The prophecy of Deuteronomy 18 fulfilled in Yeshua (Jesus)?
A prophet Like Unto Moses
How has Yeshua fulfilled Moses' prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15 of a prophet like him who was to come? Like Moses, Yeshua serves as a mediator between the people and God, was willing to give his life for atonement of the people, and is a good shepherd.
Lets begin in John 1:45 where Philip told his brother Nathaniel that he had found the one of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph. I can imagine how excited he was, but what exactly did Phillip mean when he said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the Law ... wrote? Where in the Torah did Moses mention the Messiah? I guess it cant be disputed that many if not all of the prophets talked about Israel's coming deliverer, one's thoughts do not readily go to Moses.
Moses did speak of a deliverer to come. In the middle of the summary of the Law in the eighteenth chapter of Devarim (Deuteronomy), talking about the punishment of false prophets, Moses made a wonderful prophecy:
Deu18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (KJV)
Now, what did Moshe Rabeynu mean when he said "like unto me"? Did this mean that the prophet who would come would be an older man because Moses was eighty years old when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt? Did it mean that the prophet would be hot tempered and impatient because Moses was that way? Did it mean that the prophet would be trained in the ways of Egyptian royalty? I would have to say the answer to all of the above to be "NO".
See Deut 18:15-19
How has Jewish commentators interpreted that prophecy? Most contemporary commentators believe that Joshua and other prophets fulfilled the scripture. However, this is not always the case. The late Rachmiel Frydland, in his book "What the Rabbis know about the messiah" Pointed out: "Rabbi Levi Ben Gershon (RALBAG) of the 14th century identified the Prophet as Messiah" He went on to give RALBAG's commentary:
'A Prophet from the midst of thee.' In fact the Messiah is such a Prophet as it is stated in the Midrash of the verse, 'Behold my Servant shall prosper' (Isaiah 52:13) ... Moses, by the miracles which he wrought, brought a single nation to the worship of God, but the Messiah will draw all peoples to the worship of God. What the Rabbis Know About The Messiah by Rachmiel Frydland, (Cincinnati, OH: Messianic Publishing Company, Messianic Literature Outreach, 1991) page 22
The Midrashic passage that RALBAG cites, referring to Messiah as prophet, states:
It is written, Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, He shall be exalted, and extolled, and be very high (Isaiah 52:13). It means, He shall be more exalted than Abraham of whom it is written, 'I lift up my hand' (Genesis 14:22). He shall be more extolled than Moses of whom it is said, 'As a nursing father beareth the nursing child' (Numbers 11:12). 'And shall be very high'--that is, Messiah shall be higher than the ministering angels. See Midrash Tanhuma, (Israel: KTAV Publishing Company, 1989) pp166-67
I guess whether or not one accepts that Deuteronomy passage predicts the Messiah, we can know about the similarities between Moses and the prophet who was to be like him. Every person of Israel knew while they were standing before Sinai that he/she was unclean before the almighty, so they spoke as one asking Moses to be their intercessor. So whatever God had for them would be told through Moses as he had done during the entire redemption process or deliverance from Egypt.
Then God almighty confirmed the words of Moses that he has spoken about the prophet who would be the speaker of God's word and the intermediary between God and his people just like Moses. So it seems that on that great day in Israel it was decided that an intercessor should speak for God to the people, therefore the primary way that the prophet (messiah) was to be "like Moses" was in the role of the intermediary. In the bible days the priests and prophets were the intermediaries who made representation to God on behalf of the people. the priests would bring petitions and offerings and stand in the Holy Place on behalf of the people. and the prophets would bring the nation of Israel back to repentance and a covenant relationship with the Lord. Kings like David and Solomon were also like Moses in that they led and administered the Law to the whole nation.
The word Messiah means "anointed". Prophets priests and kings were all anointed to show their consecration. Moses in a sense fulfilled all three functions at the same time. But there was one way in which the prophet to come the Messiah, would most resemble Moses. The messiah Yeshua resembles the most in that Moses offered himself to die for the sins of the people Shemot 32:30-33 (Exodus 32:30-33).
See Exodus 32:30-33
From what it looks like Moses would offer himself to save Israel from the God's wrath. To take the punishment of the peoples sins on himself by being blotted out of the book. As a priest he could have offered bulls, lambs by the thousands but instead he offered himself. remember that 40 years of Moses' life were spent as a Shepard in those same mountains the deserts of Midian. It looks like he is showing the attitudes and mindset of a good Shepard because the job description of a "good shepherd" calls for that Shepard to give his own life for the sheep. Yeshua explained this as is recorded in the NT book of John10:10-11
The good Shepard puts the welfare of the flock above his own and Moses displays this in exodus. Yeshua is alive forever to make intercession for us. Yeshua is the one who can lead us out of the Egypt of our everyday life. He can break the bondage of sin. On our life’s journey to the Promised Land (Heaven) he can guide us and be our provider and will be bread from heaven to feed our souls and restore our spirits. There is one big difference between Yeshua and Moses. Moses led the people to the Promised Land but he wasn't allowed to enter himself and that was because Moses had sinned. Messiah Yeshua on the other hand is the perfect mediator because he was innocent, without sin, and took our deserved punishment upon himself. He is waiting in heaven for all those who put their trust in him.
