Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 18:15-22
Revelation leads to responsibility. My wife learned that the hard way one morning as she pulled her contact lenses from her eyes, yowling about the pain. I grabbed the bottle and noticed that the cap was red, which was different. I examined the bottle, and there it was: “Warning: This could burn your eyes.”
Turns out, my wife had purchased contact cleaner, not solution. The difference is huge! One contains hydrogen peroxide, which consequently burns, and the other is a saline solution.
Deuteronomy 18 emphasizes responsibility with regard to revelation. The Levitical priests were mediators. In addition to the priests, God gave the people a prophet – someone to speak for the Lord. He would relay God’s special revelation to them so the Israelites would know the will of God. Jesus is both our ultimate mediator and prophet. His presence in our lives allows us to approach God, even while we are unworthy of doing so. What we need to know about God can be found in Jesus, for He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
Moses explained to the people that a prophet’s legitimacy would be validated when what they spoke came true (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
God gave the Israelites priests and prophets so they would be obedient to the law. Scripture allows us to live godly lives and equips us to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17), and as believers we are responsible to be obedient to that revelation.