Moses' Faith and the Passover

Hebrews 11:28‑29 • 1 min. read • grade level: 9

Question: Heb. 11:28, 29²⁸Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. ²⁹By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. (Hebrews 11:28‑29). Why is it said that Moses kept the passover through faith, and that the Israelites passed through the Red Sea by faith? Was Moses the only one who had faith as to the passover? and had all the people faith who crossed the Red Sea? Compare for them Heb. 3:16-19¹⁶For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. ¹⁷But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? ¹⁹So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:16‑19). H.

Answer: Moses not only kept1 but instituted the passover according to Jehovah’s word: it was the sole occasion when the sprinkling of the blood took place. And this was really if secretly the basis of Israel’s deliverance that followed through the Red Sea as by dry land. But it would be too much to assume that any as yet understood the antitype in Christ’s blood, death, and resurrection for those that believe. Yet the people as well as Moses did believe that God would according to His word screen and deliver, however sadly the mass fell in the wilderness by unbelief. It may be noticed that the last word of ver. 28 prepares the way for the general form of ver. 29. The experiment made by the Egyptians was wholly their own doing without reference to God’s word, and so without faith; just as men perish now, even in Christendom.

1. The perfect of abiding result is used here as in vers. 8,17, whereas the aorist is elsewhere, expressive of the fact simply.

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.