Deut. 34, Moses: The Servant of the LORD

Who was Moses?

     1.      Law-giver (John 1:17)

     2.      Prophet (Deut. 18:18)

     3.      Miracle-worker (Ex. 4:19)

     4.      Friend of God (Ex. 33:11)

     5.      Intercessor (Ex. 32:30-32)

     6.      Leader of 2-3 million people (Ex. 3:10; Num. 2:51)

     7.      Man of God (Dt. 33:1; Josh. 14:6)

     8.      Historian (Ezra 6:18; Neh. 13:1)

     9.      Inspired author of 5 books of Bible

     10.    Hymn Writer (Ps.90)

But more than anything, Moses was known in the Bible as “the servant of the LORD.”  This title appears 41 times in Scripture, including 3 times by other people who acknowledged this to be his chief title.  In addition, 2 times in Exodus we read the phrase, “as the LORD commanded Moses.”  Num. 12:3 says, Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.  In Heb. 3:1-6 the assessment of God is that Moses was “faithful as a servant.”

In God’s plan, those who serve attain greatness (Mk. 10:42-45).  … whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man dd not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. 

Jesus, of course is the consummate Servant.  He was glorified because He took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:5-11).  Isaiah’s prophecy declared the role of the Messiah in four “Servant Songs.”  But what is significant in our study is how often Moses is linked to Christ. 

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). 

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words (Jn. 5:46-47). 

And Moses ndeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end (Heb. 3:5-6).

Obviously, in the comparisons, Jesus is always better than Moses.  But the point here is that the comparison is between Jesus and Moses.  Moses was truly great in God’s plan, and it’s because he was the servant of the LORD!