Exodus Chapter 34
A. Moses meets with God again on the mountain.
1. (1-4) God calls Moses up Mount Sinai again.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.” So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
a. Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones: Moses broke the first set of stone tablets, the ones written with the finger of God (Exodus 32:19). He broke the tablets because Israel broke the covenant.
b. I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke: After their great sin with the golden idol (Exodus 32), Moses interceded for Israel, Israel repented, and God restored. It was appropriate to give then new stone tablets.
c. No man shall come up with you… let neither flocks nor herds feed before the mountain: When God first spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai, He commanded that they not come near the mountain (Exodus 19:12-13). At this second giving of the commandments they were also to stay away, all except Moses.
i. Moses again acted as a mediator between God and the people. The people couldn’t deal with God directly because of their own sin and rebellion, so Moses bridged the gap between the people and God.
2. (5-6a) The revelation of God’s presence to Moses.
Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him
The only thing held higher than the Lord’s Name is His Word (Ps 138:2).
a. Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there: The cloud mentioned was no doubt the cloud of glory known as the Shekinah. This cloud is mentioned many times in the Bible.
· It covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16).
· It went with Israel by day (Exodus 13:21-22).
· It stood at the tent of Moses (Exodus 33:9-10).
· It filled Solomon’s temple with glory (2 Chronicles 7:2).
· It overshadowed Mary at the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:35).
· It was present at the transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9:34-35).
· It will be present at the return of Jesus (Revelation 1:7).
i. And stood with him there: In some way, God appeared to Moses in the cloud at Sinai. This was what Moses asked for when he said, Please, show me Your glory (Exodus 33:18).
b. Proclaimed the name of the LORD: This means that God revealed His character to Moses. The specific aspects of His character are mentioned in this passage, yet this was far more than a lecture on the nature of God. Moses experienced the character of God in a dramatic way.
c. And the LORD passed before him: As Moses did what God told him to do in Exodus 33:21-23, he experienced what God said he would. Hidden in the cleft of the rock, Moses saw “behind” the LORD – as much of God’s glory as he could possibly take in.
i. In Exodus 33:18 Moses boldly asked, Please, show me Your glory. After that, God promised to reveal His presence to Moses (Exodus 33:19-23), or as much as His presence as Moses could bear to experience.
3. (6b-7) The revelation of God’s character to Moses.
And proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
a. And proclaimed: God said this to Moses, revealing His character to Moses by words; He proclaimed it to Moses. As this happened Moses had a power spiritual experience, rich with feeling and emotion. Yet God didn’t want His revelation to only be in feeling and emotion but connecting to the whole person through His word.
b. The LORD, the LORD God: This name – Yahweh – was the same name for God that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew; this was no new revelation of God. God presented Himself as the eternal, immutable God.
i. “The name of YHWH expresses all that He is and does, so this means proclamation of the saving acts of God… Here is God’s Self-revelation, proclaiming His very self to Moses.” (Cole)
ii. Knowing God should be the active interest of every human being, and especially of every Christian. “It has been said by someone that ‘the proper study of mankind is man.’ I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.” (Spurgeon)
iii. “The Lord’s self-disclosure is prefaced by the repetition of his name: ‘The LORD, the LORD,’ repeated perhaps to emphasize his unchangeableness.” (Kaiser)
b. Merciful and gracious: Merciful is better translated, full of compassion. In five of the 13 times it is used, this word is translated full of compassion in the NKJV. F.B. Meyer wrote, “the word means ‘tenderly pitiful.’”
i. The same word was also used regarding Israel and the Exodus in Psalms 78:38: But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. This is compassion in action.
ii. The word translated gracious comes from the idea “to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, or to bestow” (Erwin). It is grace, giving to the undeserving.
iii. F.B. Meyer on this word gracious: “That word has gone out of fashion. Our fathers petrified it; they made it the foundation-stone of a structure of granite, in which the souls of men could find no rest, and therefore we rather dread that word – Grace. And yet there is no greater word in the language than the word that stands for the undeserved, free gift of the Love of God.”
c. Longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth: The idea behind the word longsuffering means that God is slow to anger. He doesn’t have a short fuse and is patient with us.
i. We all know what it is like to deal with people who have a short fuse – offended or even outraged at the slightest offense, or the slightest perceived wrong. God isn’t like that. He is longsuffering.
ii. “Not merely adequate, but abounding is this great God of glory. He has barns and silos full of love and faithfulness; he is stacking it in the streets looking for a distribution system.” (Erwin)
d. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin: God shows His goodness towards us in His forgiving character.
i. Iniquity and transgression and sin are all mentioned so that no one would think there were some types of sin God is unable to forgive.
ii. This revelation of the character of God to Moses forever puts away the idea there is a bad God of the Old Testament this is in contrast to the good God of the New Testament. God’s character of love and mercy and grace is present in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.
iii. Psalm 86:15 repeats this exact same revelation of God: But You, O LORD, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
e. By no means clearing the guilty: If His love and forgiveness are rejected, God will punish, and that punishment will have repercussions through the generations that hate Him (Exodus 20:5).
i. His loving, gracious, and giving character do not cancel out His righteousness. Because of the work of Jesus, the righteousness of God is satisfied and the grace and mercy of God are righteously given.
ii. “To the third and fourth generation: a common Semitic idiom to express continuance.” (Cole)
3. (8-9) Moses reacts to the revelation of God.
So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
Seven major attributes of God mentioned: merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, ..
“By no means clear the guilty” - see the Book of Romans. Cannot have grace without righteousness. There must be a basis for forgiveness. In order to have grace and mercy, the needs of righteousness must be satisfied. The guilty are not cleared just by forgiveness, they are cleared through justification, propitiation.
Note Moses’ reaction. Joshua also falls on his face and worships. Moses “made haste,” did it quickly!
a. So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped: The first and primary reaction of Moses was to simply worship. When we come to know who God is and all His great love for us, the most practical thing it causes us to do is to worship Him more than ever.
i. “The elements of God’s character are striking, suggesting both grace and truth. The effect on Moses was adoration and prayer.” (Thomas)
ii. Indeed, Moses made haste to worship. He was compelled to worship God when he saw so clearly whom God was. When we don’t have a compelling drive to worship God, it’s clear evidence we don’t really appreciate who He is.
b. If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us: Moses asked for the goodness, grace, and mercy of God be extended to himself and the nation. Moses knew they did not deserve it (we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin), but he asked for God’s grace and not His justice.
i. When we see the goodness of God for what it is, we should not hesitate to ask that it be extended to us. If we know God is good, we should ask Him to be good to us. If we know He is forgiving, we should ask Him to forgive us. The knowledge of God is therefore not a passive exercise. When we know Him it leads us to receive from Him.
ii. Moses went even a step further than this, going beyond only asking these things for himself. He also asked for them on behalf of Israel.
B. Renewal of the covenant.
1. (10-11) What God will do for Israel.
And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.”
Remember this group had seen the miracles of Egypt, and the Red Sea parting, the pillar leading by day,...and here God is saying I will do marvels..
Rahab had heard about these people
Six tribes mentioned here (6 the number of man) but later we will find it breaks into 7 tribes when we get to Joshua.
a. I will make a covenant: This was God’s covenant, that Israel was invited to join. He did not negotiate the terms with Israel. Instead He dictated the terms to the people of Israel through Moses.
b. I will do marvels… all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD: God’s plan was to glorify Himself to all the nations (all the people) through Israel, and to show His glory through the great things He did among them.
i. Israel had a choice regarding those great things. Either the great things would be blessings so impressive that every nation would know that God alone had blessed Israel (as was the case with Solomon). Or, the great things would be curses so horrible that every nation would know God had chastised Israel and yet kept them a nation (as was the case with the exile). Either way, God would glorify Himself through Israel among the nations.
ii. Surely, that was an awesome thing that God promised to do with Israel. For their own good it was essential that they obey God (Observe what I command you this day) and enjoy the blessings of covenant obedience.
iii. I will do marvels: “This seems to refer to what God did in putting them in possession of the land of Canaan, causing the walls of Jericho to fall down; making the sun and moon to stand still, [and so forth].” (Clarke)
c. I am driving out: God promised to do what Israel could not do by itself – drive out the nations of Canaan, allowing Israel to take possession of what God promised to give them.
2. (12-16) Israel must be separate from the Canaanites in worship, politics, fellowship and marriage.
“Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.”
“Groves” - idols, phallic symbols used in fertility rites by the Canaanite.
“Jealous” as another name of God! Ex 20.
a. You shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images: As previously stated in Exodus 23:24, showing that the culture of the Canaanites was so corrupt that it was beyond redemption. God did not want Israel to assume any of the sinful practices found in the culture of the Canaanites.
i. “To worship a statue while calling it YHWH is not to worship YHWH.” (Cole)
b. And they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods: There was a definite connection between the worship of the Canaanite gods and sexual immorality. Many of the Canaanite gods were fertility gods and were worshipped with ritual prostitutes and sex.
3. (17) Israel must renounce idolatry.
“You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.”
a. No molded gods: The repetition of this command (the idea is in Exodus 20:4, the second commandment) was especially meaningful in light of the golden calf debacle. No molded image could come close to displaying the glory of God, even in the partial sense of what Moses saw on Mount Sinai.
4. (18) Israel must keep the feast of Unleavened Bread.
“The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.”
Nisan = Abib (equivalent terms)
a. The Feast of Unleavened Bread: First mentioned in Exodus 12:14-20, this feast spoke of the purity God desired among Israel before Him, when all leaven – a symbol of sin – was put away and Israel walked in a symbolic purity.
5. (19-26) Various laws, mostly regarding Israel’s separation from other nations and separating unto the LORD.
“All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
The ass is typologically the natural man. The lamb, the animal of redemption.
Feast of weeks = Feast of Harvest (or Pentecost).
Feast of Ingathering = Feast of Tabernacles
They are not to leave any until morning because they do not want the partaking to be separate from the death. The whole issue is the death of the lamb.
Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated the morning after the Sabbaths were past (Sunday morning, cf Joshua).
“Seethe a kid in his mother’s milk” - basis for kosher (mentioned three times).
a. All that open the womb are Mine: Here God repeated the laws regarding the firstborn and their dedication to Him, first stated in Exodus 13:11-13 and 22:29-30.
b. None shall appear before Me empty-handed: God gave this command in the context of daily work (Six days you shall work) and festival observance (you shall observe the feast). The idea is that everyone should have some work and something to give unto the LORD.
i. It is simply appropriate for the creature to honor the Creator by giving unto Him. It is even more appropriate for the redeemed to honor their Redeemer this way.
c. Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord: God commanded that at three feasts each year (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles), each Israelite man should gather before the LORD (Exodus 23:14-17). Here God even promised a supernatural protection for an obedient Israel when they went to the feasts (neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year).
i. Neither will any man covet your land when you go up: “What a manifest proof was this of the power and particular providence of God! How easy would it have been for the surrounding nations to have taken possession of the whole Israelitish land, with all their fenced cities, when there were none left to protect them but women and children! Was not this a standing proof of the Divine origin of their religion?” (Clarke)
d. You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven: Leaven (yeast) is often a picture of sin in the Bible. Therefore, it was forbidden to include any kind of leaven in a blood sacrifice (as previous stated in Exodus 23:18).
e. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD: When Israel came into Canaan, they had a special responsibility to make a firstfruit offering to God, in addition to their regular firstfruit offering (Exodus 23:16). Giving God the first and the best honored Him as the Good Provider of all things.
f. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk: This command is repeated from Exodus 23:19. It was a command to not imitate the cruel pagan fertility rituals practiced among the Canaanites.
6. (27-28) Moses is command to write and is miraculously sustained on Sinai.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
This is different than the covenant by which He brought them here (Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a one party unconditional covenant).
All the great men of God, fasted prior to ministry, with a lot of reference to 40 days and nights.
a. Write these words: Since God’s covenant with Israel was based on these and other words, it was important for Moses to write them. They should not only be left to memory.
b. So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water: This was a completely unique and supernatural fast. It is definitely possible (yet remarkable) for someone to live without food for 40 days, but by any account it is a miracle to go without water for this long. This kind of fasting is never repeated or recommended in the Scriptures.
i. “It is impossible to exaggerate the stupendous things suggested in this simple statement.” (Morgan) It was a powerful evidence of the truth that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
c. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments: These tablets we eventually placed into the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 10:5).
C. The shining face of Moses.
1. (29-30) Moses’ face shines when he comes down from Mount Sinai.
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
a. Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him: Close communion with God physically affected Moses. His face had a shining appearance that was so noticeable that both the leaders and the people of Israel were afraid to come near him.
i. After such a remarkable fast we would expect that Moses looked pale and sickly. Apparently not; instead his face shone with a radiance and glory so great that it made others hesitant to come near him.
ii. It is true that a life lived with God affects physical appearance, especially the face. The peace, joy, love, and goodness of God should be evident on the face of the one who follows Jesus. Yet what Moses experienced seems beyond that general principle, and a direct result from his remarkable communication with God (his face shone while he talked with Him).
iii. The radiance of Moses’ shining face was a reflected radiance, a received glory. The source was the face of God, and as Moses communicated so directly with God his face received some of this shining glory. “The face of Moses shone because he had long looked upon the face of God.” (Spurgeon)
b. Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone: Wonderfully, Moses did not know this. He was unaware of the greatness of his own spiritual radiance. This was because Moses was a genuinely and deeply humble man (Numbers 12:3).
i. “Directly people become conscious of their superiority to others, and boast of it, it is certain that they have never really seen the beauty of God’s holiness, and have no clear knowledge of the condition of their own hearts.” (Meyer)
ii. We read of only two men in the Bible whose faces shone like this: Moses and Stephen (Acts 6:15). Both were humble men. “I am afraid, brethren, that God could not afford to make our faces shine: we should grow too proud. It needs a very meek and lowly spirit to bear the shinings of God.” (Spurgeon)
iii. “We are always praying, ‘Lord, make my face to shine’; but Moses never had such a wish; and, therefore, when it did shine, he did not know it. He had not laid his plans for such an honor. Let us not set traps for personal reputation, or even glance a thought that way.” (Spurgeon)
2. (31-32) Moses relates the covenant of God to the leaders of Israel.
Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
a. Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him: They had all gone away from Moses because the radiance of his face so greatly intimidated them. He had to persuade them to come back – first the leaders, then all the children of Israel came near.
b. And he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai: Moses experienced glorious, transforming communion with God on Sinai. Yet as he came down to the people, he once again involved himself directly in the work of governing and leading.
i. “From that experience he returned, not to be a dreamer, for ever thinking and talking of a past rapture; but to be, as never before, a man of affairs, directing, controlling all the earthly life according to the standards received in the mount.” (Morgan)
3. (33-35) The veil on Moses’ face.
And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
Interesting testimony of Moses’ communion with the Lord. Prophetically speaking of the transfiguration (Mt 17).
Contradictions of Moses
Child of a slave Son of a king
Born in a hut Lived in a palace
Inherited poverty Enjoyed unlimited wealth
Leader of armies Keeper of flocks
Mightiest of warriors Meekest of men
Educated at court Dwelt in the desert
Wisdom of Egypt Faith of Child
Fitted for City Wandered in wilderness
Tempted by Endured hardships
pleasures of sin of virtue
Backward in speech Talked with God
Rod of Shepherd Power of the Infinite
Fugitive of Pharaoh Ambassador of Heaven
Giver of Law Forerunner of Grace
Died Alone: Mt Moab Appeared with Christ
No man assisted at funeral God buried him.
His lips are silent Voice speaks to us today
[by I.M. Haldeman]
See Deut 18:15 (can be Messianic, and/or can be seen as one of the two witnesses).
a. He put a veil on his face… whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off: In the presence of God (presumably at his own tent, which had become the tabernacle of meeting according to Exodus 33:7), Moses took the veil off. Yet among the people, he put a veil on his face.
b. He put a veil on his face: It is easy to think that Moses wore the veil so the people would not be afraid to come near him (Exodus 34:30), or that the purpose of the veil was to protect others from the glorious radiance of Moses’ face. Yet the Apostle Paul explained the real purpose of the veil: not to hide the shining face of Moses, but so that the diminishing glory of his face would not be observed because the glory was fading.
i. Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away (2 Corinthians 3:13). The Old Covenant had a glory, but it was a fading glory. God didn’t want people to see the fading glory of the Old Covenant and lose confidence in Moses.
ii. The Old Covenant was great and glorious – but it looks pretty pale in comparison to the New Covenant. A bright autumn moon may look beautiful and give great light, but it is nothing compared to the noonday sun.
c. The skin of Moses’ face shone: The Hebrew verb for shone literally means, “shot forth beams” (Cole). It is also related to a Hebrew noun for “horn.” This is why the Latin Vulgate mistranslated this verb as “having horns,” and so in most medieval works of art Moses wears a pair of horns on his head.
Faithful
Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, just as Jesus was faithful as a Son over His house. The apostle wrote:
"He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end." (Heb 3:2-6)
A Prophet to Give Heed To
Moses said that God would raise up for His people Israel a Prophet like him from among them, and that they must give heed to everything He says to them, or else they would be utterly destroyed. The apostle Peter said to the Jews:
"Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'" (Act 3:22-23; cf., Dt 18:15).
We know that Peter was referring to Christ on this occasion, because it is clear from the immediate context that he was speaking about Jesus:
"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time." (Act 3:18-21).
I am also reminded of the account of what happened on the sacred mount:
"Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!' All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone." (Mar 9:7-8)
Spared from Attempted Infanticide
Moses was spared from death as a baby as Jesus was, while all the other male babies were killed. Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew boys be killed (Ex 1:15-22; 2:1-9), and Herod ordered that all baby boys be killed (Mt 2:12-13, 16).
Forty Days of Fasting Alone
Moses went up on a mountain for forty days and nights, without having food or water, when he received the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28), just as Jesus fasted alone in the desert for forty days and forty nights at the beginning of His ministry (Mt 4:1-11).
Not Recognized By His Own
Moses' own people did not recognize him (Ex 2:13-14; 6:9; Act 7:25-28), just as the world did not recognize Jesus and His own did not receive Him ( Jn 1:10-11).
Object of People's Grumbling and Complaints
Moses suffered the complaints and grumblings of the Israelites against him (Ex 15:24; 16:2; Nu 14:2). Likewise, the Jews grumbled about Jesus (Jn 6:41).
Object of People's Jealousy
Other people were jealous of Moses, such as Dathan, Abiram, and the two hundred fifty rebels (Ps 106:16-17; Num 16). Likewise, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were jealous of Jesus. For it was out of envy that they handed Him over to Pilate (Mt 27:18).
Humble
The Bible says, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." (Nu 12:3, NIV). Likewise, Jesus was meek and lowly, too. He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Mt 11:29, NIV). He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10:45, NIV). Perhaps the apostle Paul described the Lord's humility best when he wrote of Him saying:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Php 2:5-8)
Intercessor and Mediator
Moses was an intercessor and mediator for the people before God (Deu 5:5, 22; 9:8-9, 18-20, 25-29; 10:10; Psa 106:23). Moses was willing to have his own name blotted out of the book of life on behalf of the Israelites, and to take the punishment for their sins, if God was unwilling to forgive their sins (Ex 32:32). Likewise, Jesus was willing to take the punishment for our sins and to give his life in place of everyone else. Jesus is both our Intercessor and Mediator, always living to make intercession for us as our only Mediator between God and man (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 Tim 2:5).
Deliverer
Moses led the people up out of slavery from Egypt (Ex 6:6-8; 7:16; 8:1; 9:1; 12:50-51; 14:1-22). Jesus led the prisoners up from the underworld (Eph 4:8-10), and He also delivers us from the slavery and oppression of our sin (Ro 6:6-7). He is the one who sets us free from sin and death (Ro 8:2; He 9:15).
"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, "You will become free"? Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'" (Joh 8:31-36)
Suffered Disgrace
Although Moses was brought up in Pharaoh's household by a princess (Ex 2:10), he suffered disgrace by standing up for the people of God. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb 11:24-26, NIV). Likewise, Jesus gladly bore our shame and reproach in order to deliver God's people. "For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2b, NIV).
Did Not Fear the King
Moses wasn't afraid of the king. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." (Heb 11:27). Likewise, Jesus was not afraid of the king, and did not allow Herod to deter Him from going to the cross and delivering His people.
"Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, 'Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.' And He said to them, 'Go and tell that fox, "Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal." Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.'" (Luk 13:31-33)
Jesus was not the least bit afraid when He stood before King Herod; nor was He intimidated by the governor, but made a good confession before Pontius Pilate (Mt 27:11-14; Lk 23:8-11; Jn 19:8-11; 1 Tim 6:13).
Marked by Signs and Wonders
Moses' ministry was marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like the ten plagues, the water from the rock, the manna, the quail, and the parting of the Red Sea. The Bible said, "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land." (Dt 34:10-11, NIV).
Jesus' ministry was also marked by many miraculous signs and wonders like turning water into wine, multiplying the bread to feed the multitudes, walking on water, calming the storm, raising the dead, casting out demons, healing all kinds of diseases, making the lame to walk, the blind to see, the mute to talk, and the deaf to hear.
Knew the Lord Face to Face
The Lord knew Moses face to face, according to the Scriptures (Dt 34:10). This was quite evident from the way God spoke to him at the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, and throughout his journey in the dessert with the Israelites for forty years. Likewise, Jesus had a face to face relationship with the Father. This was evidenced on many occasions like at His baptism, when the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17b, NIV), as well as on the sacred mount, which I mentioned earlier (Mar 9:7-8). Jesus was one with the Father (Jn 10:30), only saying what He heard the Father saying and only doing what He saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19; 8:28; 12:49).
Closing Words
In our study of Moses as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many ways. They were both spared from infanticide, both were very humble, both spent forty days fasting, both were intercessors and mediators, both were known by the Lord face to face, both were objects of people's grumbling and jealousy, both suffered disgrace for the people of God, both were prophets of God to be heeded, whose ministries were marked by miraculous signs and wonders; both were called by God and used as mighty deliverers, neither of them was recognized by his own people, neither of them feared the king, and both were faithful -- Moses as a servant in God's house and Jesus as a Son over God's house. Christ is that Prophet like Moses that God promised to send. Therefore, every soul that does not heed what Christ says and put it into practice shall be utterly destroyed from among the people (Ac 3:23; Mt 7:26-27).
Studying types of Christ like this can help us grow in our love and knowledge of the Lord. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.
