“…for he wrote of me.” John 5:46
It’s been very interesting to study the writings of the Messiah in the Old Testament. As I’ve said many times, the bible is Jesus’ autobiography. It speaks of him through the entire bible.
Today, I’m going to show you some of the basic passages in the writings of Moses. It is good to know these because it is a basic aurgument that Jesus used with the Jews when he accused them of not believing Moses.
If you recall, Moses wrote the first five books of the bible. It is commonly known as the Torah, although this name could include more books that these. It is also known as the Pentateuch. Of course, there are many who try in vain to say that Moses didn’t write these with the ultimate goal of discrediting what Jesus said. I’ll leave that topic for another day.
For now, let’s look at some of these.
Genesis 3:15 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.”
This is the first messianic prophecy, right after The Fall. It is not the first reference to Jesus, as we see God in the plural in Gen. 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.'” We also see in John 1:1-5 that the Word (Jesus) made all things. We again see this in Colossians 1:16. But here, in Genesis 3:15, we see God referencing things to come.
We see later that this offspring (some translations “seed”) will come through Abraham.
Genesis 22:17b-18 And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Jacob began to narrow down this great king in his blessing to his sons.
Genesis 49:8-12 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
I’m sure that blessing puzzled Judah and everyone else in the room! We see that this king will be powerful.
Numbers 24:7-9 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”
This was part of Balaam’s oracle to Balak. If you recall, Matthew referred to the coming out of Egpyt in Matthew 2. Interestingly, this prophecy also connects Agag with an end-time prophecy from Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20:8. See how this thread weaves through?
God further spoke to Moses of a greater prophet to come:
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 “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 – …. 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.
Finally, at the very end of the Torah (Pentateuch), another penned the last words recording Moses’ death. This would most likely had been Joshua who succeeded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:10-12 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
John MacArthur has a good summary comment of verse 10 that sums up the next greater prophets after Moses:
“Moses was the greatest of all the OT prophets, one whom the Lord knew intimately. Not until John the Baptist was there another prophet greater than Moses (see Matt. 11:11). After John, the Prophet came of whom Moses wrote (cf. John 1:21, 25; 6:14 with Deut. 18:15, 18; Acts 3:22, 7:37). Moses next appeared over fourteen centuries later on the Mt. of Transfiguration together with Elijah and Jesus Christ (Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30, 31).
Father, I’m like the two on the road to Emmaus when they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” I’m all in! Amen.
Source: “The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy” p. 123-124 and “The MacArthur Bible Commentary” p. 244-245.
Copyright © 2020 Scott Powers