* Up to this point Israel had no prophets. Moses was the first.

* There were no books at this time, so the oral culture is how God got His message to the people.

* So Moses is now preparing the people for the coming of this new type of communication from God, the prophets.

* vs 18 - the role of the prophet was to represent God to the people.

* His responsibility was to hear from God and communicate to the people.

* The prophets quickly became the most popular guys in Israel.

* I bet a number of men thought, “Hey, I want to be one of those guys!”

* This led to the rise of “false” prophets who just wanted to please the people and keep their popularity.

* vs 19-20 - God gives the punishment for those who would not speak properly according to God’s Word.

* ** the role of the priest was to represent the people to God.

* ** the role of the king was to create an environment where the prophet could speak, the priest could minister, and the people could flourish.

* Jesus came as prophet, priest, and king!