Prophets, False Prophets, and the Word of the Lord

Context: Where does this fit in the Big Picture of God's Glory?

Overview: What's going on here?

Deuteronomy 18:9–22 CSB

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations. No one among you is to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or a spiritist, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these acts is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable acts. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die!’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name. But the prophet who presumes to speak a message in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die.’ You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the Lord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Overview: What's going on here?

Establishing:

That Moses is a prophet

That a specific prophet will come (Messianic)

That rejecting God’s direct speech did not isolate them from the Word of God

That there are ways to determine false prophets

Reflection: Why does this matter?

The Word of the Lord does not lie, deceive, or mislead because the Lord does not lie, deceive, or mislead.

Expectations: What do we do about it?

Know what God has already said

Avoid the detestable practices—they aren’t games or fun, entertainment or harmless

STOP LISTENING TO PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE PROPHETS AND GET IT WRONG

Trust in the Greater Prophet: Jesus