When
you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must
not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations.1
No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass
through fire,2
or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a
sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits,
or who seeks oracles from the dead.3
For whoever does these things is abhorrent4
to the Lord; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the Lord
your God is driving them out before you. You must remain completely
loyal to the Lord your God.5
Although these nations that you are about to dispossess do give heed
to soothsayers and diviners, as for you, the Lord your God does not
permit you to do so.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people;6 you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”7 You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken.8 The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people;6 you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”7 You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken.8 The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
1
Not just the wrong god, but the practices they use in following that
god are at fault.
2
Child sacrifice?
3
The lists seems to be made up of “those who try to seek gain by
spirits”.
4
Why are they “abhorrent”? The word is used three times but not
explained.
5
Worship of the one true God is central.
6
Immediately after Moses or much later? And just one, or a
succession?
7
Again focusing on the need to follow God alone.
8
A command regularly ignored by many of the so-called “modern-day
prophets”.
Take-home: Israel is warned against the practices of foreign nations, and reminded again that the true prophet of YHWH is the only spiritual authority they should listen to for new words from God.
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