THE DIFFICULT CHOICE

THE DIFFICULT CHOICE
Heb 11:20-31
"…he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." (v.27).

MOSES IS PRESENTED TO US AS A man who stood with his people. The turning point of his life is recorded in Exodus 2.11-15, when he chose to cast his lot with the Israelite slaves rather than enjoy the treasures and pleasures of the Egyptian masters. Moses himself was brought up in the Pharoah's palace and could have enjoyed all the privileges of that status. But he chose otherwise. This he did "by faith".

Faith often leads us to the more difficult choice. It has been argued that had Moses remained where he was, he could have become the Pharoah himself one day and set the slaves free. But that was not the course he took. How many of us have rationalised away a difficult decision in this way? If we are honest, we will have to admit that we do so more out of fear than out of faith. The history of Israel would have been robbed of an outstanding hero of faith had Moses kept the status quo.

Instead he regarded as of greater value "disgrace for the sake of Christ" (v.26). This is a reference to the Lord's Anointed One, literally, the Christ. In vv. 25-26, the Christ is placed parallel with the people of God. It reminds us of the question Christ put to Saul on the road to Damascus, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9.4). To persecute the people of Christ is to persecute Christ Himself. Likewise, to stand with God's people, as Moses did, is to stand with Christ. Though Moses had not seen Christ, by faith he preserved the people who produced the Christ.

It is by faith too that he protected them by instituting the Passover (Exodus 12.1-30) and delivered them by parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14.5-31). In each case, Moses trusted in God who gave the promises. He had no other guarantee. What if he sprinkled the blood on the doorway and it did not protect the occupants from the angel of death? What if he lifted up his hand to part the waters and nothing happened?

Faith has its risk, but Moses' eyes were not on the risk but on the One for Whom he was taking the risk. As the author of Hebrews tells us, "he persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (v.27). He saw what people normally would not see. He saw what was invisible. Such was his vision of faith.

This is quite unlike most of us today. We like to play it safe. The Chinese Hokkein call it the kia soo (afraid to lose) mentality. We avoid risks at all cost. By doing so, we live by sight and not by faith. We miss the adventure of faith open to all of God's people.

Do I always take the easiest choice?