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John 1:21
"Are you the Prophet?" Deuteronomy 13:1-3 the congregation in the desert is taught to discern a false prophet in that he encourages the people to worship or serve other gods. The Torah is our Instruction on how to serve God but the false prophet tells people, in the Name of God, to do thing contrary to Torah, which is equal to serving other gods (Romans 6:16). Later, Moses instructs the children of the Children of Israel to not seek the will of God through diviners, fortune tellers, witches, or astrologers (Deuteronomy 18:9-14), but for matters too difficult for them, to establish judges and a Sanhedrin, and that they are supposed to listen to them (Deuteronomy 17:8-12). These are commandments. Later Moses gives people instructions on how to choose a king, even instructions for the king himself to obey. The king of Israel is to be subject to the Torah; when he is not, he makes Israel sin and serve other gods (Deuteronomy 17:14-17). In His Instruction through Moses, He Who makes Israel a nation tells us who is the prophet we should listen to once we are in the land. The main attributes given are "… a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen". Moses also informs the people that their ancestors who came out of Egypt had wisely that they could not hear God on their own; they elected wanted Moses as a mediator. God agreed and said, they are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18). It is important to notice here that any would be king of Israel also had to be "from among them" but in the days of the Master, there a non-Jewish king on the throne of Israel. Because Joshua opened the Jordan River as Moses opened the Red Sea, some conclude that this 'prophet' was Joshua, but when Sadducees came to see John by the Jordan River, they asked him, "Are you the Prophet (John 1:21)?". John later pointed to another one called Joshua, pronounced in Aramaic: Yeshua (John 1:29). In this Yeshua, Israel has found its prophet and king 'like Moses'. He is the true prophet who teaches us how to properly obey the Torah, and the true king who is Himself the copy of the Torah. Even though He had to temporarily return to the Father, He has not left us alone, but has established in His disciples a Sanhedrin we can, and should listen to (Matthew 16:16; Matthew 19:28). Living in an age of literacy, may we continually study and learn to obey the Instructions the Master and His disciples left behind that at His return, he might present the congregation to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27).
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Matthew 19:28
"Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” When Moses arrived near the borders of the Promised Land, the aged leader knew that the time for him to be gathered with his people had come near. As a father does before the moment of his death, Moses gathered the people of Israel around him, a people that had grown as numerous as the stars in the sky (Deuteronomy 1:10), to give them his final word of advice. Except for himself, Caleb, and Joshua who was to succeed him, the whole generation that came out of Egypt had now died. Moses was surrounded by a people who had been raised in the desert under the sole nurture and admonition of God through Moses. Their only diet was manna; their sole drinking water came from the Rock that ‘followed’ them. Egypt was a distant echo they had only heard of. Moses knew that the people were difficult to lead (Deuteronomy 1:12). He knew that after his departure they still needed leadership so he reminded them of their leadership structure. These had been trained under Moses top take charge over the different matters between people, and they would need to continue to do so when in the Land. The Father has often compared us His people to sheep. Sheep need human leadership and so do we. We may rebel and chaff against it but we do need leaders to define the right way for us and even enforce it at times. The saddest words in the Tanach could be, In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6). The Book of Judges is s sad testament to what happens to us when we are left to our own devices, without authoritative earthly central leadership. Today our congregations and communities are scattered and divided, and like in the days of the Book of Judges, everyone does that which is right in his own eyes, trying to obey the Word each one according to his own perspective. This has caused deep divisions, problems and hurts within the congregational body of Messiah. Hopefully, this state of affairs may not be long, for soon One day the King will return and along with his disciples as the appointed Sanhedrin, as Moses did in the desert, He will sit and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28) and their myriads of disciples throughout the nations (Matthew 28:20). May it be soon Abba, even in our days! |
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