When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,[b] saying, “I drew him out of the water.
Exodus 2:10
This is probably the most eventful moment in Moses’s life; he is formally being adopted into royalty. The possibilities ahead of him are endless, including the possibility of becoming the most powerful man in the world (Pharaoh) one day. Any young person of his age would have jumped at this and settled down to begin scheming, but not Moses.
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26).
The word of emphasis here is choice! Moses wasn’t choosing between a good life and a better life, or even between two good options. His options were: enduring hardship with the people of God or enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin in the palace. The popular choice was clear but Moses chose differently; “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Every day, we are being faced with the choice between the will of God and the pleasure of sin, but the latter typically has a strong hold on us, why? Because our sense of eternity is compromised. We can no longer see that the pleasure we seek at the expense of God is fleeting, and when the pleasure is fully enjoyed and emptiness returns God will still be here. No wonder John says “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”. (1 John 2:15-17 KJV).
Moses likely acquired this understanding through a series of faith teachings instilled in him by his mother. If we dedicate ourselves to being nourished by the word of God, we can also reclaim our eternal value, for God has also set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
PRAYER
Dear God, I know it may not be easy but, please help me always to choose your will and your way. Help me to see your will with an eternal eye and the pleasures of sin in its fleeting nature.
