January 16 – Moses: A Foreshadowing of Christ

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” – Hebrews 11:24-25 (KJV)

While Moses sat in the shadow of Pharaoh’s throne, surrounded by luxury and privilege, the Spirit of the Lord stirred his heart to bear the burdens crushing his people under the weight of slavery. His soul ached as if he himself were enduring the lash, toiling in the brick kilns, and suffering under the shame and degradation of servitude. His people were despised, subjected to cruelty and scorn from Pharaoh to the lowest Egyptian servant.

Yet, God had chosen Moses to lead His oppressed people to freedom. For forty years in the wilderness, God disciplined and prepared him for this sacred task. Moses’ understanding of his people’s struggles and their propensity for rebellion weighed heavily on him. He feared their mistrust and betrayal, and he doubted his worthiness to be their deliverer. But God revealed Himself in the burning bush—a bush ablaze yet not consumed—and called Moses to His purpose.

Despite knowing that rejection, hatred, and even death might be his portion, Moses accepted the call to be a co-laborer with God. He had once been celebrated as a great general in Pharaoh’s army, but he now faced the certainty that his name would be tarnished and ridiculed. Even so, he esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26, KJV). Laying aside the prospect of royal power, he chose to share the burdens of his afflicted people.

Moses was chosen by God to break the chains of slavery binding the Israelites and to lead them toward freedom. His mission foreshadowed the first advent of Christ, who came to shatter the power of Satan and deliver humanity from captivity to sin. Through Christ, the oppressed find liberty, and those enslaved by the enemy’s power are set free.

The life of Moses reminds us of the cost of answering God’s call and the eternal rewards that far outweigh earthly treasures. May we, like Moses, choose the eternal over the temporal and follow God’s leading, trusting in His power to work through us for His glory.