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The example of Moses
Heb_11:23-29
[Heb_11:23.— ãåíçèåßò , on being born=when he was born.— åἶäïí ἀóôåῖïí ôὸ ðáéäßïí , they saw the child (to be)fair, comely; ἀóôåῖïí , predicate.
Heb_11:24.— ìÝãáò ãåíüìåíïò , on becoming large, on being grown up.— èõãáôñὸò , of a daughter, without the Art.
Heb_11:25.— ðñüóêáéñïí ἁìáñôßáò ἀðüëáõóéí , a temporary enjoyment from sin; ἁìáñôßáò being here not the Gen. object., denoting sin as that which is enjoyed, but Gen. subject., denoting sin as conferring the enjoyment, or that from which the enjoyment comes. Here, as at Hebrews 3., the sin of apostasy. So Bl., Del., and Moll. Alf. denies, and makes it the Gen. obj.; but unnecessarily, and with much less force in the train of thought of the Epistle.
Heb_11:26.— ἀðÝâëåðåí , he was looking away, as ἀöïñῶíôåò , “so as to be waiting for it, or by regard for it determined or strengthened in a course of action” (Bl.), Heb_12:2.— ìéóèáðïäïóßáí , the rendering of the reward (Heb_2:2).
Heb_11:27.— êáôÝëéðåí ( êáôÜ intensive), abandoned, forsook.— ôὸí ἀüñáôïí — ὁñῶí , seeing the unseen, scil., perhaps âáóéëåá ; a paronomasia, as Rom_1:20, ôὰ ἀüñáôá — êáèïñᾶôáé .
Heb_11:28.— Ðåðïßçêåí , he has made; either instituted, or, in conformity with the common use of the word in such connections, celebrated. The Perf. indicates it as a thing standing recorded in history as done (Heb_11:17, ðñïóåíÞíï÷åí ).— ôὴí ðñüó÷õóéí , not strictly the sprinkling, but the pouring on (Angiessung) of blood.
Heb_11:29.— ἧò ðåῖñáí ëáâüíôåò , of which, scil., either ãῆò or èáëÜóóçò . The former preferred by Kuin., Böhm., Klee, Del.; the latter by Bl., Lün., Alf. Moll does not decide, but apparently inclines to ãῆò .— êáôåðüèçóáí , were drunk up, swallowed up, drowned.—K.].
Heb_11:24. Come to years (become large) ìÝãáò ãåíüìåíïò .—Schultz and Bretschn. refer the ìÝãáò to worldly power and honor; but the contrast is between the child and the grown up man, who has reached the period of independent choice and decision.
Heb_11:25. To have enjoyment from sin.—The ἁìáñôßáò ἀðüëáõóéò is not the enjoyment of sin (Theoph. Schlicht, Lün., Alf., etc.), but the enjoyment to which sin opens the way; for this enjoyment, indicated as for a season, stands in the same relation to apostasy from God and from His people (as that ἁìáñôßá which we are to shun mentioned, Heb_3:13; Heb_10:26), as the suffering of affliction bears to fellowship with the covenant people of God.
Heb_11:26. The reproach of Christ.—Lün. understands by the ὀíåéäéóìὸò ôïῦ ÷ñéóôïῦ , the reproach which Christ bore; Ebr. (after the older interpp.), the reproach for the sake of Christ which Moses endured by virtue of his hope in the Messiah; Bl., Del., and others, correctly, the reproach which Christ had to endure in His own person, and has to endure in His members. The author’s warrant for ascribing to Moses a participation in this reproach is found by Hofm. in the typical connection, by virtue of which, the Old Testament people of God bear in themselves the impress of Christ, inasmuch as Christ is He whom the Old Testament history, in advance, represents, and whom the Old Testament Word promises. Stier finds this warrant in the mystical unity of Christ and His church; De W. and Thol., in the pre-existent presence of Christ as the Logos, in the Old Testament Israel (1Co_10:4; 1Pe_1:10 ff.); Baumg., (Theol. comm. on the Pent.) citing the authority of Augustine, in that preparation for Christ’s appearance in the flesh which runs through the entire history of Israel. Delitzsch unites the various explanations, and says: “The reproach of Christ is, to our author, the reproach of the Christ who was present as Logos in His people made one with Him, and there typically announcing His incarnation which was yet to take place.”
Heb_11:27. Forsook Egypt.—All the Greek and Latin intpp., except Nich. Lyra, refer this to the flight of Moses to Midian, Exo_2:15; but since, in that case, the flight was occasioned by fear of the king’s wrath (Heb_11:14), but here, on the contrary, is ascribed to Moses’ fearlessness, very weighty interpreters since Lyra (as Calv., Schlicht., Grot., Calov, Böhme, Bl., etc., and recently Ebr. and Bisp.) have referred it to the Exodus of Moses with the collected people. Justly, however, Zeger, Calmet, Bengel, De Wette, Tholuck, Lönemann, Delitzsch, and others, have adhered to the earlier view. In favor of this is the succession of events here recounted; the expression êáôÝëéðåí , abandoned, forsook, which, indeed, might possibly be referred to the Exodus, (Joseph., Antt., II. 15, 2), but in the present connection points to something personally, and exclusively pertaining to Moses; and finally, the circumstance that the Exodus (Exo_12:31) took place with the consent of Pharaoh. Nor is it necessary to the solution of the above mentioned contradiction, to assume, with De Wette, a decided failure of memory on the part of the author, or, with Lün., to distinguish a fear, taken objectively, from fearlessness as a purely subjective emotion. We might ask, with Tholuck, could not the author, without forgetting the fear inspired in Moses by the first rumor of the king’s wrath, wish to express that his faith had nevertheless overcome that fear? or we can say, with Del., that he, the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, quitted Egypt without consulting the king; that he did this without fearing the heightened wrath which he incurred by this voluntary sundering of his relation to the Egyptian court. Both interpreters appeal in support of their view to the reason stated in the following clause, “he endured, etc.”—[It seems to me that this is a case in which it is equally gratuitous to suppose, with De Wette, a failure in the author’s memory; and, with Alford and others, to feel any serious difficulty in the explanation. Looking at the withdrawal of Moses from Egypt, it seems to me that one might, with nearly equal truth, say that he left “fearing,” or, “not fearing” the wrath of the king; and that which one would be likely to say would depend simply on his point of view and immediate purpose in recurring to the event. That, in his earlier withdrawal, Moses did fear the wrath of the king is certain, and this was the immediate occasion of his flight as such. But, on the other hand, that his entire course at this time, alike in the act which occasioned his flight, and his general choice and state of mind, arose above considerations of fear, and were determined by a practical defiance of the wrath of the king, is equally certain. According, therefore, as the writer had his mind on the one or the other of these facts, the passing fear that dictated the flight, or the higher courage and trust in God which prevented that fear from being controlling, and which, in fact, led him to provoke the wrath of the king, he might use one representation or the other. Here it better suits his purpose to present the spiritual fearlessness which dictated his whole course of conduct, in connection with its ground, viz: his faith in Him who is unseen. I think that âáóéëÝá is to be understood with ôὸí ἀüñáôïí . The author puts the unseen heavenly King, whom Moses saw with the vision of his faith, over against the seen king, at whom, without this vision, he would have trembled.—K.].
He endured.—It is grammatically unallowable to make (with Luth., Beng., Schultz, Paul., Ebr.) ôὸí ἀüñáôïí dependent on ἐêáñôÝñçóåí . For the transitive signification of this verb is not to adhere to something, but to endure something, e.g.: hunger and thirst. Here the intransitive signification alone is possible.
Heb_11:28. Hath celebrated the Passover.—Since ðïéåῖí uniformly appears along with öáãåῖí ôὸ ðÜó÷á , only of the celebration of the Passover (Exodus 9; Exo_12:48; Num_9:2; Jos_5:10; Mat_26:18), the assumption that here the significations of founding and celebrating are united (Böhm., Bl., Lün.), is not merely uncertain (De W.), but false: “yet the perfect ðåðïßçêåí may suggest the idea that the Egyptian passover, which stands before us as an accomplished fact, has become the foundation for the celebration of the Passover in subsequent times” (Del.).
Destroyer, etc.—The Heb. äַîַּùְׁçִéú =destruction, the Sept. translates by ὁ ὀëåèñåýùí , and certainly (as Asaph, Psa_78:49) conceives as an angelic minister of divine justice (comp. 1Ch_21:12; 1Ch_21:15; 2Ch_32:21; Sir_48:21; 1Co_10:10). It is grammatically impossible to connect ôὰ ðñùôüôïêá with èßãῃ (Klee, Paul., Ebr.). This verb governs the Gen. (here áὐôῶí and ôὰ ðñùôüôïêá is dependent on ὁ ὀëåèñåýùí . Of course, in the connection “their first-born,” is readily understood to refer to the first-born of the Israelites, though the latter are not expressly named.
Heb_11:29. Of which the Egyptians making trial.—The relative ἧò can be equally well referred to the “dry land” immediately preceding (Böhm., Kuin., Klee, Del.), or to the “Red Sea.” ÐåῖñÜí ôéíïò ëáìâÜíåéí may mean to make trial of something, or, to make an attempt at something, as here and Heb_11:36.
2. Worldly greatness, honor, power, and pleasure, have, indeed, a splendid appearance, and exercise a power of temptation by which many are led astray; but the believer recognizes the perishable and dangerous character of these possessions and enjoyments. He looks to the future, the divine judgments, and the recompense of reward; and allows himself to be influenced neither by the allurements nor by the threats of the world; is seduced neither by the fear nor the favor of man, but remains steadfast in his vocation, having God before his eyes and in his heart.
3. The power to deliver and to destroy, lies not in outward things and events, but, on the one hand, in the favor and in the wrath of God, who employs them as means and instruments; on the other, in the faith and the unbelief of men, who use these means for salvation, or abuse them to their ruin.
Starke:—The world abuses in many ways the outward form and condition of men; but God frequently employs them as a means or occasion for great good. To many a one they serve as a means of trial.—Governments are in God’s stead, and are to be honored; but when they give ungodly commands, these are to be given to the winds, Act_5:29.—The friendship of God and the world cannot be enjoyed together (Jam_4:4).—The temporal afflictions of the pious are followed by eternal joy; the temporal joy of the ungodly by eternal affliction; consider well to which thou wilt devote thyself.—In sufferings and afflictions we must look to the gracious reward in heaven; this can alleviate and sweeten all (Psa_94:19).—To be despised and persecuted for Christ’s sake, is an honor and a token of our attaining to the heavenly glory (Mat_5:11-12).—Let the enemy continue to rage; ho cannot overpass the limits which God has fixed. When God chooses to bear with him no longer, He strikes him to the ground (Isa_41:10; Isa_43:16-17; Isa_51:9-10).
Rieger:—O how many of our natural impulses lack that right direction which faith would give to them! how often do we yield ourselves and our children to the disposal of men, and faith should strengthen us to yield them up at the good pleasure of God!—Faith frequently receives guidance and direction from the visible; but it transforms the visible not into food for vanity, but into nourishment for its trust.—One may, even out of the delicate and beautiful, weave subtle snares for his own children, and for the innocence of others.—Faith and foolhardiness are widely separated from each other.—Faith admits the judicious employment of all means of security.
Heubner:—Fellowship with the people of God leads to suffering, but apostasy brings after temporal gain eternal shame.—Faith is the spiritual eye which recognizes the nothingness of earthly treasures, and the value of the heavenly.—Faith at once foregoes and preserves.
Burckhardt (Ohly, 1862, II. 2):—The believing spirit of the Christian: 1. In its nature; it regards the reproach of Christ, spurned and contemned Christianity, more highly than, a, earthly life, Heb_11:23; b, worldly honor, Heb_11:24; c, sinful pleasure, Heb_11:25; d, temporal riches, Heb_11:26. 2. In its reward: a, it brings out of Egypt, the house of bondage of sin, Heb_11:27; b, secures against temporal death by the blood of Christ, Heb_11:28; c, goes confidently through death into the heavenly Canaan, Heb_11:29.