Intro: In January 2012, I went to portions of the Middle East with a group of seminarians from Asbury Theological Seminary. We visited Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Egypt messed with my soul and grieved me more than any other place.
We visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The museum is filled with a huge collection of Pharaonic antiquities, gold, jewelry/precious gems, and extremely rare artifacts. It certainly contains priceless history, but the museum holds unbelievable treasure and wealth. During the Mubarak uprising in 2011, a mass of people arrived ready to lay down their lives in order to protect the contents of the museum. They were very dedicated in protecting their “history” from being harmed. Yet, how well were they taking care of their people? Here’s an example…
We also visited the impoverished Coptic Christians in Garbage City [Manshiyat Naser], Cairo. You see these Christians have managed to survive in the slum only by recycling all the trash of the city. Cairo has a population of about 20 million people and it produces more than 15,000 tons of solid waste every day. Approximately 272,000 people live in Garbage City so that helps you understand the size. Yes, these folks live surrounded by garbage and they worship at a church located in the heart of the dump. Fifteen thousand Coptic Christians can gather at the Cave Cathedral at a time to praise and worship the goodness of the Lord Most High! When we went to the church, the leaders radiated faith in the love of God in spite of their circumstances; they encouraged their people to live likewise. One of their priests had been executed that year in Cairo, but they all kept praising and serving the Lord. Sadly, Egypt still does not know how to treat God’s children.
Today, we will look at Moses and the faith he required and used to fulfill God’s divine purpose in the land of Egypt.
Hebrews 11:23-29 Living Bible
23 Moses’ parents had faith too. When they saw that God had given them an unusual [grace-filled] child, they trusted that God would save him from the death the king commanded, and they hid him for three months and were not afraid.
24-25 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the grandson of the king, but chose to share ill-treatment with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He thought that it was better to suffer for the promised Christ than to own all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the great reward that God would give him. 27 And it was because he trusted God that he left the land of Egypt and wasn’t afraid of the king’s anger. Moses kept right on going; it seemed as though he could see God right there with him. 28 And it was because he believed God would save his people that he commanded them to kill a lamb as God had told them to and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their homes so that God’s terrible Angel of Death could not touch the oldest child in those homes as he did among the Egyptians.
29 The people of Israel trusted God and went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians chasing them tried it, they all were drowned.
Prayer: Lord, we are so blessed living here in the United States, but we are also oblivious to how hard it is to live as a Christian in other countries. Help us to care about people. I praise you for this country. I praise you for the ability to gather and worship you without oppression or fear. I praise you, Jesus, for helping us to love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.