Nothing but the Truth – January 29, 2024

Read: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Nothing but the Truth

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The movie Raiders of the Lost Ark ends with the bad guys opening the lost Ark of the Covenant and seeing the glory of God. At least, that’s what the movie wants you to imagine. Of course, a movie could never capture the glory of God. Yet, this movie did demonstrate this truth: Seeing God’s glory is terrifying.

In today’s devotion, the people of Israel experienced the presence of God in the wilderness. They listened to the prophet, Moses, as he shared with them the very words God gave him. The Israelites didn’t have to guess what God wanted them to do. He told them. When they heard his commands and saw him display his awesome power, they were scared.

God is still powerful and awesome. And he still has given us commands to follow. In the Bible, he tells us exactly what to do. And if we don’t obey him, he says we will die. Make no mistake, God will treat us that way if we reject him and if we don’t listen to his word. That’s scary, isn’t it?

Thankfully, that is not what he wants to do—scare you into obeying him. God wants us to know everything about him. He wants us to know that he was totally committed to the people of Israel. He protected them and led them to the land he promised them. That what it means to be faithful. God is faithful. And he promises to be faithful to us, too.

The best way he showed his faithfulness was giving us a prophet even greater than Moses. Jesus is a better prophet than Moses because he not only tells us what to do, he tells us what he has already done. He has kept God’s commands perfectly in our place. He listened to everything the Lord our God said. Jesus also says to us that we need only listen to him.

What a comforting message! When someone says that you have to work harder for God to love you more, listen to Jesus. He says he has done everything we need and promises to always tell the truth. And here’s the truth for today: Because of Jesus, God’s glory isn’t scary anymore. So go to Jesus. Listen to him! Pay attention to what he says and enjoy the best news you’ll ever hear. It’s God’s undeserved love is for you!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me fix my eyes always on you for my hope and my salvation. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Today’s devotion talked about God’s glory and how scared God’s people were of it. Explain why you don’t have to be scared of it.
• The name of Jesus wasn’t in today’s Scripture reading, but it did talk about him with a special word, what was it? (Hint: “I will raise up for them a prophet ….”)

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Prophets were people who spoke from God to his people, the Israelites. How is Jesus a better prophet than any other one (like Moses)?
• God warned about false prophets who don’t tell the truth about him. Why is God serious about the teaching of his Word?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Later in the Bible, Jesus warns that many false teachers will appear before end times and lead people away from the truth of God’s Word. According to the reading above, how can we separate truth from false teachings?
• Describe how you would want to react if you heard someone teaching contrary to God’s Word. Why is important to watch our reactions?