Daily Thoughts from Deuteronomy 34:10-12: A Prophet Like Moshe (Navi K’Mosheh)

39 A Prophet Like Moshe (Nabi K’Mosheh)

Since that time there has not arisen in Isra’el a prophet like Moshe, whom Yahweh knew face to face.  What signs and wonders Yahweh sent him to perform in the land of Egypt upon Pharaoh, all his servants and all his land!  What might was in his hand! What great terror he evoked before the eyes of all Isra’el!

(D’varim 34:10-12)

He struggled to awaken and open his eyes to a new day.  It looked somewhat overcast but there did not seem to be a hint of rain in the air.  Strangely the satan had not moved from his vulture-like position the day before.  Something was about to happen.  But he was too weak to consider what that might be.

The scroll lay before him, nearly rerolled all the way to the end of the sacred text.  One more small passage to read and it spoke to him as if the living up to the great Moshe was an impossibility.

No, there had never been another prophet like Moshe.  Not Yeshua, David, Yesha’yahu, not Eliyahu or Elisha.  But Moshe had said that Yahweh would raise up another like him.  Was it too crazy to believe that he would be that prophet?  Nothing at the moment felt even remotely like that could be a possibility, but it did not matter what he felt right now.  He thought about his baptism again.  There was no mistaking his Father’s intent.  Now was the time of the second Moshe.  Everything pointed to it.

He was the anointed one!  It was startling just to think it.  Would he ever say it out loud?  What would such an announcement conjure in the minds of the people of Yisrael?  Many of them would not believe it to begin with.  Talk of Messiach being at hand had gone on for years and only recently one had risen to claim the title only to be killed during an insurrection.

And that was the other issue.  Many believed the goal of the Messiach was to overthrow Yisrael’s Roman oppressors.  But he was not about leading an army against other armies.  The real enemy here was not Rome but satan and Death and only by dying could this enemy be defeated.  Claiming to be Messiach might actually be distracting to his message.

There was a prophecy in Dani’el that spoke of one like a son of man taking the throne of the Ancient of Days and ruling the nations, coming in the clouds to accomplish this.  That day may not be now but that was certainly the goal of his Father’s actions of announcing the kingdom through John and through him.  Yahweh had also called Ezeki’el “son of man” and no one questioned whether Ezeki’el was the Messiach.  He would adopt that title for himself and let people make their own evaluation of whether he was the Messiach or not.  It was the title of a prophet and that was who Moshe had predicted would come.

It was the task of Yisrael’s leaders, at any rate, to determine whether someone was the Messiach.  He knew, however, that they would be hard pressed to admit this of anyone.  It threatened their positions of power.  They would more than likely wait, like cowards, to see what came of any pretender to the role, before they decided one way or the other.  They were not about to be caught in a trap of backing the wrong person and risk losing their station.

Yahweh gave Moshe signs and wonders.  And He would give them to him as well.  The leaders would have a hard time denying the power of God’s Spirit at work right in front of them.  But even then they would be very cautious and resistant.  Already John had seen some of them come for baptism and it was obvious that they were only playing the game.  There was no real repentance in their hearts.  As much as they seemed to hate the general populace, they also needed to curry their favor.  They rode on the back of popularity as much as possible.  That was the only reason they came.

Now was certainly the time for a prophet like Moshe to arise, one who spoke face to face with God, one whom God sent with signs and wonders and great might, and just the right kind of terror so that Yisrael would realize just how far she had strayed from Him.

“Father, I have come to do Your will.  In the scroll of the book it is written about me.  Doing Your will is my joy and Your torah is in my inmost being.  I know my test is not complete.  Strengthen me, my Father.”

“I am with you, my Son.”

Tomorrow ended the fast.  He had nothing to eat.  He didn’t even feel hungry.  The satan was still sitting there for what was an impossibly long time.  Something was coming.  It couldn’t end this easily.