"By faith Moses, when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt:for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward"
(Heb. 11:24-26).
In these three verses we find
that Moses rejected the three elements of the world described in 1 John
2:15-17. He rejected Egypt’s pleasures of sin—the lust of the flesh. He
rejected Egypt’s wealth—the lust of the eyes. And by refusing to be called the
son of Pharaoh’s daughter he rejected Egypt’s fame—the pride of life.
Egypt‘s Pleasures
As a resident of Pharaoh’s
palace, Moses had access to all of the pleasures that the world had to
offer—its proverbial wine, women, and song. The natural man craves the
pleasures of sin. In Moses’ day, many of the pleasures of sin may have been
restricted to those of wealth and high position. In our day, however, even the
poorest people (in the United States at least) have access to a vast quantity
and variety of the world’s entertainment right in their own living room. And
those with a middle class standard of living can have access in their own
homes—by videos, cable TV, computer games, and the Internet—to a virtually
unlimited supply of information, entertainment and amusement. Some of it may,
perhaps, be helpful and profitable; much of it will be a total waste of the
viewer’s time and brain cells; and some of it will be utterly degrading,
defiling, and/or demonic.
We need to ask ourselves some
hard questions as to such sources of information and entertainment in our
homes. First, do we really need it? Will our spiritual growth be stunted if we
do not have these things? Or will not our spiritual growth rather be
retarded if we do have these things? What is the effect of sitting in
front of a box that flashes a different picture every second or two on one’s
ability to concentrate in school or Sunday school or assembly meetings? What is
the effect on one’s physical, mental, and spiritual development of spending a
large chunk of time each day being amused and entertained as a spectator? How
many of our kids today are learning how to play the piano, bake bread, fix
meals, make and mend clothing, repair automobiles, write letters, or read
fluently and with comprehension? With all the time we spend sitting in front
of electronic boxes, are we depriving ourselves of the incomparably valuable
experience of communicating our faith and knowledge and spiritual questions to
one another?
Second, can we control what we
are letting into our homes? Even if we adults have strict self-discipline as to
what we look at (and many of us have to confess that we don’t!), do we have
total control over our children’s use of these sources of information? How do
the possible benefits of fine Christian programs or sources of theological
information (such as on the Internet) trade off against the potentially
devastating and defiling garbage that can be obtained from the same sources?
I do not wish to lay down a law
that all Christians should dispose of their TVs, VCRs, cable, Nintendo, and
Internet connections (though a precedent of this is found in Acts 19:19).
However, I would urge every Christian to be very much in prayer—as many times a
day as necessary—concerning our involvement in the many activities and
amusements that the world has to offer us.
Moses had all of the pleasures of
sin known in his day at his beck and call … and he forsook them!
Egypt‘s Wealth
As the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
Moses had almost unlimited wealth and treasure at his disposal, with which he
could have purchased virtually anything his heart desired. The natural man
craves money and the things that money can buy. Even many relatively poor
people in this country are allowed access, by means of little plastic cards, to
tens of thousands of dollars that they have not worked for, have not earned,
and have not the least intention of paying back. Once they reach the limit of
their credit card allowances, they turn to the lottery or other forms of
gambling in the vain hope of achieving yet greater amounts of "free
wealth." We read or hear regularly of once-wealthy people—surgeons,
lawyers, athletes, entertainers—who have declared bankruptcy because they were
not content with the wealth they already had.
Moses, however, had far more
wealth at his disposal than he could ever use … and he turned his back on all
of it!
Egypt‘s Fame
Moses, no doubt, was in line to
receive a very high position in Pharaoh’s kingdom. The natural man craves fame
and recognition. Don’t we all see some of this in ourselves? We like to see our
name in print or our picture in the paper. We like to hear people applauding
our efforts and accomplishments (whether it be a speech, a musical performance,
scoring a touchdown, repairing a car, or whatever else). We like to receive
promotions at work. We like to get 100’s on our tests and A’s on our report
cards. We like to win the games we play. We like to have lots of people come
and hear us preach and to compliment us afterward. We like to cover our walls
with diplomas and our shelves with trophies.
Moses could have had all this and
more … and gave it all up!
Why Did Moses Do It?
Moses had Egypt’s pleasure, Egypt’s wealth, and Egypt’s fame—to the "max"—and rejected all of it. And
for what? "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God." It is true that in time (40 years later), Moses was appointed by God
as the leader of the nation of Israel. But that was anything but a pleasurable,
full-of-glory-and-honor position for Moses. He had to put up with continual
complaining, grumbling, threats of mutiny, disobedience, and idolatry by the
people he was governing (Exod. 14:11; 15:24; 16:2; 17:2; 32:1; Num. 11:1,4;
12:1; 14:2-4; 16:1-3; 20:3; 21:5; 25:1). And the total period of his leadership
of the nation was their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, with no place
to call home. That is what Moses got for giving up the fame, fortune, and
pleasures of Egypt.
Did Moses make the right choice?
He surely did, for he esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches …
for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." Christ suffered
great reproach (Psa. 69:7,9,19,20), and much more, because of "the joy
that was set before Him" (Heb. 12:2). Moses was willing to suffer similar
kinds of reproach to what Christ would suffer (though certainly none of the far
greater atoning sufferings experienced by Christ) because he knew that in God’s
good time it would be worth it all. "For our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory" (2 Cor. 4:17).
It is well to point out the
powerful influence Moses’ mother and father must have had on his life during
his formative years. "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months
of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not
afraid of the king’s commandment" (Heb. 11:23). God must have given Moses’
parents a sense that their baby boy was destined to greatness. Instead of
killing their child as commanded by Pharaoh, they entrusted him to the Lord’s
care, and the Lord graciously gave Moses back to his mother to nurture and
train in his early childhood (Exod. 2:2-10). She must have done an excellent
job of instilling in Moses’ young mind his identity with his own people and
their God, Jehovah. When he became an adult, he did not forget his true
identity and heritage.
Why Should We Do It?
I am a Christian. I have placed
my trust in the atoning sufferings, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ for my salvation. I have the assurance of going to heaven when I die. So
why shouldn’t I enjoy the pleasures of the world while I am in the world, and
then enjoy the pleasures of heaven when I go to heaven?
1. "The grace of God that
brings salvation … [teaches] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present world"
(Tit. 2:11,12).
2. "God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).
3. "The love of Christ constrains
us … He died for all that they who live should not henceforth live unto
themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14).
As we consider "the grace of
God" in sending His only begotten Son, and "the love of Christ"
in suffering immensely on the cross on our behalf, how can we help but want to
live to please Him rather than ourselves?
But there is more, as seen in the
example provided by Moses for us:"Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches." Have we begun to learn by personal experience that living for the
Lord, pleasing Him, doing His will, serving Him, obeying Him
leads to far greater, deeper, longer-lasting joy, pleasure, happiness, and
satisfaction than "the pleasures of sin for a season"?
What can compare with the joy of
a happy marriage in which both husband and wife are steadily growing closer to
the Lord (and thus, at the same time, to each other), and are applying
scriptural principles to their marriage? What can compare with the joy of
leading a sinner to Christ (see Luke 15:7,10) or leading a backsliding soul
back to Christ, or helping a discouraged or depressed person get back on his
spiritual feet and serving and praising the Lord again. Sports fans:do you
remember who won—or even played in—the 1981 World Series or the 1985 Final Four
or the 1989 Super Bowl? Even though you may have watched or listened to these
events at the time, your memory of them now may be hazy. But you will never
forget the soul you led to the Lord in 1981 or the backsliding Christian you
picked up out of the gutter in 1985 or the marriage you helped to save in 1989.
Moses "had respect unto the
recompense of the reward." So for us there is the prospect of reward in
heaven for faithful service done for Christ in this life (Matt. 25:21,23; 2
Tim. 4:8; etc.). But in addition, as we walk a life of faith and trust in the
Lord, giving up the pleasures, wealth, and fame of the world, we will learn
that God greatly rewards our faith even now in our lives here on earth.
Thus we draw from the example of
Moses this lesson of faith:Faith gives up worldly pleasure, wealth, and
fame for the promise of future reward and glory as well as the present joy and
satisfaction of pleasing God.
The following article shows how a
Christian writer of 150 years ago treats the topic of the believer and the
world. Is it not distressing to see how much that was of deep concern to
devoted Christians over a century ago has become an unquestioned part of our
lives today!