Deuteronomy 18:15-22--A New Prophet like Moses

Deuteronomy 18:15-22
English Standard Version

A New Prophet like Moses
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen-- 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’-- 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

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While it doesn't sound like it at first, this is one of the passages that the Jews understood to be a Messianic prophecy.  One day there would be someone like Moses--a Deliverer, a Prophet, and even in some ways a Priest to be Mediator of the Covenant (yea, even a New Covenant as we'll read about in Hebrews) between God and men.

Unlike with Moses though, the people would not be afraid to come up the mountain and be the people that God had called them to be, but they shall gather around this Prophet and hear directly from God because it will be God in the flesh speaking to them.  Yes this Prophet that would come would still be human and on of their "brothers"--so we see indications early on that Jesus would have to be both God and man to fulfill this promise.

The LORD said that whatever was spoken by Jesus in the name of the LORD (the words that the LORD had given Him to speak) that the people would not listen to would bring judgment upon them.  We see that in Jesus' condemnation of the Unrepentant Cities in Matthew 11:20-24:

Woe to Unrepentant Cities​
20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Those are some very harsh words from Jesus to these Jews who heard and did not listen or believe.  He's telling them that they will all stand condemned and that even the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (who we know are not saved by the account in Genesis) will rise up as witnesses against them in the final judgment saying that if they had access to the words of Jesus they would have heard and repented and believed--as well as other pagan cities with awful reputations like Tyre and Sidon.

Let's return to our text in Deuteronomy.  How are the people to know when the true prophets of God come and when it is a false prophet, for there were many of those among the Canaanites.  We've already seen the example of Balaam in the book of Numbers for instance.  God instructs the people how to put such a prophet should be put to the test 

If he speaks prophecy in the name of other gods, he is to die.  If he speaks a short-term prophecy in the name of the LORD and it does not come to pass exactly as he has prophesied, he is a false prophet and is to die.  This is not the only place where the death penalty is given for false prophets, and we'll see it again before we reach the end of Deuteronomy.  Be very careful about those who you listen to who make predictions about the future, especially if they are trying to stir up fear and dread to control the people.  These are usually the instruments of Satan and not the true prophets of God.  I am not saying that there isn't still a time and place for the spiritual gift of prophecy, but for the most part people have access to the Word of God now and there is little need for that Word to be validated by signs and wonders as it was in the days of the prophets and apostles.  There will be a day though in the end times where we see this again, when the LORD will send His prophets during the time of tribulation.  Let us not be like the wicked people in the time of Jesus that simply asked for another sign (see John 6), but yet are unwilling to respond to the truth that we have already seen and heard (like the Unrepentant Cities that we spoke of earlier).