Morning Light – Deuteronomy 18

[Deuteronomy 18]: A Prophet Like Jesus. In this chapter, Moses predicts the coming of Jesus as a prophet. Are the prophets around us like Jesus, or are they calling down fire like Elijah? There is a conflict of characters in the prophetic today that our chapter has a bearing on. Likewise, the offerings for the priesthood are outlined that speak to us of the expectations of God upon our lives where our witness is concerned, for we are His living sacrifices.

[Deu 18:1-22 KJV] 1 The priests the Levites, [and] all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD [is] their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. 3 And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether [it be] ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4 The firstfruit [also] of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5 For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever. 6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 7 Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites [do], which stand there before the LORD. 8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony. 9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. 14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so [to do]. 15 The LORD 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; 16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 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. 20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods; even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follows not, nor come to pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but] the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Heb. 2:17 says that Jesus is our high priest. In this chapter, Moses is reminding the people of the entitlements of the priests and the Levites. There was always that part given to the priest known as the “priest’s portion in almost every sacrifice.” Now we don’t offer an animal sacrifice to God anymore. Still, nonetheless, we can find relevant application in these statutes for us today because we are living sacrifices according to Paul in Rom. 12:

[Rom 12:1 KJV] 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

The priest was to be given the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw. The shoulder speaks to us of assistance, cooperation, and service. We all know what it is to “cold shoulder” someone. Isa. 9:6 says the government is upon His shoulder. As the body of Christ, we are that shoulder. We are to assist and serve one another and our leaders as that portion in our lives of the living sacrifice we are called to be. The kingdom of God is upon us, and that is a matter of constant compliance and cooperation. Our lives and our choices are not our own.

The priest’s portion also included the maw and the cheeks of the sacrificed animal. As a living sacrifice, what does this mean to us? Remember the words of Jesus:

[Mat 5:39 KJV] 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

As living sacrifices, not just one but both cheeks belong to our Master. He can do with them what He wills, including turning them – allowing others to seemingly get away with abuse and offense without any permitted response on our part but only quiet trust in God. Our responses are not our own. Reaction is not allowable. Have you given Jesus the priest’s portion of your cheeks, or are you choosing instead to be offended when others mistreat you? We are living sacrifices – tied to the altar of our commitment to Christ. As if to reiterate the point about the living sacrifice, in the same passage, Paul goes on to say in Rom. 12:19, “avenge not yourselves…”

The maw or mouth of the sacrifice is also given to God. Have you given your mouth to the Lord, or are you reserving your mouth for speaking your mind and your own opinions? Our words are not our own. In Col. 4:6 – Paul said:

[Col 4:6 KJV] 6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Today we delight in impudent preachers spouting unkind and harsh opinions and pontifications about all manner of subjects. Still, if our mouth belongs to God, we will restrain our words and only say those things God directs us to say. Prov. 10:19 says, “in a multitude of words there wanteth not sin..”

As Jesus is our high priest, even so, you and I are a part of the priesthood with Him as well. The high priest received his portion likewise when a Levite – a member of the priestly family came into town he was to be taken care of and to have a share of the material support of the community. Corn, wine, and oil in a barter economy are the same as paper currency in a modern economy. In this area, there is blindness on Christianity that is almost as strong as the veil of unbelief on the Jewish nation. The vow of poverty imposed by the church in the middle ages is one of the strongest curses against God’s people right down to our time. We often hear people criticize that we should not receive donations for what we do. They piously quote “free ye have received freely give …” but they completely ignore the rest of the passage:

[Mat 10:8-10 KJV] 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

Whatever Jesus intended by this passage, it has nothing to do with ministering without remuneration. People accuse ministers who are paid as being “hirelings,” but in Luke 10:7, Jesus plainly states that the ministers are to accept what is given to them “for the workmen is worthy of his hire…” Then, in verse Luke 10:12, he says that it will be worse for those who don’t receive them than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah.

In our culture, we think nothing of paying sports figures obscene salaries – in fact, we expect it. Yet, we complain if a minister of the gospel expects to be blessed financially for what he does. These attitudes have consequences, and we need to tear down this stronghold in our lives.

In vs. 10-12, we see warnings against spiritualism. This is also something that needs to be addressed in church culture. People have been generally taught to handle the prophetic in the same way that spiritualists address astrology, palm reading, etc. What is the difference between a prophet and a psychic or a clairvoyant? Those who go to a psychic or medium want to know what will be done for them or what will happen to them. The authentic prophetic voice in your life is not about what God does for you but what your assignment is and helping you to align with it. Pro. 23:1,2 says when you sit before a king, put a knife to your throat. Jesus is our king, and we sit at His table. We are not to approach God with a “What’s in it for me” attitude. It isn’t about us. If you honestly expect to hear from God, there will always be assignments and instructions regarding ministry portion and what seek the kingdom looks like in your life. The promises in the prophetic are provisional and conditional upon clarifications of obedience in every prophetic word given, either implied or explicitly expressed.

In v. 15, Moses speaks of a prophet who is to come “like unto him.” Who is the prophet like unto Moses? Moses is also known as the Law Giver. A prophet like Moses will leave you with an assignment and an expectation. They are not Santa Claus coming down your chimney. At the same time, prophets are under scrutiny themselves. Many prophets prophesy according to the idols that are in men’s hearts. They tell people what they want to hear. We had someone try to hire us to curse their unfaithful spouse. They asked us to prophesy that the spouse would change or that God would kill them. The disciples wanted to call down fire, but Jesus rebuked them. He told them that He didn’t come to destroy but to save. We hear many leaders today and so-called leaders railing about the destruction of the wicked. The problem is they do it with glee to standing ovations rather than with broken hearts and love for the lost. The prophets you listen to are they speaking in the character of Christ or the character of Elijah? Elijah is the Old Covenant paradigm of the prophetic, but Jesus is the New Covenant paradigm. Even when He came to the city of Jerusalem just before His crucifixion, these were His words:

[Luk 13:34 KJV] 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen [doth gather] her brood under [her] wings, and ye would not!

Heb. 1:2 says that in time past, God spoke through the law and the prophets but now speaks through His Son. The life and character of Jesus then is the filter through which we must view the world and interpret our own scriptures. If we see a verse where the fire came down and devoured, or the earth opened up and swallowed offenders, we have to look through the lens of Christ’s life and message because He reconfigured for us our understanding of God – if we will allow it. Did He ever kill anyone? Did He ever curse anyone? Did He ever give cancer or poverty or sickness? If He never did those things, then we need to adjust our understanding of God and our witness for God to reflect His character.