Moses—three Views

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. of Christ...: Or, for Christ By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. - Hebrews 11:24-27

    Moses was pre-eminently a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he seems to have known that he was specifically raised up by God as a type of his coming Savior. This is not commonly the case. I do not know of another example. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joshua, Boaz, David, Solomon, Hosea, and Jeremiah were all typical of the Lord Jesus; but there is no indication that they knew it. Moses, on the other hand, seems to have known his typical significance (Deut. 18:15-18).

    Moses as a Type of Christ

    Not only was he typical of Christ as our great Prophet, by whom God makes himself known to, teaches, and directs his people in this world, Moses was typical of our great Savior in many ways.

    •He was the meekest man in the earth.

    •Yet, never was there a man more courageous and bold.

    •For the sake of his people and the glory of his God, Moses hazarded everything.

    •He delivered Israel from Pharaoh and from Egypt at the time appointed by God.

    •Moses was a mediator between God and his people.

    •He was, while he walked on the earth, the only man by whom God spoke to men.

    •He led the chosen nation through the wilderness to Canaan.

    Moses as a Type of the Law

    Yet, he could not bring Israel into Canaan, the land of their promised rest and inheritance (typical of heaven), because he also represented the law. As a type of the law and justice of God, there are three specific things to be seen in Moses’ actions and in his death.

    •He smote the rock out of which flowed the water of life in the wilderness of death; “and that Rock was Christ.”

    •He smote the rock a second time and died because of it. – The law, having once smitten Christ, is dead!

    •He could not enter into the land of Canaan with Israel, because salvation cannot come by law (Rom. 8:4).

    Moses as a Man of Great Faith

    Still, this man, Moses, was a man of great faith. As such he is held before us as an example to follow in Hebrews 11:24-27. In verse 23, we read of the faith of Moses’ parents in hiding him. In these four verses the Holy Spirit describes Moses’ own faith in Christ.

    It was seeing the invisible God, seeing him by the revelation of the glory of God in the face of Christ, that gave Moses’ faith and sustained him in faith. And it is only as we see him by divine revelation that we can have faith and walk in faith.

    Here are seven specific things the Holy Spirit tells us about Moses and his faith, by which he instructs us in this matter of faith.

    •“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.”

    •He chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

    •Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.”

    •He did so because “he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.”

    •“By faith he forsook Egypt.”

    •He forsook Egypt, “not fearing the wrath of the king.”

    •He did not fear Pharaoh’s wrath “for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.”