 “The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord's food offerings as their inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. 3 And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. 4 The first fruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. 5 For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time.
6 “And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, where he lives—and he may come when he desires —to the place that the Lord will choose, 7 and ministers in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord, 8 then he may have equal portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony. Abominable Practices9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this. A New Prophet like Moses15 “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. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. Meditation Grace invites you to draw near and listen. God wants to meet with you and speak with you. Jesus is the Great High Priest who Himself offered his life as our ultimate sacrifice and the Great Prophet who Himself is the word of God, the only Way to respond to God’s gracious invitation. In ancient Israel the foundation for justice and governance was divine revelation, so direction for judges and kings should be followed by details for priests and prophets. God limits the authority of kings while strengthening the authority of priests and prophets to emphasize His intimate invitation for His people to draw near and hear His word. The provisions for Levitical priests (1-8) established sustainability for priestly leadership in the temple. With no allotted inheritance, God prescribed provision for the priests to ensure the sanctity of the sanctuary where He meets with His people. The prophetic authority begins with prohibition, specifically to not seek divination as it is an abomination (9-14). There is no place among God’s people for accessing dark power or associated evil practices because God Himself speaks through His prophets (15-22). As God spoke through Moses, so too would other prophets who come. Jesus Christ is the prophet all other prophets point to (Acts 3:19-23) and the priest who provides the provision for believers to have sustainable relationship with God. Jesus is the way for us to respond in faith to God’s gracious invitation to draw near and hear His word. Richly Dwelling -Why is it important for God to emphasize the authority of prophets and priests while limiting the authority of kings? -How do you see Jesus fulfilling all of these roles, as the prophet, priest, and king of His people? -What are the implications for your faith, especially in regards to His intimate invitation for you to draw near to God? How will you respond, drawing near to Jesus to hear the word of Jesus? Key Verse 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. Comments are closed.
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