Daily Light - January 26, 2011

Daily Light from the Lighthouse
40 Days of Faith

"Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;

for he looked to the reward."

Hebrews 11:26

In all of the accounts of Moses' faith, this verse illustrates how incredible his faith in God really was. There are several dynamics to be considered about Moses' life in order to understand his great faith.
First, Moses knew very well of the treasures in Egypt. He had been brought up in Pharaoh's palace with the best of the best. There was no need or want that he had that went unmet. He was dwelling in one of if not the most powerful places in the world. With this power there came great wealth and prestige. Moses was not sitting on the outside looking in on all of this; he was living this prestigious life. Despite all of this, he chose to give up everything for the will of God. It is not hard for many of us to say that we have surrendered all that we have to God, because most of us do not have this type of wealth. This is an unfathomable step of faith that Moses is taking.
Second, he also knew what reproach it would be to identify himself as an Israelite. He had watched the Israelites work as slaves and face incredible hardships. They were treated as animals and considered to be the lowest of that society. Their life was hard and difficult; they had been stripped of their dignity and were completely disrespected. To identify himself as an Israelite was to go from being a prince to a pauper. Who would dare step down from a royal throne and humble themselves to the point that they would face mocking, ridicule, and possibly even death? By this example we now understand the phrase "the reproach of Christ".
Moses chose this path in spite of what he could see: wealth vs. reproach. He looked beyond those things that he could see with his eyes to what he could see only with his heart. The word "looked" or the phrase "had respect" means "to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on some one thing". His reward was the joy of the Lord and the fulfillment of knowing that he had pleased Jehovah God. No wonder the author of Hebrews later admonishes us to look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
May you look beyond your circumstances to Christ today!