Hebrews 11:23-29
By faith Moses … considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt… (vv. 24a, 26a) It’s easy to be confused when a speaker or writer uses the word “Christ”. That word is both a title (the Messiah) and, effectively, a name (Jesus Christ – more appropriately translated as “Jesus, the Christ”, that is, “Jesus, the Messiah”). But we often hear statements like “Christ died for our sins”, knowing that the person speaking this sentence is referring to Jesus. So we often translate “Christ” as “Jesus” or “Jesus Christ”. But in the verses quoted above “Christ” is not referring to Jesus; it simply means “the Messiah”. So Moses chose “…the reproach of [the Messiah]…” over the pleasures of Egypt. Thus this phrase is referring to the mistreatment of the Jews by the Egyptian authorities. In essence, Moses preferred to be numbered among the persecuted Jews than to enjoy his luxurious position as Pharaoh’s daughter.
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