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Promises of a Messiah – Deuteronomy 18:15-19
This is part 2 of a 12 week series. The first entry was Promises of a Messiah – Genesis 3:15
For our next prophecy, we’re going to fast forward to the times of Moses. The Israelites were free from slavery in Egypt, and had arrived at Mount Sinai (also known as Horeb). God warned them to be ready, because in three days He was going to show Himself on the mountain.
The people washed their clothes. Boundaries were set up around the mountain – to be sure no one would touch it. And on the third day, the people assembled.
Fire! Smoke! Thick cloud! Earthquake! Moses spoke to God, and He answered with THUNDER. Lightning flashed!
This is the scene in which God gave what we now call the 10 Commandments.
The people were terrified. They were shaking with fear. They begged Moses not to let God speak to them directly – they were afraid that if God spoke to them, they would DIE.
Moses told them not to be afraid – God had come to test them, and to put His fear in them, to keep them from sin (see Exodus 19:9-20:21).
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Fast forward again to the end of Moses’ life. He’s talking again about the commands of God – specifically about the leadership that God has given them. Kings, priests, and prophets. The king must obey the law (in fact, one of his early acts should be to write it out by hand for himself). The priests would be provided for by the people and would serve the Lord among them. Prophets would speak as the Lord directed – and never make something up or speak in the name of false gods.
These people would guide Israel. The people were never to look to things like witchcraft or spiritism for guidance.
But in the middle of all these instructions is something different. Moses recalls the people’s terror by the mountain. God had heard the people’s request, and had an answer.
"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 on the day of the assembly, 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.’
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. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. (Deu 18:15-19)
It’s a strange statement. It fits the context, but strange because there’s so little explanation. It stands out like something everyone would want to hear more about, and yet Moses quickly moves on. Certainly he’s talking about the many other prophets God would send, and yet there seems here to be someone special he’s talking about.
Apparently this hope had stayed alive on into Jesus’ day. When Jesus fed the crowds with only 5 loaves and 2 fish, the people said,"This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" (John 6:14) Even the Samaritan woman showed knowledge of a prophet who would come and speak for God – "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." (John 4:25)
John’s Gospel carries this theme of the Prophet who would speak for the Father. People would have to listen, or see God’s wrath (John 3:31-38). Jesus Himself frequently said He spoke for the Father (John 7:16-19; John 8:25-27; John 12:44-50).
God Himself echoed the prophecy on the mountain of transfiguration, again in the presence of Moses, and again in a cloud – "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." (Mat 17:5) As at Mt Sinai, the disciples were terrified when they heard the voice of God and fell on their faces. Jesus, like Moses, told them not to be afraid (Mat 17:7).
When Peter spoke to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, he explained that Jesus Himself was the Prophet. One like Moses, who came from among the people (He was human, and in fact from Israel), who all would be required to listen to (Acts 3:18-24).
Jesus was the unique Word of God, and so different from the other prophets. As the author of Hebrews wrote,"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…" (Heb 1:1-2)
Finally, emphasizing the comparison between Jesus and Moses:
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses–as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)
Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Heb 3:1-6)
So God has made it clear – He’s sent the One we must listen to . . . will we?
Shari at the National Children’s Ministry Conference
This past weekend Shari was at a national conference for children’s workers, which took place in Pachuca, Mexico. She went with a group of ladies from Ixtapaluca (hey, where were the men? C’mon guys!).
Anyway, she tells me it was a great time. There were about 250 to 300 people (men AND women) from all over the country. There were lots of great workshops with great material on teaching children, including material from friends of ours like Corina (Shelli) Neufeld from Hermosillo, Becky Baron (Muñoz) from Mexico City, and from our own church Samuel along with his cohort Luis, and Mayra Fry. And there were others presenting material, some we knew and some we didn’t – many Mexicans and expats and mysterious mixtures of the two. 🙂
Corina (right) teaches a workshop on using science to share the Gospel
 The lovely ladies from Ixtpalauca |
Some topics included doing deaf ministry, miming, teaching preschoolers, drama and theatre, training youth to be involved in children’s ministry, children’s programs, how to teach new songs, helping children in life’s major transitions, and much MUCH more!
Wow, it sounds like it was a great time (and I really hope I can go next time).
Shari also really enjoyed the bonding time with ladies from our church here. You know, girl stuff.
I’ll try to put up some pictures soon.
But anyway, how exciting to see people being equipped with easy, inexpensive or free creative ideas – and to see people excited about reaching Mexican children for the Lord!
Promises of a Messiah – Genesis 3:15
The Christmas displays are already out here in Mexico City, and so I thought it would be appropriate to start a Christmas theme here at Finding direction. 🙂
There are 12 Sundays before Christmas, and since I’m doing some study this year on the prophecies of the Messiah, I thought maybe I’d share some thoughts on a different prophecy each Sunday for the next 12 Sundays. So without further ado, let’s start right at the very beginning, with one of the most famous prophecies of all…
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Gen 3:15)
This is sometimes known as the protoevangelium or first Gospel. It was written down by Moses over 1400 years before the birth of Jesus, but the words actually date back to the dawn of human civilization.
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You know the story – the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve ate, gave some to Adam, and he ate, and then God showed up and pronounced judgement. This was a part what God said – in the midst of curses, a hint of hope.
Only a hint at this point, of course. Now I think Adam and Eve would recognize that God had already shown them mercy, but what did these words mean? At first glance, the obvious relationship of humankind with snakes.
It seems from verse 14 that the snake was changed when it was cursed – changed to become the creepy crawly that it is now, licking up dust. Doomed to bite at people’s heals, and be crushed by their feet.
But perhaps Adam and Eve and their first descendants may have recognized more from these words. It does seem God taught them and their descendants more about the hope of redemption, since we soon see their children offering sacrifices. Some have wondered if the specific reference to the woman in this statement is a hint of the virgin birth. Is there more hidden here?
Still, the main focus of the passage is not a great triumph, but an ongoing enmity – continual hostility throughout history, between both humans and snakes and also humans and satanic forces.
Jesus finally destroyed Satan’s power, and the power of death, at the cross. But it is in the future that Satan will be finally and forever dealt with (Rev 20:1-10).
We know that as time went on, future writers did see this as a reference to more than just snakes and people. Satan is clearly said to be the serpent in Revelation 20:2, for example. And why did Jesus come, asks John? To destroy the works of the devil (1Joh 3:8). The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus came as a man to destroy the devil himself, the one who has the power of death (Heb 2:14-15).
Paul alluded to these words in Genesis in the book of Romans: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Rom 16:20) Paul may have been referring to the removal of false teachers in the Roman church. But of course there’s a wider context.
All through Romans Paul talks of believers being in Christ. It fits Genesis 3:15 well to suggest that God would still crush the devil under the feet of the True Church, the body of Christ. The triumph is not the Church’s, but Christ’s. But we are a part of it, being in Him. Defeated at the cross (Col 2:13-15), Satan and his forces will finally be crushed by God.
But to Adam and Eve, and all early humans who hoped for some kind of salvation from God, none of this was clear. Instead, there stretched out ahead an unknown time of wearisome harassment from nature and from unseen evil powers. And a hint – just a hint – that a human being would come who would finally crush the head of the serpent once and for all.
I Won A Waterproof Bible
Things are looking up. I found out today I won a waterproof Bible. Too bad I won’t have it before camping in the mountains next weekend (of course, it’s in English – too bad).
Yeah, it’s really waterproof, check out the video. You can read it underwater. If you had some good reason to do that. How about morning devotions in the shower? 😉
Of course, the contest is over, but Tim has a contest every Friday – so why not enter? Who knows? There’s a beautiful book up for grabs this week, if you’re interested in Lewis and Tolkien.
If you want a Bible to take camping or skiing, check out the whole series of waterproof Bibles
Last 90 Days Most Popular Posts – (1 October 2009)
Here they are, the winners from the last 90 days. I left out a couple of posts from the competition – ones that were just announcing new photos in the Galllery. But other than that — here are your most visited, with the most popular first!