Deuteronomy 17 & 18: A PROPHET
Verse of the Day: (18:18) I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
1. Priest (17:1-20)
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: (17:9)
God chose the priests, the descendants of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, not only to serve at His sanctuary, but also to judge the affairs of Israel, and passed judgments upon them. Though these priests, like the Levites, had no inheritance, yet God was their spiritual inheritance, and had commanded the rest of the tribes to provide for all their needs by offering them the first-fruits of their crops or livestock. Today, we who believe in Jesus Christ are God’s priests, and are blessed with His wisdom and insights to judge and discern the affairs of others, and help them to resolves their differences. In fact, one day, in heaven we shall judge the angels. Let us therefore thank God for redeeming us from our sins, and choosing us to be His priests and judges for His glory. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
2. Perfect (18:1-14)
Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. (18:13)
God commanded Israel to be perfect before Him and to obey Him and His commandments, and never to worship idols and commit wickedness before Him. In fact, there were some who rebelled against Him, and worshipped idols of other nations, and even followed their evil ways by offering their children as sacrifices to these idols. God therefore judged and destroyed them for all their wicked deeds. Indeed, God’s blessings shall only be upon us as we strive to be perfect and holy before Him. (1 Peter 5:10-11)
3. Prophet (18:15-22)
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (18:15)
God knows the hearts and souls of man since He creates man. This is why though He knows the first couple, Adam and Eve, would choose to disobey Him, He had a redemption plan for them and the rest of mankind by the offering of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins so that we shall be reconciled to Him when we believe and receive Him as our personal Saviour. Even before Jesus came, God also prophesied to Israel that one day there shall be Prophet, who was none other than Jesus, from their own people, to come to this earth to preach and minister to them, and eventually to die on the cross and shed His precious blood for the sins of the whole world. Whoever truly believes in Him shall never perish, but have everlasting life with Him in pearly heaven. (Acts 3:22)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are my Prophet, Priest and my personal Saviour.
