Deuteronomy 17-18 -- Prediction Of What They (And We) Will Do

God wants them to obey Him and to live in harmony with Him.  To that end, He says, “You must get rid of the evil among you.”  So long as we permit evil among us, we cannot fully obey God.

God told them their future in verses 14-20.  He’d warned them not to be like other nations, demanding a human king.  He wanted to be their only King.  But He knew them, and tells them here that they will disobey in their hearts and want to be like every other nation.  So knowing this, He warns them what to watch out for in their kings.  God exactly describes the acts their kings will someday do that will lead to the destruction of their nation for wanting a king in the first place.

He also agrees to send prophets to speak for him, because at Mt. Sinai the people feared hearing God’s audible voice again.  He tells them that anyone who does not listen to the special prophet will answer to God – a foreshadowing of Jesus and their own refusal to listen to Him.

Father, You love us so much that You want to keep us out of sin, yet it seems that our sin-infected hearts only get energized to sin whenever You draw a line – almost unable to wait to test those boundaries.  Instead, help me to observe them and stay well away from them.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford