Kings and Prophets

Deuteronomy 17-19

            Yesterday, I completely forgot about chapter 17, and its discussion of kings is prophetic (literally!). It takes until 1 Samuel 8, but the Israelites say almost exactly what the Lord said they would say. In 1 Samuel, the request for a king is expressly a rejection of the Lord’s reign over Israel. So, here in Deuteronomy we don’t have permission for a king or even an expectation that having a king is a natural and good thing. No, here in Deuteronomy we have the Lord getting ahead of the curve and saying, “At least get this kind of king.” He is to be an Israelite, not a foreigner. (I didn’t look very closely, but this might be the only qualification the kings of Israel always met; I don’t know that they ever had a non-Israelite king.) He’s not to have horses, because horses in this era would be the modern equivalent of tanks: they were animals of war, used to pull chariots—and Israel was supposed to trust the Lord for military victory. (Solomon had 12,000 horses…). He’s not to have many wives (David had 8 named wives, and Solomon had 700, probably mostly for political purposes, but still…). And he is to be an ardent student of the law (but right from the first, Saul often took matters into his own hands instead of following the Lord’s words.)

            Kingship in Israel never lived up to what the Lord required in Deuteronomy. Never, that is, until Israel’s true king, Jesus, appeared. Of course, He didn’t reign in Jerusalem. Frankly, He didn’t reign like that at all. The crowds acclaimed Him king on Palm Sunday, but His kingship became a source of mockery by the end of the week when He hung on a cross with the sign, “King of the Jews,” above Him. Still, the descendant of David, and the Son of God from eternity? Here’s the King Israel was waiting for and here’s the King we still pay homage to.

            Another significant office is mentioned in chapter 18, namely, the office of prophet. Israel is to listen to the words that the Lord has given them. His words—what we call the Bible—are their source of confidence and authority. If ever they need guidance, they are to turn to what God has said. If ever they need a fresh word from God, they aren’t supposed to look for it in the usual ways: no divination, no sorcery, no reading omens. No, if they ever need a fresh word, the Lord will send a prophet, one who speaks God’s words and only God’s words, who is loyal to the Lord and only to the Lord.

            Israel had plenty of people who claimed to be prophets and many of them were false prophets. Jeremiah is particularly full of them, and Jeremiah himself is particularly hard on them. They speak messages based on their own wisdom and insight and try to pass them off as the words of the Lord, and they will pay the price of their presumption.

            It’s an important office for two reasons. First, the Old Testament office of prophet is most like the New Testament office of pastor. Pastors are called by God to deliver His words. It is a blessed calling, to be sure. But woe to that pastor who strays from the words of God and preaches from his own wisdom! Christians should expect their pastors to preach exclusively from the Word of God and hold them to account if they don’t.

            Second, Jesus was (and is) ultimately the prophet like Moses. He was the one who spoke the words of eternal life (John 6:68). He was the full revelation of the Father. If we want to know what God thinks of us, look no further than Jesus.