Moses and the Messiah

Moses and the Messiah

When the children of Israel pleaded with Moses at Mt. Sinai not to hear the voice of the LORD anymore lest they die, HASHEM said an astonishing thing to Moses.

A prophet from among you, from your brothers, like me, the Lord, your God will set up for you shall hearken to him.

According to all that you asked of the Lord, your God, in Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not continue to hear the voice of the Lord, my God, and let me no longer see this great fire, so that I will not die.”

And the Lord said to me, “They have done well in what they have spoken.

I will set up a prophet for them from among their brothers like you, and I will put My words into his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him.

And it will be, that whoever does not hearken to My words that he speaks in My name, I will exact [it] of him.”

נָבִיא מִקִּרְבְּךָ מֵאַחֶיךָ כָּמֹנִי יָקִים לְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵלָיו תִּשְׁמָעוּן

כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר שָׁאַלְתָּ מֵעִם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּחֹרֵב בְּיוֹם הַקָּהָל לֵאמֹר

לֹא אֹסֵף לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶת קוֹל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָי וְאֶת הָאֵשׁ הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת

לֹא אֶרְאֶה עוֹד וְלֹא אָמוּת

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלָי הֵיטִיבוּ אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּרוּ

נָבִיא אָקִים לָהֶם מִקֶּרֶב אֲחֵיהֶם כָּמוֹךָ

וְנָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיו וְדִבֶּר אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּנּוּ

וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמַע אֶל דְּבָרַי אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר בִּשְׁמִי

אָנֹכִי אֶדְרשׁ מֵעִמּוֹ

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

The prophet that HASHEM is referring to in this declaration is the Messiah. המשיח

HaShem says here that the prophet will be LIKE Moses.  And Moses was the greatest prophet until the Messiah.  We will examine here how the Messiah is LIKE Moses.

  1.  Their exalted position from HASHEM.

At first it appears that that Moses and the Messiah are different.Moses comes from the tribe of Levi, whereas the Messiah comes from the tribe of Judah.

However Moses was placed by HASHEM above the Order of Aaron because he dressed them with the holy garments of the High Priest כוהן הגדול and sanctified them for service to HASHEM with the blood of the sacrifice.  He also anointed them with the holy anointing oil.

The Messiahהמשיח was also placed by HASHEM about the Order of Aaron because HASHEM said to Him that He was of the Order of Melchizedek.

 

The Lord swore and will not repent; you are a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

נִשְׁבַּע יְהֹוָה | וְלֹא יִנָּחֵם אַתָּה כֹהֵן לְעוֹלָם עַל דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק

Psalm 110:4

  1. The Messiahהמשיח  had the ability to instantly catch the TORAH from the mouth of HASHEM,
  2. Because of His love relationship with the Father, He had the capacity to always instantly obey the instruction of HASHEM.

Now catch the Torah from His mouth, and lay His Words in your heart.

קַח נָא מִפִּיו תּוֹרָה וְשִׂים אֲמָרָיו בִּלְבָבֶךָ

Job 22:22

This astounding ability is described by the prophet Isaiah:

And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall sprout from his roots.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and heroism, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

And he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise.

And he shall judge the poor justly, and he shall chastise with equity the humble of the earth.

וְיָצָא חֹטֶר מִגֶּזַע יִשָׁי וְנֵצֶר מִשָּׁרָשָׁיו יִפְרֶה

וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ יְהֹוָה רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה

וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה וְלֹא לְמַרְאֵה עֵינָיו יִשְׁפּוֹט וְלֹא לְמִשְׁמַע אָזְנָיו יוֹכִיחַ

וְשָׁפַט בְּצֶדֶק דַּלִּים וְהוֹכִיחַ בְּמִישׁוֹר לְעַנְוֵי אָרֶץ

Isaiah 11:1-4

The Messiah המשיח put this into one sentence when He said:  I do nothing except I first see my Father do it.”  And further He said: “I do everything to honor or bring glory to my Father.”

Moses also never, with one exception, said nor did anything except HASHEM first spoke to him to do it.

זאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל על פי יהוה ביד משה

Moses always obeyed HASHEM except in the disastrous scenario at the waters of Meribah.  As a result He could not cross the Jordan river

into the promised land,ארץ חמדה , but he was only allowed by HASHEM to see the land with his eyes.

However the Messiah המשיח never failed to perform any command of the TORAH from the mouth of HASHEM. He was greater than Moses in this respect.  By His complete obedience He sealed the righteousness of the TORAH and brought into the world the gift of eternal life.  Moses was a builder of the house, but the Messiah is the house itself.

  1.  The Presence of HASHEM. השכינה

Moses knew the absolute necessity of the Presence of HASHEM. This was after HASHEM spoke to him face to face in the tabernacle.

Moses said to the Lord: “Look, You say to me: ‘Bring this people up!’ But You have not informed me whom You will send with me. And You said: ‘I have known you by name and you have also found favor in My eyes.’

And now, if I have indeed found favor in Your eyes, pray let me know Your ways, so that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your eyes; and consider that this nation is Your people.”

So He said, “My Presence will go, and I will give you rest.”

And he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go [with us], do not take us up from here.

For how then will it be known that I have found favor in Your eyes, I and Your people? Is it not in that You will go with us? Then I and Your people will be distinguished from every [other] nation on the face of the earth.”

And the Lord said to Moses: “Even this thing that you have spoken, I will do, for you have found favor in My eyes, and I have known you by name.”

וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל יְהֹוָה רְאֵה אַתָּה אֹמֵר אֵלַי הַעַל אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה

וְאַתָּה לֹא הוֹדַעְתַּנִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁלַח עִמִּי

וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ יְדַעְתִּיךָ בְשֵׁם וְגַם מָצָאתָ חֵן בְּעֵינָי

וְעַתָּה אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת דְּרָכֶךָ

וְאֵדָעֲךָ לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה

וַיֹּאמַר פָּנַי יֵלֵכוּ וַהֲנִחֹתִי לָךְ

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אִם אֵין פָּנֶיךָ הֹלְכִים אַל תַּעֲלֵנוּ מִזֶּה

וּבַמֶּה | יִוָּדַע אֵפוֹא כִּי מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲנִי וְעַמֶּךָ הֲלוֹא בְּלֶכְתְּךָ עִמָּנוּ

וְנִפְלִינוּ אֲנִי וְעַמְּךָ מִכָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה גַּם אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ אֶעֱשֶׂה

כִּי מָצָאתָ חֵן בְּעֵינַי וָאֵדָעֲךָ בְּשֵׁם

The Messiah Yeshua המישח ישוע also because He was always beholding the face of the Father, knew the essential importance of the Presence of HASHEM.  So much was this importance that He declared to His followers both before and after His resurrection from the grave:

“I will pray to the Father and He will send you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.”  After He left the earth תבל and sat the right hand of HASHEM as is stated in Psalm 110, HASHEM sent His Spirit of Holiness in tongues of fire, and His servants in Jerusalem spoke in the tongues of the nations and prophesied at the feast of Shavuot. שבועות

The voice of the Lord cleaves with flames of fire.

קוֹל יְהֹוָה חֹצֵב לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ

 

  1.  All Israel should prophesy.

The desire that all Israel should prophesy was the desire of Moses.

Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said, and he assembled seventy men of the elders of the people, and stood them around the Tent.

The Lord descended in a cloud and spoke to him, and He increased some of the spirit that was on him and bestowed it on the seventy elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did not continue.

Now two men remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the second was Medad, and the spirit rested upon them. They were among those written, but they did not go out to the tent, but prophesied in the camp.

The lad ran and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant from his youth, answered and said, “Moses, my lord, imprison them!”

Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would bestow His spirit upon them!”

Numbers 11:24-29

וַיֵּצֵא משֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶל הָעָם אֵת דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה וַיֶּאֱסֹף שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ מִזִּקְנֵי הָעָם וַיַּעֲמֵד אֹתָם סְבִיבֹת הָאֹהֶל

וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה | בֶּעָנָן וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו וַיָּאצֶל מִן הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו וַיִּתֵּן עַל שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ הַזְּקֵנִים

וַיְהִי כְּנוֹחַ עֲלֵיהֶם הָרוּחַ וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ וְלֹא יָסָפוּ

וַיִּשָּׁאֲרוּ שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים | בַּמַּחֲנֶה שֵׁם הָאֶחָד | אֶלְדָּד וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִי מֵידָד וַתָּנַח עֲלֵהֶם הָרוּחַ וְהֵמָּה בַּכְּתֻבִים

וְלֹא יָצְאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה

וַיָּרָץ הַנַּעַר וַיַּגֵּד לְמשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אֶלְדָּד וּמֵידָד מִתְנַבְּאִים בַּמַּחֲנֶה

וַיַּעַן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מְשָׁרֵת משֶׁה מִבְּחֻרָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנִי משֶׁה כְּלָאֵם

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ משֶׁה הַמְקַנֵּא אַתָּה לִי

וּמִי יִתֵּן כָּל עַם יְהֹוָה נְבִיאִים

 כִּי יִתֵּן יְהֹוָה אֶת רוּחוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם

This desire of Moses was actually fulfilled by the Messiah המשיח on Shavuot.  It was the fulfillment of the prophecy given by HASHEM through His servant Joel:

“And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

And even upon the slaves and the maidservants in those days will I pour out My Spirit.”

Joel 3:1-2

וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי

עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנֹתֵיכֶם

זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ

וְגַם עַל הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל הַשְּׁפָחוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה

אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי

The Messiah המשיח through the Spirit of Elokim writes His Torah in the hearts of the children of Israel, and they prophesy.

This fulfills the words spoken by HASHEM through His prophet Jeremiah:

For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place My law in their midst and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people.

Jeremiah 31:32

כִּי זֹאת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר אֶכְרֹת אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַיָּמִים הָהֵם נְאֻם יְהֹוָה

נָתַתִּי אֶת תּוֹרָתִי בְּקִרְבָּם וְעַל לִבָּם אֶכְתֳּבֶנָּה

וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ לִי לְעָם

This fulfills the desire of Moses to have the Presence of HASHEM at all times, and to know HASHEM personally, and to walk in His ways.This was the desire of Moses for all Israel.

The Messiah Yeshua משיח ישוע has fulfilled this request

through the Holy Spirit רוח הקודש who has come in the name of the Messiah Yeshua the son of David. משיח ישוע בן דוד  The Holy Spirit will dwell within everyone who comes to Him.

This is continued by the prophet Jeremiah:

And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or [shall] one [teach] his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.

Jeremiah 31:33

וְלֹא יְלַמְּדוּ עוֹד אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו לֵאמֹר

דְּעוּ אֶת יְהֹוָה כִּי כוּלָּם יֵדְעוּ אוֹתִי

לְמִקְּטַנָּם וְעַד גְּדוֹלָם נְאֻם יְהֹוָה

כִּי אֶסְלַח לַעֲו‍ֹנָם וּלְחַטָּאתָם לֹא אֶזְכָּר עוֹד

Again this is repeated by the prophet Hosea:

And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy.

And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the Lord.

Hosea 2:21-22

וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי לְעוֹלָם וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי בְּצֶדֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּט וּבְחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים

וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי בֶּאֱמוּנָה וְיָדַעַתְּ אֶת יְהֹוָה