Two Old Testament greats who had to give way to Jesus Christ

 

by

Damien F. Mackey

  

“When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus”.

 Matthew 17:8

  

Immediately following this, his manifestation in glory, Jesus, coming down from the Mountain of Transfiguration, will refer to his Resurrection, and to John the Baptist having come in the spirit of Elijah (vv. 9-13):

 

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead’.

The disciples asked him, ‘Why then do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?’

 

Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands’. Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

 

Here I intend to consider John the Baptist and also Moses, who, with said Elijah, was present at the Transfiguration. The Baptist and Moses had to, in a sense, diminish, so that Jesus Christ could wax the greater (John 3:30): ‘He must increase, and I must decrease’.

 

What follows is not original, but has been picked up from various talks and videos.

 

Saint John the Baptist

 

John the Baptist was, in fact, the head of the Old Testament.

 

Apart from his being prefigured by the prophet Elijah, as Jesus had recalled, John was marvellously foreshadowed by another worthy person, Jonathan, the son of King Saul and the bosom friend of David, the Lord’s anointed. Though Jonathan was the natural heir to Saul’s throne, being the king’s eldest son, he was prepared to yield to his friend, David, knowing that this was what the Lord had intended. For David, not he, Jonathan, was the Lord’s anointed.

 

What a man! What humility!

 

Jonathan could easily have had David removed out of the way by assisting his jealous father in the latter’s desire to have David killed.

Instead, he will risk his own life for the sake of his friend, David.

 

The remarkable sacrifice of the dedicated Jonathan is well captured in the following article: “I Will Be Second”: Insights From an Ancient Friendship - Hope 103.2

 

“I Will Be Second”: Insights From an Ancient Friendship

Home › Christian Living

 

What was the Biblical Jonathan doing when he promised the throne to David and suggested he would be his 2IC?

 

By Hope 103.2 Network

26 January, 2025

 

It’s an often-overlooked statement that is strangely counter-cultural: “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.”

 

Key Points

 

• In a world that is built upon the notion ‘me first’; humility and genuine servant-heartedness is becoming more difficult to find.
• Johnathan in the Bible exemplified what servant-heartedness looks like – as well as what a good friend looks like.
• Seeking to serve others instead of yourself is one of the true signs of a good leader.

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You find it in 1 Samuel 23:17 and it is the words of Jonathan to his great friend David.

 

Now it wouldn’t be too startling a sentiment if it wasn’t that everyone expected Jonathan to be king. After all, he was the oldest son of King Saul, and that’s how these things work in royal circles. The oldest son is heir to the throne – easy, straightforward, not controversial at all. So what is Jonathan doing promising the throne to David and suggesting he would be his 2IC (second-in-charge)? And why would anyone willingly say, “I will be second”.

 

The desire to be first fuels so many conflicts – and it certainly fueled a fair few in the Bible. Take Jacob’s desperate desire to have the rights of the first born which were given to Esau who had beaten him by a whisker as these twins exited their mother’s womb. The deceit and conflict that follows is truly tragic, and all because Jacob could never accept that he came out second. While Esau paid scant attention to his rights as a firstborn he never thought that he should simply say to his brother Jacob, “I will be second.” Or what about the conflict between Joseph and his older brothers. Told in a dream that one day these brothers would bow down to him, Joseph is foolish enough to share the vision. Rather than say “No worry, we will be second” they plan to kill him – but then settle for selling him into slavery. And oh the family heartache that follows.

 

Coming second seems counterintuitive

 

There is something deeply counterintuitive in being content to be second, yet Jesus pushes the idea even further.

 

He suggests that the first will be last and the last first – so why select second when you can select last?

 

Noble though Jonathan’s sentiment towards David was, it didn’t turn out that way. David did indeed become king, but Jonathan was killed in battle far, far too young. David is devastated. We will never know if it would have worked with David as king and Jonathan his second. But there is an example set, and it should not be forgotten.

Jonathan was probably right that David would be a better king than him. Both were exceptionally capable – but David a bit more so. It’s hard to be confident in your status as an achiever yet to recognize that someone is a better fit than you are. It takes remarkable humility. Few have it. Jonathan wasn’t interested in what served his agenda, but what would serve the national interest best. When it came to being king, Jonathan couldn’t think of anyone who was a better fit for the role than David – even though Jonathan would have done a good job – and no doubt been better at it than his very erratic father, Saul. ….

 

So perfect was the Baptist’s awareness of his own vocation ‘to make straight the way of the Lord’ – he, likewise, risking his life in the face of fierce opponents and a mad king, Herod Antipas - that Jesus can say of him (Matthew 11:11): ‘Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!’ 

 

John the Baptist was, in fact, the head of the Old Testament.

His beheading, bitter as it was, was, in a symbolic sense, necessary. For the head of the Old Testament needed to be removed in order to make way for the divine Lord of the New Testament.

 

It is a far superior, spiritual order of being.

 

That is why Jesus could finish his statement in praise of John the Baptist with the seemingly belittling words, ‘… yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he’.

 

Moses the Lawgiver

 

The Law alone is insufficient to get us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

What was the sin of Moses?

 

At the waters of Massah and Meribah, Moses, it appears, failed to uphold the holiness of God: What defines the holiness of God?

“God’s holiness is His absolute moral purity, transcendence, and set-apart nature, distinguishing Him from all creation and sin.

Definition and Nature. God’s holiness fundamentally describes His unique, set-apart quality that separates Him from all creation and from sin or impurity (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16)”. 

 

Was the Lord too harsh on Moses?

 

To accuse Moses of “pride” here does not appear to sit very well with that statement about him in Numbers – somewhat mindful of Jesus’s praise of John the Baptist: (Numbers 12:3): “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth”.

 

It is a difficult narrative, with which commentators can struggle.

The following article (2025) at least makes a good attempt to explain it:

What sin did Moses commit against God?

 

What sin did Moses commit against God?

 

By striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Moses failed to uphold God’s holiness before the people. Scholars and theologians have debated the deeper meaning of this act. Some suggest that Moses’ actions reflected anger, impatience, or pride.

 

Moses is one of the most revered figures in the Bible, known for leading the Israelites out of Egypt and receiving the Ten Commandments from God. His faithfulness, humility, and leadership are celebrated throughout Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Yet, even Moses was not without fault. One of the most frequently discussed questions about his life is: What sin did Moses commit against God? This post explores the key incident that the Bible describes as Moses’ transgression, its context, and its consequences for his legacy.

 

Moses’ Leadership and Relationship with God

 

From the burning bush to the parting of the Red Sea, Moses’ life was marked by extraordinary encounters with God. Chosen to deliver the Israelites from slavery, he became the mediator between God and His people.

 

Moses regularly communicated with God, receiving laws, instructions, and guidance for the nation of Israel during their wilderness journey. Despite his closeness to God, Moses was still human and subject to error.

 

The Waters of Meribah: The Incident Explained

 

The most significant sin associated with Moses is found in the Book of Numbers, chapter 20. The Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, arrived at Kadesh and found themselves without water. As they often did, the people complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron, longing for the comforts of Egypt and fearing for their survival. Moses and Aaron sought God’s guidance, and God gave Moses specific instructions: “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink” (Numbers 20:8, NIV).

 

Instead of speaking to the rock as God commanded, Moses, perhaps frustrated by the people’s attitudes, struck the rock twice with his staff. Water did flow from the rock, quenching the people’s thirst, but Moses had not followed God’s command exactly. God then said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12, NIV).

 

The Nature of Moses’ Sin

 

The sin of Moses, as described in this story, was disobedience and a lack of trust in God’s instructions. By striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Moses failed to uphold God’s holiness before the people. Scholars and theologians have debated the deeper meaning of this act. Some suggest that Moses’ actions reflected anger, impatience, or pride. Others believe that his failure was in not making it clear that the miracle was solely due to God’s power, not his own.

 

This incident is particularly striking because of Moses’ long record of faithfulness. Unlike other leaders who openly rebelled against God, Moses’ disobedience here was subtle but significant. God expected the highest standard from Moses, especially given his role as the leader and representative of God’s will to the people.

 

The Consequences for Moses

 

The immediate consequence of Moses’ sin was that he was barred from entering the Promised Land. After leading the Israelites through decades of hardship and hope, Moses was only allowed to see the land from a distance before his death. This outcome, while seemingly harsh, emphasized the seriousness of his disobedience and the weight of leadership in God’s eyes.

 

Despite this penalty, Moses remained a figure of immense respect. He continued to guide the Israelites, appointed Joshua as his successor, and delivered his final blessings before dying on Mount Nebo. The biblical narrative portrays Moses’ exclusion from the Promised Land not as a total rejection, but as a sobering reminder that even the greatest leaders are accountable to God. ….

 

The Law’s limitations

 

Whatever may be the precise explanation of the incident, it seems as if, just as John’s head had to be removed, so must Moses himself be disallowed from entering the Promised Land, because Moses, as the embodiment of the old Law, was not the one to lead his people into the Promised Land, symbolising heaven.

 

The Law alone is insufficient to get us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Only Jesus, belonging to that superior, spiritual order of things, can lead us into Heaven.

 

Paul allegorically contrasted the Old and the New in Galatians:

Topical Bible: The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah

 

“Paul's allegory emphasizes the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. It underscores the futility of relying on the Law for justification and the necessity of faith in Christ for true freedom. The allegory serves as a powerful reminder to the Galatians—and to all believers—of their identity as children of the promise, called to live in the freedom of the Spirit rather than the bondage of the Law”.

 

And that is why, symbolically, Moses had to yield to one with the name of Jesus, namely Joshua, who did lead the Israelites into the Promised land.

 

 

Moses found the Israelites revolting

 

by

Damien F. Mackey

 

Aaron hilariously (if it weren’t so serious) replies (Exodus 32:24):

“So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’, and they gave it to me.

When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!’”

As if the end result were pure accident.

  

Introduction

 

Once mighty Egypt, now - following on from the devastating Plagues and the Exodus - would cease to be a power for a long time, virtually disappearing from the Bible for roughly half a millennium. And, despite the fact that the Exodus Israelites had, in their first encounter with an enemy, defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim (Beer Karkom), the Amalekites would continue for that period of time to be a dominant power in the land of Canaan.

They may well even have overrun fallen Egypt, as the warlike Hyksos people, referred to by some (e.g. Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky) as Egypt’s “Eleventh Plague”.

 

The great man, Moses, who had been commissioned to leave his settled existence in the land of Midian in order to lead his people out of the House of Bondage (Egypt), now found himself carrying on his shoulders a people who continued to be ungrateful and rebellious.

 

The burden would be eased to some extent by his sage Midianite father-in-law, Jethro, advising him to delegate responsibilities, so as not to exhaust himself (Exodus 18:18): ‘You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself’.

 

Returning back to Mount Sinai, Moses will receive from the hand of Almighty God the Ten Commandments, and he will be given a code of Laws: all included in the Torah.

 

This important set of regulations will be emulated by nations down through the ages.

 

For example, the famous Hammurabi, King of Babylon, wretchedly mis-dated and thought to have influenced Moses - but actually reigning centuries later than Moses, at the time of King Solomon - will depict himself as receiving from the hands of his god, Shamash, the famous Law Code, which includes the lex talionis (“eye for an eye”).

 

The Spartans, for their part, have totally appropriated Moses in their famed Lawgiver, the, albeit fictitious, Lycurgus.

 

The young warrior, Joshua, who had “defeated Amalek and his army with the sword” (Exodus 17:13), was fast becoming Moses’s right-hand man, even accompanying him up the sacred mountain (24:13-14).

Aaron and Hur, and other elders, were instructed to “bow in worship at a distance” (24:1). Would this be taken as a slight, prompting later rebellion?

 

Moses was also given instructions to build the Tabernacle, the model for the later Temple built by King Solomon in Jerusalem, and the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25), and to include other liturgical features and offerings (Book of Leviticus), such as the priestly garments, so beautifully described much later by Sirach 45:6-17:

 

The Lord raised up Aaron, a holy man like his brother Moses, of the tribe of Levi. He made an eternal covenant with him, giving him the privilege of serving as priest to the Lord's people. He honored him by clothing him with magnificent robes and fine ornaments, perfect in their splendor. He granted him the symbols of authority: the linen shorts, the shirt, and the robe with the pomegranates around the hem. Gold bells were also around its hem, so that when he walked, their ringing would be heard in the Temple, and the Lord would remember his people. The Lord gave Aaron the sacred robe with the gold, blue, and purple embroidery; the breastpiece with the Urim and Thummim; the red yarn, spun by an expert; the precious stones with names engraved on them, mounted in a gold setting by a jeweler, placed on the breastpiece to remind the Lord of the twelve tribes of Israel. He gave him the turban with the gold ornament engraved with the words Dedicated to the Lord. It was expertly crafted, a beautiful work of art, and it was a high honor to wear it. Before Aaron's time such beautiful things were never seen. No one but Aaron and his descendants ever wore them, or ever will. The grain offering is to be presented twice a day and burned completely.

 

Moses ordained Aaron to office by pouring the sacred anointing oil over his head. An eternal covenant was made with him and his descendants, that they would serve the Lord as his priests and bless the people in the Lord's name. The Lord chose Aaron out of the whole human race to offer sacrifices, to burn fragrant incense to remind the Lord of his people, and to take away their sins. He entrusted the commandments to Aaron's keeping and gave him the authority to make legal decisions and to teach Israel the Law.

 

As I. Kikawada and A. Quinn would point out in their classic, Before Abraham Was. The Unity of Genesis, 1-11 (1984), Moses was presenting himself here as a ‘new Noah’, an Ark builder, covenant maker, etc.

 

Though no legend supports it, so I believe, it would be a nice symmetry if Karkom were the place where Noah, too, had built an Ark.

 

We read in a previous article, “Brilliant reconstruction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness”, how engineer Flavio Barbiero and his brother were able to reconstruct to exact specifications, from the imprint that it has left at Karkom, the Tabernacle that Moses had built.

 

See Flavio Barbiero’s book on this (2025), and his article:

 

THE CAVE OF TREASURES ON MOUNT HOREB

 

(14) THE CAVE OF TREASURES ON MOUNT HOREB

 

Now the troubles will really begin.

 

Israel’s Revolts

 

(i)      The Golden Calf

 

With Moses spending long periods of time with the Lord on the holy mountain, the briefly gruntled Israelites were now becoming totally disgruntled, dissatisfied and rebellious (Exodus 32:1): “When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt – we don’t know what has happened to him!’”

 

Joshua, ever staying close to Moses, would have no part in any of this.

 

The story of the Golden Calf is well known.

I would just like to recall the ridiculously lame excuse given by Aaron when confronted by his angry brother Moses (Exodus 32:21): “Then Moses asked Aaron, ‘What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?’”

 

Aaron hilariously (if it weren’t so serious) replies (Exodus 32:24): “So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’, and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!’” As if the end result were pure accident.

 

For me, Aaron’s comment ranks with two other occasions of Old Testament humour, whether intended or not.

 

One, Gideon, the Israelite warrior, and leader of 300, who has been appropriated into Greek folklore as Leonidas and the 300 (Gid-eon Grecised to [N]id[as]-[L]-eon).

 

Gideon, under fierce pressure from the Midianites and the Amalekites, fires back (though respectfully) at the Lord, who had just said through his angel (Judges 6:12): ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior’, to the effect that, ‘If you are with us, Lord, then why are we copping this shellacking’?

 

Two, the remark made by the Philistine king of Gath, Achish, ‘… am I so short of madmen …?’, when David, who had been forced to flee the wrath of King Saul, feigned madness, dribbling and scratching at the doors of Gath.

 

“Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me?’” (I Samuel 21:14-15).

 

After Moses had, by the agency of armed Levites, slaughtered about 3000 of the rebels, the Lord weighed in by sending a plague upon the Israelites (Exodus 32:27-35).

 

Moses will be consoled not long afterwards by encountering the Glory of the Lord (Exodus 33:18-23).

 

When, in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, Moses states to Israel that:

 

‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you’, he was not, as certain Moslem apologists hopefully insist - to deflect from its proper fulfilment in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22) - referring to natural similarities, such as being married, having children, leading battles, and so on.

No, Moses was referring to his being empowered to speak “face to face with God” (Exodus 33:11).

 

Mohammed was unable to do this - well, for one, because he never actually existed!

See e.g. my article:

 

Zakir Naik’s apologetical tactic meant to embarrass Christians

 

(14) Zakir Naik's apologetical tactic meant to embarrass Christians

 

After all of the liturgical items (Ark of the Covenant, Tabernacle, vestments, etc., etc.) had been completed, the Glory of the Lord (popularly known as the Shekinah) filled the Tabernacle.

Later it would fill the Temple in Jerusalem built by King Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:1).

 

The new Israelite liturgy was soon in full swing.

 

(ii)    Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses

 

Numbers 12:1-3

 

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ‘Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. ‘Hasn’t he also spoken through us?’ And the Lord heard this.

 

(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

 

Joseph of Egypt, likewise much favoured by the Lord, had experienced the same sort of jealousy from his older siblings.

 

For this, the Lord struck Miriam leprous.

Moses immediately interceded for her and she was healed (vv. 10-15).

 

Because Moses had a “Cushite wife” - and perhaps because of legends having Moses leading Egyptian armies into Ethiopia (Cush) - commentators can argue that the wife of Moses, Zipporah, was actually a dark skinned African.

 

We know, however, that she was a Semitic Midianite.

And Flavio Barbiero, again (op. cit.), has explained, with reference to Habakkuk 3:7: “I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish”, that Cush- was also a term associated with Midian.

 

Aaron and Miriam may have been put off by her foreignness. Even though Zipporah’s Midianite people, too, were Abrahamic, their practices did not always conform to those of Israel. For instance, Moses got himself into serious trouble with the Lord for failing to circumcise his son, Gershom (Exodus 4:24-26) - he no doubt bowing to pressure from his Midianite relatives whose practice was to circumcise late, before marriage.

 

(iii) Korah’s rebellion

 

Numbers 16:1-4

 

Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

 

Here, again, led by a Levite, Korah, are those rotten, revolting, Reubenite rascals, Dathan and Abiram, whom we met already back in Egypt as troublemakers for Moses. They are the Jannes and Jambres (Mambres) whom Saint Paul will much later excoriate as “men of depraved minds” (2 Timothy 3:8).

 

Some of these various opposers of Moses may have been men of high standing in Egypt’s mighty Twelfth Dynasty, so-called.

One or other of the two brothers is supposed to have said to Moses (Exodus 2:14): ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ Moses, as the important Mentuhotep, was, indeed, a “ruler” (Vizier) and (Chief) “judge” at this particular time.

 

Like Aaron’s sons (Leviticus 10:1-2): “But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censor and put fire in it and put incense upon it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. Therefore, a fire went out from the LORD and devoured them. So they died before the LORD”, these wicked men, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, etc. would suffer a terrible, fiery fate.