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Moses, the redeemer by Jean-Louis Coraboeuf "Then Jesus went back in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about. And He Himself taught in their synagogues, being praised by all" (Luke 4:14-15). "And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses." And he said, "Here am I... And the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows... Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." And Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" And He said, "Certainly I will be with you; and this shall be a token to you that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain"" (Exodus 3:4,7,10-12). Moses was called by God to be the redeemer of the Hebrews. That is why, having become an adult and seeing the injustices towards his Hebrew brothers, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating one of them. One day, he also tried to separate two Hebrews who were quarrelling, but the latter rejected his authority, "Who established you as leader and judge over us?" (Exodus 2:14). So Moses had to flee into the desert for 40 years. Although he was called to free the Hebrews, Moses was required to meet God near the burning bush before becoming their redeemer [goel], "Now go, I will send you before Pharaoh, and you will cause My people, the children of Israel, to come out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10). The goel is the one who is a close relative and who has the right of redemption (Ruth 2:20). That is why, Moses acted in place of God against the Pharaoh for God considered the Hebrew People as His own Son (Exodus 4:23). So the Hebrew people became God's redeemed people (Psalm 74:2), the Covenant people. At first, he left Egypt to receive the Torah of God in the Sinai desert. Then he had to cross the Jordan river to enter the Land God promised Abraham. Moses is a prefiguration of the Messiah-Redeemer (the Goel). Jesus came on earth to be the Redeemer of mankind, but He had to await His heavenly Father's mandate, "You are My Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with you" (Luke 3:22 Interlinear), and to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore He has anointed me to announce Good News..." (Luke 4:16), to begin His ministry. As Moses was not established judge of the Hebrews, neither was Jesus, made a judge over the people of Israel at His first coming (Luke 12:14). But He came to be the Goel on the cross who paid the price of the ransom which delivers men form the kingdom of Satan and brings them into God's Covenant renewed in Jesus Christ. By the means of His Words, Jesus came to establish the "Kingdom's Torah" (James 2:8) of this renewed Covenant. Redemption is accomplished in two steps. First, we have the redemption of our soul who receives eternal life. Then we have the redemption of our body that will take place at the time of Jesus' second coming (Romans 8:1,23 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-55). Jesus Christ gave first eternal life to our soul, then he will cause our body to rise up so that it becomes glorious at the time of His second coming. He will judge the nations (Revelation 19:11) and then we will reign with Him in His Kingdom when it is established on earth (Revelation 20:6). |