Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-19
The book of Deuteronomy, written by Moses, was aimed at reminding the Nation of Israel (2nd generation), what God had done for them and to convince them to rededicate their lives to following him. Remember the first generation of God’s people, who Moses led out of slavery in Egypt? The group of “stiff-necked” people who wandered the desert grumbling? God let this first generation of his people wander the desert for 40 years until they all died off. Then, before Joshua led the 2nd generation across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, Moses stopped to remind them of how God had delivered their ancestors and to make sure they were clear about God’s playbook for their lives (the law). Before they entered the Promised Land, Moses was responsible to get the God’s people back to following God’s ways.
Deuteronomy 18:15 is the key verse in this passage. Fourteen hundred years before his birth, Moses identified Jesus as a primary part of God’s plan. He is the prophet God promised to raise up, the hope for our world. This verse is so important, it is referenced two other times in the Bible – in Acts 7 when Steven was making the case that Jesus was God’s son, and again in Act 3 when Peter was calling on the Jewish nation to recognize what they had done to their long-awaited Messiah and repent.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites, and you must listen to that prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Do you believe Jesus was God’s son? Have have you put your faith in him? Is he your hope? As we move through the 2020 Advent season, how do we keep our focus on Jesus as the perfect and complete gift God sent to earth for us? Jesus lowered himself, came to earth as a human, yet lived a perfect and sinless life. Even so, he was willing to take all our sins upon himself and offer his body as the sacrifice that paid the price for our sins. It is only through faith in Jesus that we have a way to spend eternity in God’s presence. Let me tell you, a better source of hope does not exist!
If you haven’t confessed faith in Jesus Christ and accepted him as Savior and Lord of your life, I pray the 2020 Advent season offers you the opportunity to get to know him. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). I promise you won’t regret it.