“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.”
(Hebrews 3:1-2)
Yesterday morning while in prayer, I felt the need to confess to the Lord that He was the True and Good Shepherd of our assembly (John 10:11,14). I asked Him to make us all more consciously aware of this blessed fact also. Suddenly I thought of Moses, who also was tasked with leading and caring for a great mass of people under God. The parallels between the two men started popping into my mind, forming a nice devotional for us to contemplate today. As today’s verse passage reminds us, in the great mind of God the parallels between the two men are real and not imagined. This is itself amazing; to even be mentioned in the same sentence with Jesus is a tremendously great honor. That God would compare a man, even a great man like Moses, to His Beloved Son is shocking to say the least. Both were born descendants of Abraham (Exodus 6:13-20; Matthew 1:1-17). Both were born at a time when Israel was dominated by a wicked Gentile power, and both were saved from state-sponsored murder early in their lives (Exodus 1:8-2:10; Matthew 2:1-15). Both Moses and Jesus were called to lead God’s people to freedom; Moses led them out of bondage to Pharaoh, Jesus even now leads people out of bondage to sin (Exodus 3; John 8:31-36). The ministries of both men included stupendous, supernatural sign miracles, which were calculated to supremely vindicate their radical claims (Exodus 4:30; John 11:45). In the Red Sea, the people were baptized into Moses (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). That is, in identifying with God’s man for that hour, they experienced supernatural salvation (Exodus 14). Believers in Christ are baptized into His body (1 Corinthians 12:13). Identifying with Him by baptism into His death, they are raised with Him also, now as new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) that they may walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). The contrasts between the two men are even more captivating than their similarities. The writer to the Hebrews explains that Jesus is “counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:3-4). Moses was a faithful servant to be sure. He was, however, like all of us, a finite and fallen creature. In stark contrast, Christ the Lord is the King of eternity. He is the high and lofty One (Isaiah 57:15), the uncreated Creator of all things. Whereas Moses was a human servant of God, Jesus is by nature God’s own Son (Hebrews 3:5-6). How wonderful it is that we who have trusted in Christ are also regarded as sons of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14; Philippians 2:15), to be fully revealed in the last day (Romans 8:18-19; 1 John 3:1-3). Let us praise God for this amazing expression of His mercy and grace.
God bless,
pastor john
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