Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is one of the most significant Old Testament passages that speaks of a coming prophet. It reads:
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 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. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.’”
Here are 9 key points about this important passage:
- God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses. This prophet will be an Israelite, coming from among the people, like Moses himself.
- The people had asked for a mediator between themselves and God after being terrified by God’s voice at Mount Horeb. God says their request is good and promises the coming prophet.
- The prophet will speak God’s own words, commanded directly by God. He speaks with divine authority.
- The people are to listen to and obey this coming prophet just as they were to listen to and obey Moses.
- Failure to listen to the prophet’s words would incur judgment from God.
- The prophet will be a mediator between God and the people, speaking God’s words to the people.
- This prophecy refers ultimately to Jesus Christ, the great Prophet and more than a prophet, as seen in passages like John 1:21, Acts 3:22-23, and Hebrews 1:1-2.
- Jesus perfectly fulfills this prophecy, speaking God’s words, with divine authority, mediating between God and man as the promised Prophet.
- This passage powerfully establishes the authority of Jesus’ words and the duty to obey them as God’s very words.
Let’s explore this passage in more depth:
1. God Promises a Coming Prophet Like Moses
God clearly promises to “raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.” The prophet will be like Moses in some key ways:
- The prophet will be an Israelite, raised up “from among you, from your brothers.” He will share their heritage and be one of them. He will not be a foreigner.
- As Moses mediated between God and Israel, delivering God’s words and law to the people, so this prophet will speak God’s words to the people as well.
However, the prophet will only be “like” Moses, not identical. Moses himself foretold another prophet superior to himself in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 34:10-12. Nevertheless, the similarities are important in recognizing Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy.
2. Fulfilling the People’s Request for a Mediator
The people had requested a mediator out of fear after hearing God’s powerful voice directly at Mount Horeb (also called Mount Sinai). Deuteronomy 18:16 refers back to Exodus 20:18-19 which records this event:
“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.””
The people were terrified and did not want to die from directly hearing the overwhelming voice of God. So they asked Moses to mediate for them, which God affirms as good and reasonable in Deuteronomy 18:17. God then promises the prophet to fulfill this need for a mediator to speak God’s words to the people.
3. The Prophet Will Speak God’s Own Words
One of the most significant truths about the coming prophet is that he will speak the very words of God. Deuteronomy 18:18 states, “I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” The prophet is not speaking his own ideas but rather is God’s mouthpiece to deliver His message to the people.
In contrast to false prophets speaking their own imaginations, this prophet will reliably speak only what God has commanded him. His words carry the full authority of God’s own words. This sets up an expectation of listening to the prophet with obedience, since one would be disobeying God Himself if they disregarded the prophet’s words.
4. The People Must Listen to and Obey This Prophet
Because the prophet speaks divine words from God Himself, the people have a duty to listen, accept, and obey these words. Deuteronomy 18:15 instructs, “it is to him you shall listen.” They are not to pick and choose what they want to obey. Since the prophet speaks on behalf of God, to disobey the prophet means disobeying God.
This expectation of obedience is similar to how the people were to heed Moses based on his commission from God. Exodus 19:9 states, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” Moses was to be heeded forever because of His divine commission. The promised prophet commands this same duty of obedience.
5. Failure to Listen Results in God’s Judgment
In the strongest possible terms, God warns that failure to listen to the prophet will bring God’s own judgment and punishment. Deuteronomy 18:19 declares, “whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” God takes personally any rejection of the prophet’s words.
Just as the authority behind the prophet’s words is divine, the consequences of disobedience are divine in origin. God Himself will hold people accountable for not listening to the prophet. No greater motivation could be given for listening to the prophet than facing God’s own judgment.
6. A Mediator Between God and Man
A core role of the prophet is to mediate between God and the people. Serving as a go-between, the prophet speaks to the people on God’s behalf. He then speaks back to God on behalf of the people, much as Moses historically did.
This mediating role provided a buffer between God’s holiness and the people’s limitations that made direct interaction with God dangerous. The prophet as intermediary facilitated crucial communication in both directions between God and Israel.
7. Jesus Christ as the Fulfillment of This Prophecy
While a succession of prophets spoke for God after Moses, the prophecy given in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 points ultimately to the Messiah. Both during Jesus’ earthly ministry and in inspired teaching after His resurrection, Jesus is identified as the promised Prophet and the One Moses spoke of.
In John 1:21, John the Baptist was questioned if he was “the Prophet” promised by Moses and he denied that he was. In John 1:25, John the Baptist clearly states Jesus is this promised Prophet. After healing a lame man in Acts 3:22-23, Peter also identifies Jesus as the Prophet Moses promised would come.
The author of Hebrews affirms this identity by stating, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus is the last and greatest of the prophets, the One who conclusively speaks God’s words in these final days.
As the promised Prophet and more than a prophet, Jesus perfectly fulfills Deuteronomy 18:15-19, speaking God’s words with full authority, serving as Mediator between God and man, and judging any who reject Him.
8. Jesus Speaks and Teaches With Divine Authority
During His earthly ministry, Jesus astonished people with His authoritative teaching. In the Sermon on the Mount, “the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). Even the officers sent to arrest Jesus returned empty-handed, explaining, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46).
Jesus’ authority came from the fact that He perfectly spoke God’s words. “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). As the promised Prophet, Jesus spoke only what the Father commanded Him.
9. We Must Listen to and Obey Jesus’ Words
As the promised Prophet, Jesus’ words carry the full authority of God Himself and demand our obedience. At the Transfiguration, God’s voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). Peter later called Jesus “the Lord” whose words must be obeyed (Acts 10:36-37; 2 Peter 3:2). The writer of Hebrews also warns believers not to reject God speaking through His Son (Hebrews 12:25).
Jesus’ words judge us even now, and He will judge all mankind in the last day based on acceptance or rejection of His words (John 12:48). As the promised Prophet, Jesus’ words are the very words of God. We must submit wholeheartedly to His teaching if we want to be His disciples and receive eternal life.
In summary, Deuteronomy 18:15-19 points to Jesus Christ as the supreme Prophet promised by God through Moses. He alone fulfills this prophecy, speaking God’s words with divine authority and perfectly mediating as the way to the Father (John 14:6). We must diligently listen to Jesus’ words, believe in Him, obey His commands, and hold fast to His teachings (Matthew 17:5; John 8:51; 14:23-24; 15:10). Only through faith in Jesus Christ and following His words can we enter God’s eternal kingdom.