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A Prophet Like unto Moses
(Deuteronomy 18:15)
Moses, by the Spirit, gave Israel
the following prophecy:
The Lord thy God will raise up
unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me: unto
him ye shall hearken...And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not
hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him
(Deuteronomy 18:15, 19).
Peter, by that same Spirit,
records its fulfillment:
...and he may send Jesus the Messiah...
For Moses truly said to the fathers, “The Lord your God will raise up for you
a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever
He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet
shall be utterly destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:20-23).
Jesus was like Moses in numerous
ways:
·
Both
were Jewish.
·
Both
lived and started their ministries during a time when the Jews were under the
domination of a foreign government.
·
Satan
tried to kill both by instigating the rulers to have the male babies killed (Ex.
1:22; Matt. 2:16).
·
Both
were rejected by their own people.
·
Both
had their greatest following soon after their death. Under Joshua, the whole
nation reached its spiritual zenith. Israel followed the Lord under Joshua and
the elders who outlived him (Josh. 24:31). Under the direction of Peter, the
church grew to her zenith around A. D. 60.
·
Both
performed miracles. Moses was the first to perform miracles in the Old Testament
(Ex. 14:21) and Jesus the first in the New.
·
Both
were mediators of God’s covenants---Moses the old, Jesus the new.
A Prophet Greater than Moses
Sigal claims that the word for
prophet ("navi") must be taken generically to signify a succession of
prophets because "there is no indication in the Biblical text that there
will ever be a prophet greater than Moses" (Sigal, p. 17). However,
according to Judaism the Messiah who is to rule the world will be a prophet
greater than any of the prophets, Moses included:
Targum Palestine: “And a right
Prophet (Prophet of Righteousness) will the Lord your God give you, a Prophet
from among you, of your brethren like unto me with the Holy Spirit, will the
Lord your God raise up unto you; to Him shall you be obedient.”
Rabbi Levi Ben Gershon: “In
fact Messiah is such a Prophet as it is stated in the Midrash on the verse,
'Behold My servant shall prosper' (Isaiah 52:13)...Moses by the miracles which
he wrought drew but a single nation to the worship of God, but Messiah will draw
all nations to the worship of God."
Neve Shalom: “The King Messiah
shall be exalted above Abraham, be high above Moses (Comp. note E Midrash
Tanchuma)."1