the Third Week after Easter
Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 1 of 5
Deuteronomy 18:1-22
This ch. 18 presents to us the people who are taking up a religious position. The prophets in particular are men with the responsibility to speak in the name of the LORD. What a terrible travesty when they are not faithful! For under their surety there is a danger of accepting as the word of God something which is a lie (see 1 Kings 22:22).
Vv. 9-12 set the people of God on guard against the work of astrologers, wise men, clairvoyants, spiritists, fortune tellers . . . all forms of the occult. Today more than ever crowds flock after these abominable practices. May God help us to regard them as He does, with horror!
Israel in the land experienced in succession the time of judges, then that of kings and of prophets. All these were more often than not unfaithful shepherds. Therefore the LORD sent to feed His people the One who, amongst His glorious titles, is the righteous Judge, the King of kings, the Prophet mentioned in v. 15 and who Israel was expecting. Peter, when preaching the Gospel to the Jews, could rely on these verses to proclaim Jesus to them. He is the Word itself. Let us listen to Him in all that He can tell us (v. 15; Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37).
