The Prophet Like Unto Moses
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. (Deut 18:15)
In this pasuk (verse) we find the only passage in the entire Torah where Moses explicitly identifies himself as a prophet of the LORD. Moreover, this is also the only passage where Moses identifies the coming of the Mashiach as “a Prophet like me” (Deut 18:15; cp. John 6:14).
In the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) we read that the soferim (scribes) had sent a delegation to question Yochanon the Immerser (John the Baptist), asking him two questions:
* "Are you Elijah?" (John 1:21) - This referred to Malachi's prophecy (Mal. 4:5) that Elijah would come as a messenger before the appearance of the Messiah. To this day Jews around the world still set out a cup of wine for Elijah at Passover - in anticipation of the his arrival as the forerunner of the Messiah.We further read that when Philip encounterd Nathanael, he said, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45). After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people began to ask if this was "the Prophet a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.' " (Acts 7:37-38). who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). Peter identified Yeshua as the Prophet (Acts 3:22-23), and in his apologetic before the Sanhedrin, Stephen the martyr declared that Yeshua was the promised Messiah: "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'The lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.' " (Acts 7:37-38).
* "Are you the Prophet?" (John 1:21). This referred to Moses' prophecy that God would send "a Prophet like me" (Deut. 18:15-19).
John Parsons
Hebrew for Christians
PO Box 27061
Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427-0061
Email: info@hebrew4christians.com
|