Yahweh Will Raise Up Prophets For Them (Deuteronomy 18:15-22).
Instead of turning to the occult which can only deceive them they should rather turn to the prophets who will be sent by Yahweh. These verses have been taken to forecast the coming of a great Prophet in the future, and that may certainly be included in the thought, but the general idea is that Yahweh will raise up a prophet, like Moses was when he was in his prophetic mode, whenever needed.
We notice that these prophets would be ‘raised' not chosen. They were to be Yahweh's special weapon. They would watch over Judge, king and priest on behalf of Yahweh. They would be the source of revelation from Yahweh. But we must not think of them as being in opposition to either kingship or priesthood. They were only in opposition to bad kingship and bad priesthood. They strove to cooperate with both.
The promise here appears to be more than simply that there would be prophets. Prophets were fairly common in the Ancient Near East, as supposed sources of divine knowledge, and Israel would later have prophets attached to the cult (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10-12; 1 Samuel 19:20) who could be enquired of and could not always respond (1 Samuel 28:6). These latter are not all condemned and some of the prophets mentioned in Scripture as true men of God probably came from among them. But they were not in general seen as having the powers and authority described here. The ones spoken of here were prophets ‘like to Moses'. Such did not exist during the time of Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:10).
Analysis using the words of Moses:
a Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like to me (Deuteronomy 18:15).
b To him you shall listen, in accordance with all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my God, nor let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.” And Yahweh said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.” (Deuteronomy 18:16-17).
c “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like to you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18).
c “And it shall come about, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:19).
b “But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:20).
a And if you say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?” When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing follow not, nor come about, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
Note that the parallels here are contrasts. In ‘a' Yahweh will raise up true prophets like Moses, and in the parallel they will be known by whether their prophecies come about. In ‘b' he is a special person chosen as the people' mediator, to speak to the people the words of Yahweh, and they must listen to him, and in the parallel if he speaks presumptuously he will die. In ‘c' God will put His words in his mouth and in the parallel God will require it of all those who do not listen to those words.
‘ Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like to me. To him you shall listen, in accordance with all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my God, nor let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And Yahweh said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.” '
Moses is probably indicating here that God will constantly raise up prophets for them, one after the other, to arise as needed. They would replace Moses as Yahweh's mouthpiece. They would be prophets who would be in close touch with God like Moses was. That is the one to whom they must listen. Indeed they themselves had asked God for this. They had said that they did not themselves want to hear the voice of God directly, nor did they again wish to see His great fire. And Yahweh had agreed that they had spoken well. Compare Deuteronomy 5:23-28. So it had become necessary for Him to promise to raise up prophets, and raise up a prophet as was required He would.
These prophets were not to come from a dynastic line nor to be simply appointed by the cult. They were to be ‘raised up'. And it was ‘from the midst of your brethren'. They were to be homeborn not foreign. But they were to be raised up in order to bring the word of Yahweh to judge, king, priest and people alike.
“Raise up.” We note that these prophets were not to be ‘chosen' they were to be ‘raised up' when necessary. They were to be Yahweh's unique instrument with special power from Him and answerable only to Him. Not all prophets were ‘raised up' prophets. Many, even though some were genuine, were ‘professional' prophets.
“ I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like to you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.”
This continues Yahweh's words. Just as He had raised up Moses so would He raise up other prophets. As each was required so would He raise up a prophet from among them who was like Moses. He would put His words in their mouth, and that prophet would speak to them all that Yahweh commanded. For because Yahweh had raised him up, Yahweh would provide him with the truth that he must speak.
“ And it shall come about, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
And woe betide the one who will not listen to this prophet whom Yahweh raises up. Whatever he speaks in Yahweh's name will be required of each man in that generation.
So we have here the promise of a stream of godly ‘raised up' prophets. It is apparent that, while in many cases connected with them, this promise does not just refer to the general prophets mainly connected with the sanctuaries. Those appear to have been a regular feature of cultic life. This refers to some who will be specially ‘raised up' as Moses had been.
That is why this passage also came to be understood as referring to one particular prophet, a prophet ‘like to Moses', one supreme even in comparison with the raised up prophets. Thus in Jesus' time such a prophet was awaited. Indeed Jesus Himself was asked, ‘Are you that prophet?' (John 1:21; John 1:25; John 6:14). And there can be no doubt that Jesus was ‘that Prophet' more than any other prophet. He was the new Moses, and yet a greater than Moses, for Moses wrote of Him (John 5:46). And because they refused to listen to Him it was not He Who would testify against them before His Father but it was Moses who would do it, even Moses in whom they trusted (John 5:45), for it was he who had pointed to Him.