Wednesday 3rd September
Read Deuteronomy 18:14-16
“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.’” (NIVUK)
How highly do you value advice from those within the church family compared to those within your own? Have you ever sat down and read church history and thought through the challenges they faced and how they responded?
The land into which the Israelites will enter is already occupied by people who have lived there a long time and know how things should work. They will seem knowledgeable and experienced and the temptation to follow their ways will be great (v9). Moses promised Israel that they would not need to follow the people around them. God will raise up prophets from within their own community to provide guidance (v15).
It is surprising how often we seek advice from elsewhere. We don’t necessarily ask those within the church for help. We rarely consider the wisdom of the church in ages past despite those believers often confronting the same issues and problems. CS Lewis described this as chronological snobbery…
