Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 (Epiphany 4: Series B)
Moses cannot do what needs to be done for Israel much less for himself. We need a prophet greater than Moses, since even Moses needs a savior for himself.
In our reading for today, Moses is speaking about a new prophet who will be an intermediary, one who stands between the people and God, just as Moses stood before God and brought His Word to the awe-struck Israelites at Horeb (verse 16). Ironically, this is the exact sort of wonder the people had over the authority of Jesus as a prophet in our assigned gospel reading for this Sunday from Mark 1:21-28. The question our text contemplates is where to find the presence of God when He seems to be absent. Where and who will show us the way? The answer in our text is that God is to be found in the Word uttered by the prophet after Moses who is also consequently greater than Moses. This prophet, of course, is Jesus Christ.
The natural way to preach this text is using “typology.” In typology, the preacher considers how an event, person, or institution in the text (in other words, the type) prefigures a later working of God in another event, person, or institution (the antitype). In identifying the type as Moses, you will want to consider the following three elements:
(1) Historical Significance: Unlike allegory, which moves from earthly to heavenly, typology moves from old to new. So, you will examine the spiritual significance of the person of Moses in the text.
(2) Theocentric Action: To avoid making types out of smaller details (known as typologizing), you must identify how God is at work in Moses and what is fundamental about that working which leads from type to antitype.
(3) Analogy and Escalation: The movement from type to antitype will have an “equal-to-but-greater-than” relationship. The antitype will be equal but greater than the type. Sometimes, this relationship involves antithetical typology, in which case the type is a negative image of the antitype. Here we do not need to be creative with the text. Instead, we can just make use of the fulfillment of this prophecy about Christ who is our greater-than-Moses-prophet from Hebrews 3:1-6:
“Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself (for every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God). Now, Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son.”
In order to set this typology up for preaching, you can select one teaching event in the life of Moses to compare to Jesus, one sign/wonder occurrence in the life of Moses to compare to Jesus, and, finally, the death of Moses to show the need for Jesus for all people. In each of the events you choose it is necessary to demonstrate the work of God through Moses but, more importantly, the incomplete nature or lack of completability of Moses’ work. This is necessary so that in your escalation to Christ you can always emphasize Christ’s “greater-than-nature” to Moses. With each movement away from Moses to Jesus, you are intensifying the need for Christ. Moses cannot do what needs to be done for Israel much less for himself. We need a prophet greater than Moses, since even Moses needs a savior for himself.
With each movement away from Moses to Jesus, you are intensifying the need for Christ.
This is seen the clearest at the death of Moses. At the end of Deuteronomy (chapter 34), Moses does not even make it into the Promised Land. He dies on the edge of it, looking from the top of Mount Nebo. Moses is incapable of going into the Promised Land because of his sins at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20). At the end of his life, Moses felt like a failure and understood the weight of his sin, something we can all relate to. You and I and Moses need a prophet, someone greater than ourselves to bring us to God. That can only be found in Jesus, who in His mercy shows us how He fulfilled this promise for Moses and then for us.
Did you know that Moses eventually did make it to the Promised Land? Oh, I know what you are thinking. Of course, he did. By faith in Jesus (Hebrews 11:28) he made it to the BIG promised land in Heaven. But do you recall how he made it there here on earth as well? Yes, it was at the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36). There we see Moses arrived in the Promised Land because Jesus got him there. This is great news for Moses, and for you and me as well. There is hope for sinners in this life and there is hope for you. We have the greatest prophet of all, far better than Moses ever was, in Jesus Christ. He is great enough and strong enough to get you into the promised land of Heaven forever, but it was not because of what He did on the Mount of Transfiguration. Instead, it would be because of what He did on Mount Calvary. On that hill, Jesus meets with you and your sin, and He steps between you and the wrath of God for sin. Then, Jesus is buried for you, taking your punishment to the grave. But He does not stop there. Jesus continues His work by doing something you and I could never do. Jesus rises again, and His resurrection is for Moses and all God’s people, even you and me. One day we will stand before Jesus in true glory and see with Moses and all those who by faith are saved by God’s extraordinary grace the everlasting Promised Land forever.
In order to accomplish a “Typology” for the sermon, we will want to employ the Frame and Refrain Structure. For this configuration in the sermon, we will use Moses’ “Type” as the “Image,” and utilize “Escalation” (see description above) as the “Refrain” (the refrain might be something like: “We need someone greater than Moses”).
“This sermon structure uses a single image in the opening and the closing of the sermon for the hearers. In the opening use of the image, the preacher describes the image and then offers a thematic statement he associates with the image. The central body of the sermon then becomes a preaching of that thematic statement. The thematic statement becomes a refrain which holds the sermon together. The preacher uses that thematic statement to interpret the text and to apply the text to the lives of the hearers. It often helps if the refrain is gospel-centered so it enables the preacher to proclaim the Gospel as it is heard in the text, the theological teaching, and the lives of the hearers today. The sermon concludes by returning to the image (creating a frame around the body of the sermon) and offering the hearers a final climactic statement of the refrain.”[1]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Deuteronomy 18:15-20.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Deuteronomy 18:15-20.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Deuteronomy 18:15-20.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
Lectionary Podcast- Rev. Prof. Ryan Tietz Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Deuteronomy 18:15-20.
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/imagistic-structures/frame-refrain/
