I Corinthians 6
17 But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
The challenge before the people of God in these days
is to continue to pursue the ways of God in the face of so many
worldly distractions, diversions and deceptions. The mentality we
need to have is to relinquish and leave the things of the flesh and
of the world. Instead, our desire needs to be to join hands with the
people of God in their quest for God’s will and purposes for our
day. In the past there were several men who forsook the pleasures of
the world in order to lay hold of that what God had ordained for
their lives. One such man was Moses.
Moses was brought up in the lap of luxury in his childhood. Being a
prince in the palace of Pharaoh, Moses was accustomed to have the
very best. Moses grew up under the influence of the best Egyptian
priests and tutors. The Bible says that Moses was educated in all
the learning of the Egyptian princes (Acts 7:22). He learned of
their wisdom and was instructed in all their culture. The recent
discovery of tablets with hieroglyphic writings (picture language)
shows how extensive their knowledge was at that time. Moses was not
only groomed in the art of warfare but he became well versed in the
science of his time.
It is with this background that we must see the character of Moses!
He saw that the pomp, power and pleasures of his life were in sharp
contrast to the poverty, slavery and pitiable plight of his people,
the Hebrews. One should not forget that he was a fully mature,
active and handsome man at the time of his epoch-making decision
when the pleasures of sin were most fascinating and enticing.
Undoubtedly the scales were weighed heavily against his becoming the
‘prince of paupers’. The attractions of the world, the privileges of
being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, the glamour of a princely life
of ease and comfort were all very tangible and real compared to the
unrealistic prospect of any good coming his way even in the very
distant future, if he joined hands with his own brethren. Yet Moses
chose to suffer affliction with the people of God.
Hebrews 11
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
The faith in Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great,
was aroused and so he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, preferring to endure ill- treatment and suffer hardships
with the people of God. He made a deliberate choice to identify
himself with the afflictions and hopes of Israel. He preferred to
leave the king’s palace and be counted as a Hebrew despite the pain
and disadvantages of such an alliance. With an eye of faith he saw
the hand of God upon his life. Perhaps while Moses’ mother was
nursing him in the palace of Pharaoh’s daughter, she told him, “You
are not an Egyptian but a Hebrew. While all the male children of
your age were killed, God preserved you for a purpose—God has saved
you with a purpose”. Perhaps while he was being trained in all the
wisdom of Egypt, he often remembered her words and waited for the
right time. He exchanged Egypt’s pleasures, pomp and power for
suffering, contempt, affliction and homeless wandering, it was his
faith that gave him strength to make the great refusal.
