Please follow and like us:

Reflection for Shoftim

“A Greater Prophet”

Matthew 5:38-42; 18:15-20
Acts 3:13-26; 7:35-53
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
1 Timothy 5:17-22
Hebrews 10:28-31

excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections

In our Torah portion for this week, Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9), we see a continuation of Moses giving instructions to the Ancient Israelites, as they contemplate their entry into the Promised Land. In order to maintain law and order in a civil society, specific criteria for governmental leadership, including both those in religious and secular authority, are delineated.[1] This includes the appointment of judges and the specification of their duties,[2] and the role priests are to play in issuing binding legal decisions.[3] Also important not to overlook is the establishment of cities of refuge within the Land of Israel,[4] and a code of warfare to be followed.[5] In surveying Shoftim, it is quite easy to see how much of Western civilization has benefited immensely from the revelation of Moses’ Teaching, especially for establishing various forms of government, and in developing proper jurisprudence.

Despite God’s preference that the people of Israel look to Him for guidance, provision, and protection, He recognized the inevitability that Israel would have a human king and monarchy like the surrounding nations. Moses detailed some specific instructions for a potential king of Israel, as there were strict provisions that a king of Israel turn to the Torah for wisdom and understanding:

“When you have come to the land which the LORD your God gives you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set him whom the LORD your God chooses as king over yourselves. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not go back that way again.’ He shall not multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away. He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. It shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the Levitical priests. It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn away from the commandment to the right hand, or to the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the middle of Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:14-20, WMB).

As usual, the Torah’s instruction possessed not only some similarities, but also some key differences, from common Ancient Near Eastern practice. J.A. Thompson informs us,

“That a copy of the covenant law should be in the hand of the king has an interesting parallel in the secular suzerainty treaties of the ancient Near East. A duplicate of the treaty was provided for the vassal king and was to be read in public periodically. The suzerain also kept a copy which he deposited in the sanctuary of his god. In a similar way Israel’s king was required to have a copy of…[the] covenant stipulations.”[6]

Also not to be overlooked is that in being required to adhere to the instruction, a king of Israel was not one who was to be exempt from upstanding conduct and behavior, or in more modern terms what we would consider being “above the law.” Peter C. Craigie indicates,

“the legislation given here makes certain that the king would remain aware both of his human status as a man above his brethren, and also of his status in relation to the kingship of God.”[7]

Unlike the Egyptian pharaohs or some other ANE rulers and monarchs, a king of Ancient Israel was by no means to be considered divine or semi-divine.

The mortal kings who would rule Israel, would ultimately be held accountable to the Creator God, the King of Kings Himself. Recognizing this, I understandably take a great deal of comfort in knowing that all people will be accountable to Yeshua the Messiah (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). As the Carmen Christi hymn declares, “that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow [Isaiah 45:23], of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11, WMB). Every person who has ever lived, and every principality which has ever been created, will acknowledge Yeshua the Messiah as supreme.

After seeing the description of how a king should respect and obey the Law of Israel, is one of the most significant teachings of the Torah, which informs as to the character of the Messiah Yeshua. Moses spoke of how in Israel’s future history, the Lord will send the people various prophets, who will speak forth His word. The Lord required His people to listen to His anointed prophets, but those false prophets who spoke presumptuously in His name or authority would be cut off:

“The LORD your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him. This is according to all that you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the LORD my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.’ The LORD said to me, ‘They have well said that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ You may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the LORD’s name, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:15-22, WMB).

Twice in the Book of Acts, Deuteronomy 18:15 was quoted in reference to the ministry of Yeshua. Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Shavuot/Pentecost, the Apostle Peter healed a lame man in the name of the Lord Yeshua (Acts 3:1-10), and naturally there were some curious worshippers present who wanted to know what had taken place (Acts 3:11-12). Peter used the miracle as an excellent opportunity to declare the good news to those gathered in the Temple precincts:

“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Yeshua, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Messiah should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Messiah Yeshua, who was ordained for you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him [Deuteronomy 18:15-16] in all things whatever he says to you. It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, also told of these days. You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring’ [Genesis 22:18; 26:4]. God, having raised up his servant Yeshua, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness” (Acts 3:13-26, WMB).

Without equivocation, Peter told his attentive audience the truth about not only the recent sacrifice and ascension of the Messiah, but also how Yeshua was the quintessential Prophet embodied by Moses’ words of Deuteronomy 18:15-16. It is imperative for all people to heed the words of the Messiah, whose ministry was very much like that of the Prophets of Ancient Israel (cf. Mark 6:15; 8:28; Matthew 16:14), but was obviously much more significant, as in Luke 10:24 Yeshua said, “many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them” (WMB). Heeding the words of Yeshua the Messiah is even more serious than heeding the words of Israel’s Prophets, as disbelief in Him carries with it eternal damnation.

The martyr Stephen made significant reference to Deuteronomy 18:15, in his testimony defending his faith in Yeshua. Strongly empowered and motivated by the Holy Spirit, Acts 7 is a strong apology detailing the interaction of God in the life history of Ancient Israel, and of examples of why many of the First Century Jews rejected Yeshua as the Messiah. Stephen appealed to Moses, and how once again those who rejected Yeshua as the Greater Prophet would have to answer for it:

“This Moses whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge [Exodus 2:14]?’—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Sea of Suf, and in the wilderness for forty years. This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers [Deuteronomy 18:15], like me.’ This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us” (Acts 7:35-38, WMB).

For those who believe in the efficacious grace offered in the work of the Son of God, there is no other prophet who even comes close to what Yeshua has accomplished for us. It is His precious blood which atones for our sin! As Yeshua was clear to assert during the time leading up to His execution: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me” (John 14:6, WMB).

Obviously, these well known words from Yeshua are controversial, and are very much of a stumbling block for many in today’s world—particularly those who believe that “all paths lead to God.” The complete irony of this is that the salvation Yeshua offers, is not something which a person must earn via his or her human works or activities; salvation is freely offered to all who desire it. In all other religious systems, redemption is something which a person must strive to achieve in his or her own strength.

Yeshua taught that the way to eternal life is quite narrow, and not many will walk it. Yeshua required His followers to have actions reflective of their salvation, but ultimately it was a person’s trust in the Lord which allows one to faithfully walk forward to the narrow gate:

“‘Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate and the way is restricted that leads to life! There are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?” Then I will tell them, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity’ [Psalm 6:8]. Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell—and its fall was great.” When Yeshua had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes” (Matthew 7:13-29, WMB).

A life of faith in Yeshua, is not one where trust in Him is devoid of action—because if this were so, then the Messiah would not have warned about those who claimed to do miracles and mighty works in His name, but instead were guilty of lawlessness. Yeshua never knew them… Yeshua would consider anyone who claims Him but who does not obey Him, to be an adversary who practices lawlessness and/or relishes iniquities. So, embrace His words and put them into practice!

Recall that in both Moses’ and Yeshua’s teachings, there are references made to false prophets and/or false teachers who will arise among the people of God. Whether it is a prophet who speaks presumptuously, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the admonition from both Moses and Yeshua, is to purge the evil from the community, and do not heed or be afraid of what they say because they speak inappropriately. This pattern from the wilderness sojourn of Ancient Israel to the ministry of Yeshua in the First Century—to even us today in the Twenty-First Century—has continued to manifest, discouraging and deterring God’s people from achieving His purposes. Let us be aware of the words of both Moses, and the Greater Prophet Yeshua, and take them to serious heart. Brothers and sisters, let us avoid the pitfalls of getting taken off the narrow way!