Hebrews 11:24-28
The author focuses on Moses through this section, moving from the faith of his parents to the faith of the man himself. The theme of seeing what is unseen is explicit in this passage - Moses saw him who is invisible. There is also the theme of choosing: Moses chooses temporary mistreatment over temporary pleasure and disgrace for Christ over the treasures of Egypt. This must be because he realized that he would get something better than the temporary pleasure if he persevered through the temporary mistreatment and that disgrace for the sake of Christ would result in honour from Christ which is far better than the treasures of Egypt. This challenges me. I get caught up in the temporary pleasure that sin offers and the temporary treasures of this world. I know that I have something far greater because I have Christ but those commercials are enticing and I am soon led to envy and lust. I acknowledge that those things will not ultimately fulfill me but I am attracted to their shine!
The author mentions Moses' faith in keeping the Passover. Again, this demonstrates incredible trust in God: to escape the angel of death, apply the blood of the lamb to the door frame. Being a worrier, I would be up all night wondering if I applied enough blood, if the angel of death would see it, if I misunderstood the instructions, etc. This is a challenge to me as well: do I trust God to do what he said he would? Do I really trust that the blood of the Lamb is enough for my salvation?
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
no ordinary fella
Hebrews 11:23
The author begins to turn his attention to Moses, starting with the faith of Moses' parents. Moses' parents are not named in this section but they are commended for their faith. The form their faith took was that God would not have them hand their son over to be killed by the Egyptian executioners, believing that God valued life so highly that he would protect their son, and that Moses was a special child, that God had great things planned for him.
I think all parents have that dream but for Moses' parents it was more than a dream. They were certain, or convicted, of the potential of their son. I don't know what form their certainty took. I don't know if they were given hints in dreams or visions or voices but they responded to whatever instruction and vision they had.
I think it's one thing to have faith and make decisions about one's own life but to take those risks and make those decisions on behalf of another increases the level of responsibility. I think it demonstrates great trust in God. I feel that responsibility when it comes to my son. The decisions I make impact his life and I am becoming more and more aware of that. May I have the faith of Moses' parents and the wisdom from God to make wise decisions for my family.
The author begins to turn his attention to Moses, starting with the faith of Moses' parents. Moses' parents are not named in this section but they are commended for their faith. The form their faith took was that God would not have them hand their son over to be killed by the Egyptian executioners, believing that God valued life so highly that he would protect their son, and that Moses was a special child, that God had great things planned for him.
I think all parents have that dream but for Moses' parents it was more than a dream. They were certain, or convicted, of the potential of their son. I don't know what form their certainty took. I don't know if they were given hints in dreams or visions or voices but they responded to whatever instruction and vision they had.
I think it's one thing to have faith and make decisions about one's own life but to take those risks and make those decisions on behalf of another increases the level of responsibility. I think it demonstrates great trust in God. I feel that responsibility when it comes to my son. The decisions I make impact his life and I am becoming more and more aware of that. May I have the faith of Moses' parents and the wisdom from God to make wise decisions for my family.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
God's House
Hebrews 3:1-6
The image that the author creates is God's house. He is comparing Jesus and Moses in this section, talking about how Moses was faithful in his service in all God's house. The reference is to Numbers 12:7 where God judges Aaron and Miriam for stirring up rebellion against Moses. God affirms Moses' leadership because he is faithful in all God's house and has communicated with God face-to-face. This is contrast to the prophets to whom God communicates in visions.
The author compares the honour Moses receives to the honour Jesus receives, implying that Jesus is worthy of greater honour because he built the house while Moses only served in the house. Jesus is also worthy of greater honour because he is the Son, and therefore the heir, while Moses, as great as he was, is a servant. The author makes it clear that the house Moses served - the tabernacle - was a type of the house that God would ultimately build - the Church.
This section connects directly to the previous section in chapter 2. The flow of the author's thought is: Because Christ shared in our humanity and tasted death for us, we should fix our thoughts on Jesus. Again it all comes back to Jesus being the center. It is all about the supremacy of Christ. He deserves to at least be my focus and fascination. He is worthy of my full attention. Everything in my life must be centered around him - he is the sun around which the rest of my life must revolve.
The image that the author creates is God's house. He is comparing Jesus and Moses in this section, talking about how Moses was faithful in his service in all God's house. The reference is to Numbers 12:7 where God judges Aaron and Miriam for stirring up rebellion against Moses. God affirms Moses' leadership because he is faithful in all God's house and has communicated with God face-to-face. This is contrast to the prophets to whom God communicates in visions.
The author compares the honour Moses receives to the honour Jesus receives, implying that Jesus is worthy of greater honour because he built the house while Moses only served in the house. Jesus is also worthy of greater honour because he is the Son, and therefore the heir, while Moses, as great as he was, is a servant. The author makes it clear that the house Moses served - the tabernacle - was a type of the house that God would ultimately build - the Church.
This section connects directly to the previous section in chapter 2. The flow of the author's thought is: Because Christ shared in our humanity and tasted death for us, we should fix our thoughts on Jesus. Again it all comes back to Jesus being the center. It is all about the supremacy of Christ. He deserves to at least be my focus and fascination. He is worthy of my full attention. Everything in my life must be centered around him - he is the sun around which the rest of my life must revolve.
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