Moses tells Israel that God promises prophets who will speak to Israel on His behalf. Prophets became the instrument of communicating God's Word to Israel in the Old Testament. In contrast to the nations that Israel was about to dispossess from the promised land who used pagan means of revelation and guidance such as fortune-telling (see vs. 18:14), Israel was to
listen to God's prophets.While these verses focus on the role of the prophetic ministry in ancient Israel and possibly provide a Messianic prediction, the important operating variable is listening (vs. 15, 19). While a prophet may speak the Word of the Lord, if the people do not listen, then God will call them into account. There was a TV commercial many years ago advertising a certain stock brokerage firm. The commercial showed busy people stopping whatever they were doing as if to listen to the advice of this brokerage firm with the byline that when this brokerage firm talks then people listen. Today, the prophetic ministry of God speaking to His people comes though His Word, the Bible, and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us and guides us. God is speaking; are you listening?
