This is part 6 of a continuing series about how to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We are following Jesus' own example for doing this as illustrated in Luke 24:27. In which, Jesus begins at Moses to expound all the scriptures concerning himself. So far, we have lightly examined how that Moses is synonymous with God’s Law or covenant with mankind. The Law (Ten Commandments) teaches us that none of us are perfect. Paul expounds on this in Galatians among other places. Also, we have briefly examined God’s Emergency Alert System, known as the Old Testament prophets and how they preached repentance to God’s covenant breaking people (Israel). In week 3, we concluded by mentioning another reason besides the commandments for why Moses is important, then promptly skipped that reason for two weeks, as we discussed the prophets. Now, I want to come back to the other reason Moses is important for rightly dividing the word.
Before Moses became known as the Law giver, he was the instrument God used to deliver His people out of slavery in Egypt.
Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
These two verses in Exodus 2 are one of many brief summaries of God’s history (HIS STORY) with Israel, up unto some particular point in time. In this case, it heralds the coming of a deliver (Messiah) to free God’s chosen people from slavery, because if Israel falters at this time, God’s covenant with Abraham could not be fulfilled. In Exodus 3, Moses has his first divine encounter with the Angel of the LORD. (More to come on that later.) Moses receives instructions to confront Pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go. In the process of accomplishing this deliverance, God uses Moses and his brother Aaron to pronounce 10 plagues upon Egypt and Pharaoh. Before the tenth and final plague, God instructs Moses to have the people kill a lamb and spread the blood over the top of the door leading into each Israelites home. (Exodus 12) Death was going to come to the firstborn of any home in Egypt, which did not apply the lamb’s blood, but where the blood was applied death would pass over. This became known as Passover day. Jews still celebrate it, because after this the Egyptians let God’s people go. (Exodus 12:25-27)
So, not only is Moses the “Law Giver,” he is also a “Deliverer”. In essence, Moses is similar to Jesus in that he freed people from bondage. Old time preachers used to teach that Moses was a TYPE of Christ. Moses's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage was a SHADOW or foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, who delivers lost people from the bondage of sin. These Types and Shadows in the Old Testament point forward to the New Testament reality in which Jesus the Christ (Messiah) becomes the fulfillment. Jesus is the Passover Lamb which takes away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 KJV
[29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Next week we are going to look for more events in the Old Testament that point forward to Jesus.