Just Like Moses, But Not Really         Deuteronomy 18:15-22

As you know, I love old Aussie Muscle cars. The pinnacle of the crop is this one: the Phase 3 HO XY GT. There were 300 made. Apparently, there are still 150 still left, but there are more XY GT copies than there were cars. They are not the real deal and certainly don’t attract the same numbers.

Israel was about to go in to take Canaan and before our reading, they were warned against listening to soothsayers, false prophets and false teachers. They were already in the land.

Moses had been a faithful prophet; he had faithfully given Israel the Word of the Lord for 40 years. He wasn’t to go in, but they were to take his words, God’s law, into the land.

When Moses’ life and ministry came to an end, God raised up another prophet named Joshua. While Joshua did not speak to God in the same manner that Moses did (Deuteronomy 34:9), he served as the Lord’s prophet nonetheless. And after Joshua, God brought the era of the Judges, which was followed by the prophet Samuel. Samuel introduced the monarchy and, for generations, God’s people would be ruled by kings and spoken to by prophets. Even still, no-one talked to God like Moses did. Moses was a prophet set apart from the other prophets by God.

Moses was a prophet who spoke face to face with Yahweh. (Deuteronomy 34:12; cf. Numbers 12:8) In this unique position, Moses is recognized as a deliverer (Exodus 3:7–10), covenant mediator (Exodus 34:27), priest (Psalm 99:6), and ruler (Exodus 2:13–14; Acts 7:27).

Someone later wrote, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” (Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

A prophet will arise among you. I love this. Jesus would come from the people of Israel. He would rise up in their midst. While yes, Jesus was from heaven, came from Israel, born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth: a 2-bit-town in those days, not even huge today.

Just like Moses – Yes. Jesus came with power and authority. Moses made water come from the Rock; Jesus stilled the water, the wind and waves. Moses was used to bless the people with Manna; Jesus is the Bread of Heaven and brought the fish and loaves to the thousands.

Moses was raised up from the water and raised in a King’s house; Jesus came from a king’s house and raises us up with the water of Life – the Holy Spirit. Moses was used to baptise Israel by going through the Red Sea on dry ground; Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit and fire.

God revealed Himself to the Lord’s people through Moses; Jesus reveals God to humanity directly, as God among man.

When Jesus finished his famous Sermon on the Mount, Matthew said, “the crowds were astonished at his teaching.” Why were they astonished? Matthew continued, “for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” Jesus is the greater prophet, because he not only brought the truth, He is the truth. In John 14:6, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”

Peter, in Acts, said that Jesus is the prophet to come. “Moses said, “The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.” (Acts 3:22–23)

But there are other similarities; some of which are not pleasant for those who reject the God of Israel.

Remember Moses spoke to the Lord face to face; he was God’s mouthpiece. Many in Israel had rebelled against Moses and therefore, against God. But as they were about to receive the Ten Commandments and the Law, Mt Sinai was enveloped in smoke, fire, ground was shaking, trumpet blasts. Only Moses could go up. It says, “Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.”

This prophet to come came from among the people, but was also the God of the people. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever, we are told. The writer to the Hebrews quoted this same verse that the  people saw literally on Mt Sinai: “Our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)

Jesus, it says, will return a second time in Judgement. The first time, He came to fulfill the law through His death.

The second time, Jesus himself said, “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot---they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all--- so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30)

Jesus again: “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40-43)

In Luke 24, the resurrected Jesus walked with two of His disciples and said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The Apostle Peter: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

There are so many verses like this (too many to go through here) in 1 Corinthians, 2 Thessalonians, Jude, and of course, Revelation.

Moses gave the law, but Jesus fulfills the law on your behalf or metes out the law.

False prophets will arise. (verses 20-22) Jesus said there will be a day where many false Christs and prophets arise. We are living in that day; plenty of fake news around, Satan is a liar and the Father of Lies. There are many fake GT HO phase 3’s around as well, but very few examples of the real deal. Jesus is the One and only real deal. Remain in Him.