God of Inspired Prophets

KEY VERSE: “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” —Deuteronomy 18:18

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 18:15-22; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:8

THE golden thread of the Bible and the principal theme of all the prophets is the promise of a deliverer who will reconcile the people and establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness. Moses was one of these inspired prophets. The complete prophecy, a portion of which is quoted above, reads as follows, “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deut. 18:18,19) In the context of this prophecy, the Lord, when he spoke to Moses, related it to the vow that the children of Israel had taken at Mount Sinai (Horeb) for it was here that the people pledged obedience to God’s law, saying, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.”—Exod. 19:8

The implication of the context of the prophecy is that the nation of Israel under Moses, the mediator of the Law Covenant, would not be able to obey God’s law perfectly and that therefore the Lord, in due time, would send another mediator, who in a sense would be like Moses, but would have the power to better instruct the people and therefore bring about better performance. The prophecy goes on to state that those who do not obey under these more favorable circumstances will be cut off from among the people.

The Apostle Peter, who was also an inspired prophet and, in addition, an apostle, tells us that this prophecy by Moses was a forecast of God’s kingdom here on earth. We read the apostle’s interpretation in Acts 3:19-26 which we quote in part, “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.”

The expression, “restitution of all things,” has to do with restoring to mankind the things lost because of Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden. Before Adam sinned he was perfect. He had communion with God; he had dominion over all things on the earth; he had the promise of everlasting life if he continued to be obedient. (Gen. 1:26-31) Adam lost all of these things, including life, because of his transgression, and since he is the father of the race, all his progeny inherited his condemnation, including the loss of life—death. Peter is telling us that during the times of restitution, or the kingdom, all of these things will be restored to man, including life itself, if man is obedient to God’s laws under the very favorable conditions of the kingdom. This promise of the restoration of these things was so important to the Lord that he caused all his holy prophets to speak of them. Then the Apostle Peter adds, “Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.”—vs. 24

The Apostle Paul, in Hebrews the eighth chapter, also speaks of this wonderful time of restoration. In verse six he states, speaking of Jesus, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” Then he continues and quotes from the wonderful prophecy in Jeremiah 31, saying, “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people … for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”—vss. 10-12

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