Foreshadowing of Moses

Many ceremonies that God had given to Israel, had a purpose. Many times it was to teach us about the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the need for a payment for that sin.

We want to look into the foreshadowing Moses, pointing us to Jesus.

Deuteronomy 18:15

Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

There had been many prophets after Moses, but none like Moses.

There was none who had heard from God in the same way as Moses. None who had been in His presence like Moses. None who God had established a covenant with, like Moses.

Moses Foreshadow’s Jesus

Matthew’s desire is to show Jesus as the new Moses.

Matthew 5:1

Matthew 5:1 ESV

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Jesus going up on a mountain. For what purpose? To redefine the law for the people.

v.17, He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

v.21, you’ve heard don’t murder, but if you hate it’s the same as murdering.

Matthew is showing that Moses was the anti-type, or that which is pointing to Jesus.

Exodus

Moses led the people out of Egypt.

Matthew 2:15

Matthew 2:15 ESV

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew takes time to show that Jesus came from Egypt.

Bread From Heaven

Moses gave the people bread from heaven.

John 6:35

John 6:35 ESV

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jesus states that He is the bread from heaven.

Passover Lamb

Moses gave the passover lamb to the people to save them from the wrath of God that passed through Egypt.

This was a practice that the people continued to remember the work that God had done.

Changing the Seder

Jesus now takes the traditional meal that had been instituted by God, passed down from generations to remember God delivering them.

Jesus does the unthinkable!! He changes it, ratify’s it.

We see God incarnate ratify the meal as a remembrance of a new, better covenant.

“Blood of the Covenant”

v.28

In Exodus 19 we see God setting up boundaries and standards for approaching Him.

Reminding people that He is holy, and we must approach Him on His terms…not our own.

Exodus 20-23 God reminds the people that He is the one who has delivered them from slavery. That He saved and provided for them through the desert, and that they owe their very lives to Him.

Then, we see God giving them more detailed information about who He is, how He governs.

This contained the Ten commandments or the moral law.

It contained laws about disputes and how you were to treat one another, laws about social justice. This was all the civil law.

It also contained laws about sabbaths, and festivals and sacrifices. This was the ceremonial law.

Exodus 24:4-8

We see God making a covenant with the people.

They acknowledged that the law of God was good.

That they would obey the way God had decreed them to live.

This covenant was sealed with the blood of oxen

v.6

The blood was first thrown on the alter to symbolize that their sins had been forgiven.

v.8

The blood on the people shows a couple things.

First, it is a statement, saying if I break the covenant I am now making and agreeing to, may I become like this animal that just died.

Second, Then it was thrown on the people to show that God had accepted their sacrifice. That when God looks at them he sees the life that died to pay for their sins.

They were now included in the covenant through forgiveness.

Fast forward to Jesus

As He changes the order of the seder, He states that his is the blood of the covenant.

The blood (sacrifice) of Jesus covers us, showing that we are in a covenant with Him, not based on the blood of ox, but by God incarnate.

Understand when you take of the cup, just like in the Mosaic covenant, there is punishment if taken in an unworthy manner.

Paul writes that if you take the cup in an unworthy manner you bring judgement on yourself and are guilty of the blood and body of the Lord.

However, the blood also points towards us having forgiveness of sins.

v.28

Forgiveness of sins

Jesus, at the last supper is instituting the new covenant.

This points us to Jeremiah

Jeremiah 31:31-35

The Lord points back to the covenant that he made with Israel, but what happened?

They sinned

Then the Lord points forward to what is happening in the upper room.

A new covenant. 2 things with this new covenant.

1) He will remember our sin no more

This is where what the institution of the Lord’s supper comes in.

He will no longer remember our sin.

The terms of the new covenant are so much greater than the old. For in the new, when you break the terms of the covenant, there is forgiveness.

2) God will write his law within them!

This is pointing to the Holy Spirit, how God directs us, shows us things through His word!

We shall be His people!!

How Glorious is this!!

Ephesians 2:12-13

Ephesians 2:12–13 ESV

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus we are made right with God.

The sacrifices were pointing foreward to Christ, when He would put an end to sin.

When we take communion, we must remember the sacrifice that Jesus has made. We must remember that we are forgiven. We must live serve the living God.

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