By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 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. Hebrews11:24-26
There's a diagram that I have always loved. It has two circles that are not overlapping. One is labelled "Comfort Zone," while the other is labelled "Where the magic happens!"
Moses could have settled in as the son of the Pharaoh's daughter. He could have argued that this privileged position was his by Divine Providence. After all, wasn't it God's hand that brought his basket drifting to the one person who had the compassion and courage to defy Pharaoh's genocide order?
He could have argued that he could make a difference from the inside. He might have argued that he would make use of "quiet diplomacy." He could have continued to enjoy the wealth and privilege of his position and insulate himself from the fate of his people.
The Hebrew writer says that Moses did not linger in the "pleasures of sin." It is most likely that the sin being spoken about is the luxurious living and pagan worship of the Egyptians as well as the denial of the very purpose for which he had been spared. Mordechai's words to Esther come to mind: " And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Est4:14)
And so Moses courageously, if somewhat impulsively, steps out of the comfort zone by going to observe his people. When he sees a fellow Israelite being brutalised, his passion and anger get the better of him and he kills the Egyptian slave driver.
The consequence of this rash action is a 40 year sojourn in Midian while he grows into the person that God would use to set His people free.
But Moses-faith starts with stepping out of the comfort zone...
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
