²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Ten times Moses faced Pharaoh; ten times Pharaoh vented anger on Moses and the people. The exalted law-giver never gave way to fear – and he led his people out of Egypt! Not that it wasn’t a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry potentate. He may have learned from his mother not to fear Pharaoh (Heb 11:23). But this hardly accounts for the bold but rare audacity to so flagrantly defy an earthly ruler like Moses did. That he had the audacity to gain audience even once would be amazing by itself. But ten times he boldly entered the throne room of wrath and demanded, “Let my people go!” What brought on this extreme confidence?

He learned by first-hand experience to fear a greater potentate, the “unseen” God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You will remember his conversation with the Lord in the burning bush incident, after spending 40 years in the desert. He had two questions in response to God’s command to go back to Egypt and deliver the people from their bondage. First, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11). God’s answer: “I am with you” (Ex 3:11). In other words, God was saying, “Pharaoh has to tangle with Me!” Second, he asked, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel … Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” (Ex 3:13). God’s answer:

“I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (Ex 3:14–15).

Probably one of the most significant passages of Scripture, God reveals Himself to Moses as the One who will be phenomenally all that His people need Him to be, the active living God who acts on their behalf. That’s what “I AM” means, that’s the meaning of His name, “Yahweh” (Ex 3:16). And that is the God who promised to be with Moses as he went back to his people and to confront Pharaoh. No wonder he was confident and did not fear Pharaoh. He went back in the confidence of his God, the great “I AM.” He dared to believe Yahweh was greater than Pharaoh.

Lord Yahweh, help me remain conscious of Your presence in my life that I might not be controlled by the things that so easily cause me to be afraid.