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Acts 3:22-23
Moses said, 'Adonai will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.' After warning the people about false prophets, Moses tells Israel that they shouldn't try to get any prophetic messages from the spirit world through any sort of divination (Deuteronomy 13; 18:10-14). The patriarch then teaches the congregation of Adonai in the desert who they should go to for advice. He says that they should establish petite courts in every city and one higher court in Jerusalem for more difficult cases. The higher court carries the authority of life and death (Deuteronomy 17:8-13). Moses also says that they could have a king, but that he must be from their own midst and not a foreigner. This king has to write a Torah for himself to hold him accountable for every Word. The king of Israel is to be a Torah scholar (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Then Moses reminds the people of the day when their fathers asked for a mediator between them and the majestic power on the Mount Horeb, something God agreed with. The patriarch tells them that God will give them a mediator in the form of a prophet; they are commanded to obey that prophet. This prophet is described by Moses as being, like unto him. Let's talk about that (Deuteronomy 18: 16-19). Moses is the one that God chose to lead the people into the truth of His Words. Disobedience and defiance to Him was fatal. If this prophet is to be like Moses, He also brings God's Words to people and defiance to him should be fatal. Moses spoke to God as a man speaks with his friend, face to face. The same should be of this prophet. John the Immerser, the Sadducees, Peter, and Stephen all spoke of Moses' 'prophet prophecy' as referring to the coming Messiah ( John 1:21-25; Acts 3:22; 7:37). This shows that people gave a messianic interpretation to the patriarchs' words. So when Moses says that we should listen (hear with the intention to obey) to that prophet, Moses gives us the commandment to listen to Yeshua. It is therefore a Torah command to be disciples of Yeshua as a divine authority, and since He is prophet 'like Moses', we should include His Words as Words of Torah. May we remember these things as we read the Words of the Master. He is the 'Prophet' as unto Moses; the Words of His mouth have the same validity as the Words of Torah. He Himself said, 'heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words will never pass away'.
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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). 1 Corinthians 14:32
The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. A long time ago in Ephesus a prospective believer asked John to teach him to do miracles. The old apostle answered that it was impossible because a disciple doesn't perform miracles: God does. Part of our salvation 'package' includes a certain measure of spiritual gifting such as wisdom, discernment, and prophecy. Because of it, there are those who automatically assume the position of spiritual advisors or prophets among the flock and become very generous with their word. Today, with the Internet giving us a quick, easy, and cheap way to propagate beliefs and messages, we are inundated with would be prophets of doom creating much anxiety and worry. I'd like to say here that one does not have to be a prophet to know the direction the world is taking. It has been told us a long time ago by real prophets, including Messiah. Even unbelieving honest politicians, economists, historians, and ecologists can see the 'hand-writing on the wall' When Moses was alive people were trying to supplant him and his prophetic role. The God of Israel knew that it wouldn't get better after his and Joshua's death, so He instituted parameters for prophets. Even if their prophecies were accompanied with 'signs and wonders', they also had to be within the parameters of Torah commandments. Moses teaches that when a prophet performs signs and wonders before you, if his words promote disobedience to Torah, it should be considered a test of our obedience and loyalty to God (Deuteronomy 13; 1-5). It seems that like today, the believers of the fist century didn't lack would-be prophets so Paul also had to establish parameters to the prophetic gift (1 Corinthians 12 and 14). He suggested that prophecies directed to the 'body' should be 'tested' by the 'body' (1 Corinthians 14:29). I sometime wonder if this attraction towards the prophetic gift is not born of people trying to validate themselves, compensating for their sense of inferiority by making themselves a job for which nobody appointed them. Things would be much different if a 'prophet' would be humble enough (Torah lifestyle is all about humility, not self-promotion) to first submit his 'prophecy' to a mature and level-headed body of elders in his congregation before publishing it for the world on the Internet. Even these daily articles that I write go through the scrupulous and meticulous review of my wife and another editor from our fellowship. Hebrew prophets also were not lone-ranger type of people; they lived in the College and the school of prophets. Many of them came from priestly families and were very knowledgeable in Torah. As far as leaders from the apostolic era, one only has to read the 1 Epistle of Clement, a disciple of Peter, to see a functional knowledge of Torah worthy of a Levitical priest. May we be wise in using the gifts given to us by the generous Father of all truth and goodness. May we use them for good not evil; to build not destroy; to improve not to confuse; to give life not to kill; to solely glorify Him, not us! 1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. The sages teach us that when Moses was on the mountain God asked him to make an earthly replica of what he saw (Exodus 25:40). When Moses argued that it was impossible to replicate on earth the greatness of Heaven, God told him about a mirror, a mirror that shows what is, even a large space, but within a small area. As a 'mirror' to what he saw on the mountain, Moses was instructed to build the tabernacle. This mirror returns in the writings of the sages as they explain the difference between Moses' prophetic gift and that of other prophets. Using Ezekiel 43:3, the sages say that any prophet's vision comes through nine mirrors, nine mirrors because according to the Hebrew text, the verse has nine inflections of the verb 'to see' which also include the word 'vision'. Mirrors in those days were made of brass and even when polished the image reflected was not clear as in that of today's mirrors. This very much conveys to us the idea that in this age, prophecy is an unclear business; it is very subjective and should be considered more an 'art' than a perfect 'science'. Clear infallible prophecy requires a supernatural sign (1 Kings 13:3) to obtain credence. People criticize Thomas for 'doubting', but what was at stake was very important and his request only denotes of his seriousness about the matter. Thomas' request for confirmation was not out of line. We should even in our own congregation prove and test those who come to us with 'prophecy'; we are required to do so (1 John 4:1) as well as to examine prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29). Thomas actually went on to be a very faithful witness who was martyred in India. The name 'Thomas' comes from the word 'The'um' meaning 'twin' which tells us that Thomas probably had a twin. With twins one can be deceived into seeing someone who is not who he claims to be. This should help us understand Thomas' concerns. Paul knew of Ezekiel's 'mirror'; he speaks to us about it. When teaching about the imperfectness of our present gift of prophecy he says, For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away … For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face … (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). In essence, he is telling us that in the World to Come we will perfect our prophetic gift to the level of 'face to face' communication with God, which Moses already had (Numbers 12:8). Paul's statement about prophecy comes to us at the end of a teaching about the imperfectness of present-day spiritual gifting including that of prophecy against the superiority and perfection, the 'better way' he called it, of having love one for another as taught by the Master (I Corinthians 12: 31; 13; Matthew 5:44-48). May we apply this advice to our lives and rather seek the perfectness of being known as the Master's disciples for our love towards one another rather than by our trying to be prophets. Matthew 5:12
“… The prophets who were before you.” "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also (Numbers 12: 1)?" This was Miriam’s complaint. Though the English text tells us that both Miriam and Aaron complained, the Hebrew text uses the verb in the feminine form. The complaint had to do with prophecy, but also with Moses’ Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. The Torah is not very generous on details concerning the situation with the Cushite woman, but we can certainly read in the text an issue of jealousy concerning Moses’ prophetic gift and elevated position in the camp. Right away God solved the issue by establishing what I would coin as the ‘hierarchy of prophecy’ (Numbers 12:6-8). Similar problems seem to prevail in congregations today. To understand the issue, we must understand the nature, function, and property of prophet and prophecy. A prophet is not someone who tells the future or who is given messages for the benefit of everybody else. A prophet is simply someone who hears God to a certain extent. Samuel started his career as a prophet when he heard God in the middle of the night; because all Israel hear the Voice on the mountain they were all prophets; Yeshua called His disciples ‘prophets' cause they heard Him (1 Samuel 3:4; Exodus 20:18; Matthew 5:12). Prophecy is also part of the ‘earnest of the spirit’ each one receives as believers, just as Peter reminded us using the prophet Joel’s prophecy (2 Corinthians 1:22 KJV; Acts 2:16-18). But whereas everybody has the ability to hear God’s Voice either in a dream, vision, through the reading of Scripture, or even in a Voice in their hearts, doesn’t mean that they should strut around as teachers and prophets saying 'the Lord told me' to give weight to their personal views and opinions. Only certain ones are given the divine command to share a message with the body and even when that happens, the congregation is to weigh the message (1Corinthians 14:29). In this sense, Miriam was right in her question to Moses. The issue here was that in her misplaced jealousy she did not recognize Moses’ status. Maybe as his older sister, she was a bit familiar with him. God seemed to communicate with Moses like with no-one else before. Whereas everybody else was given riddles, dreams and visions to decipher, God’s communication with Moses was less ambiguous. The Torah tells us, with him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD (Numbers 12:8). Yeshua is prophesied as the ‘prophet like Moses’ (Deuteronomy 18:15). That is because as Moses, the Master had open communications with God. In their innate craving for self importance people often ignore these principles of prophecy and thus like Miriam cause many problems in congregations. To ‘drop’ God’s Name to share a personal opinion or view on something is very dangerous and akin to ‘using the Name of God in vain’. May we remember that while Paul spoke highly of the gift of prophecy, he also said that something was higher than prophecy: Love (1 Corinthians 12:31; 13). John 1:21
"Are you the Prophet?" In his welfare address in the desert, Moses foreseeing his soon departure announces to the Children of Israel "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—(Deuteronomy 18:15)”. The literal reading of this could indicate that Moses was speaking of his disciple: Joshua, but classic Judaism always believed that this prophecy pertained also and mostly to the coming Messiah. In fact, priests asked John if he was that ‘prophet’ (John 1:21), and Peter had been taught it from his youth (Acts 3:22). The key word in this prophetic utterance is ’a prophet like me’. In fact, it is a key to recognize the true Messiah. When Moses was born in Egypt, astrologers came to Pharaoh with a dream from his main priest about a boy born to the enslaved Jewish nation who would save them from Pharaoh’s clutch. As a result Pharaoh decided to kill all the boys throwing them into the Nile (Exodus 1:22). This resembles the events surrounding the birth of Yeshua where priests came to Herod about the birth of the Savior of the Jews, prompting him to kill all the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2). The life of Moses actually serves as a prototype for Messiah. Judaism often calls respectively Moses and Messiah the first redeemer and second Redeemer. Both are born Jewish, and as Moses finds refuge in the Egyptian palace of Pharaoh, so Yeshua finds refuge from Herod by fleeing to Egypt (Exodus 2:1-10; Matthew 2). Both are also initially rejected by their people (Exodus 2:14; John 1:12). Both Moses and Yeshua are born at a time of national bondage and are destined to break Israel’s bondage. Both lead Israel to the Promised Land and perform miracles to validate their claims. As Moses provides bread from heaven and water from a Rock, Yeshua claims to be the Bread from Heaven as well as the Rock. They both act as legislators, prophets and priests of Israel. Both also play the roles of intercessors to repair the people’s relationship with the Father. Classic Judaism actually says that what is called in Aramaic the ‘Memrah’, translated in Greek, ‘Logos’, and in English as the ‘Word’ (John 1:1-14), had a great involvement in the whole Exodus episode. May we, as the Children of Israel had to learn to obey and follow Moses, learn to obey and follow Yeshua. Deuteronomy 28 tells us of the blessings brought by obedience and of the curses incurred through disobedience. These are still valid today. May we remember the lessons from our fathers and learn that we may enter the Promised Land (1 Corinthians 10:6). May it be soon Abba, even in our days! |
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