Contagious Faith

Monday, September 18, 2023

It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.  It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.  It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.  He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.  It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.  It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground.  But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.  Hebrews 11:23-29

The entire life of Moses is encapsulated in the word “faith”.  And yet the story of Moses’ life is not primarily about one man’s faith, but rather how faith is honored by God’s validation, and passed along to others who need to know a faithful God.  Moses is the story of contagious faith.

A man who helped pass along the faith to me when I was still in elementary school described how one “acquires” faith as more like plunging-into, rather than grabbing it, as you would pick up a baseball bat.  This is because a bat becomes your possession; plunging-into faith means you’re surrounded by it, possessed by its essence, and carried along where it will lead.  Read the Exodus account, and you will see that is so in the way Moses led and encouraged Israel.

The process with Moses grew and tested his faith throughout his life.  Born to Hebrew parents, released to God’s care in a basket floating down the Nile, found and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and raised in the palaces of Egypt’s dynasty as a prince, Moses eventually discovered his heritage and turned his back on the riches of Pharaoh’s kingdom, in favor of the suffering he would find with slaves.

This image, and how the writer to the Hebrews casts it, brings into view one further analogy from baseball’s core:  keeping your eye on the ball.  Anyone who has ever had a baseball coach has heard those words.  When you step up to the plate for your turn at bat, it’s with the intention of hitting the ball so you can run the bases.  It is easy to get distracted with the crowd cheering (or booing).  The catcher will engage you in conversation if he can, to keep you from concentrating on hitting the ball.  The pitcher hides the ball until the moment of release, so you can’t see what he’s up to.  The sun can get in your eyes, or the waving trees beyond the fence can draw your attention from the one task for which you’ve practiced, learned, and are standing there facing nine opposing players…to smack that ball into the middle of next week.  And it won’t happen if you don’t keep your focus on that little white ball with red-stiches holding it together, screaming towards home plate at 80-90 miles-per-hour.  Keep your eye on the ball!

For You Today 

Keep your eye on the ball.  This is what faith whispered in Moses’ ear when the crunch time arrived.  Would it be a life of luxury, served on a gold platter in Pharaoh’s house…or a hard walk in slave sandals?  The “ball” in this case was a question that every person on planet earth must answer eventually:  Who are you going to serve?  If you want to serve Pharaoh, with this world’s approval and treasures, you will not serve the King of Glory.  Jesus has the last word on that:

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”  Luke 16:13

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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