Deuteronomy 18:15-20 is part of a purported sermon by Moses to the people of Israel before he dies, in which he says God will raise up other prophets like him to guide them after he is gone.
Scholars tell us the Book in its present form actually comes from the 7th century B.C.E. -- a time when Israel is in dire need of knowing God's way for them as a people, and longing for some vestige of the good old days.
Assyrian imperialism is now the dominant factor in the world's politics. The kingdom of Israel is long-divided, with Israel in the north already under Assyrian control, and the smaller kingdom of Judah still independent but now finding itself playing political games, measuring everything it does by economic and military terms, listening to and trying to follow the advice of all the pundits of the day, imitating the political behaviour of some of their neighbours and enemies, and even beginning to practice the ways and the worship of foreign gods just to try make a go of it in the world.
Sound familiar?
So the religious historians write the Book of Deuteronomy to re-tell the story of the long-ago good old days under the prophetic leadership of Moses who was able to meet the fearsome God up on the mountain, go behind the big curtain that shielded the people from the great and powerful God, and find out from God just how the people should live.
And they put into Moses' mouth what they most long to hear -- a promise that God will raise up another prophet just like Moses, to tell them God's way.
Do we still look for prophets today? Men or women (or even children) who can cut through the crap of all our gurus and sages and pundits and self-help magi, to tell us straight-out what God's way is for us as a people?
Or have we given up? And assume that there are no real prophets any more?
Or does the story of Jesus, and the way people around him sensed the "authority" -- the divine and holy true-ness, of what he said and did, how he did it, and who he did it with, have anything to say to us?
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