By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Growing up, I would day-dream of what it would be like to have a super power. I would imagine what it might be like to fly, have super strength, be able to jump high and far, to be able to see through walls, or to be invisible.
Each of these super powers appealed to me for different reasons, but as a little guy, the idea of being invisible possessed a special appeal. You see, I enjoyed sneaking around. Sneaking around was fun for two reasons: 1) it helped me surprise-attack my older sister (a favorite past time of mine) and 2) little boys in general think sneakiness is fun! The idea that being invisible provided the opportunity for me to move and operate without being seen captured my imagination!
The writer of Hebrews tells us that God is invisible, and in the same breath tells us that Moses could see Him. How do you see what is invisible? Isn’t that a contradiction?
In a way, seeing what is invisible is a super power. In fact, there is nothing natural about it… it’s supernatural. Moses saw the invisible God with eyes of faith.* These eyes of faith allowed Him to look upon the invisible reality in a way that allowed him to endure through great difficulty.* These eyes allowed him to move forward into his calling unimpeded by a fear of Pharaoh.*
Furthermore, Moses’ ability to look at the invisible God with eyes of faith allowed him an intimacy with God that other prophets could only imagine.* God said, “Mouth to mouth I will speak to him, in visible form and not through riddles. And he has seen the glory of the Lord” (Num 12:8; cf. Exod 33:11; Deut 34:10).* This intimacy was hugely important as the fate of an entire people depended upon the ability of Moses to see the invisible.*
Not to change the subject, but have you ever thought about inviting God to make you like Him? He is love (1 John 4:16)… wouldn’t it be nice to be love to those around you? He is patient (2 Peter 3:8–10a)… wouldn’t it be nice to be patient? The author of Hebrews tell us that God is invisible… would you like to be invisible?
In a culture that screams for attention, places value on fame, and fears a life of “no impact,” invisibility can feel unattractive.
John the Baptist said this in John 3:30:
He must increase, but I must decrease
God is invisible… maybe we should give it a try too… for His glory (so He can increase).
What eyes are you looking at life with? Are you using your super-power to see the invisible? Are you following God and being invisible yourself?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to see the invisible. Perhaps today God wants you to see with the eyes of faith so that you can endure. Maybe today God wants you to open your heart to the beauty of obscurity. Perhaps today God wants you to love, have patience, and practice being invisible.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Stedman, R. C. (1992). Hebrews (Heb 11:23–29). IVP Academic.
Grindheim, S. (2023). The Letter to the Hebrews (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 587–589). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
France, R. T. (2006). Hebrews. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 160). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. (1998). Hebrews (pp. 381). Zondervan Publishing House.