BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesusਨਮੂਨਾ

Of all God’s servants, Moses was the number one greatest prophet, leader, and lawgiver. But the author of Hebrews says, even Moses bows to the Messiah, God’s Son, the greatest servant of all.

Moses submits to another? Yes. Israel’s Pharaoh-confronting, Red-Sea-splitting, Torah-receiving, tabernacle-constructing, wilderness-leading, people-judging prophet and patriarch is only one part of a bigger story.

This bold statement is not to belittle Moses—not at all. The author praises Moses, referring to him as a “servant” with the Greek term therapon. Therapon suggests an honorable status for “one who renders devoted service.” And the author does not use the common term doulos, meaning “slave or servant,” which conveys a lower status.

Moses is the chief of God’s household. However, God builds the house and creates everything. So the builder, God in the Messiah, reigns over the household. Moses built the tabernacle according to a cosmic template, but Jesus built the entire cosmos, including that cosmic template.

Jesus surpasses all, Moses included. So it’s wise to trust and obey Jesus more than Israel’s wilderness generation trusted God when their knees were knocking at Kadesh Barnea, on the edge of the promised land. They were so terrified by their foes that they abandoned faith and lost the ability to see reality through God’s eyes.

They did whatever made the most sense in their own eyes and died in the wild (Num. 13-14). They rejected God’s promise and refused to enter the promised land. Even Moses died in the wilderness with them. “Learn from that mistake! Don’t let fear shake you now,” the author of Hebrews is saying.

Today’s final reading unit, Hebrews 4:14-16, is worth our close attention. There, the author begins an explanation (which continues into tomorrow’s reading) for why we can trust Jesus. He describes Jesus as being both God’s divine high priest and humanity’s flesh-and-blood brother at the same time.

He’s not an “other,” judging humanity from a safe distance. Rather, Jesus is united with humanity, suffering with us to provide merciful assistance—not condemnation—when we falter in humanity’s common weakness (Heb. 4:16). So walk boldly without fear, bowing in peace at Jesus’ throne. And trust Jesus all the way into his promise of new life in the new creation.

Reflection Questions

• Thinking back to Numbers 13-14, why did the Israelites fail to enter the promised land? How does that shed light on the meaning of today’s passage in Hebrews?
• Meditate on Hebrews 4:12-13. What conclusions can we draw about the word of God from these verses? What does this suggest about accountability to God’s revelation?