September 22 | Deuteronomy 18:15-19

---

DAILY READING

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

---

REFLECTION

A Portrait of the Messiah

By Dave Mann

Moses words found in Deuteronomy 18 are among the early Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.  The prophets may not have been aware of the entire picture of the Messiah, but they each added a few paint strokes to the portrait of the One who was to come.  Moses added to the portrait of the Messiah that Old Testament prophecies would paint.  Here are some phrases from Moses’ view of that painting, now linked with Jesus’ fulfillment.

1)     Deuteronomy 18:15 “God will raise up for you a prophet.”

In Matthew 13:57, we read, And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”  Jesus quoted a well-known proverb and applied the role of prophet in that proverb to himself.

2)     Deuteronomy 18:15 “God will raise up for you a prophet.” See John 3:14 where Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”

There is a double meaning in the phrases “raise up” and “lift up.”  To raise up someone means to make him evident and well known, but it also means to be attached to a cross and then lifted high.  Both were true of Jesus.

3)     Deuteronomy 18:15 &19 “You must listen to him.” At the conclusion of the transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of Peter, James, and John, the divine voice instructed them, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

4)     Deuteronomy 18:18 “I will put my words in his mouth.” John 14:10 -- Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

5)     Deuteronomy 18:18 “He will tell them everything I command him.”  In John 8:28 Jesus said, “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.”

In John 12:49 Jesus said, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

It is quite clear that Jesus bears the image of the prophet whom Moses painted.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for giving us the image of Jesus the Messiah well in advance of his actual arrival on earth.  I pray that you would give us the grace to acknowledge him as our prophet and that we would indeed listen to him, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.