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Moses Wrote - Exodus 24:4
Moses Wrote - Exodus 24:4
"Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel" (Exodus 24:4).
This wasn't the first reference to Moses and his ability to write, for we read that God commanded Moses: "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Ex. 17:14). It is not the last reference to Moses writing for we will read that "the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel" (Ex. 24:27). At the end of the life of Moses, it was written: "So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel" (Deut. 31:9).
Turning to the New Testament, we see the name of Moses mentioned 80 times. He was revered as the foundation of their law and covenant. Yet, Moses had died around 1500 years before the time of Jesus. What did the writers of the NT say concerning Moses and His writings?
· Moses wrote: Mark 12:19; Luke 20:28; Romans 10:5; John 1:45.
· Moses says: (in his writings): Matt. 22:24, Mark 7:10, Acts 3:22.
· Moses commands (in his writings): (Matt. 8:4, 19:7-8; Mark 10:3; Luke 5:14; John 8:5.
· Moses 'shows' (in his writings): Luke 20:37.
· They 'have Moses and the prophets' (in their writings): Luke 16:29-31.
· The Law was given by Moses (John 1:17; 7:19), thus it is called the 'law of Moses’ (Luke 2:22; 24:44; Acts 13:39; 15:5; 28:23; 1 Cor. 9:9; Heb. 10:28); but that was known in Jesus day by what was WRITTEN.
· “Moses” was read, that is, what Moses WROTE was read: Acts 15:21.
Hence, the writings of Moses were considered ‘Scripture’: Luke 24:27.
The people collected, preserved, copied, read, understood, believed, and obeyed (although with varying degrees of accomplishment) these things that Moses wrote. When Jesus came 1500 years later, the copies that they had were still understood to be what Moses wrote. So it is. Today, we have done the same things with the writings of the Apostles whom Jesus chose and commissioned. We yet have the teachings of Jesus in the writings.
Jesus proclaimed: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). Are you following His teaching?
Hugh DeLong
