Hebrews 11:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.

NIV: By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

NASB: By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen.

CSB: By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.

NLT: It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

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

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

This verse represents a transition with respect to Moses, one easily missed when the verse is taken out of its immediate context. Earlier, the book of Hebrews defined godly faith as a trusting, forward-looking reliance on God, in spite of our own ignorance, producing obedience (Hebrews 11:1–3). Moses' story was held up as one such example of that kind of faith. Specifically, Moses chose to identify with his birth people, the persecuted nation of Israel, instead of his adoptive people, the rich but wicked Egyptians (Hebrews 11:24–26). That willingness to value God's promises more than earthly wealth is credited to Moses as the kind of forward-looking faith God requires (Hebrews 11:10–16).

Here, the text mentions Moses "leaving" Egypt. This could be taken one of two ways—the first being a reference to Moses' initial departure from Egypt, fleeing after killing an abusive slaver who was beating a fellow Israeli (Exodus 2:11–15). That, however, is not what this verse references. Instead, the "leaving" mentioned here is that of the Exodus itself. Moses' role in leading Israel out of slavery in Egypt required him to face the wrath of the Pharaoh. Instead of shrinking from this duty, Moses obeyed God (Exodus 5:1; 12:40–41). Future verses will help to clarify that the writer of Hebrews is now speaking of this event in particular.

Prior passages mentioned that God makes visible things out of invisible things—He works in ways we cannot always see, now, but will see, later on. Moses "endured" the struggles and doubts involved in challenging the king of Egypt because he placed trusting faith in God.

Hebrews 11:17–31 makes a subtle shift from the prior verses. Earlier, the writer had given examples of faithful obedience leading to God's blessings. Those cases were mostly general, where a willingness to trust God was weighed against an uncertain future. In this passage, however, we are shown men and women who chose to trust God despite immediate, personal hardships. This, as well, is a crucial aspect of faith, which the writer has already defined as a confident trust in God.

True, godly faith is defined as trust, relying on God when looking to the future, and obeying even when we don't fully understand all details. The great figures of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, all lived according to this type of faith. Ultimately, that means trusting God's intent to make good on His promises from an eternal perspective. The model of faith presented by those people, in light of the struggles they faced, ought to inspire Christians towards a more confident, purposeful faith.

Up to this point, the book of Hebrews has given extensive evidence proving that Jesus Christ, and the new covenant He brought about, is God's ultimate plan for mankind's salvation. Chapter 10 provided an additional warning about the danger of falling away from this truth. Chapter 11 begins by clarifying the meaning of the word ''faith,'' primarily by listing examples of Old Testament figures who exemplify it. The ultimate application of this knowledge should be a motivation to ''hold fast'' to the gospel, despite hardships. That encouragement is a major theme of chapter 12.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.