In last week’s lesson on faith from Hebrews 11:20,21, we learned that faith in God may require us to believe in promises given years earlier. It may require us to believe that what God has promised is better, despite the evidence we may see that points to the contrary. Faith in God may require us to plant a vision in those around us, to even make plans for the future when what God has promised has come to pass. Keep hanging on to that promise of God, friend, “for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23). Now let’s go on to Heb. 11:23 for the lesson in faith that comes to us through Moses’ parents:
“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.” (Heb. 11:23 NIV)
The story begins with the children of Israel being severely persecuted by the Egyptian Pharaoh and his people. In fact, Pharaoh signed an edict ordering all Hebrew male children to be killed. When Moses was born, his parents, Amram and Jochabed, did something rather unique: they hid their child in a tiny boat made of reeds and set him afloat on the Nile.
Now, it is understandable that Amram and Jochabed would want to go against Pharoah’s edict and save their child. What parent wouldn’t? But what they did took a lot of courage. Going against authority by doing something that no one else dares to do is hard. I mean, what if they had been caught? What if Moses had been found by the soldiers? What if . . .
What was it that made Jochabed to this?
We’re only given one reason, in Exodus: “She saw that he was a FINE CHILD.” (2:1) Interestingly, Heb. 11:23 doesn’t supply us with any further information, other than instead of calling Moses a “fine child”, he is called “NO ORDINARY CHILD.”
But wait: Aren’t all children “fine” children? Don’t most parents consider that their own child is far from “ordinary”? Mine certainly were and still are! So why would this have set Moses apart as special? Why didn’t all of the parents do the same?
But Jochabed and Amram didn’t ask why or what if. They didn’t look to see what other parents were doing. They saw that Moses was special and they acted. This reminds me of James 2:17: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV). That’s because it doesn’t take much faith to “say” you believe. What takes faith is to “act” on what you believe. Amram and Jochabed trusted God to bring about something good, and their faith gave them the courage to act. It also earned them a place in the book of Hebrews: By faith Moses’ parents . . .
Enough to ponder, friends. But do ponder this: True faith doesn’t ask “why” or “what if”. Faith doesn’t look around to see what others are doing. True faith just acts!
Join us next week for the next lesson in faith to be learned from the life of Moses.
God bless you!
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Author, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets website, www.scripturalnuggets.org , Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .
(To access tne entire “Faith” mini-series, please click here.)