Heb. 11:23-27 – Faith Determines Authority, Identity & Destiny (Moses)

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 15 Sep. 2019

Intro

I. Faith determines your ultimate authority (Amram & Jochabed)
v.23) With faith, Moses, after he was born, was hidden for a three-month-period by his parents, because they saw the child was a fine one, and they were not frightened by the order of the king.

II. Faith determines your identity (Moses, Prince of Egypt)
vs.24-26 With faith, Moses, after he was grown, declaimed being named the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, having chosen instead to be ill-treated together with the people of God than to have temporary enjoyment of sin, having decided that [experiencing] the insulting of the Messiah1 was greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking off to the payback.

III. Faith determines your destiny (Moses, desert wanderer)
v.27 With faith he left Egypt behind, not having been frightened by the wrath of the king, for he persevered as one who sees5 Him who is unseen.



APPENDIX: Greek Text & English Versions of Hebrews 11:23-27A

Greek NT

NAW

KJV

23 Πίστει Μωϋσῆς γεννηθεὶς ἐκρύβη τρίμηνον ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ, διότι εἶδον ἀστεῖονB τὸ παιδίον, καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβή­θησαν τὸ διάταγμαC τοῦ βασιλέως.D

23 With faith, Moses, after he was born, was hidden for a 3-month-period by his parents be-cause they saw the child was a fine one, and they were not frightened by the order of the king.

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.

24 Πίστει Μωϋσῆς μέγας γενόμενος ἠρνήσατο λέγεσθαι υἱὸς θυγατρὸς Φαραώ,

24 With faith, Moses, after he was grown, declaimed being called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

25 μᾶλλον ἑλόμενος συγκακουχεῖσθαιE τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἢ πρόσκαιρον ἔχειν ἁμαρτίας ἀπόλαυσινF,

25 having chosen instead to be ill-treat­ed together with the peo­ple of God than to have temporary en­joyment of sin,

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction X with the peo­ple of God, than to X en-joy [the] plea­sure[s] of sin for a season;

26 μείζονα πλοῦ­τον ἡγησάμενοςG τῶν Αἰγύπτου θησαυρῶν τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἀπέ­βλεπεH γὰρ εἰς τὴν μισθ­αποδοσίανI.

26 having de-cided that [ex­periencing] the insulting of the Messiah was greater wealth than the treas­ures of Egypt, since he was looking off to the payback.

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ great­er rich-[es] than the treasures inJ Egypt: for he had respect unto [the re­com­pence of] the reward.

27 Πίστει κατέλιπεν Αἴγυπτον μὴ φοβηθεὶς τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ βασιλέως· τὸν γὰρ ἀόρατονK ὡς ὁρῶν ἐκαρτέρησεL

27 With faith he left Egypt be­hind, not hav­ing been frightened by the wrath of the king, for he per­severed as one who sees Him who is unseen.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.


1"That is, either Christ personal; meaning not any reproach that lay upon Christ, as the immediate object of it; nor upon the people of Israel for the delay of his coming; but rather for the sake of Christ: Christ was made known to the Old Testament saints, and they believed in him; he was typified by sacrifices which they offered; and they were reproached for his sake, for the sacrifices they offered, and for the worship they performed, for their faith in the Messiah, and their expectation of him: or this may be understood of Christ mystical, the church; called Christ, because of the union, communion, sympathy, and likeness there is between them, insomuch that what is done to the one, is done to the other: when the saints are reproached, Christ himself is reproached; and therefore all reproaches of this nature should be bore willingly, cheerfully, courageously, patiently, and constantly..." ~John Gill, AD 1766

2An interesting contrast to Joseph whose association with Pharaoh was kept in faith, but the need of the time was different.

3P. E. Hughes made a case in his commentary, based on the use of xristwn in Ps. 105:15, that “Christ” refers to Israel.

42 Timothy 2:12 "If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us." (NKJV)

5It's possible that this word is also used in the sense of "seer," which is it's meaning in 3 out of its seven other uses in the Greek Bible (Numbers 24:3&15-Balaam & Amos 7:12).

6Nevertheless, some Bible commentators try to interpret this statement in Hebrews of his first flight from Egypt.

AThe Greek is the Majority text, edited by myself to follow the majority of the earliest-known manuscripts only when the early manuscript evidence is practically unanimous. My original document includes notes on the NKJV, NASB, NIV, & ESV English translations, but since they are all copyrighted, I cannot include them in my online document. Underlined words in English versions indicate a standalone difference from all other English translations of a certain word. Strikeout usually indicates that the English translation is, in my opinion, too far outside the range of meaning of the original Greek word. The addition of an X indicates a Greek word left untranslated – or a plural Greek word translated as an English singular. [Brackets] indicate words added in English not in the Greek. Key words are colored consistently across the chart to show correlations.

BSince this adjective bears no definite article and the noun it modifies is definite, asteion is in a predicate position as the predicate nominative of ton paidion, in other words “the child [was] fine” (not “the fine child”). A.T. Robertson concurred: “‘the child was goodly’ (predicate adjective)”

COnly here and Ezra 7:11, akin to an “executive order” in the United States.

DThe 6th Century Claramontanus manuscript was recorded by Tischendorf as containing the following extra verse, found nowhere else: “With faith, Moses, after he was grown, was merciless toward the Egyptian when he realized the abasement of his brothers.”

EHapex Legomenon. The simpler form of this verb without the syn- prefix occurs only twice, and both in Hebrews (11:37 & 13:3).

F1 Tim. 6:17 contains the only other instance of this word in the Greek Bible.

Gcf. logisamenos referring to Abraham’s faith in v.19.

HNowhere else in the NT, but several instances in the OT, expressing positive interest (Ps. 10:4), evil intent (Ps. 9:29) or distraction (Cant. 6:1; Hos. 3:1; Mal. 3:9). cf. aporwnes in 12:2.

IOnly here and Heb. 2:2 and 10:35 in the Greek Bible.

JThe Textus Receptus, upon which the KJV was based, followed a dozen or so Greek manuscripts, (the earliest being the 9th century miniscule #1424 and the 5th century uncial Alexandrinus) which add the preposition en here, but perhaps twice as many Greek manuscripts (the oldest of which are the 4th century Sinaiticus and 6th century Claramontanus uncials) read without the preposition, the latter of which is the rendering of majority editions, modern critical editions, and modern Greek Orthodox editions of the Greek New Testament. But whether the treasures were “in” Egypt or “of” Egypt, the idea is basically the same.

KIt is not just that Moses could perceive indefinite invisible things, but rather that he could perceive “the” particular invisible person (Louw & Nida Lexicon Supplement #92.11a). Geneva, KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV all render this definite article "Him who is" (cf. NET "the one who is" and CEV "the God").

LOnly here and in the LXX of Job 2:9 and Isa. 42:14, but more common with the pros- prefix (Num. 13:20/21, Mark 3:9; Acts 1:14; 2:42,46; 6:4; 8:13; 10:7; Romans 12:12; 13:6; Colossians 4:2).

2