“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”
– Deuteronomy 18:18
This is a promise from God through Moses. That God would raise up a prophet greater than Moses who would have the words of God in his mouth and would speak all, exactly as God commanded him. Now, this is the picture that we see of prophets throughout the Old Testament. The whole responsibility of a prophet was to speak for God to say, “Thus says the Lord.” And then relay exactly what God had said. And we see faithful prophets like Moses and others who come after him, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel. We can go on and on and on with different prophets, but we know none of those prophets were perfect.
Jesus, The Perfect Prophet
This passage tells us how Jesus would come as the Perfect Prophet and how God would speak to us by His Son. May the Lord help us to take Him at His Word and cling to Him.
All of those prophets struggled with sin in their own lives. The picture here in Deuteronomy 18:18, though is a greater perfect prophet who is to come, who would have no sin, who would speak God’s word perfectly, reveal God’s truth perfectly. This is Jesus. Deuteronomy 18:18 is pointing us all ultimately to Jesus, to the coming of a perfect prophet who would speak the words of God perfectly. Reveal the truth of God without any hint of error, sin or impurity.
And so as we think about advent, as we think about the coming of Jesus, let us realize that this is who we need. We need a perfect prophet, not someone who will claim to speak for God and then speak contrary to God. Not someone who will claim to speak for God and then do his best, but still be flawed. No, we need one who perfectly reveals the truth of God, and this is Jesus.
Deuteronomy 18:18 Praises Jesus for His Word
So, Jesus, we praise you as the perfect prophet. We praise you for your word, oh God perfectly revealed in Jesus. Even the way He is called in John chapter one, He is the Word made flesh. Your revelation is perfectly exemplified in human form. Jesus, we praise you for your perfection. We praise you for speaking exactly the words of God. Obeying perfectly the commands of God, we praise you for there is no one like you.
Deuteronomy 18:18 Prays for All Peoples to Hear the Word of God
God I’m compelled to pray particularly today for the Shawiya Berber people in Algeria, 2.3 million of them. No known followers of Jesus, pretty much 100% Muslim. Islam teaches 2.3 million people that Jesus is just a prophet like many others. Jesus, you are not just a prophet like many others. You are the perfect prophet. You are the perfect revelation of God, the true picture of God in the flesh. Carrying the very words of God perfectly in everything you said and did.
There is no one like you so open the eyes of the Shawiya Berber in Algeria to see your supremacy. Jesus, we pray for this, we pray that you would send laborers, workers into that people group to share the good news of Jesus. That the perfect prophet has come and not only the perfect prophet, but Priest and King and Savior and Lord. There is no one like you, Jesus. We praise you for your coming, for your revelation of God to us, for making a way for our salvation and reconciliation and restoration to God. All glory be to your name. Be exalted for your unique perfections we pray, as the church in the church, exalt yourself and in the world among the nations we pray. May the name of Jesus be exalted. We ask for this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
