Verse 22 says, “By faith Joseph, when near his end, remembered concerning the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.” Joseph remembered the coming exodus of the sons of Israel and charged them to bring his bones out of Egypt and into Canaan. This took great faith. When the Israelites entered into Canaan, they brought Joseph’s bones into the good land (Exo. 13:19).
Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses, having been born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a handsome child, and they did not fear the king’s decree.” His parents hid him by faith. When he had “become great,” he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin” (vv. 24-25). The Greek word translated “temporary” in verse 25 may also be rendered “for awhile,” “short-lived,” “fleeting,” “passing.” During Moses’ time, to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter was an enjoyment to the life of the soul. But Moses refused this, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to have the fleeting enjoyment of sin. The enjoyment in Egypt, that is, the enjoyment in the world, is sinful in the eyes of God. It is the enjoyment of sin, of a sinful life, and is temporary, short-lived, fleeting, and passing.
In verse 26 we are told that Moses esteemed “the reproach of the Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked away to the reward.” When I was young, being troubled by my clock mentality, I questioned how Moses could have suffered the reproach of Christ, since Christ had not yet come. Christ, as “the Angel of the Lord,” was always with the children of Israel in their afflictions (Exo. 3:2, 7-9; 14:19; Num. 20:16; Isa. 63:9). Furthermore, the Scripture identifies Him with them (Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15). Hence, the reproach falling on them was considered also as His reproach, and the reproaches of those who reproached God fell upon Him too (Rom. 15:3). The New Testament believers, as His followers, bear His reproach (13:13) and are reproached for His name (1 Pet. 4:14). Moses, choosing to be ill-treated with the people of God (v. 25), esteemed this kind of reproach, the reproach of the Christ of God, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt in Pharaoh’s palace, for he looked away to the reward.
Because Moses was willing to suffer the reproach of the Christ, he will receive the reward of the kingdom. He was not allowed to enter into the rest of the good land because of his failure at Meribah (Num. 20:12-13; Deut. 3:26, 27; 32:50-52), but he will be with Christ in the kingdom (Matt. 16:28-17:3). By referring to this, the writer certainly intended to encourage the Hebrew believers, who were suffering persecution for Christ’s sake, to follow Moses by esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the things they had lost and by looking away to the reward. We do not know who told Moses of the reward. Perhaps it was his parents. Nevertheless, having great faith, he looked away to the reward and fled Egypt. The palace of Pharaoh, the royal sonship, the worldly enjoyment and attainment, and all the things in Egypt were there before him. According to his sight, these things were real, but according to his faith, they were not real. Something other than that—the reward—was real to his substantiating sense. Although at that time the reward was far away from him, he looked unto it and was encouraged by it to forsake everything in Egypt.
Verse 27 says that by faith Moses “left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king, for he was steadfast as seeing the invisible One.” At that time, this was a great thing. That great reward was such an incentive to him in fleeing Egypt. This is a full portrait of our life today. Today the world is Egypt and all that it can afford us is a palace. But to our faith, all this is a vanity of vanities. Only one thing is the reality of realities—the coming reward.
Verse 28 says, “By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.” It took faith for Moses to institute the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood. It also took faith for Moses to tell the people to prepare the lamb and to sprinkle the blood on the lintels and posts of the doors. God honored Moses’ faith in instituting the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood. Without seeing the Passover, which was to come, Moses substantiated it by faith and acted according to this substantiation.