Moses delivers a promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. The Lord will raise up another prophet for Israel, a prophet like Moses. This prophet will be like Moses in at least two ways. First, he will come from among them as Moses did. He will be an Israelite. He will be flesh and blood, one of them.
Second, he will be a mediator between them and God. Since they cannot bear to hear the voice of God, the Lord will put his words in the prophet’s mouth just like he did with Moses. Just as Moses spoke the very words of God to Israel, so will this coming prophet. His words will be the words of God. Because his words will be the words of God, those who refuse to listen will stand accountable to God!
Jesus was the coming prophet like Moses. He came from glory, took on flesh, and was born an Israelite. He came from among them! John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” Romans 1:3 – “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh” He also spoke the words of God. John 8:28 – Jesus said, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”
John 1:11-12 reveals the reactions to the prophet like Moses. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
What is your reaction to the prophet like Moses? Have you rejected the One who speaks the words of God? Or have you received him, have you believed in his name?”
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 "And when [Israel's king] sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if any of the kings of Israel actually wrote out their own copy of the law before they began to reign? David is the one king I think most likely to do this (not only did he love God from early on but he knew that he would be the king long before he actually sat on the throne, so he might have had time to be a scribe before all of the responsibility of reigning?). But then David still made a drastic error that could have been avoided if he had done his research in God's law first! (See II Samuel 6:1-15 and I Chronicles 15:13--Uzzah dies trying to steady an ark transported on an unsteady cart) But I don't remember any mention in the Word of any king writing out God's laws so that he would have his own copy, do you? It certainly would have taken some time to hand copy all of God's law! I wonder how Israel's history would have been different if their kings had set an example for the people of dependence on God's laws?
I wonder what changes would be effected in MY heart and life if I valued God's words enough to make my own hand-written copy of them?