What does Hebrews 11:25 mean?

Moses is described in this passage as a man who exhibited true, godly faith. Earlier, this kind of faith was defined as reasoned, obedient, forward-looking trust in God (Hebrews 11:1–3). Examples were given of Old Testament figures who lived out a reliance on God, even when they could not see the entire picture of how God was working. In many cases, these faithful ones were faced with drastic, immediate dilemmas, such as Abraham's obedience regarding Isaac (Hebrews 11:17–19), and Moses' parents disobedience to Pharaoh's evil commands (Hebrews 11:23). Moses, himself, is described as rejecting his adoptive status in Pharaoh's own house (Hebrews 11:24), instead favoring his Israeli bloodline.

This rejection, according to this verse, was a deliberate decision by Moses to count himself among the people of God, even as they were abused and persecuted (Exodus 1:8–14), rather than taking the easier road and living in the Egyptian palace. Contrary to pop culture and movies, Moses was always fully aware of his Jewish heritage (Exodus 2:1–10). His willingness to choose Israel, over Egypt, suggests that he was also aware of Israel's history and the promises God had made to that nation. Unfortunately, the first action the book of Exodus records by Moses in that regard is the killing of an abusive Egyptian slaver (Exodus 2:11–12), an event which forced him to flee the country (Exodus 2:13–14).