Michael P. V. Barrett - Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Copyright 1999 Michael P.V. Barrett

2nd Edition 2001

Current Printing 2010

All Rights Reserved

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62020-486-3

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotation in written reviews.

Publishing By

AMBASSADOR INTERNATIONAL

Emerald House

427 Wade Hampton Blvd.

Greenville, SC 29609, USA

www.ambassador-international.com

AMBASSADOR BOOKS

The Mount

2 Woodstock Link

Belfast, BT6 8DD, Northern Ireland, UK

www.ambassadormedia.co.uk

Cover design 1999 Samuel Laterza

Cover and internal design by Samuel Laterza

Cover Photography 1999 by Corel Corporation and PhotoDisc, Inc.

To my family-from the oldest to the youngest

And specially to Sandra Ann

Next to Christ, the best thing Ive ever found

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? These words, sadly, depict an adventure rarely experienced by Christians today. When Cleopas and his companion began their seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they hardly seemed to be likely candidates for a life-changing encounter with the risen Messiah. Their journey, at the beginning, must have been drudgery. Their faith, that just a week before had seemed so vibrant, had become a confusing amalgamation of crushed hopes and nagging fears. They had heard that Jesus had instructed the Twelve that He would be killed and that He would rise again on the third day; they had heard that an angel had testified at His open sepulchre that He was alive, and they had verified that the tomb was empty; but none of this seemed real to them. In fact, so oppressive were their doubts and so sluggish their faith that they began their journey home on the very day of their Messiahs promised resurrection. It is no wonder that the Stranger, after hearing their mournful account of the evidence they had ignored, said, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

With these words, our Lord at once exposed a deep-seated problem and revealed a compelling need. The problem was dullness of heart; the need was for a Christ-centered study of the Old Testament Scriptures. Our Lord solved the problem and satisfied the need for the two Emmaus disciples by leading them step by step through the Scriptures and expounding unto them... the things concerning himself.

In Beginning at Moses, Mike Barrett reverently follows the example of his Lord. He leads us back down the road to Emmaus and into the company of the Master, and reveals to us the sacred cord that lies at the heart of the Old Testament. In his formative years as a student of the Word, Mike discovered, as did the disciples of Emmaus, that to see Christ is the key to unlocking the message of Scripture, including the Old Testament (p. 14). Eventually, that truth so dominated his life and inflamed his soul that he became an attraction to others who were seeking the Savior-so much so that the elective classes he teaches in Old Testament began to fill up as soon as the doors for registration were opened.

I know of no one who is more diligent, more careful, and-above all-more reverent as a student of the Word than Mike Barrett. To many, the curse of Babel still hangs heavily over the prospect of the study of ancient languages. To Mike, Hebrew and Greek, which he has taught for years, have become faithful servants in his search for the Incarnate Word on the pages of the Written Word. It is this rare combination of consecrated scholarship and passionate devotion that makes Beginning a Moses a unique book. It is, in my estimation, a must for anyone who is serious about Bible study-or better yet-for anyone who is serious about his devotion to Christ.

A wise man once observed that the best books are not the ones you cant put down when you read them. The best books are the ones that so arrest your thoughts that periodically you find yourself laying them aside and looking deeply into you soul. On this basis, Beginning at Moses qualifies as a best book for those who would be wise.

Thurman Wisdom, Dean

School of Religion

Bob Jones University

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At the beginning of this project, the Lord gave me a word of promise that became my daily prayer in the early hours of the morning, as I would begin work on this book before the other obligations of the day required my attention. Along with David, I prayed, Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation (Psalm 38:21-22). I wrote this verse on a post-it card and moved it daily in my Franklin Planner. This book stands as witness to Gods gracious hearing and answering prayer. I begin by expressing my thanks to the Lord for His gracious and constant faithfulness.

Under God, I owe much to others and to two men particularly who have influenced my life beyond measure. Dr. Robert D. Bell, Chairman of the Seminary and Division of Graduate Studies at Bob Jones University, was my principal Old Testament and Hebrew professor. I esteem him most highly in the Lord, regard him as my mentor, and have enjoyed the privilege of being his colleague and friend for many years. His scholarship and love of Scripture has been an example. He taught me many things, not the least of which is the importance of thinking. Dr. Alan Cairns has been my minister for almost twenty years. His Christ-centered ministry has helped to shape and focus my ministry in ways I cannot begin to enumerate. He has, by example, inspired me to keep the heart in my teaching and preaching. It has been a privilege and honor to serve under him.

Special acknowledgment goes to Dr. Cairns for his prodding me to write and for his invaluable suggestions in reading the initial draft. His insight was keen and his comments were most helpful. In many places, he protected me from myself, for which we can all be thankful. I thank him as well for his recommendation to Emerald House that made publication a reality.

Many others have helped to bring this work to completion. I express my thanks to Dr. Robert Taylor, Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Bob Jones University, for his evaluating the readability of the first draft. He is a good friend with whom I have enjoyed times of fellowship, Bible Study, and prayer. He actually volunteered his services: a kind gesture from a mathematician. Dr. Caren Silvester, a member of the English faculty at Bob Jones University, deserves many thanks for her work in checking my grammar and style. The precision of her work was outstanding. She made an invaluable contribution to this work. Thanks, too, to her husband, Sid, also of the English faculty, who read portions of the manuscript and offered suggestions. Good editors are priceless. Im glad Hebrew does not use commas. I also thank my daughter-in-law, Mrs. Sharmin Barrett, for her tedious work in checking the accuracy of quotations and Bible citations. Were it not for my well-behaved grandchildren that work could not have been done. Thanks to my wife, Sandra, and Mrs. Susan Peck for proofreading the final draft. I am indebted to all these.

I must offer Sandra my most honoring salute. I tried my best to be quiet every morning at 4:15, but was seldom successful. I dont think I ever left for the office without her being up when I left to give me encouragement for the day. Im pretty sure she went back to bed, but at least she was up when I left. She was always the first to read the chapters as they were completed and never failed to say, Good job, Michael. Whether that is true or not is beside the point. She has been a constant source of support, not just during this project, but for well over half of my life. Thanks Sandra.