Bold, Fearless Faith

April 29th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

In v. 27 the author speaks of Moses as having the same bold faith as his parents who, according to v. 23 (cf. Ex. 2:1-3), had no fear of the king of Egypt when they defied his order to throw their newborn son into the Nile. Instead, they put their beautiful child into a wicker basket and floated him up the Nile under the watchful eye of his sister Miriam. By God’s ordination, Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, rescued, and raised in Pharaoh’s household. It was thus by their bold faith in defying Pharaoh that Moses had the abundant life he enjoyed.

Since v. 27 speaks of Moses “not fearing the wrath of the king,” it is clear that the story of Moses around the age of 40 in Exodus 2:11-12 cannot be in view. In that account, Moses stumbled upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of Moses’ brethren. Moses then struck the Egyptian and killed him, burying him in the sand (Ex. 2:11-12). Although he thought his actions were hidden, they became known to Pharaoh, and Moses had to flee Egypt for the crime he committed (2:15), for Pharaoh was intent on killing Moses for his actions. This hardly fits what Hebrews 11:27 is talking about because it is said of Moses in Exodus 2:14 that he “was afraid.”

What Hebrews 11:27 is referring to is how Moses returned to Egypt 40 years later as a changed man—a man who feared no one except the God he served, Yahweh (cf. Ex. 3:14). Beginning in Exodus 5:1, Moses confronted Pharaoh “not fearing the wrath of the king,” demanding that Pharaoh release the Israelites from bondage. But Pharaoh had a heart of stone, continually balking at letting Israel go, even enduring ten devastating plagues from God to soften his heart. From the first day that Moses confronted Pharaoh, Moses appeared before him repeatedly, demanding Israel’s release—never once fearing the most powerful king on earth.

So how could Moses repeatedly stand so courageously before such an arrogant king, a man who was prone to kill anyone who defied him? Hebrews 11:27 answers this, revealing that Moses “endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” The verb “endured” (Gr. kartereō) signifies perseverance, or steadfast persistence. This is exactly what the author of Hebrews repeatedly exhorts his readers to do (3:12, 14; 6:12; 10:35, 38; 12:1). Moses was their model for such.

But to simply endure without a basis is not how the author encourages such. For Moses endured for one reason: he was “seeing Him who is unseen.” Now Moses did not actually see God who is invisible in spite of the fact that elsewhere it is said that God spoke face to face with Moses (Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10). That was an expression of God’s close union with Moses, not a literal face to face relationship (cf. Ex. 33:20). What the author therefore means is that Moses endured in his boldness as if he was seeing God who is invisible. Thus, Moses’ focus in the midst of grave danger was the invisible God (cf. Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17). This was the key to his successful leadership and servanthood, enduring difficulties and disappointments. P.T. O’Brien says, “The text is thus not concerned with extraordinary experiences that were attributed to Moses, but with his enduring faith, the contrast between what is seen and unseen (11:1, 3), and his perseverance towards the final goal with his eyes fixed on the invisible One.”

How was this pertinent to the Hebrews audience? With the faith of Moses in view, they had a powerful example for not fearing the authorities who threatened the early Church (10:34; 13:3). As Moses endured by perceiving the invisible God, they also could endure by looking to the glorious Christ, who was also unseen yet always present (Matt. 28:20).

Food For Thought
Any Christian worth his salt sees the invisible God on a daily basis. It’s not a miracle; it’s just common Christianity. To have fellowship with Him comes through faith, and as our faith grows, our vision of God through Jesus Christ gets clearer every day that we serve Him.