Untitled Sermon
GOD ASSURE THE ISRAELITES THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE TRUE PROPHETS TO DELIVER A MESSAGE OF HOPE TO HIS PEOPLE!
The concern in this text had to do with the replacement of Moses
Moses was old, very old, and he was soon to pass off the scene. What were the Israelites to do once he was gone? Who was going to stand as a prophet before them to proclaim the will of God? Who was going to keep them on the straight and narrow path of holiness? Who was going to protect them from the world of the occult and from the other evils of this world? Who was going to warn them and call them back when they began to go astray? Who was going to stand before them as the spokesman for God, declaring the Word of God? Standing there preaching to the Israelites, Moses answers these questions, and in so doing, he makes an astounding prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ:
1. Moses assured the people that God would raise up a special prophet from among their own brothers. Once he appeared, the people must listen to him (v. 15).
2. The work of the special Prophet was to be threefold:
a. The prophet was to be the mediator between the people and God (v. 16). Moses reminded the people that this was exactly what they had requested at Mt. Sinai. When they heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire proclaiming the Ten Commandments, they were stricken with terror. They shrunk back from the mountain, fearing the holiness of God, and begged Moses to stand as mediator between them and God. They begged Moses to approach God on their behalf, receiving the Word of God and then proclaiming His Word to them. Thus Moses was not only God’s mediator to the people, he was also God’s prophet to the people.
b. Moses reminded the people that God agreed with their request. It was His will for Moses to be their mediator and prophet (v. 17).
c. Moses then declared that God made a wonderful promise to the people: He would raise up a prophet just like Moses from among the Israelites (v. 18). That prophet would be the spokesman for God, declaring the Word of God.
3. But note: after making the wonderful promise, God had Moses issue a strong warning to the people (v. 19). A person must heed the words of the prophet or else face the judgment of God.
Now note: this passage obviously has a double reference. God was promising a permanent line of prophets who would be His spokesmen to declare the Word of God to His people. But He was also promising a very special Prophet who would be the preeminent spokesman for God. This Prophet would be the Divine Communicator in revealing God and His will to the people.