“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin.” Hebrews 11:24-25 (NIV)
For our faith to please the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), it must go beyond mental belief to include action. Faith is to be lived and demonstrated, not just felt. Hebrews 11 makes the case for active faith, citing many many examples including Noah, Abram, Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob. Next up is Moses, whom the “Hall of Faith” author commended for two distinct demonstrations of faith.
Recall that Moses was “orphaned” in a reed basket to escape execution and was later adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter after being nursed by his birth mother. While we don’t know Moses’ age when he was brought into the palace (“when the child grew older”, Exodus 2:10), he was still a child. It is safe to presume that much of Moses’ formative years were spent in Egyptian luxury, a far cry from what his birth family and kin were experiencing.
“Years later, after Moses had grown up” (Exodus 2:11), he took a stand that forever changed his life. Coming to the aid of an Israelite slave being brutalized, Moses chose to align himself with his oppressed people, forsaking the opulence, power, and prestige that his adoption otherwise afforded him. Moses killed the task master and then fled Egypt. His position likely entitled him to a “free pass” for what he did. Instead of playing that card, he chose to leave his rich life behind.
Moses saw an injustice and opposed it, sacrificing much as a result. Do we have faith to do the same?
Are we willing to take faith-based stands when doing so threatens our income, our social status, or our professional ambitions? Will we decline a case that has suspicious support, reject an unethical directive from our boss, tell the court about caselaw contrary to our requested relief, remain sober at lawyer happy hours, and truthfully disclose evidence detrimental to our client’s claim?
The practice of law is rife with occasions to indulge in impropriety, giving you many opportunities to demonstrate your faith by standing for your Christian (and moral) convictions. Seize those opportunities to please God with your active faith.
