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154
The Beginning of the End
in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (
Hebrews 11:24-26
). Moses
was prepared to take first place among the great people of the earth,
to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to wield its
scepter of power. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies,
and legislator, he stands without an equal. Yet with the world before
him, he had the moral strength to refuse wealth, greatness, and fame,
“choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God.”
The magnificent palace of Pharaoh and the throne were held out
as an enticement to Moses; but he knew that in its lordly courts were
the sinful pleasures that make people forget God. He looked beyond
the palace, beyond a monarch’s crown, to the high honors that the
saints of the Most High will receive in a kingdom untainted by sin.
By faith he saw an everlasting crown that the King of heaven would
place on the head of the overcomer. This faith led him to join the
humble, poor, despised nation that had chosen to obey God rather
than to serve sin.
Moses remained at the royal court until he was forty years old.
He visited his fellow Israelites in their slavery and encouraged them
with the assurance that God would work for their deliverance. One
day, seeing an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he sprang forward and
killed the Egyptian. Other than the Israelite, no one had witnessed
the deed, and Moses immediately buried the body in the sand. He
had now shown himself ready to take up the cause of his people, and
he hoped to see them rise to recover their liberty. “He supposed that
his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by
his hand, but they did not understand” (
Acts 7:25
). They were not
yet prepared for freedom.
The next day Moses saw two Hebrews fighting together, one of
them evidently at fault. Moses reproved the offender, who at once
retaliated on him, saying that he had no right to interfere, and rudely
accusing him of a crime: “Who made you a prince and a judge over
us?” he said. “Do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?”
The whole matter soon reached the ears of Pharaoh. The king
was told that this act was full of meaning, and that Moses planned to
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lead his people against the Egyptians, to overthrow the government,
and to seat himself on the throne. The monarch at once determined
that he should die, but Moses became aware of his danger and fled
toward Arabia.