Old Testament | Deuteronomy 18:15-22 (with Tom Gastil)

Opening Song:
I Sought the Lord by Advent Birmingham

Lyrics:
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
It was not I, no, I was found of thee.

Not I, but Christ;
Not I, but Christ.
Thou art the seeker,
And I the found.

Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the stormy sea;
’Twas not so much that I on thee took hold;
As thou, dear Lord, had taken hold of me. (Chorus)

What but such grace can woo my heart to love—
To worship thee and seek my neighbor’s best?
When in the end I reach the heav’ns above,
All was of grace that lifted me to rest. (Chorus)

Glory to God,
And to the Son,
And to the Spirit,
For I am found.
To God the glory,
For I am found.

Passage:
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die! ’ 17 Then the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a message in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods ​— ​that prophet must die.’ 21 You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken? ’ 22 When a prophet speaks in the Lord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. -- Deuteronomy 18:15-22 (CSB)

Musical Reflection:
All to Jesus I Surrender (SURRENDER) by Winfield S. Weeden

Reflection Notes:
This tune was originally intended to have two-part harmonies on the verse and four-part harmonies of the refrain; the additional harmonic fullness adds to the repeated emphasis of the words “I surrender all.”

Prayer:
Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen.
-Old Anglican Prayer