Deuteronomy 18:1-22
Q.1. What inheritance was given to the tribe of Levi? Why was special treatment, along with the sacrifices and offerings of the tribes to be given them? (Dt.18:1-8)
On the surface, it may appear that the Levites were penalized because they were not given a property inheritance. However, God intended this to be a blessing – They shall have no inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them (Dt.18:2). For the Lord to be anyone’s inheritance is an immeasurable blessing. How did this apply? They were to eat the Lord’s portions of meat sacrificed by Israel. They were given the first fruits of the crops, new wine and oil, and the wool fleeces. Whereas the tribes of Israel were primarily farmers, the Levites served the Lord – For the Lord your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord forever (Dt.18:5). They were able to be better acquainted with God’s Word and His law. In following the apostle Paul’s example, we should never minimise the privilege of being called to serve in the ministry – I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service (1 Tim.1:12). What a blessing.
Q.2. Why were spiritism and witchcraft forbidden? Whom was Israel to consult and listen to? How does this command apply today? – (Dt.18:9-14)
God had removed the heathen nations and their wicked practices from the land. These nations had practiced witchcraft and sacrificed their children to their self-made gods (Dt.18:9-12 c.f. Dt.9:4). The people of Israel were called to be God’s people, and to reflect His moral excellence. They were to trust in God, and not in superstitions devised my man. They were to listen to God alone. The more godless our nation becomes, the more we resort to trusting in luck and our own efforts, rather than trusting in the God Who made the stars.
Q.3. How did Moses identify the role of the coming Messiah? What was the way a true prophet would be confirmed? What was to be done to false prophets? – (Dt.18:15-22 c.f. Acts 3:22-23; Dt.13:1-5)
Moses made a prophecy about the coming Messiah – I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him (Dt.18:18). This is quoted several times by the New Testament writers, to reveal that this prophecy was about Jesus, born from the tribe of Judah. The Stone which was rejected by you … has become the Chief Cornerstone (Acts 4:11). Here Moses showed the way to identify a false prophet – 21 You may say in your heart, `How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Dt.18:21-22). Earlier, Moses had warned that even if a prophecy came to pass, a prophet was to be judged by his message regardless (Dt.13:1-5). False prophets were to be shunned and eliminated (Dt.18:20 & 22).