Slices
Prepare
What kind of ministry or service do you most admire? Why? What kind of ministry or service do you carry out? Why? Do those two questions have any connection?
Bible passage
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched round them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
Explore
We move on in the history of the Hebrews to the story of Moses and the exit from Egypt. He has already been discussed by the author in chapter 3. Moses was called ‘faithful as a servant in all God’s house’ (3:5). Not claiming any status for himself, and considering earthly riches of little comparative value, mark him out as someone looking to the future promise. The phrase that this was ‘for the sake of Christ’ indicates this (v 26).
There’s also Joshua, who carried out God’s instructions so that Jericho would fall (v 30). Both he and Moses had upfront, leadership roles in Israel’s history. But the passage is topped and tailed by other people: first, Moses’ parents (Amram and Jochebed, Exodus 6:20), whose faith prompted them to hide him from the Egyptian slaughter (v 23; Exodus 1:22 – 2:4); and lastly, Rahab, whose actions were significant in the conquest of Canaan (v 31). Their roles may have been less prominent (or you might think not…), but they are equally commended for their faith.
Respond
I once heard someone say that God does not require success; he asks for our obedience. Whatever ministry God has called you to, whether it’s seen by many or known to only a few, pray for the strength to remain faithful as you do it.
Deeper Bible study
Lord, grant me the grace to identify with Jesus and his sufferings, whatever the cost.
Today’s reading considers events around the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan. Two things seemed to be in the writer’s mind. He had already said that the wilderness generation was faithless and that Joshua did not give the people rest.1 Consequently, he now ignores the wilderness wanderings, jumping from the Exodus to Jericho – and chooses to highlight Rahab over Joshua.
He deals with the faith of Moses’ parents and of Moses himself, who rejected association with Pharaoh’s court with all its pleasures, choosing instead mistreatment with God’s people and ‘disgrace for the sake of Christ’ (v 26). By faith, Moses also left Egypt unafraid of the Pharaoh’s anger and he kept the Passover. Then, by faith, the people went through the Red Sea on dry land. The writer recalls how the walls of Jericho fell by faith (without saying that Joshua initiated this) and how Rahab saved her life when she received the spies in peace. The ultimate outcome of this faithful act is her inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus.2
Today’s highlight for me is the faith of Moses, who ‘regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward’ (v 26). That he identified with Jesus and chose disgrace for his sake sounds incongruous, given that Moses lived hundreds of years before Jesus but, as Harold Attridge suggests, as a prophet ‘Moses could have been understood to be aware of the … one who would bring God’s promises to reality’.3 With prophetic insight, Moses saw Jesus, ‘the pioneer and perfecter of faith’4 and chose to identify with him, whatever the cost. In 13:13 the writer will also call us to be prepared to bear the reproach of Christ.
Pray today for those called to suffer for Jesus. Ask God to hear their cries, to strengthen their faith and to give them wisdom and boldness in their witness.
1 Heb 3,4 2 Matt 1:5 3 Harold Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Fortress, 1999, p341; for Moses as a prophet see Deut 18:15–18 4 Heb 12:2
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 21,22; 1 Thessalonians 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for south east Mission Enabler Lisa Jones as she supports Faith Guides and Local Mission Partners in applying the Revealing Jesus framework. As a new academic year starts, pray specifically for those who are involved in schools and for wisdom in applying the Revealing Jesus framework to schools’ ministry.
Meet our sports team!
Mark and our brilliant Sports Team use sports, games, and activities to reach children and young people where they’re at while creating space to introduce them to Jesus. Sport not your thing? That’s no problem. Mark and the team know that even the least sporty person can develop simple, fun games and activities to engage the 95, creating space for them to find faith.
