MOSES’ LIFE: ON DELIVERANCE VS. DROWNING

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MOSES’ LIFE: ON DELIVERANCE VS. DROWNING
by Philip Owen

The concluding verse in the brief biographical portrait of Moses found in the book of Hebrews emphasizes what is important to God. Clearly, God is not a movie director, who is interested in catching dramatic conflict or describing dramatic action. For regarding the very dramatic episode when Moses led Israel across the Red Sea, we read only this: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned” (11:29). A more prosaic description could hardly be imagined. But by this means, the Lord is driving home the point that faith is of the essence. The events mentioned in our text follow chronologically the events mentioned in the previous verse (the first Passover); more importantly, they build on the previous theme of faith and works.

First, we are reminded that not all external works are equal—though they may appear to be so. Israel believed God and, to a man, crossed the Red Sea safely on dry ground. The Egyptians, attempting to perform the same external act (crossing the sea on dry ground), became mired in mud and were drowned to a man. All through faith were delivered; all apart from faith died even though they attempted to do the identical external act. Just so, a believer, who gives his out-of-work neighbor some food as an act of faith and charity toward God, is blessed of God. An unbeliever who performs exactly the same act feeds his hungry neighbor. The former act of faith blesses God, the neighbor, and the believer and bears eternal fruit; the latter act feeds the neighbor, period.

Second, we have illustrated a truth mentioned earlier in the same chapter; namely, that “without faith it is impossible to please him” (v. 6). By faith, Israel crossed. In rebellion, Egypt drowned. God is not a God of half-measures, averages, near-misses, good-enoughs, or any other human contrivance. It is all or nothing with Him. Faith saves; faith sanctifies; faith blesses. Human works damn; human works corrupt; human works destroy. The question God asks is not, “Have you done your best?” but “Have you believed and obeyed my Word?” God’s standard is belief in and obedience to His Word. Anything else is only human contrivance, a construct that is doomed to eternal judgment.

Third, in this brief, stark contrast between Israel and Egypt, we learn that faith triumphs. This is a truth that can be neither diluted nor divided. Faith triumphs. Period. Man’s ways and means fail. Period. Not all of faith’s triumphs are realized this side of eternity. Not all faith’s triumphs are what we would wish them to be in the flesh. (Note Israel’s desire for something more than manna in the wilderness.) Nevertheless, as the hymnist wrote: “faith is the victory.” Faith has no other outcome than victory because in essence it believes and obeys God who cannot lie. Man’s efforts have no other outcome than failure because—regardless of how impressive they may appear—they represent a rejection of God’s word.

Were we to summarize the already summarized biography of Moses in Hebrews, it might read like this: By faith Moses . . . . Faith/obedience is the essential fact of Moses’ life. And though our circumstances will differ greatly from those of Moses, God wants our biographies to read in the same fashion: By faith my name here. There is no more heroic activity and no greater deed than to believe God’s Word and obey Him day-by-day in the ordinary place or the mundane thing He has called us to. There is no “bigger” thing than faith-wrought obedience to the Lord who loved us and gave Himself for us.

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MOSES’ LIFE: ON DELIVERANCE VS. DROWNING by Philip Owen

MOSES’ LIFE: ON DELIVERANCE VS. DROWNING
by Philip Owen