Tag Archives: Deuteronomy 18

Presence, not Possession

December 31, 2025 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
Deuteronomy 18:22 (NIV)

It is New Year’s Eve day. It’s always a special day for Wendy and me as we celebrate our anniversary. This year marks 20 years, which makes it all the more special. There are many things I love about having our anniversary on New Year’s Eve. We always have the evening off, along with the rest of the world. I have never forgotten my anniversary. And, it’s already a fun day of celebration, so celebrating our marriage just adds another layer to the festivity.

On the day of our wedding, I remember feeling another apt connection with holiday. Old things pass away. New things come.

New Year’s by its nature causes a pause for reflection on what has been. It prompts a view toward the road ahead with a curiosity for the path forward and what lies ahead. There will be many prognosticators and prophets throughout media today making proclamations and predictions.

In a very similar fashion, the Hebrews in our chapter-a-day trek through Deuteronomy stand at a precipice in time. The wanderings are over. The promised land awaits on the other side of Jordan. Moses’ message in the entirety of Deuteronomy is a father’s heartfelt preparation for his children and grandchildren regarding what has been, and what is yet to come. Today’s chapter whispers wisdom for me on this precipice of time between 2025 and 2026.

The chapter begins with a reminder that the tribe of Levi will not inherit land once the dust settles in the promised land. No acreage. No deed. No security blanket tucked into a filing cabinet. “The Lord is their inheritance.”

It’s a strange economy, isn’t it?
Everyone else gets fields and vineyards. The priests get… presence.

Not everything valuable can be owned. Kingdom economics never promises deeds, dividends, or earthly security. Jesus asks me to forego earthly treasure and invest in valuables of an eternal kind . Some callings are intentionally unmoored. Some lives are meant to be lean so they can listen. As the year exhales its last breath, that question hovers: What have I been holding that was never meant to be possessed?

Then Moses turns, almost urgently, to forbidden shortcuts.
No divination.
No sorcery.
No necromancers knocking on the thin wall between worlds.

Why? Because uncertainty makes us desperate—and desperation makes us sloppy lovers of truth. When the future feels slippery, we reach for anything that promises control. The people are warned not against curiosity, but against counterfeit certainty. And counterfeit certainty comes cloaked in many guises.

Ouija boards.
Retirement funds.
Spreadsheets and infographics.
Fundamentalist rulebooks.
Charismatic leaders.
Preachers with prophesies.

Counterfeit certainty seduces me into believing I don’t need faith..

But, without faith, it is impossible to please God.

And here—oh here—is the heart of the chapter. Moses promises his Hebrew progeny that God will not leave them guessing.

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you… You must listen to him.”

This is not a vague spiritual shrug. It is intimacy offered. God knows their fear—that unmediated holiness once made them beg at Sinai, “Do not let God speak to us or we will die.” And so God leans closer, softer, clothed in flesh and voice and language they can bear.

The true prophet, Moses says, is not measured by charisma or confidence, but by fidelity. Does the word align with the character of God? Does it call people forward into faithfulness rather than sideways into fear? Does it come true—not because it was clever, but because it was obedient?

False prophets, by contrast, speak with urgency but no authority. They rush. They seduce. They promise control instead of covenant.

And that brings me back to New Year’s Eve. To the road forward and what awaits Wendy and me the 21st year of our marriage. What awaits this nation in the celebration of 250 years. What awaits our globe in the approximately 2026th journey around the sun since Jesus’ own earthly journey.

Moses wisdom whispers to my soul at this precipice of time.

Presence. Faith. Listening with discernment.

As the year turns its page, that distinction matters. Not every loud voice is a true one. Not every confident prediction deserves my trust. And not every silence means God has stopped speaking—sometimes it means He is waiting to be trusted.

Happy New Year, my friend! I am taking the holiday weekend off and then start 2026 with a week of business travel. I’ll be returning to this chapter-a-day trek on Jan 12.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Prophecy and Discernment

October 13, 2015 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NRSV)

I believe that God continues to speak through His children who have been given the spiritual gift of prophecy. It’s both prescribed throughout God’s Message, and I’ve also experienced it at different moments of my journey. From the very beginning, however, God has instructed us to use discernment with such things.

There is a lady among our group of Jesus followers who has, on a couple of occasions, approached Wendy out of the blue to share something God spoke into her heart for Wendy as she prayed. This woman is not a close friend and she has no intimate knowledge of our lives. I could not pick her out of a crowd. Nevertheless, on these rare occasions when she has sought Wendy out and shared what God laid on her heart it has never failed hit the bulls-eye in ways that leave both of us shaking our heads.

There is another among our group of Jesus followers who has, over the years, made a steady stream of bold prophetic statements that have consistently failed to materialize as predicted. If this person lived in the time of Moses they would have stoned him for boldly predicting so many things that never came true. I’m glad we don’t live in the time of Moses and I wish no ill will on this person. I have learned, however, to lovingly and patiently roll the eyes of my heart when the next bold prophetic utterance comes flowing out of his mouth.

Today, I’m thankful that God speaks through others who are gifted in such ways. I appreciate those who have such gifts and use them in decent and orderly ways. I’m also reminded that I have a responsibility to be wise and discerning in these things, refusing to blindly accept another person’s prophetic utterance without testing it against God’s Message, against the counsel of the wise, and the ultimate outcome.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 18

September 13, 2011 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

Playing the Trump Card — photo from spiritquest via Flickr

“But any prophet who fakes it, who claims to speak in my name something I haven’t commanded him to say, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.” Deuteronomy 18:20 (MSG)

Earlier in my life I must confess that I would, at times, play fast and loose with the God card. The God card is the ultimate spiritual trump card. It takes every trick. The God card begins with the phrase “God told me….” and can be followed any number of edicts for self or others. Because the God card carries with it the presumed seal of divine authority, the person playing it elevates him/herself and their words to a position of power while placing the hearer in an awkward position. Who can know for sure what God has said to another? To refute someone who plays the God card is, seemingly, to refute the Almighty, and who wants to pick that fight?

“God told me He wants me to…”
“God told me He was going to…”
“God told me I have to…”

To be sure, my experience along the journey leads me to believe that God does speak to individuals, and can do so in a number of ways. He speaks first and foremost through His Message to us, the scriptures. He can speak to us through circumstance and experience. He can speak to us through others. He can even whisper to us in a still small voice within our spirit.

I have learned, however, to be careful of uttering the words “God told me” or anything of the kind unless I’m directly quoting God’s Message in context. I have too often heard someone use those words only to watch circumstance reveal something quite different than what God purported to tell that person. I have yet to personally hear anyone who played the God card report back that God later told them He changed His mind, that they heard wrong, or confess that their own personal desire or spiritual pride got the better of them.

Now when I hear someone play the God card and utter the words, “God told me…” I often think of God’s ancient standard in today’s chapter. I’ll think without saying it: “Do I get to kill you if you’re wrong?” A cheeky and insulting retort can be rooted in as much pride as the God card.

So, I’ve learned to simply watch my mouth and pray for a lot of discernment. Before I let the words “God told me” escape my lips I remember today’s chapter and ask myself “Am I willing to stake my life on it?”