Deuteronomy 18:15-20 (NRSV)
Read Deuteronomy 18:15-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. Verse 16This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die." Verse 17Then the Lord replied to me: "They are right in what they have said. Verse 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Verse 19Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. Verse 20But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-that prophet shall die."
Devotion
I wonder, sometimes, if God ever grows weary of making allowances for our frailties. Does God ever feel like an adult trapped in a world overrun by toddlers? This passage from Deuteronomy remembers an earlier encounter when God spoke directly to the people. God was at the top of a mountain surrounded by fire and clouds and darkness; still, the people complained to Moses that being so directly in God’s presence was too much for them to bear.
If we were in God’s place, we might be tempted to respond with an angry “Because I said so.” Instead, God decided to take a new approach. God would raise up a prophet from among the people and give that prophet the ability to speak to the people with authority. Such a compassionate response to the people’s complaints is a powerful testament to the love God holds for each of us.
Prayer
God of compassion, we thank you that you do not hold our frailty against us. Instead, you reach out to us with love and care. Grant that we might receive your words and take them into our hearts. Amen.