Introduction
Moses wrote the law which is a shadow of the reality found in Jesus Christ. He. 10:1, "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves."
I'm preaching on Moses as the first in a series on great characters of the bible. It is appropriate to begin this series with Moses as he is a foundational character in the bible. God saved a family line through Abraham, but he saved a nation through Moses in prophecy of saving humanity through Jesus, although it is through Jesus that Abraham & Moses are actually saved. He. 11:39f., "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." There are numerous prophecies of Jesus and his salvation in the writings of Moses.
Moses wrote more of the bible than any other person; Ge., Ex., Lev., Nu., Dt. and Ps. 90. More of the bible is devoted to the events of his life than any other character including Jesus. Moses describes Jesus as "a prophet like me" in Dt. 18:15, 18, and Jesus receives these words in Jn 5:46, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me."
Moses is described as the 'faithful servant' numerous times, including in Heb. 3:5, where he is the standard by which Jesus' greatness is measured. Although Jesus is greater than Moses, Moses is great enough to be used for comparison. He is called the 'servant of the Lord' in numerous places and God spoke with him face to face and says there was no prophet like him.
He is alive to God, being given six verses in the list of the faithful in Hebrews 11. He appeared at the mountain of transfiguration with Elijah.
He inaugurated the Old Covenant, into which Israel was baptised (I Cor. 10:1-4).
Birth
Moses was born about 1526 BC (I Kings 6:1 and Acts 7:23 & 30). In an attempt to kill him before he was born Satan had Pharaoh order all the male Hebrew babies killed at birth, just as he tried to have Jesus killed through Herod at Bethlehem, but he was hidden for three months then put in a papyrus basket in the Nile where Pharaoh's daughter found him and brought him up with his own mother as a nurse maid.
Turn to Ex. 2:10, 'When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
'One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
'The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
'The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."
'When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian.'
The name 'Moses' is also a derivative of the Egyptian 'to give birth' or 'to bear.' Acts 7:23-25 tells us he thought the Israelites would realise God was using him to deliver them. That Moses was going to be Israel's deliverer was known by Satan, who tried to have him killed at birth, and by Moses, who preempted God and ended up being a shepherd in the desert for forty years, the most humble profession known at the time. Moses was used as Israel's deliver, but before he was ready he had to be humbled completely by being raised up to an exalted position and then brought low, just as were several other bible characters like Joseph and David. Falling from a height hurts a lot more than just falling off your chair. Forty years as a shepherd totally changed Moses' attitude and he began to think he couldn't be used by God.
Commissioning
In Ex. 3:13f. God reveals his sacred name Yahweh to Moses, 'Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
'God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"'
Turn to Ex. 4:8, 'Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
'Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
'The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
'But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
'Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."'
The Lord's anger burned against Moses because at this point he is still not humble. Thinking God can't use us is a form of pride. We are saying 'God can use anybody, but he can't use me.' We regard our weakness as greater than God's strength and that is pride. It's just as out of touch with reality as thinking the great things God does through us are because of our strength.
Some of us are at the point where we know we have been called but we have not yet been commissioned, just as Moses knew he would be Israel's deliverer but it was not until he was eighty God commissioned him to do it. For some of us we have received the commission and we're a bit concerned at our own weakness. For myself, I received a calling to preach and started to prepare for it 9 years ago, but it was not until today that I received the commission, and today I stand before you preaching the gospel in a state of weakness I couldn't have imagined 17 years ago when I had my own strength. For some of us God has to do away with our strength before he will use us, just as with Moses and myself.
Signs to Pharaoh
Next Moses leaves Midian and is about to be killed by an angel of the Lord but his wife circumcises his son and thus saves him. He meets the elders of Israel and performs the miraculous signs, then he meets with Pharaoh, who orders the Israelites make bricks without being supplied with straw. God says he will harden Pharaoh's heart. Moses goes back to Pharaoh and turns his staff into a snake, Pharaoh's magicians and astrologers turn their staves into snakes and Moses snake/staff eats theirs. He meets with Pharaoh again and turns the Nile to blood, the magicians and astrologers do the same. He meets with Pharaoh again and starts a plague of frogs, and the magicians and astrologers do the same.
Personally I wouldn't want these guys on my side in a plague, "Don't worry, we can make it worse!"
Moses again goes to Pharaoh and starts a plague of gnats, which is the first plague the magicians and astrologers can't reproduce. Moses goes back and there is a plague of flies except in Goshen where the Israelites are. Then there is a plague on the livestock except for the Israelites, then a plague of boils and the magicians and astrologers can't even appear before Moses. In Ex. 9:16 God tells Moses to tell Pharaoh "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Then there is a plague of hail, then locusts, then darkness. Finally there is the plague on the firstborn, the institution of the passover, the Israelites plunder the Egyptians who are favourably disposed to them and give them articles of gold, silver and clothing, then there is the exodus. These plagues correspond with areas of power of the Egyptians gods.
Passover & exodus
Turn to Ex. 12:3, "Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household."
Verse 5, "The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect."
Verse 7, "Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs."
Verse 13, "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."
Verse 15, "For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel."
Verse 46, "Do not break any of the bones."
The passover was given as a sign of Christ's salvation. Jesus is our passover lamb without defect whose blood causes the destroyer to pass by. Just as they were to eat bread without yeast, so he is the bread of life without the yeast of sin. Just as they were to get rid of the yeast in their houses, so we are to be rid of the yeast of sin in our hearts by Jesus. Just as the bones of the passover lamb were not to be broken, so his bones were not broken.
I Cor. 5:6f., "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."
When Jews celebrate the passover they always use pierced bread, which the messianic Jews will tell you is because Jesus was pierced for our transgressions.
The Lord went before the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. He hardened Pharaoh's heart to gain glory through him (Ex. 14) and Pharaoh chased after them with his army. The Lord appeared as light to the Israelites and darkness to the Egyptians all night. Moses then parts the Red Sea, Israel passes through and the entire Egyptian army is drowned in it.
God thus delivers Israel from bondage and slavery in the land of Egypt under Pharaoh through Moses in prophecy of God's deliverance of spiritual Israel (us) from bondage and slavery in the land of sin under Satan through Jesus. Egypt is used a couple of times in Scripture to represent Satan's domain.
In Ex. 15 we read that the people came to a place where the waters were bitter and Moses threw a piece of wood in under instruction from the Lord and the water became sweet.
In Ex. 16 they complain about their lack of food (although Scripture mentions their herds of livestock) and the Lord sends quail and manna. Manna means 'what is it?' and they ate it for the next forty years.
Next they again complain about lack of water and Moses makes water come out from a rock by striking it with his staff (Ex. 17:5f.).
Then the Israelites defeat Amalek.
Following this Moses' father in law turns up and gets Moses to delegate his authority (Ex. 18).
The ten commandments
Now we come to the high point of Moses' career, the receiving of the ten commandments and the inauguration of the Mosaic covenant.
The Lord says to Moses, "Come forth, Moses, come forth," but Moses came third & won a teapot. Moses said to the Lord, "God, these people you have given me are giving me such a headache." "Take these two tablets and see me in the morning." "What's on these tablets?" "Commandments." "How much are they?" "They're free" "I'll take ten."
In Ex. 19 the Lord speaks to Moses, and there is a dense cloud and trumpets. In Ex. 20 we have the ten commandments, then the people are afraid, God's angel is to go ahead and from I Cor. 10:4 Christ was the rock that accompanied them. Moses is there with God for forty days & nights.
The law points to the moral perfection required by God. In case anyone misses what God wants, Jesus makes it clear when he gives the full meaning of the commandments in the sermon on the mount. He is speaking to people under the old covenant here as he is yet to die & rise from the dead, inaugurating the new covenant.
Turn to Mt. 5:17, '"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
'"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.'
Verse 27, '"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."'
The point being that we worship a perfect God whom we can not approach without moral perfection, and anything less than moral perfection in us is infinitely different to God. If you stuck me, Adolf Hitler & mother Theresa on a moral scale with God and it was possible to see the degree of our moral purity compared to that of God (which you couldn't because the difference is infinite), we three would look exactly the same on the scale. Only in Christ do we look like God, II Cor. 2:15, 'For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.'
In Ex. 32 the Israelites get impatient and order Aaron to build them gods, so he builds the golden calf. So far we've had Moses try to take on his commission prematurely and fall flat on his face, now Aaron and the Israelites go back to idolatry because of impatience. Later on Saul will lose the kingship because he was impatient with God. We have strong warnings here to wait for what God is doing. Just as Greg preached a while ago about eagles - they wait or they soar, they don't go flapping about when there is no up draft. There is a time to just wait for the move of the Spirit.
Moses intercedes for them so God won't kill them all, he breaks the tablets and the Levites retaliate, killing about three thousand Israelites. God then strikes them with a plague.
In Ex. 34 the Lord passes in front of Moses. He spends forty more days & nights with the Lord without eating or drinking and his face becomes so radiant that when he goes amongst the Israelites he has to wear a veil over it.
Moses is given the plans for the tabernacle, which is a copy of the one in heaven (He. 8:5; 9:23), the way into the most holy place being made by a sacrifice for the high priest, just as Jesus is our high priest and sacrificed himself to give as access to the most holy place in the real heaven, the temple curtain being torn in two from top to bottom at the moment of his death to make this clear and the physical temple being destroyed shortly after his death in case anyone missed the point.
A cloud rests over the tabernacle while they are to remain in one spot (Ex. 40 & Nu. 9).
Further events
Nadab & Abihu offer unauthorised fire before the Lord, and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and kills them in Lev. 10, showing the way to the Most Holy Place had not yet been made for us.
There is a census (Nu. 1) and the Israelites number just over six hundred thousand.
The people complain and the Lord sends fire and burns up the outskirts of the camp in Nu. 11.
God then puts his Spirit on the seventy elders.
Lets have a look at Nu. 11:25, 'Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.
'However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
'Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"
'But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"'
That's a word for us.
The people complain about lack of food again and again the Lord sends quail but this time he also sends a plague on the complainers.
Next Miriam & Aaron oppose Moses and Miriam is made leprous like snow in Nu. 12.
Turn to Nu. 12:1, 'Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.
'(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
'At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
'The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.
'When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam - leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy.'
Spying out the promised land
In Nu. 13 the Israelites send 12 spies into the promised land, who find it extremely abundant (it took two of them to carry one bunch of grapes hung on a pole between them) but are afraid of the inhabitants so they spread a bad report, except for Caleb & Joshua. In Nu. 14 the people rebel and won't go up to fight, and are even talking about stoning Moses and Aaron. Moses intercedes on their behalf again so that the Lord will not destroy them all, the Lord replies and sends a plague on the spies and condemns them to wander in the desert for forty years, one year for each day the spies were in the land. The people rebel again, decide to attack now they don't have the Lord's covering, and are defeated.
In Nu. 16 we read that Korah, Dathan & Abiram then oppose Moses with 250 leaders, saying everyone is holy and the Lord is with them all, and Moses instructs them to present an offering before the Lord, along with Aaron to see who the Lord chooses. The ground opens under the tents of Korah, Dathan & Abiram swallowing them and their families. Then fire came out from the Lord and killed their 250 followers. The people gather in opposition to Moses, saying he has killed the Lord's people (yeah right, Moses just thought "I don't like those guys so I thought I'd just have the ground open up and swallow the leaders and fire consume the rest" - not), so the Lord sends a plague which Aaron stops by making an offering to the Lord.
In Nu. 17 Aaron's staff buds to show he is the man the Lord has chosen.
In Nu. 20 Miriam dies. Then the people complain about lack of water and Moses brings water out of a rock.
Turn to Nu. 20:7, 'The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."
So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."'
A strong warning about not taking credit for the blessings of the Lord. Also this is the sin for which they are rebuked and not allowed to enter the promised land, not Moses' initial refusal to go when the Lord sent him or Aaron's making of the golden calf. As Jesus says in Lk. 12:47f., "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Not that under the new covenant we need to fear punishment, but there are consequences for our sins, and those consequences are more severe & widespread when we are in positions of authority.
Aaron then dies.
In Nu. 21 Arad is destroyed then the people complain against Moses and the Lord and venomous snakes come amongst them. Moses intercedes for them and God says to make an image of a snake and put it on a pole, and anyone who looks at it will live. So Jesus was hung on a cross and took our sin upon himself, becoming our affliction, so that anyone who looks to him can have eternal life.
John 3:14f., "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
Sihon & Og and their armies are then destroyed.
Balaam
In Nu. 22 Balak summons Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. Balaam was a well known prophet who is recorded in archaeological records outside of Scripture. He is rebuked by his donkey, which tells us something of the qualifications required to speak for the Lord (ie. we don't even need to be capable of speaking), then in Nu. 23 & 24 he blesses instead of cursing.
Nu. 24:17, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."
This may have been the prophecy that alerted the magi or astrologers who arrived after Jesus' birth after seeing his star.
In Nu. 25 Moab seduces Israel bringing a plague on them, which Rev. 2:14 tells us they were taught to do by Balaam.
There is a 2nd census in Nu. 26, again numbering just over six hundred thousand. Not one person in the first census is alive in the 2nd census except Caleb & Joshua.
In Nu. 27 Joshua is appointed as Moses' successor.
In Nu. 31 Israel takes revenge on Midian and kills Balaam.
In Dt. 31 Moses predicts Israel's rebellion, thus stating the ineffectiveness of his covenant and the need for a better one.
Death
In Dt. 32:48-52 Moses is told he is about to die. In Dt. 33 he blesses the tribes then in Dt. 34 we have the account of Moses death. God buried him and Jude 9 tells us there was a scuffle over Moses' body.
Turn to Dt. 34:1, "And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.
"Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.
"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt - to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel."
Since that was written, however, a man has turned up who did more miracles, knew God face to face, and who has been declared with power to be the Son of God through his resurrection from the dead.
Conclusion
God sent Moses to speak of Jesus with his life and through the law, to speak of our need for Him and salvation in Him. There is far more in the law that speaks of Jesus than I have time to speak on now, or even that I have seen. So since everything about Moses' life and that he wrote is given to point us to Jesus, lets say something about Him.
The first time Moses mentions Jesus is Ge. 1:3, "And God said," Jesus is the word of God through whom and for whom everything that is created is created. In Ge. 3 he relates the fall of humanity and our placing ourselves under Satan's authority through obedience to him, and straight away prophecies salvation in Jesus, speaking to the serpent in Ge. 3:15 God says "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." The offspring of the woman being referred to is Jesus who crushed Satan's head at the cross.
Jesus is the end of the the law, Rom. 10:4, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." The word 'end' is the same as winning a race is the 'end' of the race. Jesus completely kept the law, not just a few commandments written by Moses to point us in the direction of moral purity God requires, but was perfect without ever having a wrong motive. By dyeing and rising from the dead he provided us with the opportunity to be in Him and to stand in that same purity in God's sight. Consequently while nothing we can do can reconcile us to God because of our imperfection, if we will receive the salvation God has provided in Jesus Christ then nothing can separate us from God. As Paul says in Ro. 8:38f., "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." The unique message of Christianity is that God has made the way for us to be reconciled and have fellowship with him, and that is in Jesus Christ. Every other religion or philosophy is about us striving to make ourselves perfect, which as we are not perfect to begin with is logically impossible.
But wait, there's more! Having died and risen He has given us His Spirit to be in us, to guide and empower us. In receiving salvation in Jesus we are not only set free from the law as Jesus kept the law for us, but in being led by the Spirit our lives will display a power and purity not possible in our own strength.
