The following study is based on Hebrews 11:23, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.”

Obviously this was speaking about Moses’ parents and not his own faith.

• Pop quiz: Who knows the names of Moses’ parents?
  • Exodus 6:20
    And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
  • It is Amram and Jochebed. Jochebed is more famous than the husband.
• Some things to observe from the passage in Hebrews 11.
• They were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
  • What was the king’s commandment?
  • In Exodus 1 – there was a Pharaoh who rose up and chose to ignore what Joseph had done for Egypt. The Israelites began to multiply and Egypt got scared so they made them slaves. That didn’t work. So that’s where Pharaoh issued an order.
• Exodus 1:16-17
  16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
  • The midwives were instructed to kill the baby boys but they feared God and chose to keep them alive instead. God blessed them mightily as a result! So what happened then?
• Exodus 1:22
  And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
  • It became an executive order! Straight from the highest authority in the land!
  • It takes courage if you wish to follow Jesus and it takes courage if you wish to have faith. Going against the commandment of the king is not a small thing.
• Going against the wishes of your parents?
  • Going against the order of your boss or teacher at school? That’s nothing. Going against the government? WOW!
• Moses’ parents just thought that he was a proper (beautiful) child so they kept him alive? Isn’t that what all parents think though? Was there really something special about Moses that made them think this way? They already had a son – Aaron.
  • Obviously they must have remembered the prophecies of Joseph and Abraham that we studied last week. They must have been students of prophecy that they were willing to take the risk of their own life (disobey king’s command) just to keep their son alive. They were living in unusual times – a decree from the king to kill their sons. Not everyone was keeping their sons alive I guess for fear from Pharaoh but they decided to take the risk, they saw through the present situation.
  • So then, faith gives us courage. Faith in what? The prophecies and OUR PART to play in them.
• What was the prophecy?
  • Genesis 50:24
    And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
  • That promise was always kept in their hearts and minds and it was coming close.
  • Genesis 15:13-14
    13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
  • Abraham was given a time prophecy. It was close at hand! It could have been possible that this child may be instrumental in the fulfilment of that prophecy
• So what is your part in finishing the work of God on earth?
  • What is your part in this world for the hastening the second coming of Jesus?
  • Have you looked at your life in this way lately? Or do you think that your life it too ordinary and there’s nothing special? Nothing that God would do to work through you?
  • So why would you go against the wishes of your parents, boss or teacher or friend or even the government one day? Because you see how God sees. You recognise the winds of providence and act upon it. You understand your role in the wrapping up of the prophecies in relation to the second coming!

So let’s move on:

• Exodus 2:1-4
  1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Hiding a newborn for 3 months!

• Do you know how difficult that is? This is no small task!
• But extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures!
• Babies – their natural thing to do is cry! The focus of the whole family for 3 months would have been baby Moses! Nothing else! Morning, afternoon, evening, through the night!
• And then what happened next?
  • Exodus 2:3
    And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
  • When they couldn’t hide him anymore, what did they do? They built a little boat.
• Building of a little boat.
  • Seriously, do you think that would help? What were they trying to achieve out of that?
  • He still had to be changed and fed. He was a pampered baby you know because of the circumstance. Couldn’t cry himself to sleep – training of the baby!
  • This was called an act of desperation. BUT – I’m sure they were praying, and circumstances led them this way because it was probably all they could think of
• The need to try EVERYTHING!
  • Yes, we should try everything, even when we think it might look so silly! Just try! That’s what God wants us to do.
  • Who knows how God would work right?
  • I think many times we fall short because the problem is insurmountable in our minds and so we just give up instead of simply trying!
• But Moses’ family tried… they stepped out in faith.
• Peter tried walking on water. Sounds crazy but he tried! And we know the results of that experiment.

But let’s keep reading now.

• Exodus 2:5-10
  5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
• Obviously in verse 9 I’m sure Pharaoh’s daughter knew that the baby’s nurse was really his mother. The baby would have stopped crying straight away as soon as the mother picked him up. It would be obvious. But this is amazing. You see, when you are willing to try EVERYTHING for God, He will always overrule events for the furtherance of His work. God was working on the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter.
• Now the mother not only got her baby back and didn’t have to hide him anymore, but she got paid to do the work of a mother! Isn’t that amazing?
• How?
  • Because of faith. Faith leads you to try things that you probably wouldn’t consider if it was not for the situation. And then the situation gets worked out in your favour.
• Got problems with Sabbath?
  • Be faithful! Recognise the leading of God and Him preparing you for something greater in the future. And in due time, He will exalt you.

How long a time was Moses with his mother before going into the Egyptian courts?

• She kept the boy as long as she could, but was obliged to give him up when he was about twelve years old.
• I want you to think of a 12 year old you know.
  • Would he/she really understand what she is called to and why and the seriousness of life at such an age?
  • Is it because we have lost sight of the seriousness of the times we are living in?
  • Obviously Moses’ mother (Jochebed) recognised the hand of providence. So she knew that God was preparing Moses for something great. So she trained Moses differently!
  • Especially since she knew he was going to an Egyptian palace!
• Friends, do you recognise the hand of providence in your life?
  • No man or woman’s life is guided through chance. God is guiding the affairs of this world. You’re here for a reason. God never makes mistakes.
• The only question is – how are you living your life today? Do you understand God’s calling in your life? Or are you just going through the motions of living a life? Just following the standard norms?
  • School.
  • College.
  • Uni.
  • Get a job.
  • Get into a relationship.
  • Get married.
  • Have kids.
  • Earn more money.
  • Don’t worry about money anymore.
  • Retire.
  • Grandkids.
  • Enjoy life.

Granted – Moses’ parents times were not normal. A decree from Pharaoh to kill all the baby Israelite boys.

• But if you haven’t noticed, the times that we are living in today are not very normal either.
  • Prophecies are fulfilling at a rapid pace. Unprecedented times!
  • A NEW normal – words that I am so tired of hearing, but it is true.
• People are trying to go back to “normal” as much as possible.
  • Reason being is probably because of the financial situation. They are scared for that. Wanting to support themselves. Support their NORMAL lifestyles.
• But in the trying to get back to the OLD NORMAL, maybe you’re missing the need for greater faith in these ABNORMAL times!

Friends I want to ask you again today – how are you living your life today?

• And really, how SHOULD you be living your life today?
• Have you gone back to the normal life in chase for money, status and making a living?
• Or have you re-evaluated your life and realised that it should have been lived a different way?
• Are you on that path already?
• Moses’ parents recognised the importance of being courageous in the face of a penalty from Pharaoh. It had a domino effect.
  • Parents were faithful.
  • As a result, the life of Moses was preserved. Who eventually became the one who would lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

In 1844, the gospel was making strides!

• There were great revivals taking place. The message was – Jesus was coming very soon! People quit their jobs. They stopped going to school. What was the need for it? Jesus would be coming and taking them to heaven!
• William Miller was leading the charge for this message. Many people were called from the plough to preach the gospel message. Even little kids were getting on tables in bars and preaching! The Holy Spirit was being poured out in those times. It wasn’t a NORMAL time!
• But we know the story – Jesus didn’t come in 1844. The date was correct but the event was wrong. And many people would go back to their normal lives, ashamed and telling people that they were not deceived by these end time Millerite preachers. But there was a small group that didn’t go back to normal life. They went back to the scriptures and studied it even more deeply.
• They found out that Jesus in Daniel 7-9 moved from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place. He didn’t come to earth.
• It was this small group of people who would eventually form the foundation for the Adventist Church which would be formalised about 20 years later. It was a group of people who built on their faith and dared to continue pushing and not go back to NORMAL life!

God could have come shortly after 1844 but He didn’t because many people turned away from their faith. They went back to their normal lives and God did not come. He granted probation to us so that we could make a greater push to save more people.

• He didn’t delay so that we could enjoy life just a little bit more.
  • Enjoy our Ferrari.
  • Enjoy our retirement.
  • Enjoy our nice new home.
  • Enjoy traveling to other countries and take more pictures.
  • Enjoy our married life.
  • Enjoy whatever!
• Jesus delayed to come back so that more could be saved!

And today, we are in the tarrying time.

• You know there was a king in the Bible – his name was Hezekiah. He got sick one day and the prophet Isaiah came and told him to set his house in order because he was going to die. But Hezekiah really prayed. Prayed so hard that God changed His mind. He granted him more time. Not so that he could go back to his normal life.
• But that’s what he did. And the Babylonians came and visited him because they heard of his miraculous healing. And instead of witnessing to them of the true God, he showed them all his wealth and treasures. He had forgotten that he had been living in abnormal times just a short while before that. HE FORGOT!
• Today the economy is trying to get back to normal. We don’t want to be hit with harder times. Has life become more normal again for you that you’re almost forgetting your mission – to be a blessing to this world? To lead souls to Jesus? To witness for Him? Let’s not forget that we got to live differently today! Live for Christ! Because Jesus is preparing each of us to be instrumental in His closing work here on earth.