Faith

 Hebrews 11:27 ESV

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


The old (and new) testament(s) are honest about the flaws of Biblical heros. The new testament though tends to be positive about old testament believers in the coming Messiah Jesus. Take Moses the murderer for example.

Moses was a 'Prince of Egypt', but he never forgot his Hebrew heritage, and sought to liberate his people from their oppressors in his own strength. Moses murdered an oppressive Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Understandably, he had to flee the wrath of Pharaoh.

If we only had the old testament, we might just assume that Moses was a murderous fugitive criminal. Here though, Stephen prophetically reveals that Moses had faith in his flight in the Invisible God to deliver him and his beleaguered people. His faith wasn't strong, because it took him forty years to become God's reluctant instrument of deliverance.

What matters isn't so much the strength of our faith, as the object of our faith. Moses' faith was often weak, but he trusted in the great 'I am': the God who was, and who is, and who is to come. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

'Dear Lord, we're grateful that murderers and adulterers and arrogant people like us can be forgiven through faith in you. For your honour and praise we pray, amen'.

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