Deuteronomy Chapter 18
The Levite priests and the rest of the tribe of Levi were not given an inheritance of land like the other tribes. Instead, the priest and Levites ate from offerings given to the Lord by fire. The Lord was their inheritance. Moses reminded the people of Israel that the priests could claim as their share from the oxen and sheep offerings; the shoulder, cheeks, and stomach. They also got the first share of grain, new wine, olive oil and first sheared wool. Any Levite who desired could come from any town in Israel to the place the Lord chose. He could minister there in the name of the Lord his God, just like his fellow Levites who were serving the Lord there. He could eat his share of sacrifices and offerings, even if he had a private source of income.
Moses warned the people of Israel that when they arrived in the promised land, to be careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example: never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. Do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens or engage in witchcraft or cast spells or be mediums or psychics or call forth spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these thing will be an object of horror and disgust to the Lord. Because the other nations have done these things, the Lord will drive them out ahead of the Israelites.
The Lord your God, said Moses, will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites and you must listen to that prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You begged that you might never have to listen to the voice of the Lord or see this blazing fire for fear you would die. So the Lord told me, said Moses, that he would do as you requested and raise up a prophet among the Israelites who will be told by the Lord what to say and he will tell the people everything the Lord commands him. I will, said the Lord, personally deal with anyone who would not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. But any prophet who claims to give a message from another God or falsely claims to speak for me must die.
You may wonder, said Moses, how will we know whether a prophecy is from the Lord or not? The Lord said if the prophet predicts something in the Lord's name and it does not happen, the Lord did not give the message. That prophet spoke on his own and need not be feared.
BIBLE NOTES SHOW child sacrifice and occult practices were strictly forbidden by God and were common in pagan religions. Because of these wicked practices, the Lord promised to drive out the pagan nations and the Israelites were to replace the evil with the worship of one true God.
Who is the prophet the Lord speaks of? Some think this is foreshadowing the coming of Jesus.
How does this Chapter relate to us today? The Israelites were naturally curious about the occult, but Satan is behind these practices and still is. Today many people are fascinated by horoscopes, fortune telling and psychics. The interest comes from our desire to know and control the future. But Satan is every bit as dangerous today as he was in Moses' time. With the trustworthy guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Bible and our church, we don't need to turn to the occult.
Stay alert! Don't let Satan find a crack in which to slither into your life.
Yours in Christ,
Mary
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