"By Faith Moses, when he
was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter...Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt." Hebrews 11:24,26
I read once again the story of Moses last week. As I was reading, this
scripture came to mind especially the phrase "refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter." As I read that scripture, the massive impact of what was
being said hit me.
"The son of Pharaoh's daughter." That phrase is very important in
understanding what is being said here. In Ancient Egypt, the throne did not
pass in a straight forward manner from father to oldest son. There was a more
complex line of descent. The throne passed to the eldest son of the eldest
daughter of Pharaoh's favorite wife. Now, if you followed all that, you can
see how important the title "son of Pharaoh's daughter" would be. It would be
the Egyptian equivalent of "Prince of Wales." Moses was the heir apparent to
the throne.
Considering that Moses was nearly 40 years old at the time he fled Egypt, we
can assume the current Pharaoh was becoming quite an old man. People were
undoubtedly looking to Moses and grooming him to step into his Grandfather's
position. Indeed, in the scripture above, the words "when he was come to
years" might better be translated "when he had become great (megas)."
Not only was Moses important because he had wealth and family connections, he
was great in political power as well. As the heir apparent to the throne held
by an aging king, his influence was great.
What it meant to be in this position was to have been trained in all the
"wisdom of Egypt." This would be like getting degrees from Stanford, Yale,
Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. Egypt was the center of knowledge in the
Ancient world. God chose a highly educated man to lead his people. One who had
studied medicine, science, law, and most importantly writing. We take the act
of reading and writing for granted. This was not so in the ancient world. Only
nobles and priests knew this art and it was kept secret from the general
population. But God wanted to write down his laws and he placed his servant
Moses in the royal household to learn this skill.
But Moses turned his back on all the wealth, power, and pleasure which went
with the monarchy. He found something better. A cursory reading of the Old
Testament would imply that Moses fled Egypt in fear of his life. Yes, Pharaoh
was seeking to kill him. But this was an old Pharaoh. Moses had a claim to his
throne. Palace rebellions and royal assassinations were commonplace in
Egyptian history. No, he did not flee in fear. The writer to the Hebrews tells
us the true story: He chose to follow Christ knowing that any pain he might
suffer following the one true Lord was a greater treasure than all the wealth
of Egypt.
If Moses with all his knowledge, with all his wealth and with all his power
saw more glory in being a son of God than the son of Pharaoh's Daughter, what
inducements in your personal kingdom could possibly keep you away from God?