August 29, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The message of Deuteronomy is one that the church desperately needs to hear today. These final words of Moses given to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land serve as a warning, an encouragement, and a charge. Through them, God exposes the idolatry of our hearts and calls us to give all of our love, worship, and devotion to Him alone in every area of our lives! Moses warns the people that when they enter the land there will be things that compete with God for their attention, their affections and their worship. We, too, have hundreds of things that compete for our hearts each and every day. In this book, God teaches us how to properly respond to the amazing grace He has given us by giving Him our undivided allegiance, our whole hearts and our whole lives. Over the next 34 days, let\u2019s seek this ancient way together as a church!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this chapter Moses gives the people instructions concerning the sacrificial portions for the priests and the Levites in the land, commands them not to adopt the wicked spiritual practices of the nations they are dispossessing, and tells them that the Lord is going to raise up another prophet like him for the people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This last portion of the chapter is of utmost significance to our understanding of the Jewish anticipation of the Messiah; if you will turn to the end of Deuteronomy (spoiler alert!) it says that there has not been another prophet like Moses. The five books of the Torah end with this anticipation, that a prophet like Moses is going to come; similarly, the part of the Hebrew Scriptures called the prophets ends with an expectation that a prophet like Elijah is going to come (Malachi 4:5-6). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is no coincidence that these are the two exact figures from Israel\u2019s history who appear to converse with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Jesus is the prophet like Moses that God is promising His people here! It is a bit ironic that God promises this prophet in response to the peoples\u2019 request that they should no longer hear the voice of God, since in hearing Jesus speak they heard the voice of God once more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is so significant for us because it means that, over the course of human history and down to the tiniest details, God is faithful to His promises. Not one word that He has spoken will fail; it shall all come to pass in due time. Put your trust and all your hope once more in His faithfulness today, and celebrate that the prophet like Moses has come and has reconciled us to God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n