Advent 4 – Rorate Coeli
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
v.15-16 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to Him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’
Beloved in Christ, have you ever witnessed an unveiling—an event wherein some new product is being revealed for the first time, such as a new model of car or airplane? It is quite the thing, isn’t it? The product is kept hidden until the last moment when everyone is ready—when all the media cameras are in position—and the crowd is expectantly hushed—until just the right moment when the veil is removed and suddenly you can see! The crowd usually responds with appropriate “Oooohs and Aaahs” as those responsible for this new modern marvel take in the praise and adoration of the assembled—not to mention the orders for their marvellous new product.
Why all this mention of veils? Well, in our text for this morning, Moses is telling the people of the new prophet whom God will send—one raised from among them—one like Moses—only greater—one to whom the people will listen. Why? Why did they need a new prophet? Why did they need Moses in the first place? Because they, like all sinful human beings, are terrified of the unveiled power and majesty of God. At Mount Horeb, where the Lord appeared to them—the people of Israel trembled and shook at the mere voice of the Lord from the mountain top and were too frightened to approach their holy God who had rescued them from bondage to Egypt.
So, Moses was called to be their prophet—their mediator—between them and God—so that they would not have to approach the holy mountain of the Lord—so that they would not be consumed by the glory and majesty of the unveiled power of God Almighty. This was done at the request of the people—that they might have a human intermediary between themselves and God. However, the Lord had something better in store for His people—He would raise up a future prophet who would be both mediator and deliverer.
You see, the whole prophetic office is mediatorial in nature—wherein one acts as a go-between between two different parties—the entire institution points to Jesus who is the ultimate prophet and mediator—the one who would deliver mankind from the dreadful consequences of sin. As Paul wrote to Timothy (2:5-6a), “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Jesus is the true archetype—the true prophet—prefigured by all other prophets. Hosea, Daniel, Isaiah, Elijah, and even Moses were all but a shadow of the One to come.
For in Christ, the true prophetic office finds its fulfillment. For in Christ, has come the One who proclaims the Word with divine authority that belongs to God alone. He does not merely speak upon another’s behalf—rather He who speaks is the one true God incarnate in the flesh. This is why, as Moses foretold so long ago, we are to listen to Him. For from Him and through Him comes the Word of truth and light and life. There is no other source of God’s goodness and blessings—it comes through Christ alone.
God had to come in Christ, had to come and meet us in our fallen estate veiled in human flesh, so that we would not be consumed by His holiness and majesty. For when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, heaven was barred from us—a barrier was set in place between us and God. It is called sin—and you and I and all people are infected with this most deadly of all diseases. As such, we are incapable of approaching the throne of God without being destroyed. We could not, cannot, go to Him. He had to come to us—to rescue and deliver us. It was up to Him to break down the enormous barrier that veiled us from His presence. For even the very sound of His voice is terrifying for the sinner to behold.
Again, that is why the people pleaded with the Lord at Mount Horeb to send Moses as their go-between rather than meet Him themselves. It was too dangerous—too scary—for sinners innately fear God for we know that we deserve His wrath and punishment—eternal death and damnation in hell. Therefore, God in His infinite wisdom has come to us—approached us—with His power veiled. He has done so by coming to us through the promised new prophet—the Lord Jesus Christ—God veiled in human flesh. In Christ, the babe born in Bethlehem, God has raised up the ultimate and perfect prophet—who would come to tear down the wall that exists between God and man because of our sin.
This was the goal of His entire mission and ministry while on earth. He suffered ridicule, pain, and death. Indeed, Jesus’ own body was torn and ripped as He suffered the consequences for our sin on the cross. He was cruelly pierced with thorn, nail, and spear so that you and I might be restored to a right relationship with our heavenly Father—so that the obstruction of our sin—the veil that separates us from God and eternal joy—might be fully and finally torn down.
The amazing thing with God’s method of salvation—that serves as a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles—is that His great power and might was not unveiled with grand pomp and circumstance as we do in our own society today. To be sure, angels heralded His birth, but they didn’t sing to the media centres of the world—but rather to humble and lowly shepherds. Jesus Himself wasn’t born in palace as would befit the King of kings, but in a lowly stable.
His act of salvation certainly was not some flashy and showy event. Rather, it was in lowliness—in pain and suffering—while He hung on the cross—that He accomplished that most incredible of all things—the salvation of the entire human race for all time—as He suffered and died for our sins. His power was veiled in His broken and beaten body. Which is why He is still so easily rejected by sinful human beings—for He certainly did not appear powerful or majestic and divine, but rather insignificant and weak, powerless and dead.
Indeed, it is the work of the Holy Spirit alone who calls us to faith and through the blessed means of grace, removes the sin that veils our eyes, so that we might see Jesus for who and what He is—as the great hymn puts it, “veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with man to dwell—Jesus, our Emmanuel.” This the great and awesome work of the Holy Spirit—breaking down the barriers of sin and unbelief in the human heart—leading us to repent and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins.
For Jesus is the power and might and wisdom of God enfleshed. He is the One of whom Moses, Isaiah, Hosea, and all the other prophets foretold. He is the definitive prophet to whom we must listen, or else answer to God. For the Father has made Jesus His ambassador, our mediator, and puts His Words into Jesus’ mouth—the very Word made flesh. And Jesus comes to us and speaks graciously to us—speaks Words of love and forgiveness, compassion and mercy. All for His sake—the one who came to suffer and die in our stead.
For though our sin rightfully served as a barrier between us and God, God in His great love for us, could not let that barrier remain in place. Out of love He sent His only Son so that we might be forgiven through His blood and receive as a gift His righteousness.
As the Lord put His Word into Jesus’ mouth—so now He puts Jesus “the living Word” into our mouths with bread and wine—so that we might receive His grace and mercy in a very real and tangible way—knowing and trusting with absolute certainty that our sins are fully forgiven and that the veil that separated us from God has been torn down and we are now right with God once more through our faith in His crucified and risen Son, Jesus.
God veiled Himself in human flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, so that He might truly dwell among us in a relationship of peace and joy, rather than wrath and devastation. In Christ, we have received the One who is the Light and Life of the universe. In Christ, the mercy of God is revealed—His love is unveiled in the person and work of Jesus on the cross—and we receive Him with all joy and happiness. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
v.15-16 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to Him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’
Beloved in Christ, have you ever witnessed an unveiling—an event wherein some new product is being revealed for the first time, such as a new model of car or airplane? It is quite the thing, isn’t it? The product is kept hidden until the last moment when everyone is ready—when all the media cameras are in position—and the crowd is expectantly hushed—until just the right moment when the veil is removed and suddenly you can see! The crowd usually responds with appropriate “Oooohs and Aaahs” as those responsible for this new modern marvel take in the praise and adoration of the assembled—not to mention the orders for their marvellous new product.
Why all this mention of veils? Well, in our text for this morning, Moses is telling the people of the new prophet whom God will send—one raised from among them—one like Moses—only greater—one to whom the people will listen. Why? Why did they need a new prophet? Why did they need Moses in the first place? Because they, like all sinful human beings, are terrified of the unveiled power and majesty of God. At Mount Horeb, where the Lord appeared to them—the people of Israel trembled and shook at the mere voice of the Lord from the mountain top and were too frightened to approach their holy God who had rescued them from bondage to Egypt.
So, Moses was called to be their prophet—their mediator—between them and God—so that they would not have to approach the holy mountain of the Lord—so that they would not be consumed by the glory and majesty of the unveiled power of God Almighty. This was done at the request of the people—that they might have a human intermediary between themselves and God. However, the Lord had something better in store for His people—He would raise up a future prophet who would be both mediator and deliverer.
You see, the whole prophetic office is mediatorial in nature—wherein one acts as a go-between between two different parties—the entire institution points to Jesus who is the ultimate prophet and mediator—the one who would deliver mankind from the dreadful consequences of sin. As Paul wrote to Timothy (2:5-6a), “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Jesus is the true archetype—the true prophet—prefigured by all other prophets. Hosea, Daniel, Isaiah, Elijah, and even Moses were all but a shadow of the One to come.
For in Christ, the true prophetic office finds its fulfillment. For in Christ, has come the One who proclaims the Word with divine authority that belongs to God alone. He does not merely speak upon another’s behalf—rather He who speaks is the one true God incarnate in the flesh. This is why, as Moses foretold so long ago, we are to listen to Him. For from Him and through Him comes the Word of truth and light and life. There is no other source of God’s goodness and blessings—it comes through Christ alone.
God had to come in Christ, had to come and meet us in our fallen estate veiled in human flesh, so that we would not be consumed by His holiness and majesty. For when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, heaven was barred from us—a barrier was set in place between us and God. It is called sin—and you and I and all people are infected with this most deadly of all diseases. As such, we are incapable of approaching the throne of God without being destroyed. We could not, cannot, go to Him. He had to come to us—to rescue and deliver us. It was up to Him to break down the enormous barrier that veiled us from His presence. For even the very sound of His voice is terrifying for the sinner to behold.
Again, that is why the people pleaded with the Lord at Mount Horeb to send Moses as their go-between rather than meet Him themselves. It was too dangerous—too scary—for sinners innately fear God for we know that we deserve His wrath and punishment—eternal death and damnation in hell. Therefore, God in His infinite wisdom has come to us—approached us—with His power veiled. He has done so by coming to us through the promised new prophet—the Lord Jesus Christ—God veiled in human flesh. In Christ, the babe born in Bethlehem, God has raised up the ultimate and perfect prophet—who would come to tear down the wall that exists between God and man because of our sin.
This was the goal of His entire mission and ministry while on earth. He suffered ridicule, pain, and death. Indeed, Jesus’ own body was torn and ripped as He suffered the consequences for our sin on the cross. He was cruelly pierced with thorn, nail, and spear so that you and I might be restored to a right relationship with our heavenly Father—so that the obstruction of our sin—the veil that separates us from God and eternal joy—might be fully and finally torn down.
The amazing thing with God’s method of salvation—that serves as a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles—is that His great power and might was not unveiled with grand pomp and circumstance as we do in our own society today. To be sure, angels heralded His birth, but they didn’t sing to the media centres of the world—but rather to humble and lowly shepherds. Jesus Himself wasn’t born in palace as would befit the King of kings, but in a lowly stable.
His act of salvation certainly was not some flashy and showy event. Rather, it was in lowliness—in pain and suffering—while He hung on the cross—that He accomplished that most incredible of all things—the salvation of the entire human race for all time—as He suffered and died for our sins. His power was veiled in His broken and beaten body. Which is why He is still so easily rejected by sinful human beings—for He certainly did not appear powerful or majestic and divine, but rather insignificant and weak, powerless and dead.
Indeed, it is the work of the Holy Spirit alone who calls us to faith and through the blessed means of grace, removes the sin that veils our eyes, so that we might see Jesus for who and what He is—as the great hymn puts it, “veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with man to dwell—Jesus, our Emmanuel.” This the great and awesome work of the Holy Spirit—breaking down the barriers of sin and unbelief in the human heart—leading us to repent and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins.
For Jesus is the power and might and wisdom of God enfleshed. He is the One of whom Moses, Isaiah, Hosea, and all the other prophets foretold. He is the definitive prophet to whom we must listen, or else answer to God. For the Father has made Jesus His ambassador, our mediator, and puts His Words into Jesus’ mouth—the very Word made flesh. And Jesus comes to us and speaks graciously to us—speaks Words of love and forgiveness, compassion and mercy. All for His sake—the one who came to suffer and die in our stead.
For though our sin rightfully served as a barrier between us and God, God in His great love for us, could not let that barrier remain in place. Out of love He sent His only Son so that we might be forgiven through His blood and receive as a gift His righteousness.
As the Lord put His Word into Jesus’ mouth—so now He puts Jesus “the living Word” into our mouths with bread and wine—so that we might receive His grace and mercy in a very real and tangible way—knowing and trusting with absolute certainty that our sins are fully forgiven and that the veil that separated us from God has been torn down and we are now right with God once more through our faith in His crucified and risen Son, Jesus.
God veiled Himself in human flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, so that He might truly dwell among us in a relationship of peace and joy, rather than wrath and devastation. In Christ, we have received the One who is the Light and Life of the universe. In Christ, the mercy of God is revealed—His love is unveiled in the person and work of Jesus on the cross—and we receive Him with all joy and happiness. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
