Deuteronomy 18:15

THAT PROPHET

"Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

"In all of our studies thus far in the Holy Bible, we have never encountered anything so unreasonable, unbelievable, and ridiculous as the efforts of critical scholars to shout the Lord Jesus Christ out of this passage."

The utter bankruptcy of criticism as currently practiced in the U.S.A. is starkly evident in the false exegesis that one encounters on this passage. Before attempting to present the obvious and undeniable meaning of this wonderful passage, we shall clear away some of the rubbish that one encounters in the commentaries:

T. Witton Davies: "There is no primary reference here to the Messiah, though the words naturally suggest to Christian readers the Great Prophet."[19]

The approach here is simply that of Satan to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die." Criticism often resorts to this device. When a truth is so glaring as to be self-evident to all, the knee-jerk response is, "Well, it doesn't mean that!"

Also, note the snide insinuation to the effect that the great prophecy of the Messiah is something which only "Christians" can find in the passage. Such an inference is NOT true. All of the leaders of Israel in the days of Christ knew of this prophecy and understood it as a reference to the Messiah (John 1:19-24), and those leaders were in no sense whatever "Christians!"

J. R. Dummelow: "This is closely connected with what precedes ... There is no need for Israel to employ such arts of divination, because Jehovah Himself will communicate His will to them through His prophets that He raises up and instructs ... `A prophet' does not refer to a particular individual."[20] As a refutation, it should be noted that there is NO connection whatever between this paragraph and the preceding one. As for Jehovah's intention of communicating with Israel through a "succession of prophets (plural)," there is no mention whatever of any prophets (plural) in this passage. As for the assertion that "a prophet" does not refer to a particular individual, we must reply that it most assuredly DOES refer to one individual alone, namely the Christ. It is grammatically impossible for "a prophet" to mean fifteen or twenty prophets! "Nowhere in all the Bible is the singular employed to mean more than one individual!"[21]

G. Ernest Wright disposed of this remarkable prophecy in three lines, as follows: "As the need arises, God will raise up from among the Israelites one of their own number as his prophet. Like me, like Moses the speaker, in the sense that he is the mediator and interpreter of the divine will."[22] The astounding error here is that the likeness of "that Prophet" to Moses is restricted to only two things, one of which is mere interpretation of God's Word! The likeness between "that Prophet" and Moses consists of scores of the most remarkable correspondences, the totality of which is one of the most remarkable things in the Bible. (See the list of these below.)

Donald F. Ackland: "There would be no need for appeal to false prophets, for God would provide His people with a succession of prophets like Moses himself."[23] A false interpretation like this is disproved by the fact that no such thing ever happened! In all the history of the world, there was never but ONE prophet who was like Moses, to name only a few particulars:

Both Moses and Christ forsook a palace to identify with men in slavery in order to redeem them.

Both Moses and Christ were preeminently the only two great miracle-workers of human history.

Both were transfigured.

Both incurred the hatred of Israel by their "marriages" to Gentiles, etc., etc.

A "succession" of such prophets? Ridiculous! It is flatly affirmed in God's Word that following Moses in the generation that succeeded him, "There hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 34:10,11). Furthermore, there was a half of a millennium in which God sent NO prophet at all to Israel, fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea: "The children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim" (Hosea 3:4). Also, Micah prophesied of this same thing: "Then shall they cry unto Jehovah and he will not answer them; yea, he will hide his face from them ... concerning the prophets ... it shall be night unto you, and ye shall have no vision; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them" (Micah 4-6). This dreadful condition of Israel's having no prophetic word lasted for about five hundred years. Where is all that "succession" of prophets the critics insist on finding in this chapter?

Peter E. Cousins: "The promise has both individual and corporate significance."[24] This is the angle on this passage that is taken by a number of able scholars, and while it is very commendable that such interpretations allow a reference to the Blessed Messiah in the passage, they do NOT restrict it to that meaning. This appears to us as inadequate and unsatisfactory. To whom else, in the history of mankind, could the passage apply? Some find what they call no setting up of an "institution of prophecy" to guide Israel. Abraham was a prophet, and many of the ancient leaders of Israel were prophets, and, in fact, the whole world at that time and for centuries earlier knew all about the institution of prophecy in which men either spoke, or pretended to do so, in the name of God. There were countless false prophets, so there is not any institution of prophecy whatever to be found in this passage. What is here is that glorious promise of the Messiah.

W. L. Alexander: "This promise ultimately applies to the Messiah, the Great Revealer of God, between whom and Moses there should be a long succession of prophets, so that there should always be a medium of communication between Jehovah and his people."[25] The great error here is in not seeing Jesus Christ as the only object of this prophecy. That "long succession of prophets, so that there should always be a medium of communication available to God's people" is a fundamental misconception of the truth. First, there never was such a succession of prophets, and in one single span of God's displeasure, Israel went five hundred years without a prophet. Therefore, we must not suppose that God here prophesied something that never took place. Now, it is true that there was to be a source of knowing God's will in all generations, but what is it? Malachi stated it thus:

"Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even the statutes and ordinances (Malachi 4:4)."

The Word of God, therefore, namely, the Holy Bible - the O.T. and the N.T. - constitutes the "continuing witness of God's will in all generations." The very notion that there is any need whatever to know God's will except as revealed in the Holy Scriptures was refuted by Jesus Christ who said that. "If they will not believe Moses and the prophets, they would not believe if one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PASSAGE

"This prophecy, therefore, is very properly referred to JESUS CHRIST in the N.T. as having been fulfilled in Him."[26] Philip had this passage in mind when he said, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law did write, Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:45)." Christ had it in mind himself when he said, "Moses wrote of me (John 5:46)." Stephen declared Christ to be the fulfillment of this prophecy (Acts 7:37). Peter expressly quoted the prophecy in Acts 3:22,23, as referring to Christ. The very language of this prophecy "Unto him shall ye hearken" was quoted verbatim by Almighty God Himself on the Mount of Transfiguration, and He applied it unequivocally to Jesus Christ alone (Matthew 17:5). The Samaritans had no O.T. except the five Books of Moses, but upon that basis, and therefore upon the testimony of this passage the Samaritan woman said, "I know that Messiah cometh, he that is called Christ" (John 4:25). Now this unanimous testimony of Christ, the apostles, and even the Samaritans that Moses "wrote of Christ" has to be a reference to this passage, because, if Moses did not write of Christ in this place, where is it found that he did?

In this connection, Keil mentioned the fact that it is implied in this passage that "that Prophet" would be in every way "equal to Moses," a quality in which every other prophet of human history was sadly lacking. Keil emphasized this by writing, "Let anyone paraphrase the passage to read, `A prophet indeed inferior to me, but yet the channel of divine revelation,' and he will at once feel how unsuitable such a meaning is."[27]

"The prophet here promised was preeminently the MESSIAH. He alone was like Moses in his mediatorial office, in the peculiar excellence of his ministry, in the number and variety of his miracles, and in his being the Supreme Lawgiver of the whole New Covenant."[28]

The traditional Jewish exegesis, to avoid the application of this passage to Jesus Christ, applies this to "a prophet rising in each generation."[29] We are delighted that Harrison stated flatly that, "Such an exegesis is untrue historically."[30] It is significant thus to see the background of this corrupt exegesis of this passage and to note that those who deny the Messiahship of Christ are precisely the source of this so-called "interpretation" which the critical community of our day have so avidly received.

"Jesus Christ was that very person of whom Moses was the type, and who should accomplish all the purposes of the Divine Being. Such a prophet as had never before appeared, and who should have no equal until the consummation of the world. That Prophet is the Lord Jesus, who was in the bosom of the Father, and who came to declare Him to mankind. Every word spoken by him is a living oracle from God Himself; and must be received and obeyed as truth, on pain of the eternal displeasure of the Almighty. This passage cannot in any sense be understood of ordinary prophets."[31]

The mention of Horeb in this passage makes it certain that what Israel received there was a mediator of Divine revelation,[32] and that must mean that another mediator alone could fulfill this prophecy. Of course, Jesus Christ is that "One Mediator" (1 Timothy 2:5). Where in all history was there after Moses another mediator except Christ? In this we have the certainty of the unique application of this passage to Jesus Christ and to Jesus Christ only.

There remains the investigation of the ways in which Jesus Christ was uniquely "that Prophet" like unto Moses.

Both were objects of Divine intervention to save their lives in infancy.

Both were sons of virgin princesses.

Both were called to deliver God's people.

Both were rejected by Israel.

Both were the greatest miracle-workers that the world ever saw.

Both left a palace (Jesus left heaven, Moses left Pharaoh's) to do their work.

Both gave themselves up for God's people.

Both were mediators, Moses of the Old Covenant, Jesus of the New Covenant.

Both were both prophet and king to the people.

Both have their words enshrined in the Bible.

Both were Israelites from among the brethren.

Both accomplished their missions.

Both delivered God's law to men.

Both were transfigured.

Both had God's people baptized "unto them."

Both gave bread to Israel, the manna and "the bread of life."

Both received special treatment in death - God buried Moses and God raised Jesus.

Both lead God's people - Moses in the wilderness; Christ during our lives.

Both Moses and Jesus were faithful.

Both were full of compassion and love for the people whom they led.

Both constructed essential institutions, the tabernacle and the church.

Both spoke with God face-to-face.

Both were prophets of super ability.

Both were master teachers of superlative ability.

Both exhibited infinite patience with sinful men.

Both were honored by 3,000 responses the day their laws went into effect.

Both began their miracles in water - the Nile to blood; the water to wine. Both gave water to the people - Moses at the rock, Christ the living water.

Both delivered people from slavery - Moses literally, Christ from sin.

Both were shepherds - Moses literally; Christ is the Good Shepherd.

Etc., etc., etc.

Even this extensive list should not be considered exhaustive, but it is sufficient to show how utterly inadequate is any interpretation of this promise of the Great Prophet that applies it to any person except Christ!