Then Moses said to the Lord, “O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” [Numbers 27.15-17]
This is so interesting... As Moses interceded for Israel, he prophesied about Jesus. There is one phrase in the passage above that should draw our focus: like sheep without a shepherd. We see this important phrase (a clue, really) in Matthew's Gospel:
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” [Matthew 9.35-38]
Moses, who represents the Law, was not able to bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. Why? Because of the sin of disobedience. In all Moses' glory, he was still a man of sin (disobedience) and therefore unable to enter the Promised Land on his own merit. The very Law he represented, prevented him from entering.
The Law was never meant to get us to heaven. Its very existence was to prevent entrance to heaven! Stay with me... Because of Adam's disobedience, sin passed on to all mankind. Mankind was tainted - stained with the irremovable stain of sin and its accompanying death. Only the Law, in all its unattainable requirements, could make sure that man understood his fallen condition. And yet the Law, with all its demands, served to shepherd the sheep (even to intercede for them as Moses demonstrates in the subject passage above) until the Good Shepherd arrived. The Law, by design, points us to Jesus.
Joshua obviously represented Jesus. Joshua's life and faith speak of Jesus' unwavering faith in the midst of daunting circumstances (sickness, disease, trials and brokenness). Jesus did not bow down to the circumstances but demanded they submit to His Word - the Word of God - and He repeatedly attributed this power to faith. Not only did Jesus attribute His power to faith, but He encouraged - even demanded - that His followers do likewise. Matthew 9.35-38 reveals God's heart for lost sheep and His plan for those who follow Him to reveal His heart in their actions.
But, back to the Law - back to Moses. We should recognize Moses' intercession in Numbers 27.15-17. Even in his inability to enter the Promised Land, his purpose remained intent on seeing Israel enter. The Law will get no man into heaven because man is fallen and the Law therefore can only prevent man from entering. But what the Law does is intercede for man by revealing man's need for the Good Shepherd Who alone can bring them to heaven.
To think of the Law as "bad" is short-sighted. To do so is likened to seeing Moses as "bad" ...but we know from Scripture that Moses was nothing if he was not the poster child for intercession for Israel!
This should not confuse us, but give us great comfort in Christ. The Apostle Paul said it beautifully:
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. [Romans 8.3-4]
Wow. Just wow.
Father, thank You for Your amazing Word. Please help us to see Jesus revealed in every detail pertaining to the Law of Moses...
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