Finding Jesus in Deuteronomy

(The word “Deuteronomy” means ‘repetition of the law.’ The Hebrew name of the book can be transliterated as ‘elleh haddebarim (“these are the words”—see Deut. 1:1).

The Gospel in the Old Testament: God Reveals His Heart

Deuteronomy 4: 31, 37; 6: 5—6; 7: 7—13; 9: 6

A Prophet Like Me, A Prophet Like You

Deuteronomy 18: 14—22 (Peter provides interpretation in Acts 3: 17—23, and Stephen quotes Moses in Acts 7: 37.)

“This is the chief passage in this whole book and a clearly expressed prophecy of Christ as the new Teacher. It is [Moses’] purpose to show that in the future there will be another priesthood, another kingdom, another worship of God, and another word, by which all of Moses will be set aside.”
“Since there cannot be another word beyond the perfect teaching of the Law unless it were the Word of grace, it follows that this prophet will not be a teacher of law but a minister of grace. The sin and wrath which Moses arouses through his ministry that Prophet cancels through righteousness and grace by His ministry.”
“Here [Moses] prophesies that Christ will be true man and will come from the blood of the Jews, because salvation is from the Jews (John 4: 22). No one has ever arisen from this people who taught a different word from the word of Moses and set up a new ministry except this one Christ of ours. However many prophets that were before him, they all preserved and taught Moses. This Prophet freed not only the Jews from Moses but all nations throughout the world and gave them the new Word of the Gospel.” Martin Luther, Lectures on Deuteronomy

Jesus’ Reliance on Deuteronomy

Matthew 4: 1—11 (Matthew 4: 4 – Deut. 8: 3) (Matthew 4: 7 – Deut. 6: 16, Exodus 17: 1—7) (Matthew 4: 10—Deut. 6: 13)