Author note: This will be a three part series that I will intermingle with my regular posts over the next few weeks. I will do my best to give some parallels and hopefully an application for life as Christians.
Do you read the Old Testament with an eye on Christ? It’s important that Believers study the Old Testament and look with a broader view of how it all points to the Lord and His coming. He was promised to the Jews as their King yet most missed Him.
Most still miss Him today.
It’s important to see how the entire Bible is consistent and how God has purpose in every word that is written and more importantly it all points to Christ. It’s this lack of understanding and this denial of the truth that leads people to deny the authority of Scripture. It allows atheist’s to misunderstand, misapply and take things out of context, so they can deny God.
Most Christians know and understand the prophecies of Christ in passages such as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 these are very clear but have you seen Christ revealed in pages of the Old Testament at nearly every turn of the page? Today I want to look at a foreshadowing of Christ as contained in the pages of Exodus chapter 3.
Moses had fled from the glories of Egypt where he had been a prince of the people. He had a life of great responsibility and pleasure. He was a ruler and authority over a great kingdom where he had spent the first forty years of his life being groomed to rule over all of Egypt. Now Moses is a simple shepherd tending to a small flock. Do you see the similarities that Christ left His heavenly throne to come to earth and live among man?
What was the purpose of God having Moses as a shepherd for forty years? That’s a long time. Think of the trials you’ve faced and the times you thought they’d never end but forty years is a long time to be trained by God.
Spurgeon commenting on this time in the wilderness:
It must have been a great change for Moses, after forty years in the court of Pharaoh, to be spending another forty years in the wilderness. But it was not waste time; it required the first two periods to make Moses fit for the grand life of the last forty. He must be a prince, and he must be a shepherd, that he might be both a ruler and a shepherd to God’s people, Israel. He must be much alone; he must have many solitary communings with his own heart; he must be led to feel his own weakness. And this will be no loss of time to him; he will do more in the last forty years because of the two forties thus spent in preparation. And it is not lost time that a man takes in putting on his harness before he goes to the battle, or that the reaper spends in sharpening his scythe before he cuts down the corn.
There is nothing dishonourable about common trade, and matters of business at all. Here is a shepherd, who keeps his flock, and God keeps him and reveals himself to him. When God wants a man to lead his people he seeks for him not among idlers, but busy, active men, and God was pleased to show himself more to Moses as a shepherd, than he had ever shown himself to him as a prince in Egypt. I find no glowing Deity in the halls of Pharaoh, but I find the consuming fire manifested in the lone wastes of the desert of Sinai.
Exodus 3:7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
Can we clearly see the relation God has with Moses and His people?
Can we see the relation between Moses and Christ?
God’s people are oppressed by sin and their inability to break the bonds of slavery. God’s people need to be delivered. They need a Savior. The children of Israel and those that will be redeemed today still need a Savior.
Are you in bondage to your sin today? If you are a Believer do you need to be delivered from a nagging sin you just can’t shake? If you’ve never seen the ugliness of your sin and you don’t even know you are a slave do you realize there is a solution?
Jesus Christ is a High Priest and was tempted in all the same ways as is common to man.
Hebrews 7:26-27 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
The only solution is turning to Christ. Turn to Him and be delivered just as the children of Israel followed Moses out of the bondage of slavery to Egypt there is a solution for the sins that are keeping you from the Promised Land. Christ is that solution. Turn to Him and live or die in the wilderness of your sin.
Kevin
Uncommon Faith 
Thanks for the pointer of showing Christ in the OT in the life and ministry of Moses. Moses himself prophesied in Deut. of one coming from his people who would be greater than he was. Indeed, Moses awaited for that coming Messiah who would finally deliver God’s people from the bondage of sin and the wrath of God.
Glory to God.
What an incredible God!
Book 1 of harry potter points to events with voldemort in book 7 and has prophecy that is fulfilled too. If it’s in a book it must be accurate. Except for all the other books.
I guess I missed that but I appreciate you pointing it out.
I’m grateful you’ve stopped by and I hope you’ll look around a bit.
I love to have serious inquiries and debate to what is true and what is fiction. I realize you consider the Bible fiction which is your prerogative. I’d have you consider whether it’s possible for all the prophecies of the Old Testament to be fulfilled and still be fiction.
Although the search for truth is not difficult it is more of a moral issue than an intellectual issue.
We want our cake done our way. No big angry God telling us what to do.
I’m hopeful you will desire to know the truth. It can set you free.
“I guess I missed that but I appreciate you pointing it out.”
There was kind of a greater implied point. Specifically that it’s not hard to make the description of the fulfillment of prophecy in a later text match the prophecy in an earlier text if you’ve read the earlier text. And that the two matching up does not make the text’s claims and more accurate to reality. Alexander the great was said to be the son of god, born of a virgin, immaculately conceived and was said to have fulfilled biblical and extra-biblical prophecies. Why don’t historians give these reports credence? He was said to be the son of zeus.
Prophecies and miracles are everywhere in the ancient world, it was a time of superstition when no one understood anything about nature and thus attributed literally everything in front of their face to magic or miracles or the work of the gods. It was also a time before science when it was impossible to test or verify any claim or reliably record any event. Now if someone says a dragon ate the president we don’t believe it until we see the footage on CNN. Then anything and everything was believable. The original king james bible included stories like “bel and the dragon” along with nine references to unicorns. All ancient history is laced with mythology, I see no reason for thinking the bible should be any different.
“I’m grateful you’ve stopped by and I hope you’ll look around a bit.”
Still getting used to wordpress, just moved from xanga. You’re welcome and I will if I have time.
“I love to have serious inquiries and debate to what is true and what is fiction. I realize you consider the Bible fiction which is your prerogative.”
The bible is many different books by many different authors who had different beliefs, motives, goals, cultures and moral philosophies and who wrote many different types of texts from poetry to allegory etc, I wouldn’t dismiss a small library of text as simply fiction. I’m sure many of the authors believed they were inspired, as did I’m sure many of the authors of the texts of other religions. I do not believe in the veracity of the miraculous claims though.
“I’d have you consider whether it’s possible for all the prophecies of the Old Testament to be fulfilled and still be fiction.”
First of all they’re not all fulfilled. Second some of them are fulfilled multiple times and ways, such as joseph being given two different fathers who both conveniently fit the messiah lineage and judas dying two different ways which both conveniently resulted in the blood money being spent in just the right way to fulfill the prophecy. It seems to me like the facts were fit to the prophecies in at least some of these cases. Which I suppose could happen even if the events really did transpire one of the two ways, but it seems fishy. Also when you have two different accounts and then the part relevant to the prophecy is word for word the same it also screams “set up” to me. Also there are many lame prophecies that are like bad magic acts, too vague to be tested, ie “x city will be destroyed… some time in the future”. That is too vague to be busted and isn’t impressive. Then there are prophecies which were fulfilled by people who knew about the prophecies and deliberately fulfilled them, which also seems very lame to me. And of course then there are prophecies that can’t be proven to be older than the texts claiming they were fulfilled or “fulfilling” events that can’t be confirmed to have taken place. Imagine aliens existed and wanted to prove they existed – how easy would it be to convince the world? But we’re told that god performed miracles left right and sideways and stopped the second videotape was invented.
“Although the search for truth is not difficult it is more of a moral issue than an intellectual issue.”
I agree it’s a moral issue, but it’s an intellectual one too.
“We want our cake done our way. No big angry God telling us what to do.”
Yes, ga ga goo goo ::sucks thumb:: That’s not a dismissive or ridiculous stereotype at all.
“I’m hopeful you will desire to know the truth. It can set you free.”
Likewise.
You obviously have thought through this and I’m grateful that we can engage one another.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=530914253
If you really desire to know this side I’d encourage you to listen to this 25 minute presentation of “Why I choose to believe the Bible”. In my opinion it makes all of the regurgitated arguments I hear look silly.
You could also see the calculations for OT prophecy being fulfilled. http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1503477/pg1 You need only read the first couple paragraphs.
Kevin
I downloaded the mp3 and will give it a listen but the second link doesn’t bode well for it being impressive logically – all it does (the probability argument) is assume the accuracy of the text in order to prove the accuracy of the text. And probability is a tool that is so mis-used, especially in these kinds of debates. It is child’s play to make something happen that is “mathematically impossible”. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen any more than a description in the bible being improbable means the description is accurate to reality.
The argument amounts to “if everything in the bible were true, everything in the bible would be true”.
If it was predicted hundreds of years before it happened in the manner in which it was predicted by circumstances that are impossible to control it goes to say it’s a credible prophecy.
I’m okay with you throwing it out. I can’t convince you or argue you into the kingdom. Only God changes hearts and He does that through the vehicle of His Word.
However it is an intellectual study as you have pointed out. Therefore we must apply our minds to the probability that these could happen.
For me everything in the Bible is true and therefore it’s a credible argument for me. I realize it may not be for you.
I praise God for your willingness to engage in such a respectful manner.
“If it was predicted hundreds of years before it happened in the manner in which it was predicted by circumstances that are impossible to control it goes to say it’s a credible prophecy.”
I don’t see how you can just ignore all of the counterpoints and examples I gave.
“I’m okay with you throwing it out. I can’t convince you or argue you into the kingdom. Only God changes hearts and He does that through the vehicle of His Word.”
I’ve known many people who became atheists by reading their bibles.
“However it is an intellectual study as you have pointed out. Therefore we must apply our minds to the probability that these could happen.”
As I said probability is a misused tool. To quote mark twain, “there are three kinds of lies – lies, damn lies and statistics.”
“For me everything in the Bible is true and therefore it’s a credible argument for me. I realize it may not be for you.”
This is what is known as circular reasoning, and it is well accepted as a logical fallacy. I know a guy on wordpress who says the exact same thing about the quran. We know the quran is telling the truth because it says so right there in the quran.
“I praise God for your willingness to engage in such a respectful manner.”
And yet if I were rude and disrespectful I am sure god wouldn’t get the blame. How convenient for him.
Again I’m thankful you stopped by, I’d praise God regardless of the level of respect.
Proverbs 26:4-5 Do not answer a fool according to his folly. Lest you be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
I pray you will come to see your sin and acknowledge how much you hate God. Fall to your face in repentance and turn to Him for His grace and mercy. It’s your only chance to avoid an eternity of misery.
It doesn’t matter whether you believe in Him or not you WILL stand before Christ in judgment and give account of your life.
May God be merciful to you. I hope to see you in heaven someday.
Kevin
You thank me for being respectful and polite to you, then repay that kindness by insulting me and basing broad generalizations about me (which are not accurate) on simple prejudice. Thank you for living down to the standard of self-righteous bigotry and intolerance that has become all but synonymous with your religion over the years.
agnophil or can I call you Phil?
You hide behind a pseudonym similar to Adam trying to hide behind a leaf and cover his sin.
What you are unwilling to accept is your sinfulness. The difference between you and me is indeed self-righteousness.
If I depended upon my self for my righteousness I have nowhere to go. I understand I am all the things you’ve described and more in my own self.
My righteousness only comes through Christ. Not because of anything I can do but only through what He has done.
You Phil suppress the truth in unrighteousness as the apostle Paul explains in Romans chapter 1.
If you’ve not been morally perfect your entire life in thought, word and deed you are without hope in your own righteousness and you are damned.
Consider how many lies you’ve told, how many times you’ve blasphemed God’s name, been drunk, fornicated or was angry with someone which Jesus equated to murder. How often you lusted after a woman or man which is the same as adultery, how often you’ve slandered and spoke poorly about even those closest to you not to mention others. Those are not my words but the words of the Lord.
You will stand before God and you will bow. You are being given an opportunity right now to see your sin. That is the gospel. That is the “good news” and I pray God opens your heart to receive His free gift.
Repent of those sins and turn from them. Place your trust in Christ so He can give you peace and eternal life.
Then you can boldly proclaim “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 56:11