Comments on Deuteronomy 18

The title pretty much explains what I am going to be talking about in this article itself. Just some comments on Deuteronomy 18.

Let's read:

"Deuteronomy 18:15 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 anymore, 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.”"

The Israelites had learned to fear YHWH and know him and their response to his encounter with them at Horeb was appropriate. God then decrees that he will send a prophet like Moses who will do miracles like Moses or even, speak with him face to face, either through a vision or in real life.

The context refers to the prophetic office of Israel that God will establish to lead the people and instruct them in his ways. These individual prophets come specifically Israel and from NO OTHER NATIONS.

While the following translation I provided translates differently and usually others say "from their own brethen", there is no splitting of hairs, this only refers to the Israelites regardless of the reading, since the Israelites are the recipients and the intended audience in mind. Any claim that this refers to Arabs, Europeans or any Gentile Nation outside the children of Israel, is supported by the biblical text even implicitly.

The NT quotes this passage in reference to Jesus for the following reason, because of him being the culmination of being God's final prophet. The subject of the Trinity which I hold to would not refute this considering Philippians 2:5-11 and John 1 establishing Jesus nature, that though he is both God and Man, he is not the Father and thus can be anointed by the Father for a task.
"Acts 3:17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’[a]"

What Jesus does is combine the functions of prophet, priest and king all into one, one of his functions is to be a prophet, speaking on God the Father's behalf and no Deuteronomy 13 is not a counter argument against Jesus being a prophet or any of the functions mentioned which I make clear here in these papers:
http://answering-judaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/deuteronomy-13-question-of-vindication.html
http://answering-judaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/deuteronomy-13-question-of-vindication-2.html

Christ himself is claimed to be this ultimate culmination that the Israelites themselves were waiting for and who was prophesied through the prophet like Moses, with other prophets coming before him, namely Isaiah and others who wrote the TANAKH.

These are just some comments I have on Deuteronomy 18.

Answering Judaism.