PROLOGUE — The Proper Way to Hear God’s Voice
Deuteronomy 18 opens with a brief reaffirmation of the priests’ and Levites’ portion, then moves into the methods Israel must never use to learn God’s will, followed by a remarkable prophecy of the true prophet God would raise up instead.
ACT ONE — The Priests’ Portion (verses 1–8)
“The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance.”
This is a brief reaffirmation of the principle already established in Numbers 18 — the Levites’ inheritance was never land, but God Himself.
ACT TWO — The Prohibition of Abominable Divination and Sorcery (verses 9–14)
The central warning of this chapter follows.
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD.”
There shall not be found among you a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, a wizard, or a necromancer. This detailed list encompasses the various divination practices widespread across the ancient Near East. For Israel, the only legitimate way to know the future and receive guidance had to be not through these hidden, manipulative techniques, but through a prophet God Himself would raise up.
ACT THREE — I Will Raise Them Up a Prophet Like Unto Thee (verses 15–19)
The most theologically significant and prophetic verse of this chapter now appears.
“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; According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.”
The LORD will raise up unto thee a Prophet… like unto me. This verse directly recalls the people’s request for a mediator, already recorded in Deuteronomy 5 — fearing God’s direct voice, they had asked for Moses to be set up as mediator between them. God, answering that request, promised to continue raising up prophets like Moses.
“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. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
A Prophet like unto Moses. This prophecy has long been understood in the New Testament as ultimately applying to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22–23, 7:37). Christ was regarded, like Moses, as the mediator between God and His people, and the ultimate prophet who directly delivered God’s word.
ACT FOUR — The Standard for Distinguishing True Prophets from False (verses 20–22)
This chapter closes with a practical standard for discerning true prophecy.
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die… And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
If the thing follow not, nor come to pass. Whether a prophecy was fulfilled served as a useful verification tool — but, as already learned in chapter 13, the fulfillment of a sign alone was never the ultimate standard. Rather, two standards had to operate together — the content of the message (does it lead toward idolatry?) and the fulfillment of the prophecy (did it actually happen?).
REFLECTION — The Wisdom to Discern the True Voice
The deepest comfort Deuteronomy 18 gives us is that God never left us to depend on hidden divination or manipulative technique. Rather than speaking directly, He chose to deliver His will through a trustworthy prophet — ultimately, Christ.
Facing an uncertain future, are you seeking guidance through God’s word and through Christ, rather than through divination or hidden means?
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
Deuteronomy Chapter 19 — the reaffirmation of the cities of refuge system, and the severe penalty for a false witness, follow.
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