The People Ask For A Prophet (MP 47)

Israel met with God where Moses was called
From the burning bush that was not consumed;
Thund’rous clouds of smoke Mount Sinai assumed;
People shrank back in fear; some even crawled!
They begged Moses, “Ask God to speak through you;
If He speaks directly to us, we will die!”
God knew they would fear long before their cry,
And in advance had planned what He would do!
From among them a prophet would be born,
One who will redeem their wages of sin,
And whose words will offer salvation to men—
God will come Himself, the earth to adorn!
This in His Plan ere creation began,
All complete, coming together for Man!

Scripture Quoted (NIV) [Brackets added]
Exodus 19:16-18—“Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.”

Exodus 20:18-19—“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ “

Deuteronomy 18_19—“ ‘I [God speaking to Moses] will raise up for them [Israel] a prophet [Jesus] like you from among their brothers; I will put my words into his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.’ “ [Moses, quoting God’s prophecy of Messiah in Deuteronomy in response to the people’s request]

John 5:45-47—“ 'But do not think I [Jesus] will accuse you [for not believing Him] from the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?’ “

Commentary on “The People Ash For A Prophet”
God wanted to speak to the assembly of all Israelites when they first arrived at Mount Sinai thee months after crossing the Red Sea out of Egypt. He was in the midst of billowing smoke and fire on top of the mountain. The sight and sounds and trembling of the mountain caused by God’s presence so frightened the people that they feared to meet directly with God and asked Moses to continue bringing God’s message to them. As a result God agreed, and He spoke through the prophet Moses so long as He lived; then He spoke through other prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, and others; however God promised in Deuteronomy 18 (partially quoted above) that He would send the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. This prophecy and more than 300 others in the Old Testament speaks clearly of the coming of Jesus, who was God Himself come to earth to bring redemption to Man. Jesus used this prophecy in speaking to the Jews (See John 5:45-47 above), but they did not believe He was sent from God, although He met the words of Moses’ prophecy and all the others precisely. Therefore, He told them that Moses himself would accuse them of unbelief in Jesus, rather than Jesus having to accuse them. They didn’t believe the words of Jesus, and they crucified Him for claiming to be the Son of God. The Pharisees and priests will stand condemned at the Last Judgment for their disbelief in heir own prophets.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)