“God had repeatedly answered the flimsy objections that Moses raised”

Download discussion questions:  Hebrews 11:23-31
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I encourage you to look at the passage in Hebrews before you read this Blog entry.  What do you see in the text yourself?  What questions come to your mind?  How would you interpret what the writer says?  After even a few minutes examining and thinking about the text you will be much better prepared to evaluate the comments in the Blog.

“What Should I Say?”

Before our discussion of the passage in Hebrews 11 began, one member of our group shared from some of his recent reading.  The author was responding to a friend confiding a difficulty.  The passage finished with the question by the writer, “What should I say?”  The response was surprising.

That question is the most natural question to ask when talking with a troubled friend. It is also the least useful and the most dangerous. … Asking it leads naturally to introducing clumsy religion into the conversation,[1]

Naturally, our conversation began with our own responses to that startling quotation.  There were several well-intentioned reasons we might ask the question.  I want to help the person.  I want to relieve the pain they are experiencing.  I want to help them grow spiritually.

But as we continued to think about the motivation behind an initial response of, “What should I say?” a subtle self-focus began to emerge.  I want to look good.  I want to gain respect by giving good advice.  I don’t want to appear incompetent.  I don’t want to make the problem worse.  The list could go on.  The focus is on myself when it should be on listening to the person to better understand the problem.  Most importantly, the focus should be on listening to the Holy Spirit for His guidance and wisdom.  Focus on framing our perfect response is definitely misplaced.

Whether intentional or not, that discussion had particular relevance in our later discussion of Hebrews 11.

Moses

One person made the general observation that throughout Hebrews 11 “faith” is the starting point in every example.  The lives of the people used as examples followed very different paths, but faith was the key factor in each.

The discussion about Moses included some potential confusion.  Questions arose when the brief synopsis of Moses’ life in Hebrews 11 seemed less than consistent with some of our general memories of the story in Exodus.  To avoid the danger of inaccurate “hearsay impressions” of what the Bible says, we looked briefly at the text in Exodus 2-4.  That Old Testament text added significant detail to the story in Hebrews 11.

• • Was Moses fearful when he left Egypt or not (v. 27)? “Moses was afraid” and “fled from the presence of Pharaoh” after killing an Egyptian (Exodus 2:14-15).  But Hebrews 11:27 says, “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king…”  Someone brought up the fact that Moses actually “left Egypt” twice, once fleeing for his life after killing an Egyptian, and decades later in confidence after God’s repeated display of power in the ten plagues.  The writer to the Hebrews is drawing attention to Moses’ faith, leading God’s people out of bondage.
  • How did Moses “choose” to be mistreated with the people of God (v. 25)? Exodus 2:11b says, “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren” (emphasis added).  Living in the household of Pharaoh’s daughter after his early childhood (Exodus 2:10), he still identified with his Hebrew roots.  His identity was not with the status of that royal household.  In an instant of time he chose to defend a Hebrew slave, turning his back on the ”treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26).
  • How could Moses “consider” the reproach of Christ (v. 26), living some fifteen-hundred years^[2] before Jesus? Obviously that question is not addressed in Exodus.  However, one of our group members suggested that this was the pastor’s way of connecting his sermon directly with the context of the congregation of the Hebrews.  The first-century Hebrews were experiencing reproach, scorn, abuse for following Christ (Hebrews 10:32-34) and worse (Hebrews 11:35b-37).  Like their Hebrew ancestors in Egypt, they were suffering as the people of God.  The reproach of Christ in the first century was foreshadowed in the “mistreatment of the people of God” that Moses chose to share.

In the process of reviewing the beginning of the story of Moses in Exodus 2-4, our group noted several details about the early stages of his faith.

• • Moses repeatedly made excuses to avoid God’s calling, “Who am I, that I should go” (Exodus 3:11), and “What shall I say to them” (v. 13). After our initial discussion described above, that verse sounded all too familiar.
  • Moses consistently refused to trust God’s explicit promise to deliver His people (Exodus 3:10), “What if they will not believe me” (Exodus 4:1).
  • Moses focused on his own limitations, “I have never been eloquent” (Exodus 4:10) instead of God’s power, “Who has made man’s mouth…is it not I, the Lord?” (v. 11).
  • Moses essentially (but politely?) refused God’s calling, “Send the message by whomever You will,” with the implication, “anyone other than me” (Exodus 4:10). That seemed almost too much. “Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses” (v. 11)!

And yet Moses (along with all the other imperfect examples of faith) is included in Hebrews 11.  God had repeatedly answered the flimsy objections that Moses raised (Exodus 3:12, 14; 4:2-5, 11).  As a member of our group commented, God, even in His anger, accommodated Moses’ continuing resistance.  Aaron was appointed to speak for Moses (Exodus 4:16).  God met Moses where he was, in all his limitations.  Moses may sound to us like he was just making excuses to get out of obeying God.  At the same time, he was confessing his fears and insecurities rather than trying to hide his imperfections.  As someone has said, God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.[3]

Another person mentioned that the original audience of this written sermon, a congregation of Christians with Jewish heritage, would have been very familiar with the larger stories of all of the “heroes” of Hebrews 11.  If we twenty-first century Gentile believers recognize that there was more to Moses’ story than this brief text, they would probably have known the Exodus passage by memory.  Like our group, they would have recognized the significance of Moses’ faith.  Like all in our group, like the first-century Hebrew congregation, Moses was human, imperfect.  His faith, like ours, may have gotten off to a shaky start.  There may have been inconsistent patches along the way.  Yet he was greatly used by God and commended for his faith.  That should give every Christian believer hope in spite of times when spiritual formation seems hopeless.

Rahab, et al.

The substantial section about the faith of Moses (Hebrews 11:23-28) is followed by three brief notes about the faith of others.  Out of the pattern of the rest of Hebrews 11, two of the examples do not mention individual names.  “The people” crossed the Red Sea by faith.  Since that miraculous crossing was under the leadership of Moses, perhaps verse 29 could be grouped together with the expressions and effects of the faith of Moses.

The next instance is impersonal and passive, “the walls of Jericho fell down” by faith (v. 30).  No mention is made of the leadership of Joshua.  One comment suggested that the emphasis in this example was on the corporate faith of the entire people of God, marching around the walls.  Someone else noted a parallel with Noah.  Marching around a fortified city for a week must have seemed as senseless as building a boat in the desert.  Yet in both circumstances, obedient faith accomplished God’s promised purpose.

Finally in this section, the pastor lists Rahab and makes a point of mentioning her profession as a prostitute.  On the surface we have a blunt contrast: Moses, through whom God led the liberation of His people and delivered His Law; and a prostitute.  The point is the common thread of their lives:  faith.  They shared at least one thing in common.  They were commended for their belief, not condemned for their behavior.  They trusted God because of what they knew of Him, either directly from a burning bush (Exodus 3:3, ff) or by reputation (Joshua 2:10). Their attention was on God, not on their shortcomings.

As another general observation, a group member pointed out that the pastor (like many ancient writers) did not have the same concern for precise chronology that we often expect.  In two examples the comments in the text of Hebrews 11 are not in historical sequence.

• • Moses’ departure from Egypt (v. 27) was after he “kept the Passover” (v. 28), as recorded in Exodus 12:21-39.
  • Rahab “gave friendly welcome to the spies” (v. 31) in Joshua 2, well before the “walls of Jericho fell down” (v. 30) in Joshua 6.

This passage is a good reminder not to force modern standards of precision on Biblical writers.  The pastor, in this passage, is making his point about faith repeatedly, and in these two examples, the exact sequence of events is not critical.  In cases where the writer intends to emphasize historical events, we certainly can trust the accuracy of Scripture.  But, for example, in the earlier discussion about Moses’ fear, confusion resulted when we tried to impose our sense of historical sequence.

 

Our Faith

Our discussion turned to questions about our faith in light of this portion of Hebrews 11.  One person asked, “How do I know what God wants? God spoke directly to Moses, and Abraham, and others. That is not my experience.”

One response pointed to Rahab.  Her faith was based on the reports (or even rumors) spreading through the city.

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2:9-11, emphasis added)

Rahab had heard enough.  She was convinced of Jericho’s certain defeat.  Even more she was convinced that the God of Israel was more than a localized pagan battle god.  The reports she had heard from others stirred her faith, her belief in God’s power and rule, and her trust in His protection through His people.

Likewise, the multitude of Israelites marching around Jericho had faith from a variety of sources, but few if any had heard God speak directly to them. They had heard God’s instructions through Moses, then later through Joshua. Faith would have differed among individuals, but corporately they obeyed, and the walls fell down.

Similarly, another person pointed out how, even in our group meeting that Sunday morning, there likely was a variety of levels of faith.  And a follow-up comment suggested that those relative levels would probably be different by Wednesday.  Some people simply have more faith, either because of the spiritual gift of faith, or because of upbringing, or from experience.  Community (“considering how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds”) is the ongoing opportunity to have a part in each other’s faith.  As our trust level varies in different circumstances, “bearing one another’s burden” (Galatians 6:2) is essential, bolstering the faith of those who are discouraged.  (This relates to a common theme in Hebrews, of the corporate care for struggling individuals.)

We also considered a related question.  How do we have faith in knowing what God wants us to do in a particular situation?  God told Abraham to leave for an unspecified country.  Moses heard God from a burning bush.  But back to the earlier question, “How do I know?”

Again, we saw the centrality of community, hearing input from other sincere and thoughtful followers of Jesus.  Even then, certainty can be elusive.  Often all we can achieve is clarity about the choices before us.  Then we make the best decision with the information we have.  That involves risk, but risk is an opportunity for trust, primarily trust in God’s grace even in our mistakes.  Recalling Moses’ rocky path to faith can be helpful.  The same God who was patient with Moses, and continued to lead and use Moses even when angered by him, is the same God we can trust for His patience with us.

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[1] Larry Crabb, Soul Talk (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 88.

[2] Leon Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan Publishing House, 1975), 88.

[3] Larry Crabb, “Spiritually Forming Conversations” (audio recording, NewWay Ministries, 2006) Part 2, approximately 31:40.  http://www.newwayministries.org/