Oct 10 - The Minor Ways in which Moses Prefigures Jesus

There are three more devotionals yet, reflecting on last week’s sermon.

The fulfillment of prophecy is the theme. As you see God’s faithfulness throughout the generations, the point is to hopefully make you say, “Wow! God is active!” 

•      Today will focus on the minor ways in which Moses prophetically prefigures the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
•      Tomorrow will focus on how God is fulfilling many prophecies regarding the Jews in our lifetime.
•      Saturday will focus on the major ways in which Moses prophetically prefigures Jesus. 

Wait … what’s the connection between Moses-prefiguring-Jesus and the current prophecies swirling around Israel? The Jews were God’s people. The Jews ARE God’s people (God never goes back on his promises!). While the Jews should have recognized Jesus through the parallels to Moses, they’ll always have another chance. Though they didn’t recognize Jesus when he first came, I believe parallels like the ones with Moses will eventually tip many toward faith in Jesus, the Messiah.

Here are some of the ways in which Moses Prefigures Christ … and Christianity. (Note: The point of today is information. It’s a “hmm, that’s interesting” that will hopefully lead to a bigger “Wow!” in a few days.)

Both are born in a time of murderous kings

Pharaoh kills Hebrew babies. That’s why Moses’ parents floated him down the Nile in a basket. Herod’s slaughter of the innocents is why Jesus’ family was warned by an angel to flee to Egypt

Both of these Jews had an Egyptian childhood

Moses was obviously from Egypt. But scripture tells us that Jesus had an Egyptian childhood too: “And so [Jesus’ childhood] fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” (citing Hosea 11:1)

Moses floating in a basket prefigures Christian Baptism

For Christians, Baptism is death and resurrection. (When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death … so that as Christ was raised from the dead … we too might live a new life.^{Romans 6:3-5}) Moses parents essentially “buried” him in the basket so he could live a new life.

Scripture is mostly silent on the long years before their ministry.

Duncan Ross wisely observers, “God’s preparation for ministry is primarily done privately in the daily, unremarkable situations of life.”

Both were in the wilderness before starting their ministry.

Moses was in the wilderness tending sheep for 40 years. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days.

Both performed many miracles

Exodus 7-14; Jesus throughout his ministry!

Both controlled the sea

Exodus 14:21; Matthew 8:26

Both fed a multitude of people

Exodus 16:15; Matthew 14:20-21

Both showed the light of God's glory on their faces

Exodus 34:35; Transfiguration -- Matthew 17:2

Both were scorned at home

Moses when he first returned Numbers 21:1; Jesus when he preached in Nazareth synagogue Luke 4:16-30

Both fasted for forty days

Exodus 34:28; Matthew 4:2

Both had seventy helpers

Numbers 11:16-17; Luke 10:1

Both taught the law from a mountain

Exodus 20; Matthew 5-7

Both endured rebellion from their people

Exodus 15:24; John 5:45-47

And those are the minor ones!

Here’s just the very first major one. Why should we see Moses life and ministry as a prefiguring of Jesus’ life and ministry? Because Jesus told us to!!!

John 3:16 is the Gospel in a sentence. In a few short words, scripture tells us about God’s amazing love, Jesus’ generous sacrifice, the need for faith, and the eternal reward for believers.

But what does Jesus say immediately before this astounding Gospel-sentence? He says, pay attention to the parallels between me and Moses. He says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

Jesus is pointing to an event in Numbers 21:4-9. What are the parallels?^{www.evidenceunseen.com}

1.      In both events, people are dying because of their sin.
2. The Israelites sinned against God, and they were bitten by poisonous snakes.
3. We sin against God, as a result, we are dying of sin. Indeed, “the wages of sin is death." 
4. 
   
5.  2. The elevated object was the symbol of their judgment.
6. The snake was what killed the people in Israel.
7. The Cross was what judged people in Jesus’ time.
8. 
   
9. 3. The people didn’t have to perform works to save themselves.
10. All the Israelites had to do was look to the snake to be healed.
11. All we have to do is look to the cross to be healed.

Are you saying, “Hmm”?!!!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow.