“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” Acts 7:22
Dear Ones:
When Moses was in Egypt, up until, and around the age of 40, he was quite a man, from a human and worldly standpoint. We find that, as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he was raised in “all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” One effect of such an upbringing, education, and exposure to the sophistication of the Egyptian civilization was that he was a man, “…mighty in words and deeds.” In spite of the overwhelming and powerful influence of the Egyptian culture of that day, and the pressures that it put upon him, there were “rumblings” in his heart in another direction. Scripture tells us that there came a point in time when Moses, “…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” (Heb. 11:24) He even chose, “… to rather suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” (v.25) Being forced to forsake Egypt, leaving all behind, with no means of returning, he began a process of learning something of what it meant, to trust God fully. The basic problem that had to be dealt with in the heart and mind of Moses was his natural reliance upon himself, his capacities, talents, and “prowess.” As with the Apostle Paul years later, he too would need to learn, and determine, “…not to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor. 1:2) After forty years in the wilderness, being a sheep herder, Moses would join the ranks of those who also had to learn the principle lesson of faith, that of trusting only, and wholly, in God for everything in the will of God. God can only use, work through, men and women who are “broken” in their reliance and trust in and of themselves, in order to trust in God. Such was the experience of Moses.
One of the great aspects of this life of faith, where one can walk by faith in Christ, and see Him work in and through us, is that we are ALL called to live this way. We do not need to be a Moses, or Apostle Paul, to know the presence, power, and priceless provision of fellowship with God. When the Apostle Paul wrote that God has not chosen the “wise men after the flesh,” or the “…mighty,” and “noble,” he was in essence speaking of us all, for “what is man that Thou art mindful of him?” We are ALL less than wise, mighty, and noble, from God’s perspective. The problem is our own perspective. When that attitude is changed, and we become “little in our eyes,” then Christ looms great and glorious in our sight. The more we see Him in His greatness and mercy, the less we look at ourselves. The more we trust in Him, the less we trust in ourselves. So, how does God bring us from point A, where we trust in ourselves, to point B, where we trust in Christ alone, by the Spirit? It begins with the unveiling of the truths of the Gospel, and the desire to live by them.
The Apostle Paul came to see and understand the great and mighty truths of the cross, the power of its preaching, and the consequent power of the life of Christ to be known. He saw that on the cross, not only did the Lord Jesus bear ALL our sins in His body, but He bore US as sinners. In God’s sight, we were “crucified with Him.” (Gal. 2:20) God had to deal totally with every aspect of sin, from the judgment and condemnation associated with it, to its stain and effects. In this full salvation, God also had to deal with the sinner, self-relying and independent. This He did when Jesus died. We died with Him. In the moment of Christ’s death, the principle and power of the sinful life, and nature, was broken forever. We were set free to trust only in Christ for all.
Dear Father, teach us Thy way, and increase our vision of Thy Son, and His work on Calvary. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad