A Prophet Like Moses ­– by Edward Fudge

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Jun 18, 2015 9668

At age 120, the greatest prophet of ancient Israel is approaching the end of his life. But although Moses will be gone, God promises to continue guiding his people by communicating through a future prophet like Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deut. 18:18-19). As originally stated and in context, this prophet likely referred to any specified person charismatically endowed, serving Israel as God’s mouthpiece as an alternative to soothsayers, necromancers and the like. In time, the promised prophet was viewed as a specific End-time, “messianic” figure.

In Acts chapter 3, Peter tells a crowd in Jerusalem that Jesus is the “prophet like Moses” whom God promised through Moses in Deuteronomy 18. Indeed, Peter turns literal in making this identification. God did not promise to “provide” a prophet, nor merely to “send” a prophet. Moses said that God would “raise up” a prophet like himself. Now, in a play on words, Peter explains that Jesus is the prophet who has come, and we know that is true because God has “raised up” Jesus (from the dead), making these days most significant in terms of God’s salvation history (Acts 3:22-26).

The Book of Hebrews opens with the announcement that God who spoke in the past through the prophets has in these last days spoken to us through a Son (Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is God’s greatest messenger, bringing the greatest message, imposing the greatest responsibility (Heb. 2:1-4). Yet Hebrews 4 points out that Moses was a servant in God’s house but Jesus is a Son over God’s house. At the transfiguration, God acknowledged Jesus as his beloved Son, his well-pleasing Servant, and his Prophet through whom he speaks” (Matt. 17:4). No wonder the heavenly voice concluded: “Listen to him.”

– Edward Fudge. Used by permission from GracEmail.