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Remember last week we saw in 
the end of chapter 16 and chapter 17 leadership in Israel, specifically 
judges at the lower court level, judges at the higher court level, 
and then chapter 17 ended with instructions for the kings. So judges and kings are what 
chapter 17 is about, priests and prophets. is the concern 
of chapter 18. So still continuing that theme 
of leadership in Israel, here specifically, however, it is 
the priests and the prophets. So I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 18 at verse 1. The priests, the Levites, all 
the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with 
Israel. They shall eat the offerings 
of the Lord made by fire and his portion. Therefore, they 
shall have no inheritance among their brethren. The Lord is their 
inheritance, as he said to them. And this shall be the priest 
do from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether 
it is bull or sheep. They shall give to the priest 
the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach, the first fruits 
of your grain, and your new wine, and your oil, and the first of 
the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. for the Lord 
your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister 
in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever. So if a 
Levite comes from any of your gates, from where he dwells among 
all Israel, and comes with all the desire of his mind to the 
place which the Lord chooses, then he may serve in the name 
of the Lord as God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who 
stand there before the Lord. They shall have equal portions 
to eat, besides what comes from the sale of his inheritance. 
When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, 
you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among 
you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through 
the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer. or one who interprets omens, 
or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, 
or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are 
an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations, 
the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall 
be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which 
you will dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners. But 
as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. The Lord your God will raise 
up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according 
to all you desired of the Lord your God, in Horeb, in the day 
of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of 
the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest 
I die. And the Lord said to me, what 
they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet 
like you from among their brethren, and will put my words in his 
mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 
And it shall be that whoever will not hear my words, which 
he speaks in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet 
who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not 
commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, 
that prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 
how shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken? When 
a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does 
not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has 
not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously, 
you shall not be afraid of him. Amen. Well, we'll break this 
chapter up into three sections. First, the provision for priests 
and Levites, verses 1 to 8. Secondly, the prohibition against 
wicked customs in verses 9 to 14. And then the promise of another 
prophet in verses 15 to 22. So as I said, priests and prophets 
is what this chapter takes up. and expounds and explains so 
that when they go into the land of Canaan, they will understand 
their relationship to these two particular offices. The teaching 
office, the priest not only would minister in the sanctuary, would 
not only engage in sacrifice, but they had the duty to instruct 
Israel in the law of the Lord, and of course the prophet was 
the one who spoke in the name of the Lord. The prophet both 
foretold and he foretold. In other words, all of his ministry 
wasn't taken up with predictive prophecy. The only function of 
a prophet wasn't simply to tell what was going to happen in the 
future, but he also foretold, or he engaged in foretelling 
the Word of God. The priest, remember, goes to 
God on behalf of the people. The prophet comes from God to 
the people to speak the Word of the Lord to the people of 
God. So that's the primary function 
of the prophet with reference to his place before the Lord. 
The best one-volume book that I could recommend on the prophetic 
ministry is a book called The Christ of the Prophets by O. Palmer Robertson. We can't engage 
in a long, full-scale study of prophetism, but that's a great 
book on this subject of the prophets. They're large. There's a lot of material with 
reference to the prophets in the Old Testament. It's a very 
important subject. and one that would be very helpful 
for us all to have in our understanding. But let's just look at the provision 
for priests and Levites. We won't spend too much time 
in this particular place. We've already seen priests and 
Levites referenced up to this point. Remember that they did 
not receive a tribal inheritance. in terms of a piece of property, 
their inheritance was the Lord Himself. And that is what is 
specified here. The priests, the Levites, all 
the tribe of Levi. Best I understand is that all 
of the Levites, all the priests were Levites. but not all Levites 
were necessarily priests. In other words, from the tribe 
of Levi you had persons that were dedicated or devoted to 
the service of God Most High. But the priests, the one who 
ministered specifically at the altar, were directly descended 
from Aaron. And I think that's what verse 
1 indicates. The priests, the Levites, all 
the tribe of Levi. So you have those priests which 
are from Aaron that function specifically with reference to 
the altar, then you have this category of Levites that don't 
necessarily function in the altar in terms of sacrifice, but nevertheless 
they are of the tribe of Levi, and they are tasked with those 
duties and requirements associated with the cult, with the worship 
services in Israel. Notice he says, "...they shall 
have no part nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the 
offerings of the Lord made by fire and his poor shed. Therefore they shall have no 
inheritance among their brethren. The Lord is their inheritance, 
as he said to them." Now they were given some cities, they 
were given some land, for pasture, but they were not given land 
in the same way that the 12 tribes of Israel were. They were given 
these things simply to sustain life in addition to what they 
received from the sacrifice. But notice, they shall have no 
inheritance among their brethren, the Lord is their inheritance 
as he said to them. It is important to remember though 
Wright says, this was not pious spiritualization of a life of 
ascetic poverty. In other words, when it says 
the Lord is their inheritance, it doesn't mean they didn't have 
to eat. It doesn't mean they lived on 
love and fresh air. It doesn't mean that they just 
sort of wandered around like disembodied spirits and that 
no one really needed to care for them. In other words, if 
you saw a Levite or a priest starving to death, you weren't 
to conclude, well, you know, the Lord is his inheritance. 
I've heard the story. I've not ever been able to confirm 
if it was true. I mean, a lot of things are probably 
ascribed to C.H. Spurgeon. It would be great to 
have a fact-check doc or to see if, in fact, he did say that. 
But apparently somebody came to C.H. Spurgeon and he was telling 
the story of a young man he counseled that needed to ask for money 
from the deacon in the church because he wasn't making enough 
money. to make a living. And so the deacon says to this 
young man, well, you don't, you know, when the young man said, 
I need more money because I can't live. The man says, well, don't 
you preach for souls? And he said, well, yes, I preach 
for souls, but I can't live off of souls. And my children can't 
eat souls. We need money in order to buy 
food. And I think the temptation or 
the tendency is to read a statement like this and say, well, the 
Levites and the priests, God is their inheritance. He'll provide 
for them. Yes, that's a truth. But how does God provide for 
them? He provides for them based on 
the generosity of the community. So Wright says, this was not 
pious spiritualization of a life of ascetic poverty, but a statement 
of the principle that they would receive the full material blessing 
of their inheritance to the extent that the people of God were faithful 
in their worship of him and in covenant commitment to one another. The idea is that they are devoted 
to the task of serving in the tabernacle or in the temple. 
They're not out, you know, raising cattle as a profession. They're 
not out engaged in silver and gold as a profession. They're 
not involved in commerce as a profession. Their primary task is the service 
of God, and in so doing, service to the people. And so the Lord 
God has promised that in their faithfulness, God would indeed 
bless them as a result of their service unto Him. And that's 
what chapter 18, verses 1 to eight are primarily concerned 
with. It then indicates specifically 
that they would receive the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. 
I personally would be fine with the shoulder, the cheeks, and 
the stomach, not so much, but I haven't eaten like those men 
did." Perhaps that was the most delicate part of the animal. Do you see what happens here? 
This shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who 
offer a sacrifice. Whether it is bull or sheep, 
they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and 
the stomach. Not only do they receive meat, but verse 4, the 
first fruits of your grain, and your new wine, and your oil, 
and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. 
For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to 
stand to minister in the name of the Lord. Him and His sons 
forever. It's interesting, the language 
adopted here, the language used here is the same language used 
of Israel as a whole. The Lord God chose Israel from 
among the nations to bless. Well, within Israel, He chose 
the Levites to minister in a very specific and in a very particular 
way. And again, the abiding principle 
is that if they are given to the task of service unto the 
Lord, than they are to reap the benefits from that service in 
terms of the meat that was offered up and these other portions of 
grain and new wine and oil and all of these particulars. Now, 
again, probably verses 3 to 5, we're supposed to understand 
those priests that are connected to altar service. those priests 
that are connected to the sacrificial service, they receive that portion 
of the sacrifice. Verses 6 to 8, probably, this 
is a difficult passage, one that transcends my ability in the 
space of the time allotted here, but 6 to 8 is a bit of a difficulty 
in terms of the commentaries. What many suppose is that these 
Levites were the non- alter officiating Levites. These were Levites living 
in rural areas. And the point of this section 
is verse 8, not verse 7. Notice in verse 7 it says, "...then 
he may serve in the name of the Lord his God as all his brethren 
the Levites do who stand there before the Lord." The idea is 
that a man from the rural areas comes to the central sanctuary. 
It's a supposition that he will do this, that in his life, in 
his career, in his trajectory, he will want to serve as his 
brethren do. The point is verse 8, they shall 
have equal portions to eat. So if a man serving in an outlying 
area comes to the central sanctuary or comes to the place where the 
other priests are serving, the idea is that the Levites all 
get a fair share. Not fair share in the way that 
we often hear it politicized in our particular climate. This 
is theological fair share. Again, the Levitical priesthood, 
those connected with temple service, will receive from the Lord those 
benefits and blessings necessary to sustain their life so that 
they can, in fact, minister to the Lord and minister to the 
community." Notice at the end of verse 8, besides what comes 
from the sale of his inheritance, again a difficult passage because 
they didn't receive an inheritance in the same manner that the other 
tribes did. Perhaps it was family wealth, 
it was some other thing. The idea though in verses 6 to 
8 is that if a man comes from outside and he comes into that 
place where the tabernacle or temple is, He is due to receive 
his equal portion as well. So basically, verses 1 to 8 deal 
with priests, Levites, those connected to the temple and tabernacle, 
those tasked with sacrifice and intercession, and all that is 
involved with that They are to reap the benefit in terms of 
material blessing. They don't have an inheritance 
the same way the other tribes. They don't have the same ability 
in terms of commerce. They don't have the same ability 
in terms of time commitment in the marketplace. So, those who 
live according, those who engage in this sort of a lifestyle will 
be provided for by the living God through the generosity and 
the faithfulness. of his people." So it's not just 
generosity. If they are actually faithful 
to their covenant obligations, they're bringing the sacrifices 
the way they are supposed to, then the priests will be able 
to eat accordingly. So that's the provision for priests 
and Levites. Notice, secondly, the prohibition 
against wicked customs. You kind of think that why would 
this just be dropped right in the middle of priests and prophets? 
There is very good rhyme and reason. What we are being told 
here is that the Canaanites seek supernatural revelation from 
all manner of abominable practices. It ain't supposed to be that 
way in Israel. You have priests to teach. You 
have priests to sacrifice, you have priests to intercede, and 
you have prophets that speak the Word of God. You're not to 
go looking for the various things that the pagans employ in the 
land of Canaan. So verses 9 to 14 are not sort 
of inserted here as just another reminder about what you ought 
to avoid in the land. but it fits the context and the 
flow very peculiarly. You are to seek the priesthood 
and the prophetic ministry, not divination, not magic, and not 
spiritism. You are to avoid the wicked transactions 
of the pagans in the land that you are dispossessing. There 
is a general statement in verse 9. Notice, when you come, into 
the land which the Lord your God is giving you." We have read 
that so many times in the book of Deuteronomy, it's probably 
easy for us to sort of take it for granted or not to pay much 
attention to it. But every time this phrase is 
used, it is calculated to remind the people on the plains of Moab 
that what they are going to receive is by the grace of God. They are not entering into the 
land which they deserve. They are not entering into the 
land which they will conquer on their own. They are not entering 
into the land because they're a righteous, godly, wonderful, 
spotless, holy, pure people. No, this is a gracious deposit 
from the living God. It is grace that underscores 
all of their obligations, all of their commitments, all of 
their duties and responsibilities are to flow out of this appreciation 
of what God has done for them in terms of His redemptive work. He brought them out of the land 
of Egypt. He plants them in the land of 
Canaan. So when we read this statement, 
when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, 
you're supposed to sing a stanza of amazing grace, how sweet the 
sound that saved a wretch like me. We're never to forget, standing 
on the plains of Moab, that we enter into the promised land 
because of the graciousness of God. That is something that we 
as Christians need to be reminded of as well. We do not get called 
to go out and live holy because we're better than other people. 
We have been redeemed by sovereign grace through the blood of the 
cross. It is based on that reality that 
we receive the imperatives of the New Testament documents. 
So when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving 
you, notice, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of 
those nations. The children of Israel are told 
specifically in this chapter, seek the knowledge of God through 
God's appointed means. Seek the knowledge of God through 
those agencies that the Lord God has established. Again, if 
we jump into the New Covenant, we ought to put the emphasis 
on sound doctrine, where the Apostle Paul puts it. We ought 
not to put it on experience. We ought not to put it on mysticism. We ought not to put it on those 
things which oftentimes please the flesh. When you turn to the 
pastoral epistles, 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus, the recurring 
theme, the recurring emphasis for those men of God is to proclaim 
sound doctrine. In fact, Paul, his last command 
to Timothy in terms of his official capacity as a minister of the 
gospel is preach the word. Now, Paul does tell Timothy to 
bring his cloak and to bring the books, especially the parchments. 
So that's a command, but notice I'm saying the last formal command 
in terms of Timothy as a public man. He says, preach the word, 
be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and 
exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. Paul then gives 
two reasons why Timothy is to do that. The second is that Paul's 
about to die. Paul is going to die. The time 
of my departure is at hand. So preach the word because I'm 
going the way of all flesh. I am going to be with Jesus. 
So Timothy, you need to be faithful and preach the word. The first 
reason that Paul gives is that the time will come when men will 
not endure sound doctrine. They'll have itching ears and 
they'll heap up for themselves men to scratch those itches, 
men that will facilitate their desires and their longings. So 
the logic of the Apostle is impeccable. Preach the Word because the time 
is coming when they will not want the Word. They will look 
after other things. They will seek, you know, encounter 
sessions. They will seek whatever fad, 
whatever gimmick, whatever passing phase that the church is enamored 
with. Men will follow those particular 
things. But Timothy, you be faithful 
in all things. Do the work of an evangelist. 
Fulfill your ministry. That is the imperative here, 
and that is how this section functions. When you come into 
the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall 
not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. And then he 
highlights very specifically those abominations. Verses 10 
to 11. The first is child sacrifice. 
Verse 10. There shall not be found among 
you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through 
the fire. Now this isn't hot coals designed 
to teach your child a lesson so that they don't go to strange 
places. This is passing them into the 
fire. It is child sacrifice. We see 
this condemned in Israel's history. And oftentimes, or the few times 
that it's indicated, it is practiced along with soothsaying. And some 
suppose that this ritual of offering up children in human sacrifice 
was connected to an idea of getting revelation from the deity, getting 
guidance from the deity, and it's condemned here. While the 
pagans may throw their children into the arms of Molech and watch 
them bounce into the flames, and then seek a word from Molech 
based on that, the children of Israel are not to engage in those 
abominations. It is one of the reasons ultimately 
why Israel would be carried off into Assyria. It's an unfortunate 
reality that this prohibition in chapter 18 verses 9 to 14 
was disobeyed. the thought of sacrificing your 
children, throwing them into the fire. Later on in the prophet 
Jeremiah, God says, these things didn't even enter into my mind. 
He's not making a statement in terms of his being, in terms 
of his ontology, in terms of his knowledge. It is an ethical 
report. That's not the way God, the God 
of Israel, operates. Those things don't enter my mind. 
I never command people to offer up their children into the arms 
of Molech so that they may gain revelation. It is simply to be 
unheard of. in Israel. And it was also Manasseh 
implemented this in his reign in 2310 of 2 Kings. It was prohibited by Josiah. And then in Jeremiah 32, 35, 
you would think that the southern tribes would have learned the 
lesson of the northern tribes. I mean, this is what Jeremiah 
does at least a couple of times in his book. He uses the example 
of what God did to the northern tribes to try and call Judah 
to repentance. He does this in chapter 3. He 
does this in chapter 32. It is for this cause, or one 
of the causes, or one of the reasons why Judah would be shut 
down by Babylon is because they caused their sons and daughters 
to pass through the fire. It is simply wicked and ungodly. And it's interesting, too. Have 
you ever met the people that say, well, isn't it horrible 
that God would send Israel into the land of Canaan and drive 
all those innocent people out? They weren't innocent. They were 
wicked. But you know, interestingly enough, 
what happens? Israel and Judah occupy Canaan. When they do the 
same sorts of things, what happens? God drives them out. He brings 
Assyria in, he brings Babylon in, he brings destruction upon 
those same people groups. So you see, God is not arbitrary. God is not capricious. Those 
who violate his holy law will be dealt with accordingly. So, child sacrifice. The next 
three deal with divination or occultic practices. One who practices 
witchcraft or a soothsayer or one who interprets omens. Again, 
there are indicators throughout the Old Testament that these 
things were going on within Israel. So, the occult. Secondly, magic. sorcerer, or one who conjures 
spells. This isn't, you know, you're 
sitting at a restaurant on a Friday night and the guy comes and says, 
pick a card, any card, did you pick the two of clubs? That's 
not the kind of magic that's involved here. This isn't, you 
know, pulling a quarter out of somebody's ear. This is magic 
with the express purpose of trying to manipulate circumstances, 
trying to make things go well for one person, and has an attempt 
to contact with the supernatural. So a sorcerer or one who conjures 
spells. And then there's spiritism. A 
medium, a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. Those who 
communicate with the dead. The perfect example of this happened 
in the life of a particular king. Does anybody remember who that 
king was? Saul. And it's interesting that 
Saul swears by Yahweh. that no punishment would come 
upon the Spiritist involved. A horrible situation. He swears 
by Yahweh that no punishment will come upon the medium or 
the Spiritist involved. Dale Ralph Davis says, Scripture 
describes such practices not as futile but as pagan. You ever read 1 Samuel 28 and 
said, wow. That's like, I mean, they saw something. Was it really 
Samuel? You know, there's a debatable 
question there. Whatever, whether it was Samuel 
or not, and there's various reasons to think yea or nay, whatever 
it was, they saw something. Something was brought up according 
to the text. So you see, God does not condemn 
these things because they don't work. He condemns these things 
because they're abominable. He condemns these things because 
they're wicked. Christopher Wright describes 
this complex of wicked approaches by the heathen in this way. He 
says, it is a universal human desire to know the unknown. to have some preview of the future, 
to get guidance for decisions, to exercise control over others, 
to harm others and ward off the harm others may aim at oneself. He says, alienated from the living 
God, humans devise the dark arts of 10 and 11 for such purposes. That just nails it. These things 
are alive and well today. I mean, fortune-telling and all 
these things. Seeking to know the unknown, 
to have some preview of the future. You see what Israel is being 
cautioned against. Do not seek knowledge in this 
way. Do not go the occultic route. 
Do not go through the magic route and certainly don't go through 
the dead route or spiritism or necromancy, but rather to the 
law and to the testimony, to the word of the living God. This 
is another time where what we have here is exalted. living 
word of God Most High. That's the emphasis. That's the 
point. And notice here in verse 12, 
for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. And 
because of these abominations, the Lord your God drives them 
out from before you. So you see it is an abomination 
to practice these things and it was an abomination that the 
Canaanites engaged in these things. So we see that there is an ethical 
context for the conquest when Israel goes into Canaan to dispossess 
the land of the Canaanites. If you have not met anybody who's 
ever said, boy, that seems harsh that God would tell Israel to 
go into Canaan and to utterly destroy it, then you haven't 
talked to people about the Old Testament. This is one of those 
common objections. This is one of those garden-variety 
objections to the Old Testament Scriptures. People will say it 
doesn't seem fair. The Canaanites were just minding 
their own business. The Canaanites were just engaged 
in commerce. The Canaanites were just engaged 
in city building and house building and vineyard growing. Remember 
back in Deuteronomy, you're going to go in. You're going to inherit 
cities which you didn't build. You're going to receive houses 
which you didn't build. You're going to receive wells 
which you didn't dig. Well, the Canaanites were just 
innocently and happily enjoying life in Canaan doing those particular 
things. No, they weren't. They were wicked, 
profligate, evil, godless wretches that the Lord sent Israel not 
perfect nation, to go in and judge them, to dispossess the 
land. When Israel occupies Canaan and 
they engage like the Canaanites, then God sends Assyria, God sends 
Babylon to vomit them out of the land. God does not mess around. God is ethically pure and he 
is ethically righteous. The expulsion of the Canaanites 
from the land was due to their transgression against God. That's 
important as well because some people make this mistake. Well, 
how in the world could we preach the Ten Commandments to people 
that aren't in the church? Well, as far as I know, there 
wasn't some sort of a prophet in Canaan who was prosecuting 
the Ten Commandments. Remember, our Reformed Confession 
teaches us that the law of God, the moral law of God, did not 
make its first appearance at Sinai. The moral law of God was 
written in Adam's heart. What we find at Sinai is the 
codification or the summary of that law, but its existence is 
first in Adam's heart. So that when men are in Canaan, 
and they're engaged in bestiality, or they're engaged in sodomy, 
or they're engaged in sorcery, or in soothsaying, or they're 
engaged in passing their little children into the fire, When 
they're doing those things, they're sinning against a holy God and 
God is not mocked. That is why there was a conquest. So when somebody says, it just 
doesn't seem fair, you say, oh yes it was. It was the execution 
of fairness, the execution of justice, the execution of judgment 
that God sent Israel in as the means to drive those wicked Canaanites 
out of the land. Notice, you shall be blameless 
before the Lord your God, verse 13, for these nations, which 
you will dispossess, listen to soothsayers and, is it diviners 
or diviners? I didn't take the moment to go 
to dictionary.com and listen to the pronunciation. Diviners, 
that's what I would think too. So you will dispossess, listen 
to soothsayers and diviners. See what he's saying? Don't do 
that. Don't do that. Don't soothsay. Don't divine. Don't read omens. Don't pass your children through 
the fire. Don't engage in spiritism. Don't try to call up the dead. 
That's the point of verse 14. These nations which you will 
dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners. But as for you, 
the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. So if we ask the 
question, well, what has the Lord our God appointed for us? Enter the prophets, the men of 
God, the preachers of truth, the one through whom God's revelation 
comes. You have priests to function 
in the temple. You have priests to go before 
the Lord with sacrifice. You have priests to expound the 
law as it's written. But God has raised up His servants, 
the prophets, to send them to Israel and to prosecute His holy 
word. You see the transition. But as 
for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. Craigie says, having forbidden 
certain illegitimate methods of attempted communication with 
the supernatural world, 9 to 14, the sermon on the law now 
turns to prophecy, the true and legitimate means by which God's 
word would be delivered to his people. It's easy. Don't go to 
the fortune tellers when you're in Canaan. Go to the prophet. 
Go to the synagogue. Go to the temple. Listen to the 
word of God. You see, this chapter, I think, 
speaks to the church today. It's almost like the Bible isn't 
enough. Preaching isn't enough. We have 
to be entertained. We have to be mesmerized. We 
have to be enraptured. We have to be mystified. We have 
to be dazzled. It's like we're saying collectively, 
the Bible is boring. Give us something that makes 
us happy. I think chapter 18 jumps out 
of the context and serves as an indictment to a people in 
the professing church that are conducting themselves like the 
pagans in the land. The pagans love entertainment. 
So what do we do? We bring entertainment into the 
church. The pagans love rock music, so what do we do? We bring 
rock music into the church. The pagans like all manner of 
existential religion, so what do we do? We bring existential 
religion into the church. You see, chapter 18 of the book 
of Deuteronomy is as relevant today as it was on the plains 
of Moab. You see, God says to the law 
and to the testimony, God says my word is enough. If we have 
not learned that lesson in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and Matthew chapter 
4, then hopefully Deuteronomy 18 will screw it back into our 
hearts again. What is that abiding lesson of 
Deuteronomy and Matthew 4? Man shall not live by bread alone, 
but by what? Every word that proceeds from 
the mouth of God. not spiritism, not magic, not 
the occult. Those are things that the pagans 
did and were dispossessed from the land because it's an abomination 
to the Lord your God. So the promise of another prophet, 
it's stated in verse 15, the Lord your God will raise up for 
you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. He 
would be like Moses. It's not exactly like Moses. If Moses had a long beard and 
a long hair, that didn't mean that every subsequent prophet 
would have a long beard and long hair, though that might have 
been the custom and the practice or whatever. The like Moses there 
means this. a mediator to speak the truth 
of God's Word. Right? That's the like Moses. We'll see that that like Moses 
develops a little bit toward the end of the chapter, but the 
primary emphasis is that God the Lord will raise up first 
a succession of prophets that will serve at Israel, but it 
is, or it has as its antitype, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the 
prophet to the church. We'll see that again in just 
a moment. But notice, the Lord your God 
will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from 
your brethren. Again, just like the king had 
to be an Israelite, just like the priests had to be Israelites, 
So did the prophet have to be an Israelite. It'll be like Moses, 
and it will be from your midst, from your brethren. Notice, him 
you shall hear. And then he gives this historical 
precedent. Verse 16, according to all you 
desired of the Lord your God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly 
saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, 
nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die. And the 
Lord said to me, what they have spoken is good.