Promises of the Messiah

PROMISES OF "THE MESSIAH"

After God’s promise in Deuteronomy 18, many years passed with no prophet arising who seemed to match Moses. Yet God was not silent. He carefully guided history in the direction He had chosen. Along the way, God used prophets to give the meaning of His actions and to point ahead to what He planned. Again and again these prophets told of One to come. He would be the great King from David’s family line (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; Isaiah 11). He would serve as "Priest forever" (Psalm 110). Psalm 110 also spoke of this eternal Priest as David’s "Lord." This Priest and Lord would rule from the highest place, at God’s right hand. Similar prophecies showed that the coming Prophet, the coming Priest, and the coming King would be the same Person—the Messiah! 💖

IS JESUS THAT MESSIAH?

When an Israelite man was officially made a prophet or priest or king, oil was usually poured on his head. Such pouring was called "anointing," and served as a sign of the authority to lead. The Hebrew word Messiah means "His Anointed" (Psalm 2). This same word from the Greek language is Christ. Today most people who know the word "Christ" think immediately of Jesus Christ. This is because so many proofs point to Jesus as the One promised by God. Jesus fits the descriptions of the Messiah or Christ as foretold by the Old Testament prophets. Jesus also did the miracles of mighty power that we would expect of the prophet like Moses. He healed the blind, deaf and lame. He stilled storms and walked on the water. He even gave life back to the dead! At the town of Nain, Jesus met a funeral group going to bury the only son of a widow. When He saw the widow’s great sorrow, He went to the coffin. He touched it and called out, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" Many were present. They saw the boy arise from death! Luke 7:16 reports,

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ”A great prophet has arisen among us!” and ”God has visited his people!”

The people knew what they had seen. Jesus lived among them. Many were present to see His great works. Here were miraculous "signs" showing more clearly than ever the power that only the Creator has over His creation. Therefore Jesus really was "a great prophet." The people who saw these things reasoned correctly,

When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done? (John 7:31).

Here were the greatest teachings ever heard, and the greatest miracles ever seen. If Jesus was not the Christ, who could possibly do greater things?

So even at that time many realized that He had to be the Prophet (John 7:40). If so, that also meant He was the Christ. When Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem for the last time they welcomed Him as "the Son of David," "the King" and "the Prophet" (Matthew 21:8-11; Luke 19:37-38). 💡 

THE GREATEST SIGN

Jesus often foretold that He would be killed by the Jewish and Roman leaders (Matthew 16:4; 17:12,23; 20:18-19; 26:2). His death, He said, would be by crucifixion, in which a person was nailed to a wooden cross and left to die in great pain. He explained that His death would allow people to be forgiven of their sins (Matthew 20:28; 26:28). Yet, along with predictions of His death, Jesus promised that His greatest "sign" would be to return from death in just three days (Matthew 12:38-40; 17:23; John 2:19-22).

As is well-recorded by history, Jesus actually went on to fulfill that promise (Matthew 28; John 20; Acts 2)! Not even the greatest prophet, priest or king had ever dared to make such a promise for himself. And certainly none had been able to raise himself from the grave. Jesus, by God’s power, both predicted it and accomplished it. Could there be any doubt that the Prophet foretold by Moses had finally arrived?

Peter was one of the eyewitnesses of these things. He had once fled from the enemies who killed Jesus. But after Jesus had returned from death, Peter knew that death was not to be feared any longer. With the help of God’s Spirit, Peter stood before the same enemies and boldly declared,

”And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled… 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.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days (Acts 3:17-18; 22-24).

Peter quoted from the very passage we have studied—Deuteronomy 18. That passage, he said, looked ahead to Jesus Christ. Indeed, all the "prophets" had pointed forward to this one great Prophet! Since Jesus is the Prophet like Moses, He is now the Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). That is why we are told, "listen to him in whatever he tells you" (Acts 3:22).

What if we fail to listen to Jesus? We miss God’s most important message for life. We bring on ourselves this terrible result:

And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people (Acts 3:23).

Such a person can no longer belong with God and His people! This is a serious matter. Our lives depend on listening carefully to the Prophet like Moses.

LET'S SUM UP

God’s fiery presence is too great for us. We cannot bear to see and hear Him in a direct way. Therefore God speaks to us through a go-between (a mediator). For the Jews at Sinai that mediator was Moses. At that time God promised Another to come, a Prophet like Moses. The New Testament proves that this new Mediator is Jesus Christ. His message must be treated with full respect if we are to have life with God and His people.

Lord Most High, You dwell in light far too bright and glorious for us. In Your love for us, You planned ahead to meet our need for a mediator. How we thank You for sending the greatest Prophet and Mediator, Jesus Christ! Help us to be open to the words You gave to Him for us… ⚠

God spoken through Moses

GOD HAS SPOKEN THROUGH A PROPHET LIKE MOSES

And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him (Deuteronomy 18:17-18).

Deuteronomy 18, which gave a test for prophets, also gave this remarkable promise about another future Prophet. He would come from "among their brothers." That is, He also would be an Israelite (also called Hebrew or Jew). Of greatest importance was that He would be like Moses—this is how He would stand out so that people could recognize Him.

GOD'S GLORY TOO GREAT FOR MAN

Why was it so important to have this special Prophet like Moses? The same passage explained:

”The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb… when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die” (Deuteronomy 18:15-16).

Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. God met the Israelites at this mountain, after they had left Egypt. He came down in terrible fire and smoke on the mountain. The whole mountain shook. Thunder boomed from mighty flashes of lightning. A trumpet call grew louder and louder, and then God Himself spoke!

His glory (described in Exodus 19 and Deuteronomy 5) was too great for them. The people trembled with fear. The fire and the voice of God were so awesome that the people thought they were going to die immediately. So they all begged Moses,

”You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:19)

God replied,

”They are right in what they have spoken.” (Deuteronomy 18:17; also 5:28).

For the people had seen that God was far too great for them to deal with Him directly. He "lives in unapproachable light" (1 Timothy 6:16).

ERV: God lives in light so bright that men cannot go near it.

They needed someone to represent them before God, someone to go between them and God. The first such go-between, or mediator, was Moses. He went to the people, taking to them God’s messages. But a mediator works to bring both sides together. So Moses also went to God. He took the needs of the people to God. In this way Moses did much good for his people. Yet God knew that people in the future also would need a mediator. So He promised in Deuteronomy 18 to send another Prophet from among the Israelites, a Prophet like Moses.

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WE NEED A MEDIATOR, NOT MEDIUMS

Deuteronomy 18 shows another important reason for a mediator. God knows that people need answers for solving life’s many problems. They need to make the best choices about how to live. God also knows that people often look for answers in the wrong places. For example, many turn to spirit mediums who claim to speak for the dead or for other spirits. Many also seek answers in witchcraft, spiritism, magic spells, omens, and other signs such as the stars. In Deuteronomy 18:9-14, God commanded His people not to use these methods (also Leviticus 19:31; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Isaiah 8:19; Acts 19:19; Revelation 21:8). Was He trying to keep them from finding spiritual answers? Actually, God was keeping them from these methods because they give false answers, which harm people (Isaiah 47:8-15; Jeremiah 27:9-10).

God’s love went even further. Rather than stopping the search for answers, God opened the way for all the answers that all people need. For immediately after speaking against mediums, God promised to send the Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18: 15-19). People do not need "mediums" because God gives His Mediator! God assured them,

I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Unlike messages from mediums, this message would be true. This message could be fully trusted and followed. For this message would be God’s own words. "Everything" from God would be faithfully passed along to the people by the Prophet like Moses.  🍓

NO PROPHET LIKE MOSES

Weren’t all prophets "like Moses"? No. Even at the time of Moses there were other prophets, such as Miriam and Aaron. Yet God made it plain that Moses was quite different from them. God spoke to Moses in a more open, direct and personal way. This is what God said:

If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses… With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord (Numbers 12:6-8).

Joshua came after Moses. Yet even in the passage which speaks of Joshua’s greatness, Deuteronomy ends with these words,

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… and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror [fear] that Moses did in the sight of all Israel (Deuteronomy 34:10-12).

Clearly, the other prophets were not like Moses. God was more direct with Moses. God used him as His special agent and lawgiver. Because of His unique authority, all other Israelite prophets, from Joshua on, taught their people to follow "the Law of Moses." The coming Prophet would serve, like Moses, as God’s Mediator with special authority to give God’s commandments to the people. God would speak directly with the new Mediator. And here is another important point: From Deuteronomy 34, we learn that being truly "like Moses" had to include showing miracles of mighty power. 🌹 

Why we need the blood of Jesus

Hebrews 10:1-14

Anyone who has read through the book of Leviticus can’t help but notice the emphasis on sacrifices. There were prescribed animals for different kinds of personal and national offerings, as well as for occasions like the Sabbath and feasts. Why did God require this? And why was He so specific about the details of worship?

There were three lessons God was teaching Israel through His law.

• God is holy and separate from sinful man.
• Sin is costly, requiring a payment or sacrifice.
• There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.

All the laws, ceremonies, priests, and offerings in the Old Testament were a shadow of the good things to come. None of the animal sacrifices could actually take away sin. While serving as a reminder of sin, those offerings also pointed ahead to the Lamb of God: Jesus Christ came to be the final sacrifice. He gave His life at Calvary, bringing complete forgiveness for all sin.

We who live on this side of the cross may be tempted to think too lightly of our sins because we have never sacrificed an animal or seen blood flowing from the throat of an innocent lamb because of our wrongdoing. Nor did we watch the crucifixion of our Lord as He hung on the cross, bearing God’s judgment for our sins. The only cost we actually see involves the consequences we suffer for our rebellion and disobedience.

As difficult and painful as it may be, let’s seriously consider what our sins cost the Savior. If we allow our hearts to be broken, our worship and gratitude will overflow, and we’ll respond by living a holy life.