Introduction
In centuries past, the Church hammered out, in creeds and confessions, the essential doctrines of the Christian faith through much debate. Things like the nature of God, the divinity of Christ, and the Trinity. While these are the ancient truths of Scripture that have been handed down to us which we confess today, it is safe to say that many Christians in our time are not as equipped to thoroughly defend them as maybe they once were. For example, some great men, who are much smarter than me, in more modern times, have stated that while God has always been Triune, the trinity was not revealed until the intertestamental period, or the New Testament. While it is true that the completion of the canon of Scripture sheds more light on the matter and gives us a more full picture, I believe this kind of statement gives too much ground, while also failing to grasp the revelation of God in the Old Testament.
For example: do you know how St. Athanasius, Justin Martyr, and virtually all of the early church fathers defended the divinity of Christ against the Arians, Jews, and other heretics? One of the ways was by pointing to Genesis 19. Genesis 19 is the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now how in the world did they defend the divinity of Christ from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Well, Genesis 19:24 says, “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.” The LORD rained sulfur and fire from the LORD. The first use of “the LORD” referring to the angel of the LORD who had just visited Abraham, the second use referring to God in heaven. So they would say, “See, there are two persons who are called LORD here.” Now this is amazing! There are so many different ways that understanding passages like this would benefit us. For one, when the liberal theologians say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality, you can simply point to Genesis 19 and say, “Jesus destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.”
So, it is my desire today, with God’s help, that you may see the Trinity and the divinity of Christ in the Old Testament; and that you may see that we share the same faith the saints of the Old Testament; and that you would see the glory of Christ in the whole of Scripture; and that you see the unity of Scripture therein; and thus lead you to greater devotion and worship of Christ, and be more confident in defending these essential truths.
So the way that I would like to do this today, is to show you that Moses, in Old Testament times, had faith in Christ. Not just God in general, not just the Father, but in the Triune God, and that He specifically believed in Christ, the Son of God, in his lifetime. I want to show you the nature of his faith, as one example of the faith of every single Old Testament saint. Afterall, Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” When Jesus said these words, I propose to you that He was not inventing a new way to come to the Father, but this is what had always been, and ever will be – the only way which anyone may come to the Father.
Now, to the faith of Moses. I will be referencing a number of different passages if you would like to have your Bibles ready, you may feel free to turn to them as I mention them if you like.
Moses Wrote of Christ
The first thing to note about the faith of Moses is that Moses wrote about Christ. Did you know that Jesus Himself said this? In John chapter 5 Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees about whom He says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” The Pharisees claimed to know God and know the Scriptures and yet they were missing the very thing, or person of whom the Scriptures speak. They claimed to believe and follow Moses, and Jesus even says in John 5:45 that they have set their hope on Moses, yet, Moses condemns them. Why does Jesus say Moses condemns them? John 5:46, Jesus says, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees saying “you don’t actually believe Moses, because Moses wrote about me, and you reject me! Therefore you reject Moses!” Now this statement has remarkable implications for our own hermeneutic – how we understand and interpret the Bible – and how we understand Moses.
On another occasion, after Jesus rose from the dead, He’s on the road to Emmaus with some disciples and He says in Luke 24:27, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Now how can we say that Moses wrote about Christ, if we never find the name “Jesus Christ” in Moses’ writings? The answer is not to call Jesus a liar by saying Moses didn’t really write about Jesus, but it starts by recognizing that it is biblically necessary to see Jesus where His birth name is not mentioned.
Now, how could Moses have written about Jesus before Jesus ever came to earth? He could because Jesus is not a created being. Jesus is the Word which is God and who was with God in the Beginning, John 1. The Second Person of the Trinity, does not just show up in the New Testament. Rather, He is present and active throughout all of time and history and throughout the whole of the Bible. We’ll see more of how Moses knew Him in a moment.
Moses Believed in Christ
So not only did Moses write of Christ. But next, Moses had faith; he believed in Christ. Did you know that there is a passage in the Bible that specifically tells us this? I guarantee most faithful Christians know this passage in the Bible, but this fact just doesn’t quite land for some reason. Hebrews 11:24-26.
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
This is amazing. By faith, Moses specifically considered Christ. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. The reproaches of Christ is the mistreatment of God’s people, as the context indicates. And Moses believed it was better to be mistreated for the sake of Christ, than to enjoy the wealth of Egypt, so he left Egypt. You know what this means? When you, as a Christian, suffer because of Christ, because of your stance on truth, because of the hardships you endure for faithful Christian living, when you choose difficulty in obedience over the fleeting pleasures of sin, over instant-gratification, over the approval of the world, you are sharing the same faith of Moses. Thus, the object of your faith is the same: Christ and the promises of reward that He gives.
Moses Met with Christ
Next, not only did Moses believe in Christ, Moses met with Christ. In Exodus 3 we have the passage concerning the burning bush.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:2-8)
So who does Moses meet with here at the burning bush? Verse 2 says that the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And then verse 4 says that the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, and then says that God called to him out of the bush! Now, hold on. I thought it was the angel of the LORD that appeared to him in the bush, but verse 4 says that the LORD saw him and God called to him! And then verse 6, God says from the bush, I am the God of your father, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then it says Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
So, what is going on? First, we have to see what the text is indicating. The text is ascribing divine attribute, divine name, and person to the angel of the LORD. Now, we may get tripped up because we usually assume an angel to be the creatures around God’s throne that God sends out from time to time. But since this angel of the LORD is ascribed with divine attributes, name, and person, we must conclude that this angel of the LORD, is not referring to a mere created being of the heavens, but to God himself.
Now, some might say it’s an angel who appears there with God. The problem with that though is that verse 6 says Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God. Who was it that appeared to Moses? The angel of the LORD appeared to him, and Moses’ response is to hide his face in fear of looking upon God. Now, we know that this angel of the LORD cannot be the Father, nor can He be the Spirit. For the Spirit is spirit and invisible. And the Father also is spirit and Colossians 1:15 calls Him the invisible God. John 1:18 says that no one has ever seen God, except the Son has made Him known. And Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is the image of the invisible God. Christ has made Him known! This angel of the LORD then, who is given divine attributes, name, and person, and who appears to Moses, must be the pre-incarnate Son of God. Now we know that Jesus did not take on flesh until He was born of the virgin Mary, yet He has always been one with the Godhead, yet a distinct person. He did not become a distinct person at His birth. So it is that we see not only here, but in a number of places throughout the Old Testament that the pre-incarnate Christ is present and active in the world and amongst His people as the Angel of the LORD. Early church figure Justin Martyr in a refutation against the Jews who denied the divinity of Christ, goes to this very passage to prove they are wrong about Christ, and says that Moses communed with Christ at the bush. Not only Justin Martyr, but also Tertullian, Ambrose, virtually all of the early church fathers, Calvinistic Baptist John Gill, Dutch theologian from Gerard De Gols from the 1700s, and modern day Reformed Baptist Pastors Doug Van Dorn and Voddie Baucham, and many more throughout the ages have concurred this is the pre-incarnate Christ in the bush who appeared to Moses.
In Exodus 3 the Lord goes on to commission Moses to go back to Egypt, deliver the people, and gave him power to perform signs and wonders. So it was that Moses believed Christ, obeyed Christ, and was given power and authority by Christ to do these signs; just as Jesus gave commission, power, and authority to His apostles and church to preach the gospel and perform signs in the early church. And He promised to be with them, just as He promised to be with Moses.
Furthermore, consider Isaiah 63:7-9.
I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction he was afflicted,[c]
and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Who was it that loved Israel, heard and saw their cries and afflictions, and came down to save them? As we read in Exodus 3, this is what God told Moses, it is what the angel of the LORD said. He came down, just as we see Him being the one who delivered Israel. And this is remarkable when we consider Jude 5, which says, in the ESV, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Now I thought it was God, the LORD, who saved and delivered Israel out of Egypt? But Jude says it was Jesus. The answer is yes, the angel of the LORD, the angel of the LORD’s presence must be the pre-incarnate Christ who saved a people out of Egypt.
Furthermore, later in the burning bush scene in Exodus 3 is where Moses asks the LORD, “If they ask who sent me, who shall I tell them?” And this where the LORD says, “Tell them I AM sent you.” I AM WHO I AM, or I AM THAT I AM.
And who else do we see in Scripture identifying with this name? In John chapter 8, Jesus is speaking with the Jews and He says that their father Abraham rejoiced that he would see His day and was glad. And the Jews are confused saying how could Abraham do such a thing when you are not even 50 years old? And what does Jesus say to them in John 8:58? “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him…” What is Jesus saying here? We see by the reaction of the Jews to stone Him, which was the capital punishment for blasphemy, that they understood Jesus to be calling Himself the “I AM.” He was identifying Himself with the name God gave Moses at the burning bush, which is where God says that He is the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Jesus Himself here identifies Himself as the angel of the LORD.
I’ve been preaching through the book of Exodus at my church for some time now. We just finished chapter 30 last Lord’s Day. Now, when you think of the book of Exodus, who do you think of? Moses, right. That’s not a wrong answer. But one of the things that I have seen, which was pointed out by Pastor Doug Van Dorn, is that the central figure of Exodus is actually not Moses. The central figure of Exodus is the Angel of LORD – which ultimately is to say Christ. He’s there throughout the book, not just in type and shadow, but as the angel of the LORD, present and active in Old Testament history. And when you see that, the Bible just becomes even more alive and exhilarating to see the story unfold. He’s at the burning bush, He’s leading in the Exodus, the angel of the LORD was in the pillar of cloud and fire that led the people in the wilderness, He meets with Moses on the mountain, and the book of Exodus ends saying that the cloud of the LORD never left the people throughout all their journeys.
Moses Ate with Christ
Next point of Moses’ faith in Christ: Moses ate with Christ. In Exodus 24 after God gave the law from Sinai He ratifies the covenant with Israel and then He calls Moses and others up to the mountain to meet with Him in a covenant meal.
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9-11)
This is a remarkable passage that should take our breath away. It says that they saw the God of Israel. And what is described? He is described as having feet, for they describe the sapphire under His feet. He is described as having hands, for it says He did not lay His hand on them as they beheld God, ate and drank. Now, God is spirit. He does not have body parts. No one has ever seen God. You cannot see God and live. So who else could this be but the Son of God, the Angel of the LORD? Eating with someone is fellowshipping with them. Moses fellowshipped with Christ.
Later on in this chapter it tells of Moses going up further on the mountain to meet with the LORD and receive instructions concerning the tabernacle. It says the glory of the LORD dwelt on Mt. Sinai, and its appearance was like a devouring fire, and the cloud covered it. And verse 18 says Moses entered the cloud, for 40 days and 40 nights. And there the LORD spoke to him.
You know what this looks like? This looks like the Mt. of Transfiguration in Matthew 17. Jesus takes three of His disciples up the mountain, and He is transfigured in glory before them and who else appears? Moses and Elijah. It is as if at the Transfiguration, Jesus incarnate is showing Moses whom He met with. It is as if He is showing Moses the greater reality of the incarnation of the Son of God that has come. At Sinai the LORD showed Moses the heavenly pattern for the earthly tabernacle he was to build. At the Mt. of Transfiguration the LORD is showing Moses the true tabernacle, which is Christ in the flesh.
Moses was a Friend of Christ
Next, Moses was a friend of Christ. In Exodus Moses would enter the tent of meeting as the glory cloud of the LORD descended upon it and meet with God. Exodus 33:11 says “…the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Moses did not see the face of the Father or the Spirit. Could this be the Angel of the LORD, the Son of God?
Moses was Like Christ
Finally, Moses was like Christ. Moses was Christlike. In Deuteronomy 18:18 the LORD tells Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” In Peter’s sermon in Acts 3 and in Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7, they both quote this passage indicating that Christ is that prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18:18. So God told Moses, I will raise up a prophet like you, Moses, and that prophet that was like Moses was Christ.
Conclusion
We could go on but time would fail us and someone would end up falling out of a window like when Paul tarried long into the night. But I hope you see the shared faith of Christ that we have with Moses and all the saints of old. I hope you see the work of Christ, and our Triune God throughout the whole Bible, that He is actually there in all of it, and that Christ has always been about the business of redeeming and guiding His people. And I hope you know that as amazing as Moses’ relationship with the Son of God is, it is an even greater privilege to live in gospel times, where Christ has already come in the flesh, to redeem us from bondage to the law and to sin. And as Jesus Himself said, it is better that He go away so that the Spirit may come. We have now, an even greater reality, because of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus – we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us as believers, and that is greater. He illuminates our minds to have eyes to see the Word of God. He guides us. He convicts us. He comforts us. He is our seal and guarantee. And now, it is good for us, that Jesus is physically in heaven seated at the right hand of God, where He is doing the most amazing thing for us – He is ruling the world, and He is interceding for us there. He is praying for us, as our advocate before the Father when we sin. Therefore, you’re gonna make it. You will make it through your wilderness. You will make it through your troubles and trials in life because the same Jesus who saved a people out of Israel, has saved you out of bondage in an even greater way.
You see, just as the Son of God came down to Moses in a burning bush, He came down for us, on a tree, with a thorny bush like a crown on his head, bearing the curse, suffered the heat of God’s wrath for our sins, yet like the bush, was not consumed. And today, when the Church partakes of the Lord’s Supper, like Moses on the mountain, we eat with Christ, in His presence. And like Moses was called a friend of God, so we too have the amazing privilege of being called Christ’s friends. And more and more, as the Spirit works in our lives, we are made to be like Christ. Praise be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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