The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 313

in Acts vii. 20, "fair ") ohild; and they pccially as the very same is used below (oh. were not e.fre,id of the king's commandment. xiii. 13) with reference to Christinns, it must Here t'110 usual following of tho LXX. -surely be somehow involved iu this passllge. nguin appears in the hiding being attri- But bow so, we llsk again, in the case of Moses? buted to both parents (this is certainly the To get at the idea of the phrnse we must meaning of Tra-repwv, not-e,s some interpret bear in mind the view of the Old and New because of the masculine form-fat.her and Testllments being but two parts of one ,:;-raudfather), In the Hebrew it is the Divine dispensation. The Exodus was thus mother only that ie spoken of as hiding not only typical of the deliverance through him; whereas in the LXX. the verbs are Christ, but also a step towards it, a prepara- in the plural, ,6&vns 6la, etc., though with tion for it, a link in the divinely ordered no expressed nominative. It is not neces• chain of events leading up to the great $ary to understand a special faith in the redemption, Hence, in the first place, fulfilment of the promises through the child the reproach endured by Moses in further- thus hidden to be implied, though it may ance of the Exodus may be regarded as he so intended. But the mere fearlessness endured at any rate .for the sa1,e of Christ, in obeying the dictates of heart and con- ie. in his cause whose coming was the ellll science in the face of danger, and the mere and purpose of the whole dispensation. reliance on Providence, thus displayed., And further, inasmuoh as Christ is else- expressed faith. where spoken of as the Head of the whole Vers. 24-26.-By faith Moses, when he mystical body of his people in all ages-all was oome to years, refused to be oalled the to be gathered together at last in him -he son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing rather may be regarded, even before his incarna- to smfer aflliotion with the people of God, tion, as himself reproached in the reproach than to eDjoy the pleasures of sin for a of his servant Moses. Compare the view, season ; esteeming the reproach of Christ presented in eh. iii., of the SoN being greater riches than the treasures in (or, of) Lord of the "house" in which Moses was a Egypt; for he had respeot uto (literally, servant, and the comprehensive sense of l,ooked away to) the recompense of reward. "God's house" implied in that passage. As in the speech of Stephen (Acts vii.), Nor should we leave out of consideration so here, the narrative in Exodus is supple- the identification, maintained by the Fathers mented from tradition, such as is found generally (see Bull, 'Def. Fid. Nie.,' I. i.), also in Philo. Moses' refuse.I to be called of the Angel of the Pentateuch, of him who the 10n of Pharaoh's daughter, i.e. his re- revealed himself to Moses as I AM from the nunciation of his position in the court in bush, with the Second Person of the holy order to associate himself with his oppressed Trinity, the Word who became incarnate in fellow-countrymen, is not mentioned in the Christ. (Cf. John i. 1-15; also John viii. original history, though it is consistent with 58, read in connection with Exod. iii. H ; it, and indeed implied. St. Stephen further and 1 Cor. :x. 4, where the spiritual rock regards his taking the part of the Israelite that followed the children of Israel in the against the Egyptian (Exod. ii 11-13) as wilderness is said to have been Christ.) a sign that he was already conscious of his Whatever, however, be the exact import of mission, and hoped even then to rouse his the expression, " reproach of Obrist," in countrymen to make a struggle for freedom. its application to Moses, it is evidently The reproach he BUbjected himself to by selected here with the view of bringing his thus preferring the patriot's to the courtier's example home to the readers of the Epistle, life is here called "the reproach of Christ." by thus intimating that his faith's trial was How so ? Chrysoetom takes the expression essentially the same 88 theirs. to mean only the same kind of reproach 88 Ver. 27.-By faith he forsook Egypt, not Christ was afterwards BUbjected to, in re- fearing the wrath of the king : for he spect of his being scouted, and his Divine endured, 88 seeing him who is invin'ble. mission disbelieved, by those whom he came This forsaking of Egypt must, because of to save. But, if the expression had been the order in which it comes and of Moses used with respect to Christians su1fering for alone being mentioned, be his flight related the faith (as it is below, ch.:xiii.13), it would in Exod. ii. 15, not the final Exodus. The certainly imply more than this; viz. a only seeming difficulty is in the expression, participation in Christ's own reproach, not "not fearing the wrath of the king," whereas merely a reproach like his. (Cf. 2 Car. i. 5, in the hist.cry Moses is represented as flying -ra: ...aiJ1jµ.a.-ra. -roii Xpur-roii, and Col i. 24, .,.;;,., in fear from the face of Phare.oh, who sought 11>-i,j,E""" -rov Xp,cr-roii, where there is the to slay him. But the two views of his further idea expressed of Obrist himself attitude of mind are reconcileable. The su1fering in his members.) And such being assertion of his fearlessne&8 applies to his the idea which the pLrase in itself would whole course of action from the time when at once convey to Christian readen, &11d ea- he elected to brave the king in behalf of OJI. XI. 1-4.0,] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 305