What You Asked
De. 18:15-16 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’”
For context, today’s words from Moses are spoken about 40 years after the Exodus when the Ten Commandments were given on Mt. Horeb and the people quaked to hear the voice of God and see his glory in the heavenly fire over the tabernacle. Those who heard Moses speak these words were unlikely to have been present at the earlier event unless they were children. By this time, due to unbelief, idolatry, and rebellion, God has allowed the previous generation to die. Aside from Joshua and Caleb, none would enter Canaan to possess the land God promised Abraham over 800 years before. But this new generation had heard about the events of the Exodus and the voice of God at Mt. Horeb. And shortly, they would trust God and his appointed leader Joshua to return the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob back to the land that was theirs before living in Egypt.
Many false beliefs about the conquest of Canaan abound in our days, often spread by educated people who should know better, or at least be honest. 1) The Hebrews of the Exodus had deep ancestral roots in Canaan. Only a few hundred from their eventually large population went into Egypt at the time of Joseph and his brothers. We have ancient Egyptian stone monuments that verify the existence of significant Hebrews that never left what we now call Israel. A generation before the Exodus likely occurred, Pharaoh Thutmose III lists the names Jacob-El, Joseph-El and Levi-El as places or ethnic groups in Canaan over which he claims dominion. It is quite likely that this inscription refers to early communities of tribal groups related to the clans that went into Egypt long before. While not mentioned directly in the Bible, this also may further explain why so many residents weren’t expelled from Canaan when Joshua retook the land. 2) God makes clear, and archeology has confirmed, that the Canaanite inhabitants of the land were highly immoral, practiced debased idolatry, and were riddled with what we today call STD’s. They were ripe for judgment and the returning Hebrews were the instrument God used. Those who portray God as being unfair and giving the Hebrews special treatment ignore that God judged Israel equally harsh three times in their history (722BC, 521 BC, and 70 AD), and very strongly seven other times during the period recorded in the book of Judges. Simple fact: when Israel became idolatrous and immoral, God punished them as thoroughly as he had the Canaanites. 3) Also relevant, regardless of modern accusations, the secular nation of Israel of today, while not the covenant people of God of the past, does not constitute an occupier or colonizer of the land. Since Jews have also lived in the land ever since AD 70 until the formation of modern Israel, they have been major inhabitants of the land for over 4000 years. This is far longer than any other ethnic or tribal group represented. Various complaints may arise, but the political events that created the modern state of Israel in 1900’s did not suddenly place Jewish people where none had been before. This common accusation lacks historical reality.
De. 18:15-16 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’” Most important in these and the surrounding verses, God promises a great prophet, one greater than Moses. A prophet whose words are truly and fully God’s words, all the time. A prophet whose words bring us either life if we listen, or death if we reject. Jesus. We know this prophet to be the Word of God made man. Jesus, whom to see and hear is to see and hear the Father. The Jesus who is our Savior as we trust him, or our coming judgment as we reject him.
In Jesus’ day, not all Jews were deeply involved in studying and understanding prophecy. There were two primary religious sectors in Israel, and they were about equal in size. Although holding tightly to the first 5 books of the bible, the Sadducees cared much less about what we call the books of the prophets. Accordingly, they realized Moses predicted a great prophet, but the Sadducees did not expect a future Messiah, a great leader from God foretold by the prophets. But the Pharisees fully trusted and studied the books of the prophets and gave deep thought to the coming Messiah. However, both the Sadducees and Pharisees got various prophetic beliefs wrong, just like many Christians do today. And in so doing, many rejected the very Son of God, who spoke the very Word of God and thought themselves both faithful and wise to do so. Just like in all too many self-described Christian churches today that openly deny the clear words of the Bible and corrupt the gospel of Jesus Christ until what remains has little or nothing to do with the God of the Bible. But as the Bible reminds us, on the day of judgement God gets the last word on what is true and saving, and what is not.
One of the most hated aspects of the Christian faith is found in our passage today. With it, we also find one of the most wonderful aspects of our Christian faith. In theological shorthand, we call these two distinct yet interrelated principals Law and Gospel. The Law of God, given at Mt. Horeb, is hard to hear. It tells us how we should live, what we should never do. And most terribly of all, it always reminds us that we cannot live up to its perfect demands. The law always shows us our sin. It may also guide and protect us in this life, but we can never live perfectly without sin and be saved by it. The Gospel is the good news that God does all that is needed to save us from our sins and bring us to eternal life. Contrary to the message in many churches, the Gospel isn’t about us. It is entirely about Jesus who saves us without our help and despite the fact we fully deserve his judgment, not his mercy.
The voice of God speaking Law to us always makes us want to cover our ears, to beg him to stop, to let us hear a kinder, gentler message. When the Hebrews at Mt. Horeb, fresh from Egypt heard God’s voice and saw His power made visible in the fire and cloud over the tabernacle and later, the mountain, they were terrified. And as God says in our reading today, they were right to be so. They were right to ask not to hear his voice again. They were right to realize they needed to hear God differently. So, he would send Jesus. With this in mind, let’s look again at verses 15-19. [15] “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—[16] just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ [17] And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. [18] I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. [19] And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
While not fully revealed in Moses’ time, the voice of God would become quieter. He would speak mostly through the written word now given through Moses and eventually expanded to the entire Bible. He would speak through the priests and prophets, warning and encouraging people to remain faithful and avoid the terrible consequences of sin and avoid national judgment. The Holy Spirit would work to turn hearts then, even as he does now. More gently, more quietly, yet always with infinite divine love and holiness. Some would listen, many would not. At times the nation would be more faithful, at times it would be rebellious. Just like in the rest of the world, in the rest of human history, and in our own day. God still speaks, but not directly, not terribly as he did at Mt. Horeb. Instead, he speaks through His word and Sacraments. He speaks through the witness and life of his people. Some listen, others do not. God will accomplish his purposes in creation before he brings this age to an end.
Jesus began his ministry by affirming the eternal value of both the Law and the Gospel. In last week’s reading from Mark 13, Jesus began his public ministry saying: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Well, the time was the perfect fullness of time mentioned in Hebrews 1 which also completed the chronological period predicted by the prophet Daniel in Chapter 9. Beginning that day the kingdom of God is fully present for us in Jesus, and the one thing needed is to hear God’s Law and Gospel. Repent and believe, Jesus said. The commandments which we continually break require us to repent, to turn back to God instead of ourselves. We repent from our sinful, corrupted, spiritually dead deeds. We believe Jesus is the answer, that He alone can save us from ourselves and judgment. The Holy Spirit working through God’s Word creates faith in us to trust Jesus. The Gospel is defined by faith. Believe.
The Gospel is about Jesus. The apostle Paul defines this saving gospel at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15. It is about Jesus, who he is and what he does. (1–5)[1] Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, [2] and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (= the gospel that saves us) [3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ (Christ, not Jesus, the Messiah, God’s Son predicted by the prophets) died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
The Gospel is entirely about Jesus. Sure, it includes our sins for which he died, but that’s our only part in it. Yet this gospel, which isn’t about us, is the most eternally important message we can ever hear. To believe it is to believe the prophet Moses predicted and live forever. To reject it is to reject God’s gift of forgiveness, faith, spiritual renewal, and resurrection and remain forever in spiritual death. It matters what we believe about Jesus. It matters that we remain tightly connected to the Word of God and strive to guard its truth and message closely.
And so doing, we will enter the true promised land that Hebrews 12 tells us Abraham and the Old Testament saints ultimately looked toward. Sure, the temporary blessings of God in this life are good when given us. But eternal blessings are best. They are ours in Christ even if we suffer loss, deprivation, and persecution in this life as did the prophets before us. Let us endure God’s voice when his commandments point out our sin so that we can hear the softer voice of Jesus calling us to trust in him and find life.
“Let the man who would hear God speak read Holy Scripture.”
― Martin Luther
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