Saturday 16th August
Read Deuteronomy 18
“The Levitical priests – indeed, the whole tribe of Levi – are to have no land allotted to them or any inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.
3 This is the share due to the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head. 4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your corn, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, 5 for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord’s name always.
6 If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, 7 he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. 8 He is to share equally in their benefits even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practises divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practise sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire any more, or we will die.’
17 The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.’
21 You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.” (NIVUK)
It is not immediately clear how this chapter flows from the last as it moves on to the support for the Levites who have been introduced as the ‘high court’ judges in chapter 17. The principle is that they are supported by the people with no personal inheritance in terms of land as the rest of Israel will have. However, vs 6 suggests that family possession can be passed on in the normal manner. The ‘first fruits’ of the land go to the Levites wherever they go, those serving the Lord are to be provided for first! The next section moves to outline how the imitation of ‘detestable practices/ occult practices’ of nations around them is to be avoided/rejected; Israel is to remain holy (blameless) and separate. Although not stated the sequence of topics suggest to me that the Levites have a role in ensuring this is the case. Then the final section indicates that God will also provide protection (reminders) in the form of prophets from within Israel’s ranks who must be listened to (there is an aside – you asked for them because of your fear of My appearance) otherwise those who ignore will have to give account to the Lord God. It’s possible they might use the excuse that they are not sure if a prophet is true or false, well if false nothing of what they say will be fulfilled, such a ‘prophet’ you need not be afraid of, they are the ones to be afraid as they deserve to die. This is an interesting chapter that reminds me that God provides instructions for ‘governance’ of a society that will follow Him. Listen to those appointed by Him to guide and support them to do their job, respond to the instructions given so that you remain holy and be aware that there will be those who will attempt to lead you astray. The final prophet, Jesus, is now the one we listen to as His Spirit speaks to us.
Geoff Hinch
