A Man Who Wanted God
The Lost Art of Having Heroes
Somewhere along the way, many of us grow out of having heroes. As kids, we admired athletes, leaders, warriors, men of courage. But as we age, cynicism creeps in. We become skeptical. Jaded. Guarded.
Hebrews 11 invites us to recover something important: the value of godly heroes.
Not flawless men. Not perfect men. But faithful men.
Paul even tells believers to follow him as he follows Christ. Scripture encourages us to look at lives well-lived and imitate their faith.
Moses may be the most relatable figure in Hebrews 11. His story is elaborate, detailed, layered. And at the core of it all is this simple truth:
Moses loved God.
Strip away the plagues, the Red Sea, Charlton Heston’s voice, and the cinematic imagination. At the core, Moses wanted God more than he wanted the world.
And that is what makes him heroic. Moses stands in history as a hero of the faith leaving a godly example for us to follow.
A Man Defined by Decisions
Let’s look at Hebrews 11:23–28:
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents...
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter...
Choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin...
He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt...
Notice something: Moses is defined by decisions.
And those decisions were driven by desire.
Decision #1: Fear God or Fear Man
Moses had every earthly reason to fear Pharaoh and maybe at one point, he did, but something changed in him.
Hebrews says he left Egypt “not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
That’s powerful.
At some point in those wilderness years, Moses landed on this truth:
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” - Psalm 118:6
If you think about the audacity of that statement, it really is remarkable: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.” What does it take to reach a place in life where a person can say that with sincerity and confidence? To say, “The Lord is on my side. I will not fear,” requires a deep grounding in who God is and in what He has called you to do. Otherwise, the statement easily slips into arrogance.
We have all met people who speak with that kind of bold certainty, but often it comes from pride rather than faith. The difference is that true confidence rests in God, not in oneself. To say with genuine conviction, “The Lord is on my side,” and to be correct about it is a serious matter.
When a person reaches that place, the next question naturally follows: “What can man do to me?” I believe this is where Moses ultimately arrived. Over time, through faith and through the work of God in his life, he came to the point where the fear of man no longer governed him. His confidence rested in the Lord, and that confidence gave him the courage to obey.
The fear of man lays a snare.
Fear drives many of our poor decisions:
Fear of loss.
Fear of embarrassment.
Fear of discomfort.
Fear of missing out.
But Moses chose the fear of the Lord over the fear of man. Trusting the Lord brings rest.
Decision #2: Identity in God or Identity in the World
Verse 24 says he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
That word “refused” isn’t polite decline. It’s closer to forsook. He rejected it utterly. Consider what that meant.
Egypt was the global superpower. Wealth. Military dominance. Technology. Cultural influence. Moses wasn’t just Egyptian—he was in the royal court. Raised as a prince.
That included security, prestige, influence, and unlimited resources.
And he walked away.
Why?
Because he found his identity not in Egypt—but in God.
He chose mistreatment with God’s people over comfort in the palace.
That’s not a lateral move. That’s not quitting corporate life to start your own lucrative business.
That’s walking from the top of the world into obscurity.
And yet, his true identity became far greater.
The Battle of Fleeting Pleasures
Hebrews says Moses chose: “Rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
The phrase “fleeting pleasures” literally carries the idea of short-lived delight. A dopamine hit. Immediate gratification. Finite pleasure.
Let’s expand that beyond the typical youth-group categories.
What Were Moses’ Fleeting Pleasures?
1. Success
By worldly standards, Moses had already “made it.” Josephus even records military success and leadership achievements.
He had education. Status. Political leverage.
But he redefined success.
He chose to measure success by what God thought—not what Egypt thought.
That’s a radical recalibration.
2. Security
Moses had palace security. Food security. Social security. Political protection.
Instead, he chose wilderness uncertainty.
And yet—ironically—he found greater security in God than in Pharaoh.
Throughout Scripture, Egypt symbolizes false security. Moses rejected it.
3. Substance
We can include sexual temptation, indulgence, and every sensory pleasure Egypt offered.
But the issue isn’t one category of sin. The issue is this:
Do you want momentary pleasure or eternal satisfaction?
We understand this in small things. Cookies for breakfast feel good in the moment. Not so much afterward.
Sin always works that way. Short-term delights have long-term costs. Moses saw beyond the moment. By faith, he looked past the immediate reward toward eternal gain.
Three Diagnostic Questions Moses Forces Us to Ask
When we talk about Moses choosing God over Egypt, we are not discussing an abstract theological concept. His story presses directly into the motives behind our everyday decisions. These are not theoretical questions. They expose real temptations in the heart.
1) Do I desire God’s pleasure or man’s pleasure?
When I describe desiring God’s pleasure, I am not referring to earning salvation or confusing justification with obedience. I am not suggesting that we can secure God’s acceptance through our performance. Instead, I am asking whether we are living in a way that honors God or grieves Him.
We must ask ourselves: Do I genuinely care about what God thinks of my choices, my words, and my habits? Do I live with the fear of the Lord, meaning that I take seriously the reality of His presence and His holiness? Or am I more concerned with what others think of me than what God thinks of me?
Integrity is often tested in subtle ways. It is easy to affirm righteousness in theory. It is much harder to stand firm when faithfulness costs us approval, popularity, or opportunity.
Am I willing to compromise my integrity to gain someone’s favor? Or will I stand before God with a clear conscience, even if it means losing the approval of others?
Moses lived with tremendous social pressure. He could have blended in. He could have navigated both worlds and preserved his comfort. Yet Hebrews tells us that he refused. His decision reveals that he valued God’s pleasure above man’s.
2) Do I desire success in God’s eyes or success in man’s eyes?
This question differs slightly from the first. Some people do not care whether they are liked. They care only about winning, achieving, building influence, or accumulating wealth. They want to be successful by measurable standards.
Moses forces us to examine our definition of success.
If we were to speak to Moses as a young man in Pharaoh’s court, we might have offered him what we consider wise counsel. We might have told him that he had privilege, education, security, and influence. We might have warned him against walking away from such opportunity.
From a worldly perspective, his decision made no sense. He exchanged the palace for obscurity. He left political power for pastoral labor. He traded advancement for affliction.
Yet Moses redefined success. He chose to measure success by faithfulness to God rather than by status in Egypt. He chose obedience over advancement. He chose alignment with God’s purposes over alignment with worldly power.
The world may call that failure. Scripture calls it faith.
3) Do I desire the pleasures of this life or the reproach of Christ?
Hebrews tells us that Moses considered “the reproach of Christ” greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. That statement should arrest our attention.
Why would anyone desire reproach? Why would anyone choose a path that includes misunderstanding, rejection, or suffering?
Christ suffered uniquely and decisively for our sins. We do not bear the wrath of God. We do not atone for sin. However, Jesus also made it clear that those who belong to Him will be identified with Him.
If we are in Christ, then our identity is no longer self-defined. We represent Him. We share in His mission. We walk in His steps.
The question then becomes whether we are ashamed of that identification. Do we want the benefits of Christianity without the cost of association with Christ? Do we desire comfort more than faithfulness? Do we prefer the pleasures of this life to the honor of being counted with Him?
Moses chose identification over comfort. He chose reproach over luxury.
He chose God over Egypt.