Topical Bible: the Mediator Christ: Typified: Moses

Bible > Topical > the Mediator Christ

◄ the Mediator Christ: Typified: Moses ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Introduction

In Christian theology, the concept of a mediator is central to understanding the role of Jesus Christ in the divine plan of salvation. A mediator is one who intervenes between two parties to reconcile differences and bring about peace. In the Old Testament, Moses is a prominent figure who serves as a type of Christ, prefiguring the mediatorial work of Jesus. This typology is evident in various aspects of Moses' life and mission, which foreshadow the ultimate mediation accomplished by Christ.

Moses as a Mediator

Moses is recognized as a mediator between God and the Israelites. His role is vividly illustrated in the events surrounding the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. In Exodus 19:3-6 , God calls Moses to ascend the mountain to receive His commandments and convey them to the people: "Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, 'This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'"

Moses acts as an intermediary, receiving divine revelation and transmitting it to the people. His role is further emphasized in Exodus 20:18-19 , where the Israelites, overwhelmed by the presence of God, plead with Moses: "When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. 'Speak to us yourself, and we will listen,' they said to Moses. 'But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.'"

Typology of Christ

The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as the ultimate mediator between God and humanity. In 1 Timothy 2:5 , Paul writes, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." This mediatorial role is prefigured in Moses, who, like Christ, stands between God and His people to facilitate communication and reconciliation.

Moses' intercession for the Israelites, particularly after the incident of the golden calf, further typifies Christ's mediatorial work. In Exodus 32:11-14 , Moses pleads with God to spare the people from destruction: "But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, 'O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians declare, "He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth"? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self: I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land I promised, and it will be their inheritance forever.' So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people."

Comparison with Christ

While Moses serves as a type of Christ, there are significant differences that highlight the superiority of Christ's mediation. Moses mediated the Old Covenant, which was based on the Law and required continual sacrifices for atonement. In contrast, Christ mediates the New Covenant, established through His sacrificial death and resurrection, providing a once-for-all atonement for sin. Hebrews 9:15 states, "Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant."

Furthermore, Moses, as a human mediator, was limited in his ability to fully reconcile humanity with God. Jesus, being both fully God and fully man, bridges the gap between the divine and human, offering complete reconciliation and access to the Father. John 14:6 affirms this unique role: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Conclusion

The typology of Moses as a mediator provides a profound insight into the mediatorial work of Christ. Through Moses, God prepared His people for the coming of the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ, who fulfills and surpasses the role of Moses by establishing a new and everlasting covenant.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 5:5
(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to show you the word of the LORD: for you were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Galatians 3:19
Why then serves the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Objection that Some were Baptized unto Moses and Believed in Him ...
... but of Christ. For at that time in the ministry of the law, he by means of himself
typified "the Mediator between God and men." [991] Moses, when mediating for ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/chapter xiv objection that some.htm

Christ, to Perform the Office of Mediator, Behoved to Become Man.
... Hence under the Law he was typified by sacrifices, to ... him, foretold that he would
be the Mediator between God ... is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 christ to perform.htm

Aron, Brother of Moses, 486, 487.
... Christ, the Mediator, [165]68; Angel of the great counsel ... known to, [772]507; books
of, how typified, [773]321 ... Name, of Christ, knowledge of Him, [783]484; of God ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/aron brother of moses 486.htm

Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and ...
... that in him alone was fulfilled what these figures typified. ... effect is given to the
grace of Christ, unless we ... adds, "For this cause he is the mediator of the ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 17 christ rightly and.htm

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity God's Testament and Promise in ...
... mediator.20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one ... wholly unnecessary to give the
promise of blessing in Christ. ... to become man and die (as was typified by the ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/thirteenth sunday after trinity gods.htm

More Particularly, in what Respect Christ is Called the Truth.
... more need of the shadow and the thing typified existing, there ... As he was called Christ,
so was he anointed with ... all upon him, who is the only Mediator of the ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xi more particularly in.htm

Christ's Humiliation in his Incarnation
... take upon him the work of a mediator till he ... shadows and figures, whereby he was
typified, were abrogated ... From hence, God manifest in the flesh,' Christ born of ...
/.../watson/a body of divinity/6 christs humiliation in his.htm

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
... to friendship with God, and made one with him; for Christ the Mediator hath "made ...
cleanse ceremonially, but it is only the blood of Jesus, typified by that ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter iii how christ is.htm

On the Offices of Our Lord Jesus Christ
... 3:6; x, 21.) For that is properly typified by a ... have reconciled the world unto himself
in Christ, (2 Corinthians ... up his Son who might act the part of Mediator. ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 14 on the offices.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest
represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm