Sorry for my delay, life has presented some scenarios that have taken priority over writing this study quickly. But, let us continue on this journey through Hebrews 11. This post is a breakdown verses 27 to 29. Each verse will be stated from the ESV, followed by connecting scripture references, word studies or other personal thoughts. I continue to hope you find this resource useful, insightful and perhaps even encouraging. Because faith, as I’ve heard it said, is the currency of heaven.
Faith:
complete trust
or confidence
in someone
or something.
~~~
Hebrews 11: Part 5 – Verses 27-29
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
I noticed, back in verse 23 of Hebrews, Moses’ parents were not afraid of the king’s edict, and now, as Moses has grown up, he also isn’t afraid of the king’s anger. Could it be, his parents told him the story of what had happened when he was born and how God had taken them through that situation? It would be a tremendous story of great faith to hear, indeed, and we still have access to it in Exodus 1!
Now... Yes. The verse says that Moses was not afraid of the anger of the king, but that doesn’t mean that Moses did not run for his life! After Moses killed the Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew, Pharaoh heard about it, and sought to kill Moses, “but Moses fled from Pharaoh” (see Exodus 2:15). Nowhere does the text in Exodus mention Moses had fear, although he fled, I believe that was out of the common sense in trying to save his life.
The phrase “seeing him who is invisible” could relate to Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. To read more check out Exodus 3.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
What is Passover? This is a brief summary of what I uncovered in Exodus 12:
In the first month of the year, on tenth day every man was to take a lamb, according to his household. This lamb was to be without blemish, a male, and it was to be kept until the fourteenth day. Then every lamb for every household was to be killed at twilight (talk about massacre of little lambs)... Then the man would take the blood and sprinkle the blood on the two door posts of the house, as well as on the lintel (the top beam of the doorway). The flesh of the lamb would be roasted; every part of it, and in its entirety it was to be eaten in haste before morning. If anything was left over, it was to be burned. Israel was to be dressed as though they would be ready for anything; with shoes on their feet, belt fastened around their cloaks and their staff in their hand (see verse 11).
At midnight, the Lord was to pass over the land of Egypt and he would strike down all the firstborns. This was an execution of judgment.
Why the blood? The blood was a sign, on the houses where they lived... that a sacrifice was made, and the Lord would pass over the homes with the blood on the doorposts. Thus, allowing the household to be saved from the Destroyer of the firstborn. But everyone without the blood on their doorposts would result in having the firstborns killed at midnight.
As it says in Exodus 12:12-13: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”
This event, the Passover, was to be remembered by the people of Israel every year as “the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover” because it was when the Lord “passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses” (Exodus 12:27)
There is also a Feast of Unleavened Bread, which I will not being going into depth in this study, more can be about it in Exodus 12:14-20.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
So you might be wondering, what is the Red Sea, how was it crossed
over on dry land and why did it need to be crossed?
Well that would require us to look back a bit... the people of
Israel were in slavery in the land of Egypt. And God called Moses to deliver
people OUT of Egypt. God would provide signs and wonders that would be
presented to Pharaoh (and affect all of Egypt) but God would harden Pharaoh’s
heart and he would not let the people of Israel go (Exodus 7:3-5).
These signs would include “the ten plagues”:
· Water
turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-24)
· Frogs
(Exodus 7:25-8:15)
· Gnats
(Exodus 8:16-19)
· Flies
(Exodus 8:20-32)
· Livestock
(Exodus 9:1-7)
· Boils
(Exodus 9:8-12)
· Hail
(Exodus 9:13-35)
· Locusts
(Exodus 10:1-20)
· Darkness
(Exodus 10:21-29), and
· Firstborn
(Exodus 11:1-10)
In the previous verse of Hebrews 11, we learnt about the Passover,
which relates to the plague of the firstborn. After all the firstborn males in
Egypt died, Pharaoh finally let Moses and the people of Israel leave the land
of Egypt. Pharaoh said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go,
worship the Lord as you have requested” (Exodus 12:32).
So off they went. But God purposely took the Israelites a
longer way because if they had faced war they would have turned back towards
Egypt (Exodus 13:17). God never wants us to enter freedom to think a
few days later that things were better in bondage. So He’ll take us a longer
way to keep us on track, and show us His provision and power.
After a short time Pharaoh and his officials “changed their minds”
and they pursued the people of Israel to attempt to bring them back into slavery
in Egypt. So Pharaoh sent out “six hundred of the best chariots, along with all
the other chariots of Egypt” to capture Israel (Exodus 14:5-7). God purposely
hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would pursue Israel, “and I [the Lord]
will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that
I am the Lord.” And they did so.” (Exodus 14:4)
The people of Israel saw the Egyptians pursuing them from afar and
began to panic.
*Enter the need for the Red Sea*
The Red Sea was a body of water that divides... modern day
Egypt/Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Based on a quick Google search, Wikipedia states
that the Red Sea is approximately 2250 km long, at its widest point 355 km, and
can be as deep as 3,040 m. This isn’t a puddle-sized body of water. And
according to this article by Jack Zavadaguest,
“Crossing the Red Sea – Bible Story Summary: The Red Sea Crossing Showed God’s
Miraculous Power”, the Israelites were also surrounded by mountains when they
say Egypt pursuing them.
So Israel is freaked out, totally terrified, they cry out to the
Lord and say to Moses that they would rather be slaves to Egypt than die in the
wilderness. Moses response: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the
Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today,
you shall never see again” (Exodus 14:13). I’m just taking that in for a
second... What amazing faith, to declare such victory in a moment where the
battle is closing in, and speedily. Moses continues his victory speech in verse
14, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Be silent? Shouldn’t they be sharpening their weapons? Or better
yet, running towards the surrounding mountains? Because there would be no way
they could swim across the length of the Red Sea in one stretch, even if it was
attempted at the narrow parts!
God’s response to Moses in Exodus 14:15-18a is so direct; he gave
them both instructions on what to do, how He would make it happen, and a
glimpse of what the results would be... He said, “Why do you cry to me? Tell
the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your
hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the
sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they
shall go after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his
chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord..."
The
“how”, to how God intervened and saved the Israelites while destroying all of
the Egyptian army can be read in Exodus 14:19-31. But to sum this up, as it says
in Hebrews 11:29, Israel walked on the dry ground of the Red Sea, while Egypt
was swallowed up and drowned by the waters. “Thus the Lord saved Israel that
day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the
seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians,
so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant
Moses” (Exodus 14:30-31).
~~~
More to come!
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