Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Jesus quoted more from Deuteronomy and Psalms than any other books of the Old Testament. He quoted from Deuteronomy in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7) and to fend off the devil who was trying to tempt Him in the wilderness (see Matthew 4). Why did Jesus quote from Deuteronomy so much? Because of the message.
Deuteronomy means “the message,” and we know that Jesus is both the Messenger and the Message. Therefore, Deuteronomy shows the picture of the coming prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ: “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” (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Basically, “the message” in Deuteronomy comes through three big sermons: (1) a review of how God has taken care of His people, (2) a recounting of the Ten Commandments and other laws, and (3) a call for commitment to the law through obedience. We could also say it like this: the first sermon looks backward, the second looks inward, and the third looks forward.
Why does Moses preach these sermons? Because that generation didn’t see the miracles that their parents saw. Their parents saw the opening of the Red Sea, the 10 plagues removed and the presence of God as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. Moses wanted that generation to know it’s the same miracle-working Father and the same Divine commandments that would make them successful.
Lord, thank you for being the God who doesn’t change. I choose today to remember
