"It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:45).
If you knew you could only have your child for 12 years, what would you teach him? What would you want him to know about God during that time?
Jochebed treasured every moment she had with baby Moses because she knew he wasn't hers for long. Ever since the Pharoah's daughter found him in the Nile, Jochabed knew God must have saved him for some important work. Soon he'd live in the king's palace, "surrounded with influences that would tend to lead him away from God. All this rendered her more diligent and careful in his instruction than in that of her other children" (Patriarchs and Prophets, pg. 243). Faithfully, she filled his young mind with stories of God's love and miracles. How she must have prayed that His truth would make him strong!
But the education of Moses took a very different turn once he began life at the palace. Pharoah groomed Moses to be the next successor to the throne. The Bible says, "Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds" (Acts 7:22).The sciences, literature and military exploits of Egypt were all absorbed by his young mind. And though he never participated in the idolatry around him, he was "initiated into all the mysteries of the Egyptian religion" (Education, pg. 62).
Moses had the world at his feet. He was fitted and trained to take his place in the great-est dynasties of Egypt, to "sway the scepter of power." He had no rival in matters of history, philosophy, as a general of armies or a legislator at court. A life of luxury and wealth were well within his grasp, but he laid it all aside. At the age of 40, Moses "refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt" (Hebrews 11:25,26/NKJV).
From that day forward, Moses entered the school of Christ and began learning the lessons of leadership. His Egyptian education had failed to teach him to rely on God as the source of his strength. All he'd learned had only fostered pride and self-sufficiency. But before he could lead others, he must first learn to follow. Self had to be laid aside, just as he had laid aside the scepter.
"Moses had been learning much that he must unlearn. The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt—the love of his foster mother, his own high position as the king’s grandson, the dissipation on every hand, the refinement, the subtlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, the splendor of idolatrous worship, the solemn grandeur of architecture and sculpture—all had left deep impressions upon his developing mind and had molded, to some extent, his habits and character. Time, change of surroundings, and communion with God could remove these impressions. It would require on the part of Moses himself a struggle as for life to renounce error and accept truth, but God would be his helper when the conflict should be too severe for human strength" (Patriarchs and Prophets, pg. 248).
God took his son by the hand and led him into the wilderness. There he entered the school of Christ. Surrounded by the rugged mountains, Moses absorbed the majesty of the Creator. The power of those peaks led him higher than the ground on which he stood. He saw the King of kings and Lord of lords. Not face to face, but through God's created works, Moses was led into an intimate walk with Christ. And that walk made everything else pale in comparison. The temples of Egypt no longer impressed him. Even his pride was swept away. He became nothing in his own eyes. And as Moses worked as a shepherd in the mountains of Midian, he became "reverent and humble, 'very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth' (Numbers 12:3), yet strong in faith in the mighty God of Jacob" (Patriarchs and Prophets, pg. 248).
The years Moses spent in Egypt taught him a lot that the world valued. It may have prepared him to be the next Pharoah, but not to be a leader for God's people. In the school of Christ, the aim of education is far different than what we find in any other school. It's not about the quest of knowledge or the development of skill. God's aim is to see Himself perfectly reproduced in His children. Above everything else, He values Christian character. It's what we are on the inside that influences what we become on the outside. And this can only be learned by a constant dependence on the Lord and by saturating ourselves in Him. When we learn in the school of Christ, we might find gaping holes in our education--just as Moses did. We may have to unlearn some of the things we've already been taught.
I know that's what I need. This world has molded and shaped me, but it's not always been a heavenly mold. I've been taught to look after #1, that it's okay to sin once in a while, that I'm in charge of my own life. But all these lessons have left me unprepared to walk with Jesus or be a faithful witness. They leave me doing things my own way, bristling when things go wrong, and settling for the maxim, 'everyone's doing it.' And then I wonder, how did I ever get in such a mess? Why am I so slow in learning to be like Christ? You'd think it would be so plain. But it's not. Not when I spend more time in "Egypt" than sitting with the Lord. Unless I have a perpetual God-Focus all through the day, I end up being impressed by the things of the world and being molded by its world-view.
In this new year, God wants to take my education in hand to help me learn at His feet and also to unlearn the ways of the world. "The training and education of a lifetime must often be discarded that the Christian may become a learner in the school of Christ, and in him who would be a partaker of the divine nature, appetite and passion must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. There is to be no end to this warfare this side of eternity, but while there are constant battles to fight, there are also precious victories to gain, and the triumph over self and sin is of more value than the mind can estimate" (Christian Education, pg. 122).
I don't usually make New Years resolutions, but I often have prayer goals for the year. And my prayer is to be taught by God every day so that I can enter His presence more fully. At every turn, I want to hear His voice, leading me in the right path. And most of all, I desire for Christ to be formed within, so that my life will be a clear testimony of the power of His grace.
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