Deuteronomy 18:15-22: Heeding the Word
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.
We might well wonder what God wants with us or from us. If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, and all-loving, what can God possible want from us? Our adulation? Christ’s humility shows us that God does not want burnt offerings, but rather our open and honest hearts. Does God want our blind obedience? Created with a free will, we understand that we are able to make our own choices, for good or evil. Is God looking for our love? We have the imprint of God’s plan in our DNA, a plan that calls each of us to enact God’s word in love as best we can.
Yet how do we decipher this word? And how do we heed it?
In ancient days, God’s prophets walked among God’s people calling them to goodness; and modern-day prophets walk among us still. The New Testament stories tell us of God’s Word manifested in Jesus, and they tell us that God’s Spirit abides with us still. When we question what we are to do or what we are to say, we turn to these stories and to the Spirit within us. When we struggle with life’s anxieties and fears, we look to this Word among us.
Jesus continues the long line of prophets God sends to alert the faithful and the faithless alike. There are prophets among us still We do well to heed Christ’s call.
God builds a living temple with the stumbling stones in our lives. This temple breaths and sighs as we look for the good that God brings out of harm. We do well to make stepping-stones from obstacles.
The Spirit lives in each of us. She calls and guides, heals and consoles. We do well to heed the word of the LORD within.
Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.
When we reflect on these verses and explore varying translations, we offer our hearts to the Word that lives among us.
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