Hebrews 11:23

The advantages that we have in the gospel for the exercise of this grace above what those had who lived in the times of the Old Testament,

As I observed to you in the exposition, the stress in these passages of sacred biography should be laid upon the words, "by faith." The mighty deeds of heroes and the obedient acts of pilgrim fathers are only told to us because they spring out offaith.. It is to commend the root that the fruits are mentioned. The children are named one by one that the mother may have the praise, for faith is the mother of all virtues. According to this Book, God estimates men by their faith and "without faith it is impossible to please God."

His beauty was probably "the sign" appointed by God to assure their faith. the king's commandment--to slay all the males (Ex 1:22).

As I observed to you in the exposition, the stress in these passages of sacred biography should be laid upon the words, "by faith." The mighty deeds of heroes and the obedient acts of pilgrim fathers are only told to us because they spring out offaith.. It is to commend the root that the fruits are mentioned. The children are named one by one that the mother may have the praise, for faith is the mother of all virtues. According to this Book, God estimates men by their faith and "without faith it is impossible to please God." Faith is well-pleasing to the Most High, but it is in proportion to its strength, for there are cases in which weakness of faith has evidently been followed by chastisement and other cases in which strength of faith has been abundantly honored. The more you believe, the more God blesses you. If you believe with faith as small as a grain of mustard seed you shall be saved, for where there is faith there is salvation. But if your faith is weak, you shall miss many comforts and only as your faith grows and becomes strong through Divine Grace shall you be a receiver of the greater, deeper and higher things of the Covenant of Grace. More faith is what we need and the Lord is willing to give it, Grace upon Grace! He delights, especially, to strengthen the faith which we already possess by trying it, by sustaining it under trials and thus rooting and grounding it. He thus causes it to become firm and vigorous. Oh that we might always live so that the Lord might see in all our actions that they spring from faith. Then shall our actions as well as ourselves be always accepted of Him by Christ Jesus, for the Lord has plainly declared, "the just shall live by faith; but if any man draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him"—that is, draws back from faith and runs in the way of sense and feeling. Having begun by faith we are to live by faith.

By faith Moses, etc. - See the notes on Exo 2:2, and Act 7:20 (note). We know that Moses was bred up at the Egyptian court, and there was considered to be the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and probably might have succeeded to the throne of Egypt: but, finding that God had visited his people, and given them a promise of spiritual and eternal blessings, he chose rather to take the lot of this people, i.e. God as his portion for ever, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin, which, however gratifying to the animal senses, could only be προσκαιρον, temporary. After the 23d verse, there is a whole clause added by DE, two copies of the Itala, and some copies of the Vulgate. The clause is the following: Πιστει μεγας γενομενος Μωΰσης ανειλεν τον Αιγυπτιον, κατανοων την ταπεινωσιν των αδελφων αὑτου. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, slew the Egyptian, considering the oppression of his own brethren. This is a remarkable addition, and one of the largest in the whole New Testament. It seems to have been collected from the history of Moses as given in Exodus, and to have been put originally into the margin of some MS., from which it afterwards crept into the text.

By faith Moses, when he was born - That is, by the faith of his parents. The faith of Moses himself is commended in the following verses. The statement of the apostle here is, that his parents were led to preserve his life by their confidence in God. They believed that he was destined to some great purpose, and that he would be spared, notwithstanding all the probabilities against it, and all the difficulties in the case. Was hid three months of his parents - By his parents.