Hebrews 11:23

In searching the sacred records for eminent examples of the power and efficacy of faith, the apostle is arrived unto that of Moses. And because this is the greatest instance, next to that of Abraham, he insists on sundry acts and fruits thereof. And indeed, if we consider aright his person and his circumstances; the work which he was called unto; the trials, difficulties, and temptations he had to conflict withal; the concernment of the glory of God and of the whole church in him; the illustrious representation of the redemption and deliverance of the church by Christ in what he did; with his success and victory over all opposition; we must acknowledge that there cannot be a more excellent exemplification of the power of faith than what was given in him. For this cause the apostle takes one step backward, to declare the faith of his parents in his preservation in his infancy, whereon his future life and all that he was called unto did depend. For ofttimes, when God designeth persons to a great work, he giveth some previous indication of it, in or about their nativity: not by a fictitious horoscope, or the position and aspect of planets, a thing common to all born at the same time unto the most different events; but by some peculiar work and divine warning of his own. So was it in the birth of Samson, of Samuel, John the Baptist, and others. And so was it in the birth and preservation of this Moses, as it is declared in this verse.

Hebrews 11:23. Πίστει Μωϋσῆς γεννηθεὶς ἐκρυβη τρίμηνον ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων αὑτοῦ, διότι ἀστεῖον τὸ παιδίον, καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν τὸ διάταγμα τοῦ βασιλέως.

Hebrews 11:23. 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.

It is the faith of the parents of Moses that is here celebrated. But because it is mentioned principally to introduce the discourse of himself and his faith, and also that what is spoken belongs unto his honor, it is thus peculiarly expressed. He saith not, ‘By faith the parents of Moses, when he was born, hid him;'but, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid;” that is, by the faith of his parents, who hid him. This birth of Moses fell out in the very height and fury of the persecution. After that Pharaoh failed in his design of destroying the male children of the Hebrews by the midwives, he gave the execution of it in charge unto all the people, that is, the officers among them; who no doubt were sufficiently diligent and officious in the work committed unto them. About the very entrance of this new, effectual way of the destruction of the male children, when their rage was most fierce, no way abated by compassion, nor wearied by long continuance, nor weakened by any conviction of want of success, which use to abate the edge of persecution, in the wise disposal of divine Providence, Moses is born and preserved, who was to be the deliverer of the whole people out of all their misery.

How blind are poor, sinful mortals, in all their contrivances against the church of God! When they think all things secure, and that they shall not fail of their end; that their counsels are laid so deep as not to be blown up; their power so uncontrollable, and the way wherein they are engaged so effectual, as that God himself can hardly deliver it out of their hands; He that sits on high laughs them to scorn, and with an almighty facility lays in provision for the deliverance of his church, and their utter ruin.

Josephus, giving an account of the nativity of Moses, tells us that Amram his father had a revelation from God, or a divine oracle, that of him and his wife Jochebed he should proceed and be born by whom the people should be delivered out of bondage. And that hereon, seeing the eminent beauty of this child when it was born, he and his wife used the utmost of their industry, with the venture of their lives, for his preservation; for they firmly believed that the divine oracle should be accomplished. And because it is said that they hid him by faith, some expositors do judge that in their faith they had respect unto some immediate divine revelation. But we shall see that they had a sufficient ground of faith for what they did without any such immediate revelation, which is not necessary unto the exercise of faith on all occasions And as for Josephus, it is manifest that in the account he gives of the life of Moses, before his flight out of Egypt, he records many things without sufficient warrant, and some of them inconsistent with the Scripture.

There are five things to be considered in the exposition of the words:

1. Who they were whose faith is here commended; the parents of Moses.

2. Wherein they acted and manifested their faith; they “hid him three months.”

3. What was their motive hereunto; “they saw he was a proper child.”

4. How they did this; “by faith.”

5. What was the power of that faith enabling them unto this duty; “they were not afraid of the king's commandment.”

1. The persons intended were the parents of Moses. “fathers,” is sometimes used in the common gender for γονεῖς, “parents,” as it is here. In the story there is mention only of his mother, Exodus 2:2. And that was because the execution of the counsel or advice was committed unto her; wherein she used also the help of her daughter, as verse 4. But it is plain in this place, that his father was no less engaged in this work and duty than his mother. He was in the advice and counsel, as also in the hazard of what was done, no less than she. And this had an influence into the success. For,

Obs. 1. Where there is an agreement between husband and wife, in faith and the fear of the Lord, it makes way unto a blessed success in all their duties: when it is otherwise, nothing succeeds unto their comfort. And,

Obs. 2. When difficult duties befall persons in that relation, it is their wisdom each to apply themselves unto that part and share of it which they are best suited for. So was it in this case; Amram no doubt was the principal in the advice and contrivance, as his wife was in its actual execution.

2. They hid him three months: He was “hid by them three months.” Herein they acted and exercised their faith. And this they seem to have done two ways:

(1.) They concealed his birth as much as they were able, and did not let it be known that a male child was born in the family.

(2.) They kept him not in the usual place where children were disposed of, but hid him in some secret part of the house. Here he abode three months; about the end of which time probably the report began to grow that there was a male child born there; which would have occasioned an immediate strict search and scrutiny, from which they could not have preserved him. And,

Obs. 3. This is the height of persecution, when private houses are searched by bloody officers, to execute tyrannical laws; when the last and utmost retreat of innocency, for that protection which is due unto it by the law of God and nature, with the common rules of human society, cannot be a shelter against wicked rage and fury.

No doubt but during this season their diligence was accompanied with fervent cries unto God, and the exercise of trust in him. The occasion was great on all hands, and they were not wanting unto any part of their duty. The outward act of hiding the child wan but an indication of the internal working of their faith.

3. That which was their motive and encouragement to the exercise of their faith in this way of hiding the child, is, “Because they saw he was a proper child.” Διότι, some render “quia” or “quoniam,” some “quum;” “ because they saw,” or “ when,” or “ whereas they saw.” It doth not include the whole cause of what they did, as though this were the only reason or ground whereon they did it; but it respects that impression on their minds which the sight of the child gave unto them, exciting them unto that duty which they had other grounds and reasons for, as we shall see immediately. It is granted, therefore, that the sight of the child (whose countenance was twice instrumental in the saving of its life, first by the smiles of its beauty, and then by its weeping, Exodus 2:2; Exodus 2:6) did greatly excite their natural affections, by which their minds were made the more ready to engage in the hazard which faith called them unto for his preservation.

They “saw that he was a proper child.” Heb., כִּיאּטוֹב הוּא. “Tob,” in the Hebrew, is applied to every thing that is on any account approvable and excellent in its kind. The word it is whereby God approved of all his works of creation, and declared their perfection, Genesis 1:31. And it is applied in particular unto beauty of countenance: Genesis 24:16, Rebekah was טֹבַת מַרְאֶה “good of countenance .” It is in this place rendered by the LXX. ἀστεῖος, that is, “elegans, venustus, festivus, scitus, bellus, pulcher.” We render it here “proper,” “a proper child;” whether properly or no, the use of our language and custom in speaking must determine. The word signifies “comely, beautiful, goodly;” ἀγαθός, καλός. Holy Stephen expresseth the force of the Hebrew word by ἀστεῖος τῷ Θεῷ, “fair to God,” or in the sight of God, Acts 7:20; which we render “exceeding fair.” No doubt but an unusual natural elegancy, sweetness, and beauty of countenance are intended. And not only so, but I am persuaded, from that expression of Stephen, that there was θεῖόν τι, an appearance of somewhat divine and supernatural, which drew the thoughts and minds of the parents unto a deep consideration of the child. They quickly thought it was not for nothing that God had given such a peculiarly gracious, promising countenance unto the infant. This not only drew their affections, and engaged them, but moved their minds and judgments to endeavor all lawful ways for its preservation. And,

Obs. 4. It is well when any thing of eminency in our children doth so engage our affections unto them, as to make them useful and subservient unto diligence in disposing of them unto the glory of God. Otherwise a fondness in parents, arising from the natural endowments of children, is usually hurtful, and oftentimes ruinous unto the one and other.

4. The principle of their actings for his preservation, in hiding of him, as also in the means afterwards used, was their “faith.” But how and on what grounds they acted faith herein, must be inquired into. And,

(1.) I take it for granted that they had no especial, particular revelation concerning the life and work of this child. None such is mentioned, no such was needed for the acting of faith in this matter; and the manner of their deportment in the whole manifests that no such they had.

(2.) They had a firm faith of the deliverance of the people out of bondage in the appointed season. This they had an express promise for, and were newly engaged in the belief of it by the witness given unto it by Joseph, and his charge on them to carry his bones with them. And with respect hereunto it is that they are said in the close of the verse not to fear the king's command, which is the effect of their faith; which may now be spoken unto.

It was a διάταγμα, “an ordinance, a statute, an edict,” which had the force of a standing law; and that established by the king, with the counsel of the kingdom, as is declared, Exodus 1:9-11. And this law lay directly against the accomplishment of the promise; for it aimed at the extirpation of the whole race, so as that there should have remained none to be delivered. As the historian says of that company of men who founded Rome, “Res unius aetatis respublica virorum,” “A commonwealth of men only, without women, would have been but the matter of one age,” it must have expired for want of posterity; so if all the male children of the Hebrews had perished, according to this law, in one age more the nation would have been extinct. This the parents of Moses feared not: they knew the promise of God for their preservation, multiplication, and deliverance, should take place notwithstanding all the laws of men, and the highest rage in their execution. And so they shall be at this day, let men make what laws they please, and execute them with all the subtilty and rage they think meet. This counsel of Pharaoh and his people is reported for a wise and subtile contrivance, with respect unto the end aimed at, Exodus 1:9-10; Acts 7:17-19. However, they put one word into their law that made it “ipso facto” null and ineffectual. This was, that they should not multiply in Egypt. For God having promised unto Abraham that he would multiply his seed, and expressly unto Jacob, that he would do it in Egypt, Genesis 46:3, it utterly made void this law from its first enacting, whereby it became successless. And so it is with all laws, and so shall it finally be with them, that are made against any of the promises of God unto the church.

Yea, it is probable that about this time, or not long after, when God had fulfilled his design in this law, which was in part the disposal of Moses unto such an education as might prepare him, and make him, as unto natural qualifications, meet for the work he would call him unto, that there was some remission of bloody cruelty in the execution of it. For it was eighty years after the birth of Moses before the deliverance of the people, in which time they multiplied exceedingly, so as that this law could not have been executed. The force of it probably was broken in this preservation of Moses, God having in his miraculous deliverance given a pledge of what he would do in the whole people.

(3.) They had also a persuasion that God would provide a person who should be the means of their deliverance, and who should conduct them from their bondage. This Moses himself apprehended when he slew the Egyptian, and began to judge that he himself might be the person, Acts 7:24-25. And although afterwards he judged himself unmeet for to be employed in that work, yet still he retained his persuasion that God had designed some certain person unto that employment, and that he would send him in his appointed time. Hence was that prayer of his, when God began to call him unto his work, “O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send,” Exodus 4:13. One he was sure he would send, but prayed that he might not be the man. Now, the parents of Moses having this persuasion deeply fixed in them, and being raised by their distresses unto desires and expectations of his coming, beholding the unusual, divine beauty of their child, might well be raised unto some just hopes that God had designed him unto that great work. They had no especial revelation of it, but they had such an intimation of some great end God had designed him unto, as that they could not but say, ‘Who knows but that God may have prepared this child for that end?'And sometimes, as unto the event of things, faith riseth no higher but unto such an interrogation; as Joel 2:13-14.

5. Their faith was eminent in this, that in the discharge of their duty they feared not the king's edict. There is no mention of any thing in the order, but that every male child should be cast into the river, Exodus 1:22. But it is generally and rationally apprehended that they were forbid to conceal their children, on the pain of death. This they were not so afraid of as to neglect their duty. And the fear which they had was not from their own danger, which faith carried them above, but only as to the life of the child. This made them change their method, and, when they could no longer conceal him in the house, to commit him unto the providence of God in an ark, and to wait what would be the event thereof. And the issue did quickly manifest that they were led therein by a secret instinct and conduct of divine Providence.

There is no ground, therefore, to charge the parents of Moses herein with either undue fear or failing in faith. For as unto what concerned themselves or their own lives in the king's edict, they feared it not, as the apostle affirms. And such a fear as a solicitous care about the child's life must needs produce, is inseparable from our nature in such cases, and not blamable. Neither was their change of method from want of faith: but rather an effect and fruit of it. For when one lawful way of preservation from persecution, oppression, and cruelty, will not secure us any longer, it is our duty to betake ourselves unto some other which is more likely so to do. For faith worketh by trust in God, whilst we are in the use of lawful means. And we have here an evident testimony that,

Obs. 5. The rage of men and the faith of the church shall work out the accomplishment of God's counsels and promises, unto his glory, from under all perplexities and difficulties that may arise in opposition unto it. So they did in this instance in an eminent manner.