I will raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18)

God promised that He would raise up from among His people a prophet greater than Moses. This prophet would have the words of God in his mouth and would speak all that God commanded him. This was the responsibility of prophets throughout the Old Testament, as men sent by God announced, “Thus says the Lord.” Their job was to relay exactly what God had said.

When we think of faithful prophets, we think of men like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. Yet we know that none of these men were perfect. They all struggled with sin. Moses, the one to whom God made this promise of a coming prophet, was not even able to enter the Promised Land because he “did not treat [the Lord] as holy in the midst of the people of Israel” (Deuteronomy 32:51).

Gratefully, Deuteronomy 18:18 speaks of a greater prophet who would come. This prophet would have no sin, and He would speak God’s words and reveal God’s truth perfectly. As we read the New Testament, we see this promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37). He revealed the truth of God without any hint of error, sin, or impurity.

We don’t need someone who will claim to speak for God and then go and deliberately teach contrary to His Word. Nor do we need someone who will claim to speak for God, put forth his best effort, but still be flawed. No, we need one who perfectly reveals the truth of God. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, Jesus is that perfect and final Word: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son . . .” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

PRAYING IN LIGHT OF TODAY’S PASSAGE

Pray that God would open the eyes of unbelievers around you to understand and embrace the truthfulness of Scripture concerning who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for our salvation.