04/10/2020
CHAPTER 4
“MOSES WROTE OF ME”
ESTABLISHING MOSES’ VISION
“Yahweh…will raise up a prophet like me.”Deuteronomy 18:15
“If you really believed him, you would believe me too.” John 5:46
PRIESTS, NOT KINGS AND WARRIORS
Aside from a few spiritual luminaries, Israel never understood its role as a nation of priests. After Exodus 19 the phrase, “kingdom of priests” or “royal priesthood,” does not appear again in the scriptural canon until the very end. The idea must have seemed mysterious and incomprehensible. No future writers, except for Isaiah in 61:8 and 66:18-21, ever picked up on the idea until the end of the New Testament.
Jesus brought to reality what Moses could only envision. At the end of life Peter, having seen the great high priest crucified, having been forgiven for denying his Lord, having seen the resurrection, and preaching in the power of the Spirit after Pentecost, finally understood Moses. In 1 Peter 2:9 he described the people of God as a royal priesthood. After Peter, then John repeats the idea in Revelation 1:6, 5:10, and 20:6. God’s people would be priests who govern rather than kings who practice religion. They would even sacrifice their own lives rather than take the lives of others, because the basis of their authority would be eternal and not temporal.
In Exodus 19, Moses did not say that Israel should be a nation of priests. Rather, he said they would be a nation of priests. Whether the Israelites were aware of being God’s priests or not, they were God’s nation of priests. We see a glimpse of how this government of priests was intended to function in the book of Judges. In Judges the center of authority was a place of sacrifice where the priests mediated the relationship between the people and their King in heaven. The people were free to manage their relationships with each other without the intrusion of a complicated bureaucracy or the inconvenience of taxes for military purposes and enhancement of the king’s prestige. Their obligatory tithes went principally for maintenance of the priesthood and the Levitical functions. During that period God sent judges on a temporary basis to handle national emergencies when needed. It wasn’t until the people lost faith in their priestly leadership that Israel fell back into monarchy and tyranny. The political changes Moses introduced were lost, but not the memory of the vision, which the prophets kept alive.
After the monarchy, it took the exile for Israel to recover its mission. In exile Israel began to shine as a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 53, 42:6, 49:6, 60:3) as Isaiah described the situation. In exile Israel’s stubborn non-conformity to the nations all around became the “voice crying in the wilderness” of which John the Baptist was the final, climactic articulation before Jesus. By the time of John, people from India to Spain to Africa knew about the Jews for their fanatical devotion to their one God and often despised them for that reason. But also, many were profoundly impressed and full of admiration. The fallow ground was being broken up (Jeremiah 4:3; Hosea 10:12) and made ready for the seeds of God’s kingdom to grow.
When the gospel news arrived, Gentiles were prepared to receive it.. Now that the ground was ready for planting, the gospel would be like seeds sprouting and yeast expanding as Jesus said it would (Matthew 13). This should open a window for understanding how God governs and effects social change
Hebrews 11:10 tells us that Abraham looked for a city “whose builder and maker is God.” What Jesus established was already in Abraham’s heart (Genesis 12:1-3), and the idea of a priestly, holy people first connects Abraham with Moses, then with Jesus, and finally with us, his children by faith. In this way God’s original purpose for humanity to be God’s co-regents with him (Genesis 1:26-28) is coming into being as a holy city of priests.
NATIONAL SECURITY AND GOD’S MISSION TO ALL NATIONS
The next issue to explore involves the national defense. In what way could the “violent” Moses, who insisted on a policy of ethnic cleansing, possibly be the model for Jesus? As discussed in the previous chapter, Moses’ vision was for Israel to be an unarmed state living by faith in its God. Moses promised Israel that God would fight for them, and the Psalms tell us again and again that Yahweh is a warrior.
In Exodus 23 Moses delivered God’s promise, “I will throw the peoples into confusion, and they will turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you.” When we examine carefully Moses’ first introduction to the idea of occupying Palestine, his rhetoric resembles more an eviction than genocide. Yahweh himself would serve as the sheriff’s department to handle the eviction. Later in chapter 34 God again promised to evict the current residents from the land.
With hindsight today, we should be able to recognize Moses’ creative strategy and how refined was Moses’ vision. When Israel arrived at Kadesh Barnea the Canaanites would have heard scary stories about what had happened in Egypt. It would have taken nothing more than a serious infestation of hornets in one locality to set off a regional panic that would empty the cities of inhabitants as Israel advanced.
At the same time an evangelistic opportunity was squandered. Israel would not have understood God’s evangelistic purpose inherent within the Abrahamic covenant, but an evangelistic potential was there. Once God had evicted the Canaanites, then those evicted people would have opportunity to come back from the mountains and deserts to learn about Israel’s God.
Instead of Israel being assimilated into Canaanite culture, Canaanites who humbly came to seek God would assimilate into Israel’s culture. If we take the position that God’s evangelistic plan for the world is already present in the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3), then this is the best explanation for what we find in Israel’s story of exodus and conquest. But here we find again how God patiently works with his hardhearted and stubborn people.
As a developing nation Israel had spent its childhood in Egypt (Hosea 11:1). During that time the anti-Hebrew prejudice of the Egyptians prevented Israel’s full cultural assimilation and served to preserve its unique identity. When leaving Egypt, it was time for Israel to grow up. In its national adolescence, Israel would soon want to conform to whatever its peers in the neighborhood were doing
The neighborhood was not a safe place for Israel to mature. It had to be cleaned up, the halls of prostitution (pagan temples where prostitution was practiced) had to be shut down, and the criminals removed. Before God could show his mercy to the nations, he had to prepare his own people for the task of faithful witness. When God limits himself to use human vessels, then God’s love of mercy has no channel for its outlet until his vessels are ready to carry it.
As already noted, it was centuries later in exile that Israel began to shine as the light for many distant nations. The good news is that God used Israel in spite of itself to prepare the world for Messiah, even though Israel was unaware of the strategy. With this much said about Moses, we need to see how Jesus built on Moses and make the application to the issue of national security.
The issues of national security in Jesus’ time were fundamentally no different from security issues for Moses or for us today. Moses’ kingship regulations of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 describe Moses’ social vision for political leadership in Israel as follows: (1) God would choose the king. (2) He would not build up armaments. (3) He would not multiply wives (the common currency for diplomatic relations). (4) He must not use taxes to make himself more wealthy than other people. (5) He must be a scholar of God’s law in order to judge the nation justly. The first and last requirements were seldom operational among Israel’s kings, and no king of Israel even attempted to obey the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th restrictions. Only the Messiah could fulfill Moses’ vision for political leadership. Deuteronomy 17 should be recognized as prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. Now let us see how Jesus exercised authority without recourse to arms.
Standing before Pilate in John 18:34ff, Jesus announced that the source of his authority was not from this world. That doesn’t mean he didn’t claim authority in this world. It simply was rooted in a higher source of authority.
Later after the resurrection and after Pentecost in Acts 4, Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin under suspicion of fomenting revolution. These troublesome disciples apparently were still unwilling to recognize that their executed leader was dead. Peter insisted Jesus was alive, and that, in effect, the government had shifted to Jesus’ shoulders. “There is no other name under heaven known to humankind by which we (the Jewish nation) can be saved.”
Peter’s statement was not intended merely to teach the members of the court how to be saved and go to heaven. The context involved the authority to govern. The Sanhedrin needed to reverse its condemnation of Jesus. The court had recently declared Jesus’ claim to Divine authority fraudulent and sentenced him to death. But the court decision had been overturned by the supreme court of heaven. The lower court on earth needed to accept the higher court’s decision. God had chosen the king (as described in Deuteronomy 17:14-15). The lower court would have to submit to the decision or be called to account.
Jesus had repeatedly demonstrated his authority over this world without a hint of political entanglement in this world. No governor, mayor, or public administrator ever endorsed him. Like Abram with the King of S***m (Genesis 14), Jesus refused all such entanglements. Previous to the triumphal entry, his only public endorsements as Messiah came from the Samaritan woman in John 4 and the blind beggar of the synoptics when he passed through Jericho.
Jesus’ teaching displayed an aura of absolute confidence and authority that amazed everyone and left his opponents speechless (Matthew 7:29, 9:6-8, &21:22-27; Mark 1:22-27 2:10, & 11:26-33; Luke 4: 32-36 & 5:24). Whenever he confronted a crowd the reality of his personal authority became obvious. At the hill of Nazareth (Luke 4) he faced down a murderous mob, said something like “Excuse me,” and then passed through the angry crowd. No one dared oppose him once he had decided to leave. In every confrontation with his enemies, he outmaneuvered them.
Jesus’ peaceful, yet dramatic entry into Jerusalem on the donkey directly under the noses of the occupying Roman army caught his enemies by complete surprise. His bold, yet peaceful occupation of the temple area put him in charge of the city to do whatever he wanted.
The authorities were so intimidated by his followers who gathered on every street corner, that they dared not arrest him publicly. In effect, Jerusalem was an occupied city with Jesus’ army in control.
When the arrest came under cover of darkness, the crowning proof of his total mastery of every social encounter came to light in that encounter. John tells us that when the arresting officers arrived, Jesus spoke the “I AM,” and the arresting officers all dropped to the ground. They were outgunned by this one unarmed man and they instinctively knew it. His personal word of authority could have put a militia of 10,000 on their knees before him.
Jesus agreed to submit only after negotiating for the safety of his followers (John 18:1-11). Revelation 19:15 reconfirms this reality where Jesus defeats his enemies simply by his Word of authority, the Sword coming out of his mouth. Whenever Jesus reveals his full, innate authority, even the universe itself cannot but obey.
Incidentally John 18 also reveals Jesus as the master teacher that he was. Previously Jesus’ method had been to first let his disciples see his work and hear his teaching for a period of time. Then he send them out to practice what they had seen—heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and bring the good news to the poor. Now at his arrest he again demonstrated superbly his teaching strategy. The night before his arrest Jesus authorized that a couple of daggers be brought with them to the garden.
He knew they would want to defend him, and he let them try it. At Jesus’ arrest Peter showed his bravery and commitment when he single-handedly attacked the entire squadron, and the police did not stop him. Before the guards could grab Peter, Jesus took charge. He reprimanded Peter, healed the injured victim, and then took some time to lecture his disciples about the futility of relying on armed force. Jesus too control while the police stood by. Only after the teaching session was over did Jesus permit the arrest to happen.
Jesus’ trials before Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate also reveal him to be the person in charge. In each case he gave these men a clear opportunity to declare his innocence and acknowledge his claims. In their refusal each one condemned not only himself, but the very system of justice under which he was tried.
Jesus’ triumphal entry had been made with shouts of coronation right under the noses of the tightest military security that Rome could provide, yet the Romans were clueless as to what was happening, while their Jewish puppets shook with terror upon seeing Jesus’ growing power and influence (Matthew 21).
What should have become clear to all was that Jesus could handle anything, including the national defense and the Roman problem. After Pentecost in Acts 4 Peter and John’s testimony before the Sanhedrin gave the rulers one more chance to acknowledge their mistake and submit to Jesus. Peace on earth was at hand if they would only embrace it. Today the same confrontation is being repeated all over the world. Will the nations follow Jesus or continue in the old ways without him? The solution waits to be embraced and adopted.
Jesus brought to reality what Moses could only envision. Protection (the police and the military) and provision (the economy) are the principle services governments are expected to provide. Only Jesus can handle both with perfect justice. Now we will explore how Jesus’ new government handles our need for provision differently from the way things have been normally done.
ECONOMICS IN THE KINGDOM
In Matthew 6:19-34 Jesus discusses the issue of economic necessity. “These are the things (what you eat and what you wear) that occupy the minds of the unbelievers (Gentiles),” Jesus said. While not irrelevant, these things are of secondary importance. Even allowing for a bit of hyperbole here, this passage is still Jesus’ most definitive statement on economic matters. The writer of Hebrews admonished us to “Be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5), and Paul says something similar in Philippians 4:11 and 1 Timothy 6:8.
The parable of investments in Luke 19 is also helpful. Dr. Kenneth Bailey, commenting on this parable from a Middle Eastern perspective, describes it this way. A nobleman went to a far country to receive a kingdom (as Herod the Great had done in a visit to Rome years before). This was high-stakes politics. If the nobleman actually succeeded in obtaining the crown, the value of his investments would multiply rapidly. If he failed, his investments would be a lost cause, and he could even lose his life.
The nobleman’s servants who invested the money were declaring their faith in the success of his mission. The servant who hid his talent in the ground was betting that the master would fail, and at least his one talent would not depreciate in value or be lost altogether. The lesson of the parable from this perspective tells us we are expected to gamble big on the success of God’s kingdom in our investments. Whatever we put at risk will ultimately pay off. And should we lose our investments and find ourselves in need, still “the heavenly father knows what you need before you ask … (therefore) ask and you will receive” (Matthew 7:7-8 & Luke 11:9-10).
Matthew (chapter 25), sharing this same parable for a Jewish audience, did not need to describe the purpose of the nobleman’s journey, as his Jewish audience (by contrast with Luke’s Gentile audience) would have been well aware of Herod’s journey to Rome. King Herod the Great had originally received his kingship from Octavian in a similar fashion. .
Matthew’s placement of this same parable together with his sheep and goats prophecy in chapter 25 is also significant. One group, the goats, calculated self-interest only in making its investments, while the other group, the sheep, considered broader social needs and opportunities.
James writes, “Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts (James 5:4 NASBRE).” One current view of economics is that competition and self-interest create wealth for all, and thereby justifies greed. History has shown again and again that the “for all” assumption is not true.
In Galatians 5:20 (NIV), selfish ambition is listed along with s*xual immorality, idolatry, and witchcraft as deeds of the flesh to be avoided. Unrestrained competition and survival of the fittest is the essence of social Darwinism. In this system the losers must die, the winners climb higher and higher, while the corporate kings of the world battle out their fields of dominance at the expense of those who depend upon them for economic security. By contrast the competition taught in the New Testament is best describes in Hebrews 10:24 as “provoke one another unto love and good works (KJV).” Other translations say spur or encourage love and good works. Adequate distribution will occur only when respect for God together with an active compassion for the poor is written into the social fabric.
Moses understood these economic realities more than 3000 years ago. He tried to institute the Year of Jubilee, a time for periodic wealth redistribution. Jubilee in the Old Testament was specifically for God’s people. It was to function on the theological assumption that the land belonged to God and was distributed according to the needs of the families living on it.
In a system where God was seen as the land owner, occupancy was handled in the form of a lease as part of the covenant between God and Israel. Individual families could sublease their land to other families until the year of Jubilee. (Leviticus 25) No permanent sales were permitted. No real estate empires could be built. There is no record of Israel ever following up on this piece of Mosaic legislation. One would expect that if it had been followed regularly, then there would be some reference in the Old Testament to this having occurred. We do know, however, that the idea never died, as Jesus sermon in Nazareth from Luke 4 demonstrates.
When we look closely at the system Moses proposed, we find other expressions of what we might call the spirit of Jubilee. In Leviticus harvesters were told, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 23:22 NIV). Again “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee” (Leviticus 25:38-40 NIV). And again “Love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18 NIV). “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you” (Leviticus 25:35 NIV).
In this system efficiency was never a virtue or even a primary value. Sufficiency equaled contentment and generosity was a virtue. One need not seek to eliminate competition, but a godly competitor would still hope to ensure that another competitor would have a good living as well as oneself. Centuries later Isaiah would complain, “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land” (5:8).
Economic Jubilee did begin in the early church when leaders such as Barnabas liquidated properties to deal with chronic shortages experienced by the widows and orphans of the Christian body. Periodic redistribution of wealth needs to happen on a voluntary basis as an ongoing way of life among God’s people. No doubt the failure of western Christian society to practice economic Jubilee provided the inspiration for Karl Marx’s theories and the disaster of Communism that followed.
Based upon Jesus’ promises about God’s care for God’s people, Jesus’ followers can afford to take on projects and risks the world could never afford, but only when such is done in obedience to Christ as led by his Holy Spirit. We should expect that social change inspired by the ideals of Moses and the teaching of Jesus will move in the direction of some kind of Jubilee under which all families have opportunity for a livelihood.
Over time systems must be periodically adjusted to achieve redistribution. Jesus said, “Do not worry about what you will eat or drink or wear. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. These are the things the Gentiles set their hearts on” (Matthew 6:32). Wherever self-interest is the primary value, the kingdom of heaven has not come.
The Old Testament bears witness to the reality of God’s provision for God’s people with these words, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). As a further personal testimony for myself, I want my readers to know that while I grew up in a family on the edge of poverty, facing crippling diseases, shocking medical expenses, confinement of the breadwinner in a mental institution for 3 months, unemployment, and prejudice, I never was hungry, slept in the cold, or felt unloved and neglected at home. Also, my family never requested or received even $1 in public assistance. God’s people were there on more than one occasion when things became impossible. I add my own witness to the truth of the psalmist’s testimony.
OBSERVATION AND PROJECTION
Jesus said his gospel would be like seed in the ground that changes the very ecosystem it inhabits. The sprouting of gospel truth in the soil of human consciousness has changed the world profoundly and continues to catalyze change in preparation for our Lord’s return. The next chapter examines the nitty gritty of process as to how this has occurred.
