Deuteronomy 18:15 – A Prophet Like Moses
“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” As Moses prepared Israel to enter the Promised Land without him, he announced that God would send another prophet—one like Moses himself. This was not merely a prediction of the prophetic office in general but a specific promise of a unique figure who would bear Moses’ authority and mediate between God and humanity. The New Testament identifies this prophet as Jesus Christ, the final and greatest mediator of God’s word to His people.
Moses’ Announcement
Deuteronomy 18 addresses how Israel should discern true revelation from false. The nations around them consulted mediums, sorcerers, and diviners; Israel must not follow these practices. Instead, God would provide His own means of communication—a prophet like Moses, raised from among the people, speaking God’s words with God’s authority.
The context involves Israel’s fear at Sinai. When God spoke directly from the mountain, the people were terrified and begged for a mediator. “Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not” (Deuteronomy 18:16). The unapproachable holiness of God required mediation. Moses stood between the people and God, receiving the word and delivering it.
God approved this arrangement: “They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (Deuteronomy 18:17-18). The prophet would be Israelite (“from among their brethren”), would receive divine words directly, and would speak those words to the people.
The description “like unto Moses” carries specific weight. Moses was not merely a prophet; he was unique among prophets. “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). Moses spoke with God directly, performed unprecedented signs, mediated the covenant, and led redemption from Egypt. To be “like unto Moses” meant to share his unique status and function.
Greater Than Other Prophets
Israel had many prophets after Moses—Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. Each spoke God’s word to God’s people. Yet none fulfilled the promise of Deuteronomy 18:15 fully. The closing verses of Deuteronomy acknowledge this: no prophet arose like Moses. The succession of prophets pointed toward but did not culminate in the promised One.
What would distinguish the prophet like Moses from other prophets? Several features mark the comparison. Moses delivered God’s people from bondage; the prophet like Moses would deliver from greater bondage. Moses mediated the old covenant; the prophet like Moses would mediate a new covenant. Moses spoke God’s words; the prophet like Moses would be God’s Word. Moses saw God’s back; the prophet like Moses would be God’s face.
The people’s obligation is emphasized: “Unto him ye shall hearken.” This is not suggestion but command. When the prophet like Moses appears, Israel must listen and obey. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:19). Rejection of this prophet brings divine accountability.
Jewish expectation awaited this figure throughout the centuries between Moses and Christ. When John the Baptist appeared, priests and Levites asked, “Art thou that prophet?” (John 1:21). The question shows awareness that the prophet like Moses was expected. John denied being that prophet, pointing to One coming after him.
Jesus the Prophet
Peter explicitly applied Deuteronomy 18:15 to Jesus Christ. Preaching after Pentecost, he declared: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you” (Acts 3:22). Stephen made the same connection before the Sanhedrin: “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear” (Acts 7:37).
The identification rests on extensive parallels. Moses was preserved as an infant from a murderous ruler; Jesus was preserved from Herod’s massacre. Moses left royal privilege to identify with his suffering people; Jesus left heavenly glory to become human. Moses fasted forty days on the mountain; Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness. Moses delivered Israel through water at the Red Sea; Jesus delivers His people through baptism. Moses gave manna from heaven; Jesus gives Himself as the bread of heaven.
Moses mediated the old covenant established at Sinai; Jesus mediated the new covenant established at Calvary. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Moses spoke God’s words; Jesus is the Word—”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house; Christ was faithful as a Son over His own house (Hebrews 3:5-6).
Hear Him
The Father Himself echoed the command of Deuteronomy 18:15 at the Transfiguration. When Peter suggested building three tents—for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus—a cloud overshadowed them and a voice declared: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). Moses and Elijah disappeared; only Jesus remained. The Law and the Prophets pointed to Him; now He stood as their fulfillment. Hear Him.
This command to hear carries eternal weight. Jesus warned, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The words of the prophet like Moses become the standard of judgment. To refuse His teaching is to face accountability for that refusal.
Hearing in biblical terms means more than acoustic reception. It involves understanding, accepting, and obeying. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man” (Matthew 7:24). Hearing the prophet like Moses means building your life on His words, structuring your existence around His teaching, submitting your will to His authority.
The Final Word
The prophet like Moses is not merely one prophet among many but the culmination of all prophecy. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Prophets spoke portions; Christ speaks fullness. Prophets spoke about God; Christ speaks as God. Prophets were servants; Christ is the Son.
Because Christ fulfills and surpasses Moses, the covenant He mediates surpasses Moses’ covenant. “For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious” (2 Corinthians 3:11). The old covenant had glory, but the new covenant has surpassing glory. The prophet like Moses brought a message exceeding Moses’ message—not law but grace, not death but life, not letter but Spirit.
This prophet calls you to decision. Moses called Israel to choose blessing or curse, life or death. Jesus calls you to the same choice. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). The prophet like Moses demands response. Neutrality is impossible. You either hear Him or reject Him; you either follow Him or oppose Him.
Will you hearken to the prophet like Moses? He has spoken—in the Gospels, through His apostles, in the Spirit’s ongoing testimony. His words are spirit and life. His teaching leads to salvation. His commands bring blessing. Moses said, “Unto him ye shall hearken.” The Father said, “Hear ye him.” The choice remains yours. The prophet has spoken. Will you hear?