but throughout the world!
In the 2023 phase of "The Worst Gospel," I decided to use new formats in the hope of helping to increase the reach of content related to the Scriptures—stories, videos, shorter texts, guest authors…—and this publication, which I took the liberty of revising and illustrating, is part of that project.
Thank you for reading this far.
I still need all the help I can get: comments, shares, and reactions help spread this content, which was entirely produced with the intention of contributing to the edification of the Body of Christ in the world.