CHRISTIANS APOLOGETICS: Defending The Christian Faith By JOSHUA NAABU

A PROPHET LIKE MOSES

Deut 18:15-19 (NKJV)
15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' 17 "And the Lord said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 'And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

From this scripture, it is evident that Moses was speaking to the Israelites since it was they who asked the Lord God in Horeb in the day of assembly saying “Let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Exo 20:18-19 and Deut 5:23-27.

As days bled to years, the Israelites awaited the prophet spoken of by Moses. When John came baptizing , the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask John whether he was the Christ, Elijah or the prophet like Moses and he replied ‘No’ i.e. (John 1:19-28). Jesus testified of Himself as a prophet in Luke 4:14-30, Matt 13:53-57, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 13:31-35 and John 4:15-45. Several others called Jesus, a prophet as in Matt 21:11; Luke 7:16, 39; Luke 24:13-19 and John 9:17. Jesus told the Jews in John 5:45-47 that Moses wrote concerning Him. Where in the books of Moses was Jesus referring to at all? Hhhmmm, I wonder! In John 1:45, Philip testified that JESUS was the prophet Moses wrote about i.e. in Deut. 18:15-18. Also in John 6:11-14, the Jews, i.e. the men, after they saw the sign Jesus did said that, of truth JESUS is the prophet spoken of by Moses. Peter in Acts 3:22-26 identified JESUS as the prophet like Moses God raised up.

Now let’s see how God raised up Jesus like Moses, shall we? ;

1. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you. God said specifically that He, God, was going to raise the prophet like Moses. He wasn’t going to leave it to Moses to raise that prophet lest that prophet will be a disciple of Moses.

2. Concerning the prophet like Moses, God said, “from your midst, from your brethren.”. “Brethren” as used by God or Moses here is referring to the Israelites, .i.e. a Jew, and not the Ishmaelites. In the earlier verses of Deuteronomy 18, God commanded Moses to speak to the Israelites saying 1 "The priests, the Levites-all the tribe of Levi-shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion. 2 "Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He said to them.” In Judges 20:13, brethren is used of as the children of Israel; "Now therefore, deliver up the men, the perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!" But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel”.
Hence “from your brethren” means the prophet will be a Jew. Jesus was born a Jew, from the descendants of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, (Luke 3:34, Matt 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Hence concerning the prophet like Moses, God said “from your midst, from your brethren.” Both Moses and Jesus were Jews i.e. (Exo 2:1-2, Matt 1:1-16, Heb 7:14).

Ishmael was the half-brother of Isaac, who was born of Hagar to Abraham. The Arab race descends from Ishmael. Technically, although the Israelite nation is descended from Isaac, the name Israel was applied to Jacob, not Isaac. So Israel i.e. Jacob and Ishmael are not related as brothers but rather as uncle and nephew. Hence we make a great error when we say the children of Jacob or Isaac are the BRETHREN of the children of Ishmael.

3. Concerning the prophet like Moses, God said “I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”. It is evident from the New Testament that, the Samaritan woman knew that the Messiah was the accredited interpretation to fulfill this prophecy so she told Jesus that, the Messiah was to tell them all things. Jesus then proceeded to confirm her statement by saying “I am he”. (John 4:25-26). Stephen in Acts 7:37-38 declared Jesus was the promised Messiah spoken of by Moses. Hence the Messiah was the Prophet God will raise up like Moses. JESUS said “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49-50, 8:28, 17:7-8, 14:24,31,  15:10,  7:16, Matt 17:5, John 3:34). So both were authoritative spokesmen for God, not angels.

4. Concerning the prophet like Moses, God said ‘And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him’. In order words, if you accept Him you accept God and if you reject Him you reject God. Does not this terrify you? We shake in our pants when some hoodlums threaten us yet we have no fear of God’s warning!  In John 12:48, Jesus said “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:46-50). See how this prophecy fits Jesus like a hand and glove!

5. “Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land,” (Deuteronomy 34:9-11).

According to this, to be a prophet like Moses is to know God face to face and to perform many signs and wonders. Keep in mind this text explicitly mentions Joshua and says afterward that no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses. This is not to deny that Joshua could have been considered a prophet but that he is not the prophet Moses spoke of since he did not know God face to face.  Do we have any evidence of other prophets receiving their messages the way Moses did? If we do, let it be presented. We regularly see dreams and visions taking place in the Old Testament with prophets, but we have no record of the cloud descending on prophets or of them being radiant with glory. God spoke to both Moses and Jesus face to face through a cloud that their face shone as they communed with God. Moses on Mount Sinai (Exo 33:9-11, 34:29-35, Num 12:6-8), and JESUS on Mount of Transfiguration. (Matt 17:1-9). Here, even Moses appeared and spoke to Jesus in a vision. Mohammed also didn’t know Allah face to face according to Surah 42:51, “It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration of from behind a veil or by the sending of a Messenger to reveal with Allah’s permission what Allah wills: for He is Most High Most Wise”.

6. Both Moses and Jesus performed many signs and wonders (Exo 4:21-28, Deut 34:10-12, John 20:30, John 21:25, John 12:37). The first miracle Moses did was to turn water to blood (Exo 7:19-2). The first miracle JESUS did while on earth was to change water to wine. (John 2:6-9). On the other hand, Mohammed did not perform many signs and wonders according to the Quran. In Surah 28:48, the people asked Mohammed, “Why are not (Signs) sent to him like those which were sent to Moses?” Mohammed replied, “Do they not then reject (the Signs) which were formerly sent to Moses?” In other words, there is no reason for me to do the signs like Moses because they rejected the signs of Moses. Also in Surah 29:49-51, it says “Nay; rather it is signs, clear signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge; and none denies Our signs but the evildoers. They say, 'Why have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'The signs are only with God, and I am only a plain warner. What, is it not SUFFICIENT FOR THEM that We have sent down upon thee the Book that is recited to them? Surely in that is a mercy, and a reminder to a people who believe.” but isn’t the Quran sufficient for them.” Surah 29:49-51 expressly states that the Quran is sufficient as a sign, which means that no other sign or miracle was necessary. Thus, this Surah shows that if Muhammad did perform many other signs and miracles then this means that the Quran is not sufficient. Here, Mohammed admits he didn’t perform any other sign, let alone many signs like Moses. 

So we see that Jesus was an authoritative Jewish Prophet, check. He knew God face to face, check. And also He performed many signs and wonders, check, check, check - checkmate

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