Today’s passage: Deuteronomy 18
Helpful thoughts:
- The Levites did not share in the land inheritance of Israel. The Lord was their inheritance.
- The Levites were to live off of the Lord’s work and the sale of their own possessions.
- “The sale of his patrimony” refers to possession inherited from one’s father. The Levites were not to inherit land, but this did not prevent them from owning other possessions.
- The Levites were to live off of the Lord’s work and the sale of their own possessions.
- The people groups Israel was about to drive out of the Promised Land were being judged by God for their sin. It would have been (and was) foolish for Israel to assimilate their sinful practices into their own culture and life!
- Laws and a promise are given concerning prophets.
- False prophets (once their prophecies proved false) were to be executed.
- It is possible to be right about a “prophecy” and yet not have been sent by the Lord (verse 20).
- The promise of a prophet, like Moses, who would come in the future was believed to be referring to a final prophet. The Apostles declared this prophet was Jesus (John 1:19-23, Acts 3:22-24, 7:37).
- The pagan nations would often use child sacrifice as a way to seek help and answers/revelation from their false gods. This is why, immediately after forbidding such practices, the Lord promises Israel there will be those (and the One) who would come and tell them what God wanted to reveal. God is saying they must not sacrifice their children, and they shouldn’t ever feel like they need to, because He will send them prophets.
Questions to consider:
- How are these laws for the Levites very practical in nature? How was God going to care of those who were called to serve Him and the nation in these ways? How would the faithfulness of the nation be necessary to provide for the Levites? How would the failure of the people to worship provide temptation for the Levites to seek their provision in other things than the Lord?
- What kinds of things might we be tempted to do when we want to know what is happening (or what will happen) in our lives? To whom or what do we turn? How has God revealed to us everything we need (2 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)?
- How is Jesus the ultimate prophet? What (and how) did He perfectly reveal God to His people?