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Note: We will return to the series on Mercy and not Sacrifice very soon!

"I’d rather be right than wrong!" These words came from an excited (but temporarily confused) friend of mine a few years back. What she meant to say was, "I’d rather be right than be President." Of course this famous quote is from Henry Clay, 19th century statesman and politician. In thinking about Moses, this attitude of being right as opposed to rich and powerful certainly leaps to the forefront. Or, to put it as the Hebrews writer did, "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward." (Hebrews 11.24-26).

"When he became of age…" speaks to the moral and mental maturity of Moses as compared to his youth when his parents and guardians made decisions for him. It implies a time "before he became of age" and hence a time in which he was not accountable in all respects for his actions, Nonetheless, maturing in mind, body and spirit, Moses came to a point in which he could not only think for himself, he could also act for himself. When that time came, he made a choice, or more properly several choices, that would shape his future, the future of his fellow Israelites, and believe it or not, the future of the world! Moses was a man who would rather be right than be President [Pharaoh]!

Moses refused one course of life and chose another; he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. Pleasure is not always sinful, but in this case it would have been. Pain inflicted by others and at their will is the opposite of pleasure yet that was the choice that Moses made. Unthinkable hardships and untold sufferings were heaped upon the slaves of Egypt by their taskmasters, yet that life was the life chosen by Moses as opposed to the life of opulence and opportunity that was his had he just allowed the "natural course of events" to unfold. However, Moses was a man with a mission long before God made His choice known. In one sense, Moses chose God before God chose Moses, but with God, that’s the way He always lets things appear.

Moses "…looked to the reward." This phrase speaks to his motivating and sustaining values. His interest was not merely in the temporal, but it was in the eternal. His focus was beyond the grave! Herein lies one of the great traits of this mighty prophet of God. How easy it is to look only at tomorrow and its likely results and to lose sight of the real goal established in eternity! This ability, the ability to stay focused on the things that matter, lies at the heart of this man and his successes. When others wanted to turn back and abandon their noble purposes, his eyes were absolutely and unalterably fixed on the goal established in the heavenlies.

The moral of this vignette is to wait for the right to choose, make choices based on absolute truth, and stay the course regardless of the material costs! This was Moses’ life!

Questions:

1. What might Moses have had or been had be simply allowed his life to unfold as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son?

2. What does the fact that he made this choice say for his character? Integrity? Compassion?

3. What material or temporal losses did Moses suffer as a result of his choices?

4. What sustained Moses when friends, family, and countrymen turned against him?

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

Things that go bump in the night