Deuteronomy 18 – The Messiah?

“Yahuah your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him.” – Deuteronomy 18:15

Deuteronomy is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In fact, if I am allowed to say it, Deuteronomy is my favorite Old Testament book. We find loads of instruction and revelation in the book. And when you take the time to read it, you will learn how to live a holy (set-apart) life. The following are just a few examples of what we learn from this wonderful book!

• Not adding or taking away from God’s Word (Ch 4 & 12)
• Obeying the commandments (Ch 5)
• Writing the commandments on your doorposts and teaching them to your children (Ch 6)
• Loving the stranger and the fatherless (Ch 10)
• The blessings of obedience and curses of rebellion (Ch 11)
• How to test for a false prophet (Ch 13)
• Instructions on what to eat (Ch 14)
• Observing the feasts (Ch 16)

And then we get to chapter 18 and receive instruction and revelation regarding a Prophet…

“I shall raise up for them a Prophet like you out of the midst of their brothers. And I shall put My Words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be, the man who does not listen to My Words which He speaks in My Name, I require it of him.” – Deuteronomy 18:18-19

Some will say this does not refer to Yahusha (Jesus). Those in Judaism reject the notion that Yahusha fulfills this prophecy. Others suggest this only refers to prophets in general, and not the Messiah. But I believe this prophecy concerns the One who came to save humanity. And I am not the only one. The writer Luke, while recording the words of Peter, felt the same way. This is what Peter tells us in Acts 3:

“For Moses truly said to the fathers, Yahuah, your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear according to all matters, whatever He says to you. ‘And it shall be that every being who does not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” – Acts 3:22-23

Read the first part of Acts 3 and you get the context of the passage. Peter had just healed a lame man in the NAME OF YAHUSHA! And the men of Israel were marveling at this healing in the name of the One whom they had just put to death. Peter explains how they had denied the Set-Apart and Righteous One and killed the Prince of life, although Pilate had declared Him innocent (Acts 3:13-15).

Many of the Yehudim had delivered up Yahusha. But according to Peter, they had done so in ignorance, not realizing that He was the Messiah. And it was for a reason: to bring deliverance to the nations.

Peter tells them that Yahusha the Messiah was pre-appointed for them, quoting straight from Deuteronomy 18…!

“…that He sends Yahusha Messiah, pre-appointed for you,” – Acts 3:20

Some did believe, though. In John 7:40, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, John records, “Many from the crowd, when they heard the word, then said, ‘This truly is the Prophet.’” Were they referring to Deuteronomy 18? Possibly. Both John and Peter (in Acts 3) are speaking to a Jewish audience. And Peter is reaching back to the Torah to quote Moses. Here is what Moses said:

“Yahuah your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him,” – Deuteronomy 18:15

Key elements to Moses’ promise concerning the Prophet:

• Yahuah would raise Him up
• He would be from among His brothers (Israel)
• He would be “like me,” a prophet-leader in the mold of Moses
• The people would be commanded to listen to Him

I love seeing these connections in Scripture. Is Yahusha (Jesus) in the Old Testament? Absolutely. And I believe this is an example that connects Yahusha back to Moses.

This is echoed in other New Testament passages.

• Philip: “We have found the One Moses wrote of in the Torah” (John 1:45)
• The crowd: “Surely this is the Prophet” (John 6:14)
• Stephen: Quoting the same Deuteronomy 18 passage
• Author of Hebrews: Yahusha counted worthy of more glory than Moses (Hebrews 3:3-6)
• Yahusha: “If you would have believed Moses, you would have believed Me” (John 5:46)

I believe that Deuteronomy 18 does speak of the Messiah, whom we call Yahusha. And there are many other writers in the New Testament that bear witness. And it is a wonderful declaration of the integrity and continuity of the entirety of Scripture. All praises to the Most High!