"By faith Moses, being born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw the child
beautiful; and they did not fear the injunction of the king. By faith Moses, when he had become
great, refused to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction along
with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasure of sin; esteeming the reproach of the
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense" (Heb.
11:23-26 JND).

Earlier in this chapter, faith is seen as looking forward to the blessing to come. Now we see the
trials through which it has to pass before it reaches its hope.

Moses is taken here as the great example of this. Faith begins in the parents; and it is a great
comfort to think that there is where it often begins. The apostle speaks to Timothy of the
unfeigned faith that dwelt in his grandmother first, then in his mother, "and I am persuaded in thee
also." When everything was going to pieces, the Spirit of God was pleased to go back to the faith
that dwelt in the bosom of a faithful woman, then in her daughter, and then in her child.

Faith in Moses’ parents was shown in the fact that he was hid by them three months, "because
they saw he was a proper child," or, as Stephen says, "fair unto God." They believed he would
be a fitting instrument for God to use, and so they hid him in spite of the commandment that every
male should be cast into the river. And when his mother could no longer hide him, she took the
king literally at his word. She put the child at the river’s brink, but in the ark_ typically, in
Christ.

So with us now. As we look upon the children God has given us, we say, Oh let them be beautiful
for God throughout eternity! First, we throw every safeguard about them; we try to hide them
from the evil in the world; and as they grow up and we can no longer keep them under our eye
constantly, as we have to launch them out in this great world_first to school and then to some
employment_how faith, by God’s grace, does as Moses’ parents did! They put the child of their
care in the ark and said, If he must be launched out upon the river, we have put him in this ark,
and we will count upon God for him. So godly parents commit their dear ones to Christ as they
send them off_not in a careless way, but counting upon that precious Saviour who has saved us
to keep our dear ones and to bring them unspotted out of all that into which they will be thrown.

Let us not be afraid to have faith for our children, to lay hold upon God for them before they are
able to lay hold upon Him for themselves. People say, A child must believe for himself; you
cannot believe for him. But in a certain sense you can believe for him as Moses’ parents believed
for him. Suppose they had not believed for him. Suppose they had said, If he were large enough,
he might trust in God; but we must cast him into the river. That would have been the end of
Moses as far as human power was concerned. But what a place they put him in! We all know how
he was taken from the river’s brink by Pharaoh’s daughter, adopted by her, and then put back
under his mother’s care until he was of sufficient age to go permanently back to the king’s court.
Every advantage was given to him; but God’s tender care had given him also all the benefit of a
mother’s love and training in the fear of God and His ways. How diligently that dear mother must

have made use of her time! How she must have instilled into his mind the promises of the God of
their fathers! How she must have taught that young child that he was identified with those
bondsmen who yet were the people of God! How she must have told him of the promises of God,
that He would visit them and bring them up out of that land, and give them an inheritance! No
doubt she made faithful and diligent use of her opportunities; and, as Pharaoh’s daughter said to
her (in a higher sense than Pharaoh’s daughter meant, she heard another Voice saying), "Take this
child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." What wages has a faithful mother
if she has spent time and strength and prayers in bringing up her children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord!

Moses came to years. His feet were upon the steps that led up to the throne. He was "learned in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." He had every
opportunity that a great civilization could give. What opportunities, what a chance to reform
Egypt! _to make it a place where the children of Israel could have their inheritance, instead of
some vague, intangible thing in Canaan that might never materialize!

Let us note here what the Spirit of God singles out in Moses for His approval. "When he was
come to years he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter"_he gave up that which God
Himself had put him into, as it were. Humanly speaking, there was no limit to his prospects. If
a Joseph, who was brought out of the dungeon, was exalted to a place second only to the king,
what might not a Moses
hope to attain, who was adopted into the king’s family? Was not the throne even a possibility?

Moses was not in the immaturity of his life, for he was forty years old. Then, taking in the whole
field in his survey, seeing the possibilities connected with his position in Egypt, seeing the
disgrace of his own kinsmen according to the flesh, calmly looking at both sides, what does faith
do? It refuses all this greatness, its dignity, its expectations, and says, My place, my heritage is
with those people who are groveling there in the brickkilns, and crying out under the lash of the
taskmasters! That was faith. He chose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."

Ah, Egypt’s greatness may be attractive, its pleasures may be manifold, its power unlimited, but
written over all the greatness of Egypt was, "For a season"; and so it is with all this world has to
offer. Faith says, Those things are temporary, and, thank God, the affliction is temporary too; I
will take the affliction; I will identify myself with my people.

"The reproach of Christ!" Think how the Spirit of God describes it. Here were a people suffering
and rejected; and God calls it the reproach of Christ. "In all their affliction He was afflicted," and
faith sees in that the affliction of Christ Himself. As the Lord Jesus afterwards, in speaking to Saul
of Tarsus, says, "Why persecutes! thou Me?" It was the reproach of Christ, and not merely that
of His suffering people.

Look at it for a moment. Is it possible? Here are the treasures of Egypt:put in that side of the
balance all you can think of wealth and glory of this world. Here is the reproach of Christ:put
in this side all the suffering, the scorn, the self-denial, the poverty, the feebleness, the trials which

come upon us. Read the apostle Paul’s description of some of the reproach of Christ. See what
it means to endure affliction at the hands of persecutors on the one side, and at the hands of those
who were God’s own people on the other. And as you look at those two things, which in your
estimation outweighs? Surely, if we judge according to sight, we would say the treasures of Egypt
will outweigh all that suffering. But Moses, as he looks forward to the recompense of the reward,
as he thinks of the outcome, says, I will cast in my lot with those who are suffering reproach and
affliction, rather than have all this other!

(From Lectures on the Epistle to the Hebrews.)