John 10:3–4 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
There are many today still fighting for the voices of Moses and Elijah – the law and the prophets – not fully understanding that in the new covenant, it’s all about hearing the voice of the resurrected Son of God.
Why does our heavenly Father want us to hear only the Lord Jesus? Why are we to focus on Jesus and grow in the knowledge of His grace? Because neither the law nor the prophets hold the answer to our deepest cry for intimacy and peace with God, and the enjoyment of His presence and power in every area of our lives.
If you look at Scripture, you will see that while Moses and Elijah did mighty exploits, both great men of God still failed in the end. Toward the end of his life, Moses hit the rock twice in disobedience, yelled at the people, spoke unadvisedly with his lips out of anger and impatience, and wound up not being allowed to enter the promised land. That’s how his ministry ended.
Why were the consequences of Moses’ actions so severe? Because he misrepresented God. In his anger, he represented God as angry and judgmental toward His people, when God actually loved and cared for them. This tells us that as preachers of God’s Word, we need to be very accurate in how we represent God.
What about Elijah? Despite amazing victories and evidence of the power of God in his ministry, in his last days, Elijah thought Jezebel was greater than God and fled from her. His ministry ended in depression and discouragement (1 Kings 19), with his mantle going to Elisha.
In comparison, where the law and the prophets failed, our Lord Jesus succeeded. Look at this beautiful prophecy of the Messiah: i
Isaiah 42:1, 3–4 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom my soul delights! … A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged.”
Whereas Moses failed and Elijah became discouraged, the Scriptures tell us that our Lord Jesus, the altogether lovely One, “will not fail nor be discouraged.” Whereas Moses was impatient, our Lord Jesus is patient with you and me today especially when we make mistakes and fail. And whereas Moses failed to bring God’s people into the promised land, our Lord Jesus finished the work His Father sent Him to do and has ushered us into all of God’s blessings and promises (Ephesians 1:3, 2 Cor. 1:20). Whereas Elijah became discouraged, Jesus was not discouraged, in spite of people’s repeated rejection of Him.
He is your rock and your fortress when you are feeling discouraged. All the greatest men and women of God in the Old Testament put together cannot compare with our beautiful Lord Jesus Christ!
This is God’s beloved Son and today He says to you, “Arise. Stand in My righteousness and be lifted up from defeat.” In the same way that our Lord Jesus could touch a man with leprosy and make him whole, He can touch any area of deformity, weakness, or shame in your life and transform it into wholeness and strength by His grace.