The entire Old Testament, though dealing with the history of the nations and of Israel, ultimately spoke of the Messiah, the Redeemer who would come.”  – J. Hampton Keathley, III

I love that God has creatively woven types and parallels throughout the history of His people that highlight Christ through various people and events.

With Christmas approaching, I thought this would be a good time to detour from Exodus 7:14—the beginning of the 10 plagues in Egypt—and instead highlight how Moses foreshadows Christ. After all, Christ is God’s main event in which the Old Testament leads up to.

Though not your traditional Christmas message, it’s interesting to see how pieces of Moses’ life reflect some of Jesus’ life.

Similarities Between Moses and Jesus

• Pharaoh killed innocent children during the time of Moses’ birth (Exodus 1:22). King Herod also killed innocent children in Bethlehem during the time of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:16).
• Moses had to flee his home due to Pharaoh’s persecution (Exodus 2:15). Jesus and his parents also had to flee their native land due to Herod’s persecution (Matthew 2:14).
• Moses was able to return when told: “All the men are dead that sought your life” (Exodus 4:19). Jesus was also able to return after Herod’s death: “those who sought the child’s life are dead” (Matthew 2:20-21).
• Moses prayed and God healed Miriam’s leprosy (Numbers 12:10-13). Jesus healed the leper (Matthew 8:2-3).
• Twelve messengers were chosen by Moses. Hoshea, Moses’ close assistant, is renamed Joshua (Numbers 13:2-16). Twelve apostles were chosen by Jesus. Simon, Jesus’ close friend, is renamed Peter (Matthew 16:17-19; Mark 3:16-17).

My favorite similarity between Moses and Jesus is their role of being deliverers. God raised Moses up to deliver His people, the Israelites, from Egyptian bondage. God sent Jesus to earth not only to teach us His ways, but also to deliver us from the bondage of sin and eternal death.

Have you accepted His free gift of forgiveness and salvation through His Son?

Prophecies of the Birth of Christ by J. Hampton Keathley, III offers a thought provoking study on Jesus’ birth and how to identify the true Deliverer from counterfeits. I know some of you can easily digest his words in one sitting. But if you’re like me trying to stay a float with the holiday to-do list, a couple paragraphs or sections a day would make a great study leading up to Christmas.

Blessings!