A passage that most of my readers are probably familiar with is Deuteronomy 18 which gives a prophecy of a Prophet like Moses to come. In the past, I’ve written about the Muslim interpretation of this passage and talked about why it can’t be Muhammad. Here’s that post:
However, the arguments that I use here show that this Prophet must appear to the children of Israel while they’re living in the Promised Land. This would apply to Jesus by not Muhammad. However, Rabbi Tovia Singer and other Jewish apologists that I’ve listened to have said that it is Joshua. My arguments against Muhammad would not apply to Joshua since he appeared to the children of Israel in the land that God had given them. Why is this Prophet not Joshua?
In the above video, Rabbi Tovia Singer gives three verses to argue that the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 is Joshua. The three verses are:
Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
– Deuteronomy 34:9
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.
– Joshua 3:7
That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
– Joshua 4:14
These are three verses that he uses. He says there are many more but since he listed these three, he probably thinks that these are his strongest verses. All these verses mean is that Joshua took over leadership of the Nation of Israel after Moses died. That’s all it means. It doesn’t mean that he’s the Prophet like Moses from Deuteronomy 18.
Rabbi Singer quoted Deuteronomy 34:9, but he didn’t quote Deuteronomy 34:10-12 which reads:
Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
These are the last three verses in the book of Deuteronomy. The next book in the Bible is Joshua which chronicles the leadership of Joshua in the military conquest of the Holy Land. However, by the end of Deuteronomy, Joshua is a very well known figure. These verses would not be there if Joshua was the Prophet like Moses. In fact, many people think that the last few verses of Deuteronomy were written by Joshua since Moses was dead at this point. However, even if it wasn’t, it still shows that the Prophet like Moses has not yet come on the scene.
The second argument against Joshua being the Prophet like Moses comes from logic. Deuteronomy 18:18 reads as such:
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.
Why is it talking about a Prophet to come? Everyone knows who Joshua is by Deuteronomy 18. He was introduced in the book of Exodus. Why didn’t God say that the Prophet Joshua would fill the role? Deuteronomy 18:18 makes absolutely no sense if this Prophet is Joshua. They were familiar with Joshua so this elaborate prophecy is pointless. On the other hand, they weren’t familiar with Jesus Christ, who came 1,300 years later.
The book of Acts is correct when it shows the disciples identifying Jesus Christ as the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18. It shows it in Acts 3: 22-23 and Acts 7:37. There is no mystery about the identity of the Prophet like Moses.
By the way, here’s a video of Dr. Michael Brown completely exposing Rabbi Tovia Singer for his dishonesty:
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