Torah (written)

Deuteronomy 32:23-33
The Song of Moses, Part IV

In some of our verses today, Moses, speaking as the Lord, says that He would have utterly eradicated Israel if it were not for the sake of the enemies misunderstanding what had taken place, and why. As such, the Lord would have to put up with the boasting of the enemies as it would be an indication to them that He is not what the Bible portrays Him to be.

Obviously, the Lord has already proclaimed that regardless of their actions, Israel would be kept as a people. But the Song of Moses highlights the keeping of Israel for this particular reason as well.

When considering this, one cannot help but think of the words of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, as called out by the Rabshakeh to the people of Jerusalem…

Text Verse: “Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? ³⁵ Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” 2 Kings 18:34, 35

In response to this degrading talk, Hezekiah went before the Lord with the words of Sennacherib and prayed to him. His concluding words were, “Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone” (2 Kings 19:19).

Should Sennacherib have prevailed and utterly destroyed Israel, the words of the Lord as conveyed by Moses would have been exactly what would have come to pass. As this is so, is this thought any less true today? Absolutely not. Despite what replacement theologians say, the keeping of Israel is intimately connected with the honor of the Lord.

And that truth is no more poignantly highlighted than in the supposedly sacred, but actually Satanic, book known as the Hadith. From a website about Islam Q&A, we read –

“It is narrated in the hadith that the Prophet [meaning Mohamed] … said: ‘The Hour will not begin until you fight the Jews, until a Jew will hide behind a rock or a tree, and the rock or tree will say: “O Muslim, O slave of Allah, here is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.’”

There are three possibilities with this: 1) Either the Bible is true, and the Hadith is false, or 2) The Bible is false, and the Hadith is true, or 3) both are false. A fourth option is not possible, that of both being true.

As such, Israel will be kept as a people forever, and the Lord has demonstrated that He is God, or Israel will someday be eradicated and Moses is wrong, logically following that then would be that the Lord is not God.

There is a whole lot tied up in the preservation of Israel if one understands the words of the books of Moses. It truly is unfortunate that replacement theology has arisen in the world. Those who hold to it actually place the integrity of the Bible on the same par as Israel’s enemies, even if they don’t intentionally do so. The result is the same.

Let us be sound in our thinking and not get caught up in strange teachings that do not accurately reflect what God is doing in redemptive history

Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Amassed Evils (verses 23-25)

Since verse 19, the poem has highlighted the results of Israel’s abandonment of the Lord. In response to that, Moses has highlighted the Lord’s rejection of them. Since verse 20, Moses has been writing in the first person as if his words are those of Yehovah.

That continues now, referring to His rejection of them, His turning from them, and His judgment upon them. However, verse 21 alluded to His plan to lure Israel back to Himself through His active turning to another group of people.

While that has been occurring, the devastations upon Israel continue today. They are words of terrifying disaster that accurately, but most mournfully, reflect the state of the people of Israel since their rejection of Him at the time of their visitation by Christ Jesus. With that understood, the words of Yehovah continue…

²³ ‘I will heap disasters on them;

aspe alemo raoth – “I will amass upon them evils.” One can imagine sheets of paper, each with a different evil written upon it, being torn off the stack and tossed onto the land. With the coming of each sheet, another disaster arrives. Soon, the land and the people are completely destroyed, and nothing is left but the sheets of doom lying in heaps, testifying against the people.

They have done evil before the Lord in defiance of His word, and so He sends forth His word to testify against them. As it comes, so come the evils He had promised. They are piercing and they are deadly…

^{23 (con’t)} I will spend My arrows on them.

hitsay akaleh bam – “My arrows I will expend in them.” Whereas the Lord amasses evils upon the people, as if they are coming down from above, it now says He expends all of His arrows in them – as if He is standing amongst them and shooting at one after another directly until all His arrows are gone.

The arrow, in this case, signifies a plague of some sort. The word is being used metaphorically, as can be seen from Ezekiel 5 –

“When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.” Ezekiel 5:16

Even Job, a man outside of the covenant people, understood this symbolism –

“For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.” Job 6:4

An interesting internal a/b/c-c/a/b structure is provided with this verse –

(a) I will amass (b) upon them (c) evils
(c) My arrows (a) I will expend (b) in them

These evils and arrows are defined by the words of the coming verses…

²⁴ They shall be wasted with hunger,

The entire verse is direct, and it calls for the mental insertion of prepositions and verbs that Moses simply leaves out. That begins with this first clause: maze ra’av– “Emaciated, hunger.” The adjective mazeh is found only here. It comes from an unused root signifying “to suck out.”

Thus, one can think of people that are simply skin and bones, as if a straw was inserted into them and their body fat and muscle were sucked out. The only thing left of them is a state of agonizing hunger. It is a perfectly suited description of the condition of the people when the Nazi death camps were liberated.

So starved were the people that when soldiers showed them a kindness by offering them a candy bar or some other food from their kits, some of the people’s bodies went into shock, and they died. An act of tender kindness turned into an unintended sentence of death. Next, the horror of the arrows progresses…

^{24 (con’t)} Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;

u-lehume resheph v’qetev meriri – “And consumed fever and depletion bitter.” Two new nouns are spoken forth. The first is resheph. It comes from saraph, meaning “to burn.” Thus, it is that which burns, like a hot coal. In this case, I would think it is referring to an intense fever resulting from the emaciation.

The second is qetev. This comes from an unused root meaning to cut off. Thus, it is a state of ruin. To maintain it as a noun, I have said “depletion.”

Again, one can think of the horrors of the concentration camps and other such times of immense deprivation that have come upon the people as history has recorded. The people claimed to be Jews, they claimed to be united to the Lord, and yet, they have all but ignored Him.

The wounds, though stated as active events coming from the Lord, are actually self-inflicted wounds. They are the inevitable consequences of their failure to respond favorably to Him. But again, the Lord next states that these are a direct punishment from His hand…

^{24 (con’t)} I will also send against them the teeth of beasts,

Making the words more pronounced, the word is singular, “tooth.” It is a way of uniting all teeth of every formidable beast into one giant weapon: v’shen behemoth ashalakh bam – “And fang beasts I will send in them.”

The tooth (fang) becomes a symbol for the chaos it wreaks. One can think of tearing flesh, blood, bits of bone and hair, all being openly displayed among the people. It is a horrifying thought of appalling devastation. And that terrifying weapon has a companion in its destructive purposes…

^{24 (con’t)} With the poison of serpents of the dust.

im khamath zokhale aphar – “With a burning, reptiles dust.” The word translated as “a burning” is given to signify the state that occurs when bitten. Thus, venom or infection is to be understood. The next word, zakhal, is new. It comes from a verb meaning to shrink back or crawl away as if being shy or afraid.

As other words are translated as snake and serpent, I chose reptile because other reptiles also have bites that cause a burning of the body through venom or infection. The translation of the NKJV is less literal, but it is more understandable.

I am guessing on the structure of this verse, but the use of the connecting conjunctions is notable –

(a) Emaciated, hunger.
(a) And consumed fever and depletion bitter.
(b) And fang beasts I will send in them.
(b) With a burning, reptiles dust.

The terrors come from all directions. They come from above and from within. They come in many forms, and they come with a variety of horrors. But more is yet ahead, and they will be indiscriminate in who they come against…

²⁵ The sword shall destroy outside;

mikhuts tesakel kherev – “From out shall bereave sword.” In other words, the terror from outside is the sword that will leave a person childless – be it in war, enemy attack, looters, or whatever. There will be danger on the outside that will leave the parent childless. And more…

^{25 (con’t)} There shall be terror within

It is a plural noun followed by another noun: u-mekhadarim emah – “And from inner chambers, dread.” This is set in contrast to the previous clause. Outside is one place where there is bereavement. However, any place inside, as indicated by the plural, is a place of dread. This is comparable to the curses of Deuteronomy 28 –

“And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. ⁶⁶ Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.” Deuteronomy 28:65-67

And these terrors will be…

^{25 (con’t)} For the young man and virgin,

gam bakhur gam betulah – “Also young man; also virgin.” It speaks of those who are young with their entire lives ahead of them. They may be innocent to the things of the world, but the world is there to devour them.

While they think that a long and full life lies ahead, the termination of their days is at hand. It is like considering the tragedy of a man ready to be married, but who is then called up for the draft. Before the happiness can be realized, only sadness and loss are experienced. Further…

^{25 (con’t)} The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.

Because this is a verb and two nouns, it was hard to give the same structure in the English: yoneq im ish sevah – “Suckling with man advancement.” The word sevah signifies being gray and thus old. The word “advancement” is the only noun I thought accurately matches what is said here while still conveying the intent.

This is then set against the young man and the virgin. Those who are much less developed, and those who are much more developed – even from the very beginning of life to the very ending of it – are not exempt from what is promised to come upon the people.

(a) From out shall bereave sword. (location/result)
(a) And from inner chambers, dread. (location/result)
(b) Also young man; also virgin. (comparison)
(b) Suckling with man advancement. (comparison)

It is rather amazing to see the variety of poetic structures Moses uses in his words. They go from one to another, often completely unique from those around it. And yet, they flow together harmoniously. Because of the tragedy, the words convey, the majesty of how they are penned is easy to overlook.

With these terrors duly noted, especially with them noted along with the calling of the Gentiles while they are ongoing, the tenor of the words next takes on a new direction…

Bitter destruction and days of pain are our lot
As multiplying terrors are found on every side
Surely it is as if a terrible plot
Is waged against us until all have died

From without there is evil to slay any and all
From within there is terror at what lies ahead
Around all the people has descended a dark pall
The enemy attacks wanting everyone dead

From where will come comfort and an end to this plight?
When will the Lord relent and end this disaster
Only horror and terror come to our sight
Save us O Lord, our God, and our Sovereign Master!

II. Our Hand is Exalted (Verses 26 & 27)

²⁶ I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces,

The word “would” is not correct. The first verb is perfect and the second is known as cohortative. In other words, the first verb is as if the action is accomplished while the second expresses an intention to perform: amarti aphehem – “I have said: ‘I will blow them away.’”

Here we find another word found only this once in Scripture, paah. It comes from a primitive root meaning “to puff.” As such it is then an onomatopoeia meaning “to blow away.”

One gets the sense of the Lord breathing in deeply and then rapidly exhaling – “Paaaaaah!” It was the intention of Him to do just that, and in His anger at this disobedient nation, He exclaims that this is exactly what He will do. In this frame of mind, the dialogue marches on…

^{26 (con’t)} I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”

Again, the first verb is cohortative. The Lord intends to do this thing: ashbitah me-enovosh zikram – “I will cause to cease from mankind memory them.” This complements what was just said. The Lord says purposefully that He will blow the people away.

It will be such a great and pronounced exhaling that they will simply be eradicated. There will be of them not even a memory of a memory left among humanity. The structure of this verse is a simple a/a parallel –

I have said:
(a) ‘I will blow them away.’
(a) I will cause to cease from mankind memory them.

Despite the adamant proclamation that the Lord would eliminate Israel, there is a caveat that will spare them…

²⁷ Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,

lule kaas oyev agur – “If not provocation enemy I would abide.” The words here are difficult and are widely rendered by scholars, even if most translations are similar. The word kaas is the same as in verse 32:19 last week. It signifies to provoke.

Also, the word gur is used. It signifies to sojourn, reside, live as an alien, and so on. But at times it is rendered as “fear.” Hence, most translations take this route. It is mentally easy to justify for the sake of the reader.

But that does not seem to be the intent, even if it is the result. If the Lord were to blow away the people, He would have to live in the provocation of Israel’s enemies for as long as man remained on earth. Thus, there would be, in the mind of the enemy, the thought that the Lord was incapable of controlling His own people.

Therefore, the idea would be that in His frustration at them, He decided to just entirely eliminate them. If this was the case, then what kind of a God would He be? This translation is then fully supported by the next words…

^{27 (con’t)} Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,

The word “misunderstand” is just the opposite of what is stated, even if it may be implied: pen y’nakeru tsaremo – “Lest should discern their adversaries.” The meaning is clear. The adversaries see that Israel is destroyed. It is a fact that they have recognized.

But this brings in all of the complications that could possibly come forth from such an event. The Lord established them. He gave His word through and to them. He brought the Messiah through them, but He also promised to keep them as a people and never break His covenant with them. On and on the thoughts would go.

The entire fabric of the redemptive process, up to and including the coming of Jesus and His promised return to Israel, would be suddenly and inextricably unwoven.

Just think of nations like Hitler’s Germany or Iran. They have been or they are completely set on the destruction of Israel. It is their greatest desire and their deepest hope. With the destruction of Israel would come a defiling of the name of the Lord, and an exaltation of the name of their supposed god.

The Lord would have to live in their provocations. At this point in the Song of Moses, everything is centered on the fact that Israel must continue, even though they have been as faithless as Hosea’s wife.

As these words are recorded concerning a time that occurs at the same time as the calling of the Gentiles, it is an absolute testimony to the fact that Israel was, is, and shall remain. Otherwise, the enemies of God would have an unearned right…

^{27 (con’t)} Lest they should say, “Our hand is high;

pen yomeru yadenu ramah – “Lest they will say: ‘Our hand is exalted!’” The terrors described above included the sword, implying enemies who wield the sword.

The Lord may use pestilence, famine, or other means, but to completely eliminate a group of people that is scattered around the world – in part or in whole – would require the sword to fully accomplish the task. If Hitler had prevailed, one can see him rejoicing and taking credit for what he was able to do.

Likewise, if this came about today, it is absolutely certain that adherents to Islam would take credit for the victory, and for the rest of time they would proclaim that their false god was actually the victorious and true god. The Lord could not, and indeed He cannot, allow that to occur.

In the world, there would be a complete misperception concerning what actually transpired…

^{27 (con’t)} And it is not the Lord who has done all this.”’

v’lo Yehovah paal kal zot – “And no Yehovah who accomplished all this.” The obvious meaning is, “It is we who have destroyed Israel and Yehovah neither had anything to do with it, nor was He able to stop it. We have prevailed, we are exalted, and Yehovah is not God.”

The Lord would have to abide in this. Any other options would be completely contradictory to His nature. In other words, and by default, the very act of Him blowing Israel away so that they were eliminated from mankind is also completely contrary to His nature. Israel, despite what they deserve, must stand.

The words of this verse are set in an a/b pattern –

(a) If not provocation enemy I would abide. (provoking)
(b) Lest should discern their adversaries. (discernment, but in the sense of not discerning)
(a) Lest they will say: ‘Our hand is exalted! (provoking)
(b) And no Yehovah who accomplished all this. (not discerning)

Who is great like our God? Who is he?
Who does such great wonders and mighty things?
Is there another so great? Can there be?
No! To our God alone all of creation sings

He has redeemed His people for His own
And He has kept them despite their constant falling away
Through this people His fame has grown
Great is His name, and greater day by day

Who could restrain Himself as has the Lord?
From destroying those who so callously turn away
But because of His faithfulness to His word
He has kept this people as His own, to this very day

III. Their Rock Had Sold Them (Verses 28-33)

With the last section complete, a new idea is put forth by Moses. It is in verses 28-33 that the evident nature of Israel’s unworthiness to be spared is detailed. As such, it highlights that they are, in fact, spared.

²⁸ “For they are a nation void of counsel,

I disagree. The nation is a nation filled with counsel, of the highest sort and from the most impeccable Source. It is not that they are void of counsel. Rather: ki go obad esot hemah – “For nation devoid prudence they.”

The word go, or nation, is usually used when referring to Gentiles. However, they are here likened to any other nation. In fact, they are actually much duller than any other nation. That is seen in the word Moses introduces here.

It is the word etsah, coming from a verb signifying advice. As such it speaks of counsel, prudence, purpose, and so on. It is not at all that Israel lacked counsel. They had the law, they had the prophets, they had the Redeemer Himself. And then came the apostles after Him.

They had miracles, signs, and wonders performed among them. And yet, they had as much sense as that of a tree root, and maybe less. If God Himself appeared among them… wait a minute, He did. And even then, they could not perceive it. They failed to recognize the time of their visitation. And to this day, they remain blinded…

^{28 (con’t)} Nor is there any understanding in them.

v’en bahem tevunah – “And no in them understanding.” This is a parallel thought to the previous clause. Just as there is no prudence in their thinking, they are also devoid of understanding. Both words of this verse now are used in a single verse in Proverbs –

There is no wisdom or understanding [tevunah]
Or counsel [etsah] against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

In this, “counsel” is fine because that speaks in relation to the Lord about a thought or action against Him. However, here in Deuteronomy it is speaking of the state of Israel having counsel but not applying it because they lack the prudence or discernment to do so. One can see this in the parallelism –

(a) For nation devoid prudence they.
(a) And no in them understanding.

But this is not the Lord’s fault. He has done everything to make it otherwise, even giving them the prophetic word to warn them…

²⁹ Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,

The first verb is perfect, the second is imperfect: lu hakemu yaskilu zot – “If they were wise, they would understand this!” In other words, they have their history, they have the prophecies, they have the promises, and they have the WORD OF GOD to guide them.

It is all recorded there, both the past and the future. What has happened isn’t because they didn’t have sufficient information, but because they have been unwilling to simply check out the facts.

A perfect example of their inability to discern is seen in regard to the coronavirus issue. All of the information one needs to know concerning what is going on is out there. But Israel was the first to jump into the proverbial pot, implementing mandates of all sorts, and they have continued to seethe in the boiling water as the spices have been added.

They do not have the reason to grasp what is so painfully obvious. How much more ridiculous are they in regard to the weightier matters set before them…

^{29 (con’t)} That they would consider their latter end!

An important preposition, to, is overlooked: yavinu l’akharitam – “They would consider to their latter end!” The words are parallel to the previous clause and can be understood when combined with the opening thought – “[If they were wise], they would consider to their latter end.”

This is speaking of the nation. It is true that blessings are promised to them in the Messianic age, but that is clearly indicated as being preceded by a time of great wrath and destruction upon them. This is evident from the words of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus Himself.

If they considered the time “to their latter end,” they would know that things will only get worse before they finally get better. But like sappy churches that fill the world, the focus is always, always, always on the blessing, the good, the prosperity, and the favor.

And yet, this is only a portion of what God says belongs to Israel, and what belongs to the church. The sadness of not considering what the word says to the people to whom it is directed – and indeed to the whole world – will fully, finally, and tragically be realized someday.

If they were wise:
(a) They would understand this!
(a) They would consider to their latter end!

As for Israel, the question is asked…

³⁰ How could one chase a thousand,

ekah yirdoph ekhad eleph – “How could chase one a thousand?” It is the opposite, and multiplied, of what was promised to Israel as a blessing in Leviticus 26 –

“Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight;
your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” Leviticus 26:8

Here, Moses indicates that the opposite is in store for Israel in the future. Asking it as a question implies that there is a fixed answer that is as obvious as the nose on one’s face. But before he explains how it could be, he provides a parallel example…

^{30 (con’t)}And two put ten thousand to flight,

u-sh’nayim yanisu revavah – “And two cause to flee a multitude?” It is another and greater multiplication. Where one will chase a thousand, a foe of only two will cause an entire multitude to flee. The word revavah simply means a vast multitude whether definite or indefinite. But how could this happen…

^{30 (con’t)}Unless their Rock had sold them,

It is not conditional. It is a perfect verb preceded by a positive conjunction: ki tsuram mekaram – “For their Rock had sold them.” The Lord gave them sure and great promises that He would be with them in battle and that they would defeat their enemies.

But in a state of being sold, the impossible would come to pass. It speaks of an amazing defeat of the people because they turned from their Rock, and then, He sold them…

^{30 (con’t)}And the Lord had surrendered them?

v’Yehovah hisgiram – “And Yehovah delivered them.” Yehovah is clearly stated in parallel to the Rock of the previous clause. The word here literally means to shut up or to close. But it figuratively means “to deliver.” When one is shut up, he can be delivered over. This is seen, for example, in Amos where the same word is used –

“The Lord God has sworn by Himself,
The Lord God of hosts says:
‘I abhor the pride of Jacob,
And hate his palaces;
Therefore I will deliver up the city
And all that is in it.’” Amos 6:8

The amazing words show how far the people have gone from the Lord that the Lord would sell off and surrender the people.

(a) How could chase one a thousand?
(a) And two cause to flee a multitude?
(b) For their Rock had sold them.
(b) And Yehovah delivered them.

³¹ For their rock is not like our Rock,

ki lo ketsurenu tsuram – “For no like our Rock their rock.” Moses, speaking of the Lord, makes a comparison between the gods of the enemies and Yehovah. They are not at all like Him. This is stated throughout Scripture, such as –

“Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, ¹⁹ and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone.” Isaiah 37:18, 19

The contrast is absolute. Yehovah is God and all other “gods” are simply the work of men’s hands or the imagination of their minds. With that stated, Moses next says…

^{31 (con’t)} Even our enemies themselves being judges.

v’oyevenu pelilim – “And our enemies, judges.” Many translations insert words here hoping for clarity. Others paraphrase what is said in an attempt to explain what is being said. But none that I found really explain what the meaning of the words must be.

It is apparent that the clauses are parallel. In looking at it as such, the meaning may come forth. I have set forth two variations either of which can be grammatically correct –

For no:
(a) like our Rock (b) their rock
(b) And our enemies, (a) judges

(a) For no like our Rock (b) their rock
(b) And our enemies, (a) judges

What appears to be the case here, and it is tough to be dogmatic, is that it is one of two options based on how the word “judges” is set in parallel to the Lord – either in a positive or a contrasting parallel.

If contrasting, it is saying that the Lord is the Rock and their gods are no rock. Likewise, their enemies are not judges. It is the Lord who made the decision, and both sold and surrendered them. The enemies actually had nothing to do with what occurred. I would prefer this.

However, it could be a positive parallel. If so, then He is the true Judge, and they are judges only because the Lord has allowed it. Said differently, Israel was sold by Yehovah to the enemy who then judged them. This makes less sense to me. Either way, the verses are set in parallel, and one of these two meanings seems to be the case.

³² For their vine is of the vine of Sodom

ki mi’gephen sedom gaphnam – “For from vine Sodom their vine.” It is debated who this is referring to, Israel or the Gentiles just mentioned. The answer must be Israel. Israel is compared to a vine again and again throughout Scripture, such as –

“Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.
How then have you turned before Me
Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?” Jeremiah 2:21

Also, it is only they who are morally compared with Sodom and Gomorrah in the rest Old Testament –

“Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:” Isaiah 1:10

This then is given to explain the reason why the Lord sold them and surrendered them. That then leads to…

^{32 (con’t)}And of the fields of Gomorrah;

u-mishadmoth amorah – “And from fields Gomorrah.” It is another new word, shedemah, coming from sadeh, or “field.” It is a field that is cultivated and should produce. However, what is produced by the vine and the field is next noted…

^{32 (con’t)}Their grapes are grapes of gall,

anavemo ineve rosh – “Their grapes, grapes of poison.” Their produce of the vineyard is of no value at all, and in reality, it is harmful. The grapes here speak of the people’s actions, the fruit of their conduct. Putting up with them is like drinking wormwood.

^{32 (con’t)} Their clusters are bitter.

ashkelot merorot lamo – “Clusters bitter to them.” This is the conduct of the people. It is a society filled with repulsive wickedness and perversion, as if they are carrying around entire clusters of inedible grapes. It is all they produce because their vine and their fields can produce nothing else.

(a1) For from vine Sodom their vine.
(a2) And from fields Gomorrah.
(b1) Their grapes, grapes of poison.
(b2) Clusters bitter to them.

Moses is explaining to the people their very nature in the future and the reason why all the evils will come upon them. As such, they deserve the same punishment that Sodom and Gomorrah received. But more of their character is brought forth next…

³³ Their wine is the poison of serpents,

khamath tannim yenam – “Burning of serpents their wine.” This means that their wine is that made of serpent’s poison, which causes burning. The type of serpent, tannin, can only be guessed at. The word is used when speaking of things in the sea in Genesis 1:21, and it is what Moses’ rod turned into in Exodus 7:9. It was obviously poisonous because Moses ran from it.

Regardless of that, as wine is representative of a cultural expression in Scripture, it means that their entire culture is one that is just like the poison of serpents. It permeates everything about them as a people, flowing through them. Moses then further describes what the culture of Israel is like…

*^33 (fin)And the cruel venom of cobras.

v’rosh pethanim akzar – “And poison vipers cruel.” Here is a new word, pethen. It is a venomous snake either in the cobra or viper family.

Due to the variety of vipers found in Israel, using “vipers” is a good possible translation, but there are also black desert cobras there as well. Regardless of the type of snake, the meaning is obvious. The “wine,” or cultural expression, of Israel is that of a highly venomous snake. Taken together, the clauses are set in a simple a/a parallel.

(a) Burning of serpents their wine.
(a) And poison vipers cruel.

The words of Moses are the words of Moses, and the Lord inspired them. Hence, one cannot say that what is said here is not reflective of the people without denying that these are the true words of God.

As a general statement concerning Israel, they must be considered a true, accurate, and current description of them as viewed from the Lord’s perspective. They have rejected their Messiah, they do not adhere to the word of the Lord, and they are filled with wickedness and self-righteousness.

And yet, despite their state before Him, He has kept them, and He will continue to keep them. The day is coming when they will again be His holy people. In the meantime, they have been handed over to Satan for what they rightly deserve.

But as I remind you each week, they are simply a snapshot of us. We are His people, and yet we fail Him constantly and in many ways. Despite that, just as His covenant with Israel stands, so His covenant with any who come to Him stands.

God, because of Jesus Christ, could no more reject one of His saved believers than He could reject His own Son. The covenant has been cut, the blood has been shed, and the commitment has been made.

Israel’s failings will not, nor can they ever, negate the faithfulness of the Lord to His side of the covenant. Likewise, our failings will not, nor could they, negate His faithfulness to the seal with which He has sealed us.

Because of this, how much more should we be willing to live for Him instead of following after the same failings that upset the Lord. If you are secretly caught up in adultery, you must consider your ways. If you are thieving from others, it is time to change what you are doing. If you treat your spouse with less than the greatest of respect, it is time for you to redirect your actions.

These are things that the Lord looks disfavorably on. And why should we be recorded in the annals of history as being just like those of Israel who have so greatly displeased the Lord? Let us do our utmost to live for God because of His great love with which He first loved us. May it be so, starting even today.

Closing Verse: “’I overthrew some of you,
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;
Yet you have not returned to Me,’
Says the Lord.
¹² ‘Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!’” Amos 4:11, 12

Next Week: Deuteronomy 32:34-43 Amazing words, and that ain’t no jive… (The Song of Moses, Part V) (97^th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But He also has expectations of you as He prepares you for entrance into His Land of Promise. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Song of Moses, Part IV

‘I will heap disasters on them without haw or hem
I will spend My arrows on them

They shall be wasted with hunger
Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction
I will also send against them the teeth of beasts
With the poison of serpents of the dust; a horrid concoction

The sword shall destroy outside
There shall be terror within, terrifying cares
For the young man and virgin
The nursing child with the man of gray hairs

I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces, right there and then
I will make the memory of them to cease from among men

Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy
Lest their adversaries should misunderstand
———-their thinking being amiss
Lest they should say, “Our hand is high
And it is not the LORD who has done all this

“For they are a nation void of counsel as if from jackals
———- they stem
Nor is there any understanding in them

Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, and wisdom
———-they would spend
That they would consider their latter end!

How could one chase a thousand
And two put ten thousand to flight
Unless their Rock had sold them
And the LORD had surrendered them in their plight?

For their rock is not like our Rock who needs no nudges
Even our enemies themselves being judges

For their vine is of the vine of Sodom
And of the fields of Gomorrah through and through
Their grapes are sour gall
Their clusters are bitter too

The poison of serpents is their wine
And on the cruel venom of cobras they dine

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

²³ ‘I will heap disasters on them;
I will spend My arrows on them.
²⁴ They shall be wasted with hunger,
Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;
I will also send against them the teeth of beasts,
With the poison of serpents of the dust.
²⁵ The sword shall destroy outside;
There shall be terror within
For the young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
²⁶ I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces,
I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”
²⁷ Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,
Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
Lest they should say, “Our hand is high;
And it is not the Lord who has done all this.” ’

²⁸ “For they are a nation void of counsel,
Nor is there any understanding in them.
²⁹ Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,
That they would consider their latter end!
³⁰ How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock had sold them,
And the Lord had surrendered them?
³¹ For their rock is not like our Rock,
Even our enemies themselves being judges.
³² For their vine is of the vine of Sodom
And of the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of gall,
Their clusters are bitter.
³³ Their wine is the poison of serpents,
And the cruel venom of cobras.

 

Deuteronomy 32:7-14
The Song of Moses, Part II

There are some magnificent literary devices used by Moses in the verses today. He uses parallelism, but he does so in various ways. He uses metaphor. He uses the imperative form of verbs to add vibrancy and life to what he is saying. He uses a form of a verb that gives the sense of a command a couple of times.

These and other such devices bring the passage to a state of animation that brings you directly into what he is saying, as if you are participating in what is happening. If you close your eyes as it is being read, you will be able to form mental images in this way, putting yourself directly into the life of Israel.

Moses will also say something in verse 8 that leaves many guessing as to the intent. Because of variations in the source texts of the verse, it is hard to know exactly what the true rendering is.

Unfortunately, because of this, biblical sensationalists will take what is said and incorrectly apply it to shoddy theology they have developed elsewhere. It sells well, but it really isn’t responsible theology.

Text Verse: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

Properly looking at terms that are used throughout Scripture, one can develop a right understanding of otherwise improperly developed themes, if one is willing to do so. But, typically, people hear something, stick with what they have been told, and would rather go down with the ship than adapt to what is evidently right as concerns that particular thought.

When we get to verse 8, I will give my best analysis of what I think the true rendering is, and why I think it is so. It doesn’t mean I’m right, but there is a logical way to look at the various source texts and come to a reasonable conclusion concerning the variations.

The verse had to start with an original set of words. Attempting to figure out what they are will help us to consider other such changes in source texts as well. With this, we can begin to discern various agendas that are behind the manipulation of what is said.

Sometimes, a normal translational change is responsible, sometimes it is a misunderstanding of what is being conveyed, sometimes it may reveal a bias in thought, and sometimes such a change may be purposeful in order to hide something otherwise quite obvious.

Studying the word is a lifelong pursuit. We should do so with all of our attention and diligence, and we should be careful to refrain from sensationalism. The reason for this is that sensationalism will draw our attention away from what is most sensational of all… Jesus. Let us remember this as we evaluate the word.

Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Calling of Israel (verses 7-9)

In our evaluation of the song now before us concerning an outline, we first divided into verses 1 & 2 which were set forth as an introduction of the song. Verses 3 & 4 proclaimed the perfections of Yehovah. And verses 5 & 6 provided a contrast as seen in the imperfections of Israel.

Now, the next major division of the song goes from verses 7 to 14. They speak of the calling, establishment, and exalting of the nation. That thought is introduced with the words of verse 7…

⁷ “Remember the days of old,

zekor yemoth olam – “Remember days antiquity.” The verb is singular. It could be speaking of Israel collectively or as a directive to each person individually. Based on the poetic structure of the verse, I would say it is the latter. Each person is to remember.

The word olam is a common one that has to be carefully translated to avoid confusion. It speaks of time out of mind, either into the past or into the future. In this case, because it is defining the word “remember,” it refers to ancient days gone by.

In some instances, it can speak of days completely out of mind, where there is no understanding of the reference at all. This is found, for example, in Micah 5 when referring to the coming Messiah –

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.” Micah 5:2

The very nature of the surrounding words calls forth the idea of Someone who will come, but who had already existed for a period that cannot even be mentally grasped.

However, the days that Moses now refers to are not unknowable. This is because Moses is specifically calling for remembrance. As this is the case, there is an oral or written account of what occurred that is being called to mind.

Thus, olam here is speaking of days that are knowable, but which are out of mind to the hearer only in the sense that they predate his personal existence. The record of those days is being called to memory as a tool for future instruction. That continues to be understood from the next words…

^7 (con’t) Consider the years of many generations

binu shenoth dor va’dor – “Mentally scan years generation and generation.” Whereas the verb in the last clause was singular, it is now plural, “you all.” The alternating use of the singular and plural is a marvelous tool that Moses employs to captivate the collective mind of the audience as well as each individual mind within it.

The minds of the people are now asked to contemplate that which occurred long ago, mentally scanning what has been so that they can rightly understand what now is. As it is written as a witness to Israel for all generations (31:19-21), then it is something that is to be a living and active call to remember throughout their history.

Repeating the word “generation” as he does (dor va’dor) is a poetic way of stating a plural not unlike how we may employ such a thought today –

Today I am living here
Just as did my ancestors, year to year

Moses has marvelously employed both switching of the number and parallelism in these first two clauses –

(a) +Remember (sg) *days -antiquity
(a) +Mentally scan (pl) *years – generation and generation

He will continue with this in the next two clauses…

^7 (con’t) Ask your father, and he will show you;

sheal avikha v’yagedekha – “Ask your father and he is to declare to you.” The words switch back to the singular, but this is surely referring to each individual – “Each of you is to ask.” Further, the verb of the response to the question is a jussive which is a mood that expresses almost a command. In essence, “When you ask, he is given the command to know and be able to then pass on what you have inquired of.” Likewise…

^7 (con’t) Your elders, and they will tell you:

zeqenekha v’yomeru lak – “Your elders and they will say to you.” The father is the spiritual elder of the house. The elders are the spiritual fathers of the people. “Just as the father is to know and convey a response to you, so the elders are to do.” Again, notice the parallelism and the change in number –

Ask:
(b) +Your father *and he (sg) –is to declare to you.
(b) +Your elders *and they (pl) -will say to you.

Just as when reading Shakespeare, one can see that there is attentive thought to every word and all words in each clause. Taken together, the four clauses read –

(a) Remember (sg) *days -antiquity.
(a) Mentally scan (pl) *years – generation and generation.
Ask:
(b) +Your father *and he (sg) –is to declare to you.
(b) +Your elders *and they (pl) -will say to you.

Great attentive care is certainly the case with the next words…

⁸ When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,

The NKJV gives a good sense of what the meaning is. A literal rendering says: b’hankhel elyon goyim – “In bequeathing Most High nations.” In other words, the nations of the world were purposefully divided by Elyon, the Most High. He is above all nations, and He is the Decider of their place and destiny.

What has taken place is not arbitrary. As such, there is a deterministic force that has caused the nations to be who they are and where they are. This is to be understood from both testaments of the Bible, both implicitly and explicitly –

“But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:5-9

It is implied by the dividing of the languages that the people will then be gathered according to those languages. This is clearly stated in the Table of Nations found in Genesis 10 and is based upon the division of these languages found in Genesis 11. This is found in the last words of Genesis 10 –

“These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.” Genesis 10:32

The hand of the Lord, directing the people in this way, is clearly evidenced. Likewise in Acts 17, Paul builds upon this thought, stating it to the people of Athens in a manner which they could understand. In his speech, he cites the words of two Greek philosophers – Aratus and Cleanthes – in order to show them that this knowledge still existed in their collective mind –

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” Acts 17:26-28

^8 (con’t) When He separated the sons of Adam,

b’haprido bene adam – “In His separating sons of man.” There are two opposing opinions regarding the correct interpretation of the word adam: should it be rendered as a descriptor of man or as a reference to the first man, Adam. The word means both, but the parallelism calls for the former, man.

Adam begat Seth and so on until Noah. During his time, the world was destroyed by flood. From there, the sons of Noah were then divided among their descendants, as is recorded in the table of nations, by name, as it repeatedly says, e.g., “according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations” (Genesis 10:20).

This is understood even many generations later as is stated repeatedly in the psalms concerning the sons of Ham –

“Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.” Psalm 105:23

Likewise, the establishment and continuance of the nations and their locations, even into the distant future, is spoken of as a surety in the prophets many hundreds of years later –

“I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. ⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ⁶ Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.” Ezekiel 36:4-6

So deterministic are these words of Moses that they even apply to the last chapters of the last book of Scripture –

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ⁹ They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” Revelation 20:7-9

Even on the last page of the Bible, the nations are identified as individual entities –

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1, 2

The sons of man have been separated, and they will retain distinct natures even when all things have been restored to the perfection originally intended for humanity. Again, notice the structure of the clauses –

(a) In +bequeathing Most High *nations (pl)
(b) In His -separating *sons (pl) of man

It is in doing these things that the Lord has determined the groups of people, but in order for them to be groups, they need to be grouped. That is seen in the next words…

^8 (con’t) He set the boundaries of the peoples

yatsev gevuloth ammim – “He establishes boundaries peoples.” The verb is another jussive. It is as if the Lord commands the establishment of the boundaries. He has determined how they will be placed, if they will be uprooted, and where they will go. Jeremiah confirms that this is solely at the direction of the Lord –

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ⁶ ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! ⁷ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, ⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. ⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, ¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” Jeremiah 18:5-10

However, despite nations being destroyed before Him, it is the Most High who defined their borders in a very purposeful manner, which is…

^8 (con’t) According to the number of the children of Israel.

l’mispar bene Yisrael – “To number sons Israel.” This is one of the most debated and argued over clauses of the entire song, and it is a verse that is used, and manipulated, in order to justify rather poor theology. Two variant readings of it are:

“angels (meaning ‘messengers’) of God” (LXX (Greek), DSS
“sons of God” (Symmachus, Latin)

Which translation is correct is hard to know. People will pick the translation that fits their presupposition concerning their view on other passages in Scripture which they want to support. However, the LXX, the Symmachus, and the Latin are all translated from Hebrew manuscripts.

As this is so, the word “God” is probably likely. From there, the compilers of the Masoretic Text (which is used as the source for the NKJV and many other versions) probably then decided that this was referring to Israel who are the “sons” or “messengers” of God.

It would seem likely that “sons of God” would be interpreted as “angels” (meaning messengers) by some, rather than the opposite, which is a common misunderstanding of the use of the term “sons of God” found in Genesis 6:2 and Job 1:6 & 2:1.

As such, if I were to hypothesize, the true original would be l’mispar bene elohim, or “To number sons of God,” meaning true believers in the Lord God. As I said, the Masoretes then decided that this must be referring to them and changed “God” to “Israel” to define them as the subject.

By doing this, it would argue against the Christian belief that it included them because they are “sons of God” through faith in Christ. This is not an unimportant exercise in analysis, but it is a key point upon which a lot of other theology hangs.

The Masoretic text has been purposefully corrupted in other areas to hide passages that clearly reveal the coming of Christ Jesus. If my proposition is correct (and why would I be rong?), the words are actually stating that the nations are aligned as a tally of true believers in the Lord, something that would correspond to what is said in verse 21, and which Paul uses in Romans 10 when referring to the Gentile believers –

“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;
They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols.
But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.”

This would also then correspond to the truth that there were Gentile believers in the Lord prior to the establishment of Israel as is clearly recorded in Genesis and in Job 1 & 2. The structure would then look like this –

(a) He +establishes boundaries peoples
(b) To -number sons of God

With this in mind, we can then see the parallelism of the verse more clearly –

(a) In +bequeathing Most High *nations (pl)
(b) In His -separating ^sons of man (sg)
(a) He +establishes boundaries *peoples (pl)
(b) To -number ^sons of God

Obviously, I am coming at this with my own presuppositions as well, but they are based on a rational and consistent analysis of the greater concepts that are found elsewhere in Scripture, not on a sensationalistic approach, or one that denies that Messiah has come and has fulfilled what is prefigured in the interpretation of this otherwise really difficult verse. With that noted, Moses next says…

⁹ For the Lord’s portion is His people;

ki kheleq Yehovah amo – “For portion Yehovah His people.” The words are all in the singular. The immediate context is obviously Israel. But, being in the singular, it must include those who came before Israel, such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and so on. Also, it must include Job and the other “sons of God” who are noted in Genesis 6 and Job 1 & 2.

As this is so, then it – by default – must ultimately be inclusive of any who belongs to the Lord. However, the next clause seems to deny this…

^9 (con’t) Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

Yaaqov khevel nakhalato – “Jacob line His inheritance.” The word khevel, signifies a cord, territory, band, line, and so on. It comes from khaval meaning to bind or to pledge. Ultimately, it comes from a root signifying to wind tightly, as a rope.

A cord, or a line, is used to measure something, thus establishing a set number, portion, allotment, and so on. As such, the inheritance of the Lord is found measured in Jacob. It is speaking of the man, not the location where he will settle. That makes it seem that Jacob, who is Israel (meaning his descendants), is the sum total of the inheritance of the Lord.

But there is no reason to assume that based on two things. First, Jesus descends from Jacob, and in Him is found the joining of Gentiles into what is given to Israel –

“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13

There is, therefore, no reason to assume that what Moses says now excludes any outside of Jacob in the absolute sense. Rather, the line of Jacob encompasses those who come to Christ by faith. This can be seen in how the verses are set in parallel –

For:
(a) +Portion Yehovah ^His people
(b) -Jacob line ^His inheritance

Jacob defines the parameter of who the Lord’s people are because Messiah comes through Jacob. And so, secondly, this must be so because Abraham, for example, is clearly one of the Lord’s people, and yet Jacob descends from him.

There is an immediate context, and there is a greater context that must be inferred. With that in mind, the call of Jacob is next referred to by Moses…

There is no other God; I know not one
Search in the highest heavens and there will be only Me
Seek throughout the earth until your days are done
And no other god shall you see

I alone am the Lord your God
And I alone led you in those early days
Out of a howling, a wasteland you did trod
Therefore, you shall commit yourself to Me always

Trust in Me, and I will give you rest
I will lead you on soft paths, lush and green
In your soul, you shall be forever blessed
Because you have no other gods; to you only I am seen

II. The Establishment and Exalting of Israel (verses 10-14)

¹⁰ “He found him in a desert land

The verbs here and in the verses to come are imperfect, producing a state of vividness: yimtsaehu b’erets midbar – “He finds him in a land – a wilderness.” It is as if a movie is playing while Moses describes what is occurring as it happens. Hosea was probably thinking of these words when he wrote –

“I found Israel
Like grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your fathers
As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season.” Hosea 9:10

Now, Moses proceeds…

^{10 (con’t)} And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;

u-b’tohu yelel yeshimon – “And in chaos – a howling, wasteland.” The word tohu has only been seen once so far, in Genesis 1:2, where it described the formless earth. There is also a new word, found only here in the Bible, yelel. It is a noun, not a verb, signifying “a howling.”

Everything about what is said gives the sense of aimlessness, confusion, and a lack of order or purpose. But then…

^{10 (con’t)} He encircled him, He instructed him,

yesovevenhu yevonehu – “He encompasses him; He educates him.” The first verb is savav. It can mean to turn about, go around, or encircle. As such, it could be the Lord is leading him around, or that He is personally encompassing him. “Encompassing” would form proper parallelism. The words speak of the event with a sense of stability and purpose. The chaos is ending.

The second verb is bin, to discern. As such, it is more than instruction, which may or may not take hold. Rather, it is instruction that leads to discernment. Thus, “He educates him” is the intent. There is no longer a chaotic state, a howling, but a reasoned understanding. And more…

^{10 (con’t)} He kept him as the apple of His eye.

yitserenhu k’iyshon eno – “He guards him as little man His eye.” It is a marvelously poetic way of describing the pupil. The word ishon is a diminutive form of ish, or man. Thus, it is the “little man”. Being in the Lord’s eye, it signifies His pupil.

The sense is that as one will guard his pupil from any harm, so the Lord guarded Israel with the same intensity. The four clauses form two parallel ideas.

There is what is lost and what is unknown being replaced with safety and education. And there is insecurity and a lack of definition which is replaced with security and intent. Taken together, the four clauses appear thus –

(a) He finds him *in a land – ^a wilderness
(a) And *in chaos – ^a howling, wasteland
(b) +He encompasses him; He educates him
(b) +He guards him as little man His eye

Moses next continues with the calling…

¹¹ As an eagle stirs up its nest,

It is masculine and describes the father: k’nesher yair qino – “As eagle wakes up his nest.” The Lord is prompting Israel to get up and take flight, abandoning Egypt. He has taught them and protected them in the land where they dwelt, He has guarded them and kept them while destroying their enemies. Now it is time to fly from that nest…

^{11 (con’t)} Hovers over its young

al gozala yerakheph – “Over His young He flutters.” The word gozal, or young bird, was seen in Genesis 15:9, in the first Song of Moses. It is now seen for the second and last time. The word rakhaph has only been seen in Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit of God moved over the surface of the waters.

The Spirit of God brooded over the waters, preparing the creation according to His wisdom. Here, the Lord broods over His young, preparing His people according to His wisdom. Moses is surely tying the preparation of the world for man to His preparation of Israel for being His people. When they are ready, He is..

^{11 (con’t)} Spreading out its wings, taking them up,

The object is singular, not plural. One young is taken: yiprosh kenapha yiqakhehu – “Spreads His wings; He takes him.” It is Israel who is taken up and brought forth from the nest. The imagery is marvelous as the Father cares for His young…

^{11 (con’t)} Carrying them on its wings,

Again, it is singular: yisaehu al evrato – “He lifts him up on His pinions.” It is a new and different word than “wings” of the previous clause, evrah. It signifies the pinions of the bird that the young can cling to. The young need do nothing but enjoy the ride. The idea is similar to that expressed in Exodus 19 –

“And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴ “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”’” Exodus 19:3, 4

Notice the new structure for this verse which forms an aa/bb set of parallels –

a) +As eagle -wakes up his nest
a) +Over His young -He flutters
b) *Spreads His wings; ^He takes him
b) ^He lifts him up *on His pinions

Moses pulls out every tool he has available from his store of poetical devices in order to delight the senses of his audience. Next…

¹² So the Lord alone led him,

Yehovah bedad yankhenu – “Yehovah alone He leads him.” The imperfect verbs continue, providing a vivid sense of action to the mind. The words now speak of the actual Exodus while the pillar of fire and cloud went before Israel as they departed –

“So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. ²² He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” Exodus 13:20-22

In this state of being led by Yehovah, Moses further says…

^{12 (con’t)}And there was no foreign god with him.

v imo el nekar – “And no with Him god foreign.” The “Him” refers to the Lord, not Israel. No other god aided Him as He led His people out. As such, Albert Barnes wisely states –

“The Lord alone delivered Israel; Israel therefore ought to have served none other but Him.”

Moses, still pulling out literary delights, provides a contrasting parallel in this verse –

(a) Yehovah alone He leads him
(b) And no with Him god foreign

With the calling complete, Moses moves to the future of where they are now, speaking of the establishment of Israel in the land…

¹³ “He made him ride in the heights of the earth,

yarkibehu al bamote arets – “He makes him ride upon high places earth.” The idea is that of the Lord causing Israel to subjugate the land, allowing them to take possession of it. The expression is explained in Amos and Micah where the same words are used –

“For behold,
He who forms mountains,
And creates the wind,
Who declares to man what his thought is,
And makes the morning darkness,
Who treads the high places of the earth—
The Lord God of hosts is His name.” Amos 4:13

“For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place;
He will come down
And tread on the high places of the earth.” Micah 1:3

Ultimately, this then looks to be the Lord Himself subduing the earth. But immediately, it speaks of Israel doing so. In the subjugation of the land, Israel can then occupy and enjoy its plunder…

^{13 (con’t)} That he might eat the produce of the fields;

vayokal tenuvoth saday – “And he eats produce fields.” It is a new word, tenuvah, signifying fruit or produce. It is ultimately derived from a word signifying “to germinate.” Hence, that which produces from the seed is what is being referred to.

^{13 (con’t)} He made him draw honey from the rock,

v’yeniqehu debash mi’sela – “And he makes to suck honey from crag.” Israel is a rocky, stony, craggy place. The word sela signifies a craggy rock. In such places, bees will form their hives. Thus, it signifies sweetness, even from a place that would otherwise seem inhospitable.

Despite this as a literal occurrence, debash, or honey, is equated to the word of God in Scripture –

“And He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.’ So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.” Ezekiel 3:3

The word sela, or craggy place, is metaphorically used to refer to the Lord at times –

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;” Psalm 18:2

As such one can infer that this metaphorically can speak of Israel drawing out the word of God from the Lord when in the land given to them. A very suitable analogy.

^{13 (con’t)}And oil from the flinty rock;

v’shemen m’khalmish tsur – “And oil from flinty rock.” This is certainly referring to the growth of the olive trees, even out of hard, flinty rock.

Their roots entwine with the rocks, providing them with a stable, enduring foundation. Also, the moisture that results from the changes in temperature causes condensation which is used to feed the tree. Thus, oil is produced from the flinty rock.

However, there is another metaphor being conveyed. Oil in Scripture speaks of anointing, and thus, the presence of the Spirit. And the tsur, or flinty rock is equated to the Lord, even five times in this chapter –

“He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4

As such, it is a metaphor for the coming forth of the anointing of the Spirit from the Lord, something that would occur in and among Israel. In this verse, we have a new structure where the first clause leads to the resulting second thought, and then to the subordinate clauses –

He makes him ride upon high places earth
And he may eat produce fields
And he makes to suck
-Honey from crag
-And oil from flinty rock

The words of the next verse continue to reveal the delights to be obtained from having entered and subjugated this beautiful land that is provided by the Lord…

¹⁴ Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock,

khemat baqar v’khalav tson – “Curd cattle and milk flock.” The curd signifies milk that is in a partially solid or solid state, such as in thick cream or even butter. It, along with honey, is expressly stated to be what Messiah will be nourished on –

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. ¹⁵ Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:14, 15

The curd is then complemented with the fresh milk of sheep. In Scripture, milk is equated to the word as well –

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:1, 2

Moses also notes…

^{14 (con’t)} With fat of lambs;

im khelev karim – “With fat lambs.” Fat is a metaphor for abundance and health of life. The word to describe the lambs is one that signifies them being full-grown and plump. The picture is one of complete abundance and prosperity. Along with that…

^{14 (con’t)} And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,

v’elim bene bashan v’athudim – “And rams sons of Bashan and goats.” The type of rams, elim, signify strength. Bashan is an area especially noted for its livestock. As such, it indicates the finest of animals in the best of condition.

The athudim, or rams, signify those that are full grown. The word comes from athad, signifying “to be ready.” Thus, they are perfectly suited for the finest of meals.  And there is yet more…

^{14 (con’t)} With the choicest wheat;

im khelev kilyot khitah – “With fat kidneys wheat.” The fat around the kidneys is the purest of fat. It is the fat that was removed from the animal and burnt upon the altar in the sacrifices of Israel. The kidney is that which signifies the mind and reasoning in the Bible.

These are then used as descriptors of the wheat, it being the very finest of all wheat, being large and with the germ that is exceedingly healthy and ready to burst forth. With this abundance noted, Moses provides one more note in this verse to close us out today. It is stated in the form of an address…

*^14 (fin) And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.

v’dam enav tishteh khamer – “And blood grape you drink wine.” In this is a word found only this once in Scripture, khemer, or wine. It comes from a word signifying to ferment. As such, this is a poetic way of saying that the wine is fermented and pure. Like blood, it is unmixed.

The structure must be considered with the previous verse. Although I’m not a poetic specialist, I would think this is how the two verses are presented by Moses. If someone has a better way to present them, mail it to me with a $10 evaluation charge.

He makes him ride upon high places earth
And he may eat produce fields
*And he makes to suck
-Honey from crag
-And oil from flinty rock
*Curd cattle and milk flock
-With fat lambs
-And rams sons of Bashan and goats.
*With fat kidneys wheat
* And blood grape you drink wine

In these verses, there are both shadows and hints of the Messiah, as well as that which He provides to His people. There is food for the young, there is food for the mature. There is drink for the young, and there is drink for the mature.

There is that which strengthens the weak to grow, and there is nourishment for the mature to be sustained. It is a beautiful reflection of what is found in Christ and in His word.

This is what Israel was provided for their physical lives, both for continuance and enjoyment. And it anticipates that which is for believers in God’s Christ for our growth, nourishment, and enjoyment as well.

We will see how Israel will fare with these blessings in the verses ahead, and we should contemplate how we will fare as we receive, or ignore, our spiritual blessings.

The Song of Moses speaks of realities concerning the future of Israel in a poetic fashion, but it also speaks of things that we can both reflect on and receive in our life before God.

But just as important as this, the song conveys to us ideas and concepts that will help strengthen our understanding of the rest of Scripture in various ways. It will illuminate the errors and follies of Israel and yet it will also illuminate the unceasing faithfulness of the Lord towards them, despite that.

Let us thank God that He will treat us in the same faithful manner when we are called by Him. The Lord will give us abundance and blessing as we live for Him, and He will chasten us as we fail to do so. But the Lord has never cast off Israel, and He will faithfully keep us to the end as well.

This is the greatness of God towards His redeemed. Let us keep this in mind and hold fast to that. But let us also not test Him as Israel was prone to do. In this, we will remain in the sweet spot of being always on His favorable side.

Closing Verse: “Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 17:7, 8

Next Week: Deuteronomy 32:15-22 More of this amazing body of poetry… (The Song of Moses, Part III) (95^th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But He also has expectations of you as He prepares you for entrance into His Land of Promise. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Song of Moses, Part II

“Remember the days of old
Consider the years of many generations
Ask your father, and he will show you
Your elders, and they will tell you; so take your learning stations

When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations
When He separated the sons of Adam, as the word does tell
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel

For the LORD’s portion is His people, this is His stance
Jacob is the place of His inheritance

“He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness: barren and dry
He encircled him, He instructed him
He kept him as the apple of His eye

As an eagle stirs up its nest
Hovers over its young, so it does these things
Spreading out its wings, taking them up
Carrying them on its wings

So the LORD alone led him, not by merely a whim
And there was no foreign god with him

“He made him ride in the heights of the earth
That he might eat the produce of the fields
He made him draw honey from the rock
And oil from the flinty rock, so it yields

Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock
With fat of lambs they did eat
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats
With the choicest wheat

And you drank wine
With the blood of the grapes you did dine

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

⁷ “Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
⁸ When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel.
⁹ For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

¹⁰ “He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
¹¹ As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
¹² So the Lord alone led him,
And there was no foreign god with him.

¹³ “He made him ride in the heights of the earth,
That he might eat the produce of the fields;
He made him draw honey from the rock,
And oil from the flinty rock;
¹⁴ Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs;
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
With the choicest wheat;
And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 32:1-6
The Song of Moses, Part I

Of our passage today, the John Lange commentary correctly states, “Gen. 49 is ‘the prophetic life-picture of the future of Israel’ … Israel’s position in the world is the prophetic element in this song.”

Moses will describe the future of Israel as they stand before the Lord and among the nations of the world in exacting detail. It is such an accurate description of what lies ahead that it provides a roadmap for pretty much all of their future – much of it sadly, but ultimately, happily.

The words Moses uses, the phraseology he employs, and the concepts that he puts forth are so magnificent in the original that it is more delightful than reading the finest novel or the most beautiful poetry. This is noted by Jamieson-Faucet-Brown –

“The magnificence of the exordium, the grandeur of the theme, the frequent and sudden transitions, the elevated strain of the sentiments and language, entitle this song to be ranked amongst the noblest specimens of poetry to be found in the Scriptures.” Jamieson-Faucet-Brown

The next few weeks will be quite an adventure if you really love the details. In this, we will be looking at a written form and structure that can be difficult and even puzzling at times. Like many poems, the words can be hard to grasp at first, but with careful thought, none of what is said is beyond the ability to discern Moses’ actual intent.

What is exciting though is that, like much of Scripture, there is a prophetic element to what is penned here. If we know the Bible, and we also understand the world around us concerning the nation of Israel, much of what Moses says is, at least in content, like reading a current newspaper.

Text Verse: “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Psalm 90:1, 2

As with the song of Moses, the 90^th Psalm was also penned by Moses, so you can see the similarities in thought that he pens in both. And yet, both were inspired by the Lord. As such, one can see this connecting hand of the Lord just as throughout the rest of Scripture.

He is the One who was there at the beginning. His years are without end, and all things come from Him and are sustained by Him. Thus, as we contemplate the word of God with each passage we read, we are considering His mind, His intents, and His purposes for us.

As for the song of Moses, it carries those same designs, but it is in a special form that is tragically lost with many older translations. The NKJV, regardless of the accuracy of the translation, at least put it in a more proper format. Of this, Adam Clarke notes the following –

“On the inimitable excellence of this ode much has been written by commentators, critics, and poets – and it is allowed by the best judges to contain a specimen of almost every species of excellence in composition. It is so thoroughly poetic that even the dull Jews themselves found they could not write it in the prose form; and hence it is distinguished as poetry in every Hebrew Bible by being written in its own hemistichs or short half lines, which is the general form of the Hebrew poetry; and were it translated in the same way it would be more easily understood.” Clarke

Some things just need to be set forth as they were originally designed. This is true with the Song of Moses. It is good that most newer translations properly form the song so that we can more fully appreciate the beauty of it.

We’ll give a short breakdown of the chapter, and then we will use that as we begin to look it over today as well as in the sermons to come. As he progresses, Moses will spare no expense in using rare or completely unique words. This makes it a real treasure to read.

Also, as Clarke noted, it is broken up into a poetic form that, in turn, carries in it several other literary forms such a metaphor, parallelism, and so on. Great stuff is to be seen in this Song. As far as a basic outline, I would submit the following –

Verses 1 & 2 are an introduction concerning the words to be conveyed.
Verses 3 & 4 proclaim the perfections of Yehovah.
Verses 5 & 6 provide a contrast by noting the imperfections of Israel.
Verses 7-14 speak of the calling, establishment, and exalting of the nation.
Verses 15-18 tell of Israel’s abandonment of Yehovah because of prosperity and ease, leading to apostasy from Him and to false gods.
Verses 19-25 bring out Yehovah’s rejection of Israel, His turning from them, and His judgment upon them. But, in this time of rejecting them, verse 21 alludes to His plan to lure Israel back to Himself through His active turning to another group of people.
Verses 26 & 27 detail the reason for Yehovah’s sparing, and not utterly destroying, the disobedient nation – the safeguarding of His own honor and glory.
Verses 28-33 detail the evident nature of Israel’s unworthiness to be spared. As such, it highlights the very fact that they are spared.
Verses 34-38 reveal the wisdom of allowing Israel to be brought to a state of utter calamity, when all of the other gods fail to deliver, it is to…
Verse 39 reveals that Yehovah has, through His interaction with Israel, demonstrated that He alone is God.
Verses 40-42 call out the judgment of the nations for failing to recognize what God has done, which is manifestly evident through His treatment (establishment, care for, spurning of, punishment upon, sparing, and defense) of Israel.
Verse 43 is a final climactic call to the world who knows Yehovah that He has kept His covenant promises to this nation of disobedience by providing them the atonement they do not, in fact, deserve.

I do hope you will enjoy the coming sermons based on this passage. It is a marvelous part of God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Give Ear and Hear (verses 1 & 2)

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;

haazinu ha’shemayim va’adeberah – “Give ear you, the heavens, and I will speak.” This is a literal translation, but the way the Hebrew is structured it gives the sense of: “Give ear you, the heavens, so then I will speak.” When the first occurs, the next will then take place.

Moses uses what is known as a prosopopoeia. It is a literary device where an abstract thing is personified. In calling for these bodies to give ear, it is as if they were to listen carefully to the words he will speak. In them, we have an immediate fulfillment of the words from last week –

“Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.” Deuteronomy 31:28

Moses is the speaker, and yet as the song proceeds, the words will be Moses quoting the very thoughts of the Lord, such as in verses 20-35 and again in verses 37-42.

Moses’ words are words of the covenant, and they will provide insights into the very mind of God as He reveals His glory in and through the nation there before Moses. The heavens are called forth to witness what will be said. Further…

^{1 (con’t)} And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

v’tishma ha’arets imre pi – “And hear, the earth, words my mouth.” This was also mentioned by Moses when he said, “and call heaven and earth to witness.” Together, they form the sum of the witness, meaning all of creation. As this is exactly what Moses said he would do, the commentary from last week necessarily needs to be restated.

In calling for the heavens and the earth to witness, he is not calling for judgment, but for witnesses that will testify to the just nature of the coming judgment and punishment. It takes us back to the first sentence of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The heavens and the earth themselves are being likened to the surety of the covenant, of which the song is a prophetic anticipation of how Israel will conduct itself before the Lord in relation to the covenant.

When Moses calls the heavens and the earth to witness against Israel, it is not speaking of calling those who dwell in the heavens or those who dwell on the earth to be witnesses. Rather, it is saying that even the heavens and earth are the witnesses.

As evident as these are to remind us of the existence of God, so shall it be the same when the actions against – and for – Israel come. Thus, Israel (and indeed all humanity) should then rightfully say, “As surely as I am standing on the ground, and as surely as the heavens are above my head – both created by God – so is this punishment deserved.”

The inanimate heavens and earth metaphorically speak out the obvious reality of what has occurred when Israel fails and is punished. Just as the Lord is the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, He is the Initiator and Monitor of the covenant with Israel.

The sentiment is not unlike that which is stated in Job 20 –

“The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.” Job 20:27

It is also what David means when he says that –

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

And again, this is unmistakably seen in the words of Paul –

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20

The very fact that the heavens and the earth exist, and that they show order, harmony, and structure demonstrate that God is righteous.

They testify to Him, to His power, to His faithfulness, to His right to judge, and also to His eternal nature in what He proclaims. This is both a knowledge that should be terrifying to the nation now being addressed, as well as reassuring to them. Again, this is exactly what the psalmist refers to –

“Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.
⁹⁰ Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
⁹¹ They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.” Psalm 119:89-91

One can see the parallel nature of this first verse of the song –

(a) *Give ear you, +the heavens, *and I will speak.
(a) *And hear, -the earth, *words my mouth.”

As it is so that the heavens and the earth are witnesses, Moses continues his introduction to the song, calling for Israel – and indeed all to whom the word is presented – to pay heed…

² Let my teaching drop as the rain,

ya’aroph ka’matar liqkhi – “Let drop as the rain my teaching.” Two new words are immediately given. The first is araph, coming from a primitive root signifying to droop. Hence, it means to drip or drop. It will be seen only here and in Deuteronomy 33:28.

The next is leqakh. It signifies a learning or a teaching, whether on the part of the teacher or the hearer. Six of its nine uses will be in the proverbs.

Here, the words of this verse can be tied into the heavens and the earth of verse 1. The heavens are the source of the rain as it descends from above. The earth is what receives what then flows downward from above.

The actual intent of Moses’ words is hard to know. It can be translated passively as “Let my words…” If so, Moses is calling for the hearer to listen and to let what he says alight upon him and begin to fill him.

It can be as a petition, “May my words…” If so, Moses is indicating that the wise person will listen, hear, and begin to understand what is being conveyed.

Or, it could be as a statement of fact, “My words shall…” The words will drop slowly at first, word by word. They will then increase as he speaks until they overflow with the wisdom they contain and until they have revealed all that is to descend from the heavenly realm into the minds of those who hear.

Whichever way, the idea is that Moses’ teaching will come down, dropping from above to nourish the soul, just as raindrops upon the earth to nourish it. Next…

^2 (con’t) My speech distill as the dew,

tizal ka’tal imarti – “Stream as the dew, my speech.” The word tal, or dew, is used. It comes from talal, meaning to cover over, like a roof. In the first clause, the teaching was to drop as the rain. It is a sign of abundance coming down. Now, the speech which carries the teaching is to spread out as dew, permeating every part of the hearer. Moses next provides parallelism to the first two clauses…

^2 (con’t) As raindrops on the tender herb,

kisirim ale deshe – “As showers upon the tender grass.” Here is a word found only this once in Scripture, sair. It signifies rain (drop). The word is formed in the same way as the word sa’iyr, or hairy. Being in the plural, it gives the sense of abundance of rain, like hair flowing on a hairy goat.

Due to it being the same form as “hairy,” we are given an additional insight into what is being said. Hair in the Bible signifies an awareness, especially an awareness of sin as represented in the hairy goat sin offering.

Moses’ idea is that his words will show the greatness of God contrasted to the corrupted, sinful state of Israel. Moses is imploring his people to see the connection and perceive its meaning. It is as if showers of rain come down upon the newly sprouted grass. The grass will benefit from the rain, and the wise will benefit from the instruction of the speech.

^2 (con’t) And as showers on the grass.

v’kirvivim ale esev – “And as abundant drops upon the tender herbs.” The word revivim, or abundant drops, is introduced. It comes from ravav, meaning “many.” Thus, it is an accumulation of drops, a shower.

When the showers alight upon the tender herbs, they will feed from the water and gain nutrients from the soil. The heavens and the earth work together to produce a crop that is beneficial to man and to beast.

In this case, Moses is imploring (or affirming) that the divine wisdom will be conveyed, and that it will be considered so that a mature understanding of it will result. One can see the parallelism between the clauses when they are properly translated –

(a) +Let drop as the rain *my teaching. (heavy)
(a) -Stream as the dew, *my speech. (light)
(b) As +showers ^upon the tender grass (heavy)
(b) And as –abundant drops ^upon the tender herbs. (light)

The main force of the words is that of the agency of them being sent in order to produce its intended effect. The resulting effects are a secondary, and hopefully anticipated, result. The instruction is rained down, and it then permeates everything that will receive it. With that in mind, Moses will next exalt the Lord…

Seek the Lord and none other, always
For He is the Rock, Faithful and True
Seek out the Lord for all of your days
Hide yourself in Him and He will establish you

His righteousness is near; it is close at hand
And salvation has gone forth from Him
Be without fear, for goodness He has planned
Lovingkindness and mercy; full to the brim

Even overflowing are these things from Him
For His righteousness is forever; it has no end
Yes, goodness and mercy overfloweth the brim
On the Lord our God, you can depend

II. The Rock! (Verses 3 & 4)

³ For I proclaim the name of the Lord:

ki shem Yehovah eqra – “For Name Yehovah I invoke.” The word qara means to call (actively or passively), to proclaim, to read, and so on. Most translations here use the word “proclaim.” That would mean Moses is making an affirmative statement concerning Him. This is then followed by more affirmative statements. That may be the case.

However, I would think Moses is invoking, or making an appeal to, the name of the Lord. In Exodus 34, the Lord proclaimed His name –

“And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.’” Exodus 34:6, 7

The Lord’s name has been proclaimed. As such, I believe Moses is now invoking that name as a witness against Israel for their corrupt ways that begin to be referenced in verse 5. After this appeal to the Name, then the affirmative statements that follow are given to bolster why the Lord is just in His judgments.

The introductory words have been stated, the Name Yehovah has been invoked, and now Moses will call for others to acknowledge this and then He will proclaim Yehovah’s perfections…

^3 (con’t) Ascribe greatness to our God.

havu godel l’lohenu – “Ascribe you (all) greatness to our God!” This is to be the natural response to invoking His name – “I appeal to the Name of Yehovah!” / “We ascribe greatness to His name.” The structure of the verse is a standard a/b contrasting parallel –

(a) For Name Yehovah I invoke. (singular)
(b) Ascribe you (all) greatness to our God! (plural)

It is an acknowledgment of what He is because of who He is. “He is great because He is Yehovah. He is our God!” And the reason He is great, in His being and in our eyes, is…

⁴ He is the Rock,

The words are placed absolutely: ha’tsur – “The Rock!” It is an indication of permanence, stability, and immutability. It is the first time He is called this in Scripture, but it is not the first time He has been equated to it in typology.

The Lord as the Rock was typologically seen in Exodus 17 when the rock was struck and then water issued forth. Likewise, Moses was hidden in the rock in Exodus 33. Both times were clear typological anticipations of Christ. In fact, Paul explicitly says this concerning the Rock and the water in 1 Corinthians 10 –

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

Further, the term is specifically cited by both Paul in Romans 9:33, and by Peter in 1 Peter 2:6, as cited from Isaiah 8:14, where the Lord, Yehovah, is referred to –

“He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Isaiah 8:14

With these New Testament references to Christ Jesus as the Rock being directly equated to Yehovah of the Old Testament, it is without excuse that anyone would deny that Scripture indicates that Jesus is Yehovah incarnate.

Someone may not believe the Bible, or in the Lord, but nobody can honestly deny that the intent of Scripture is that Jesus and Yehovah are one and the same.

As far as the term itself, four more times the Lord will specifically be called “the Rock” in this chapter. But more, he will twice be contrasted to other rocks, meaning false gods. Of the Rock, Moses next says…

^4 (con’t) His work is perfect;

Rather than how the NKJV translates this, the perfection is stated first: tamim paolo – “Perfect His work.” It is a new word, poal, signifying deeds or work. Being described as tamim means without blemish. It is the word used to describe the sacrificial animals that were presented to the Lord.

All that the Lord does is complete, sound, and flawless. Thus, it is upright. This would include, but not be limited to, His work of creation, interactions, redemption, and salvation. When He purposes something, it will come to pass.

As such, it is a note of surety for Israel both in judgment and in preservation. The Lord will judge perfectly according to His word. The Lord will preserve perfectly according to that same word. In the same manner, because Jesus is the Lord, it is a note of the same for those who are His people.

What God in Christ does will be perfectly handled in the judgment of His people, but it will also be in accord with the promise of His salvation –

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

^4 (con’t) For all His ways are justice,

ki kal derakha mishpat – “For all His ways just.” There is one way with the Lord, even if it is expressed in many ways. In other words, His way is just, and thus all His ways are just. He will never deviate from being just, so every avenue He takes is just. This is not unlike James’ words –

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

The meaning of James’ words is that there is no parallax in the Lord. No matter what angle he is viewed from, He is perfectly unchanging. As such, there is no shadow that can move in relation to Him. This is essentially how Moses speaks of the Lord now. Further, He is…

^4 (con’t) A God of truth and without injustice;

El emunah v’ein avel – “God of stability and no unrighteousness.” The first word is emunah. It signifies firmness, steadfastness, fidelity, and so on. Thus, the sense is stability. The second word is avel, signifying injustice, unrighteousness, moral wrong, and the like.

He will not be moved, and He will never do wrong. There is no iniquity, bias, or prejudice in Him. Rather, He is firm, fixed, and steadfast in His being. And more…

^4 (con’t) Righteous and upright is He.

The words are emphatic: tsadiq v’yashar hu – “Righteous and upright HE.” Thus, it is an expression of His very being. The words tsadiq and yashar point to that which is righteous and that which is right (straight or upright). The words of Peter in the New Testament tie Christ directly to the thought of Moses now –

“But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,” Acts 3:14 (WEB)
The very being of Christ is that of One who is Righteous. The sentiment of this verse is, at least partly, seen in Psalm 145 –

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways,” Psalm 145:17

Likewise, the words mirror the description of Christ as He returns in glory in Revelation 19 –

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11

What Yehovah does is embodied in the Person and actions of Jesus Christ. With this noted, we can again, as in verse 2, see the parallelism of the words shining forth in an a/b/a/b structure –

(a) *The Rock! +Perfect His work. (stable/no fault)
(b) ^For all His ways just. (expresses His being)
(a) *God of stability and +no unrighteousness. (rock/perfect)
(b) ^Righteous and upright HE. (expresses His being)

With this stated, we can – at least from my perspective – next see why Moses invoked the name of the Lord in verse 1…

I have stretched out My hands all day long
To a people rebellious and without sense
They sing to other gods, a distasteful song
The guilt of their iniquity is more than immense

What would the end of them be?
Were it not for the promise that I made?
If not for that, they would have perished quickly
They are not worth even the most useless trade

But for My sake they shall be made right
Because I am Faithful and True to the words I speak
For them, there will be an end to the fright
When in the future, it is Me they finally seek

III. A Perverse and Crooked Generation (Verses 5 & 6)

Where verses 3 and 4 highlighted the perfections of the Lord, verses 5 & 6 provide a contrast, revealing the imperfections of Israel…

⁵ “They have corrupted themselves;

Though almost everyone translates it this way, it is incorrect. The verb is singular as is the preposition: shikhet lo – “Corruption to him.” It can either be a statement concerning the nation, or a question concerning the Lord.

Therefore, it either says, “He (Israel) has corrupted himself” or “Is corruption His?” (JPS Tanakh). In other words, “Is corruption found in Him?” Or “Is He the source of corruption?”

If it is a statement of fact, then the words mirror the words of Isaiah 1 where the same word is used –

“Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.” Isaiah 1:4

If it is a rhetorical question, it is asking if the defect that will be presented is the Lord’s fault. If so, the answer is obvious, and it explains why Moses would invoke the name of the Lord in verse 2.

Due to the parallelism, I would go with the words of this clause as speaking of Israel, thus forming a parallel. However, it could just as easily be a contrasting parallel. Either way, a matter must be resolved because of His perfect nature…

^5 (con’t) They are not His children,

lo banav – “Not His sons.” The inserted words are correct, “They are not His sons.” They can’t be because there is no corruption in Him. He is perfect in all His ways. As such, there can be no harmony; the bond is severed…

^5 (con’t) Because of their blemish:

muman – “Their blemish.” The whole thought so far can now be more clearly understood –

“Is corruption His? (or “He has corrupted himself!)
They are not His children!
It is their blemish!”

The people called by the Lord have severed themselves from the family of the Lord. They bear a defect that is of their own doing and was not derived from Him.

It is the state of Israel of the future. A time is prophesied when the people would be entirely cut off from fellowship with the Lord because of their own doings. They are…

^5 (con’t) A perverse and crooked generation.

dor iqesh u-pethaltol – “Generation twisted and warped.” Moses uses two new words. The first is iqesh, signifying distorted, false, crooked, or perverse. It comes from aqash, to twist, and it is mostly used in the book of Proverbs.

The next word is found only here in Scripture, pethaltol. It is derived from pathal, to twine, thus, to struggle, wrestle and so on. It signifies being crafty or crooked like one who is warped and always trying to wrestle off the authority over him.

This is the defect that Israel has, and it is not something derived from the Lord, but rather from their own warped senses. The words perfectly call to mind what Peter says in Acts 2 –

“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’” Acts 2:40

With this stated, one can now see the parallelism in an a/b/a/b structure –

(a) *Corruption to him. (reference to defect)
(b) ^Not His sons. (identifies the state of Israel)
(a) *Their blemish. (reference to defect)
(a) ^Generation twisted and warped. (identifies the state of Israel)

The generation that rejected Christ, and which still exists to this day, is a perverse generation. They bear the defect of having severed themselves from Christ. Until that is corrected, they are not – and indeed cannot be – His children. Because of their unwieldy, twisted nature, Moses asks…

⁶ Do you thus deal with the Lord,

The order of the words bears an emphatic nature: ha l’Yehovah tigmelu zot – “Do to Yehovah you (all) do this?” The words would be well paraphrased by saying, “Is this how you act toward the Lord?” It is a question of incredulity. Moses sees the future and he knows the outcome of their conduct. And he is appalled at what he knows is coming. As such, he calls out…

^6 (con’t) O foolish and unwise people?

am naval v’lo khakam – “People foolish and no wise.” It is a new adjective, naval. It signifies a person who is stupid or wicked. He is vile. It is the same as the name of Nabal in 2 Samuel 25. Thus, it explains the words his wife uses when describing him –

“Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!” 2 Samuel 25:25

Israel is just like Nabal according to Moses. They are a foolish and unwise people. As such, the following words are set against the previous words that said, “They are not His sons.” Moses says…

^6 (con’t) Is He not your Father, who bought you?

halo hu avikha qanekha – “Not HE your Father your Purchaser?” The words take Israel back to the first Song of Moses, just after having been brought out from Egypt. There, the same word, qanah, is used –

“Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased.” Exodus 15:16

Thus, Moses is saying that even though they are not His children, He is their Father. He purchased them and, therefore, they will be brought to Himself at some point. It is a truth spoken forth as both songs of Moses conclude –

You will bring them in and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
¹⁸ “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:17, 18

&

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And render vengeance to His adversaries;
He will provide atonement for His land and His people.” Deuteronomy 32:43

With this understanding, Moses completes the words of the passage for today, saying…

*^6 (fin) Has He not made you and established you?

Again, there is an emphatic nature to the words: hu asekha v’konenekha – “HE made you and established you.” The Lord personally intervened in their history, time and again, in order to bring them into being and then to establish them.

There was nothing random about what He did. Rather, everything was, continues to be, and will continue to be purposeful in regard to them. But there is a point of contention that exists between them, and it is a personal defect in the nation.

For now, and to understand the parallelism, the following is seen. It is, again, an a/b/a/b structure –

(a) Do to Yehovah you (pl) do this? (question to the people)
(b) People foolish and no wise. (a truth concerning Israel)
(a) Not HE your (sg) Father your (sg) Purchaser? (question to the nation)
(b) He made you and established you. (a truth concerning Israel)

Until the defect of Israel is resolved, they are not His children, and they are not His people. In the coming verses, Moses will show just what the Lord did to establish them, and he will show them – in advance – exactly what they will do to provoke Him, thus cutting themselves off from Him.

In cutting themselves off, the Lord will respond by cutting them off. Israel’s position in the land, and as the people of the Lord, is solely determined by their actions and conduct before Him. The final state of Israel is set, and it is predetermined.

He will never cut them off completely, and Moses will explain exactly why as he continues. Thus, the severity and the honor of being Israel are tied together in one package. It demonstrates the unfailing nature of the Lord that this is so.

The same treatment can be expected by each of us. There can be severity in His hand against us, but there will never again be a separation from Him. We have the lesson of Israel, and we have the words of the epistles to direct us.

In the end, we who are the redeemed of the Lord must make our own choices. Will we be foolish and unwise, thus arousing the Lord’s displeasure, or will we be people of integrity and live for Him as we live out our lives?

The song of Moses is written to Israel, but the precepts that are derived from it can be just as easily applied to us. Be wise, be discerning, and be circumspect in your life and conduct before this great God – the Rock! May it be so, to His glory.

Closing Verse: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁵ deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5

The people of Israel were handed over to the Satan to suffer because of their conduct before the Lord. The sinner at Corinth was to be handed over as well. However, Israel the nation as well as that wayward sinner, will find that God is ultimately faithful, even when they were not.

Next Week: Deuteronomy 32:7-14 Slowly pecking away at it until it is through (The Song of Moses, Part II) (94^th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But He also has expectations of you as He prepares you for entrance into His Land of Promise. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Song of Moses, Part I

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak out
And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth; hear my shout

Let my teaching drop as the rain
My speech distill as the dew
As raindrops on the tender herb
And as showers on the grass may they be to you

For I proclaim the name of the LORD:
Ascribe greatness to our God; hear my word

He is the Rock, His work is perfect
For all His ways are justice, as all the world can see
A God of truth and without injustice
Righteous and upright is He

“They have corrupted themselves
They are not His children, this disobedient nation
Because of their blemish
A perverse and crooked generation

Do you thus deal with the LORD
O foolish and unwise people? Is this what you do?
Is He not your Father who bought you?
Has He not made you and also established you?

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God, may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
² Let my teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
As raindrops on the tender herb,
And as showers on the grass.
³ For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
⁴ He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

⁵ “They have corrupted themselves;
They are not His children,
Because of their blemish:
A perverse and crooked generation.
⁶ Do you thus deal with the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is He not your Father, who bought you?
Has He not made you and established you?

 

 

Deuteronomy 31:22-30
A Witness Against You

In the passage today, as with last week, it is noted that the song to be presented will be a witness for the Lord against the people. The reason this is so, is because the words testify to what will come upon the people if they don’t pay heed.

As long as the words are available, and as long as the people exist, the words will be a witness. Well, Israel still exists, and the words of Deuteronomy also still exist. And so, the witness continues.

This is not unlike the witness given to our own nation in the writings of our founding fathers. The number of quotes of warning from those who foresaw the need to be vigilant goes on and on. As long as the words continue to exist (unless they are utterly eradicated by the commies on the left – which is a chief goal of theirs), and as long as the nation exists, they stand as a witness to us –

“I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” Jefferson

Jefferson gave his warning. It stands as a witness to his wisdom and our increasing folly.

“And of what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable preeminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters? It will not be the wise and moderate, the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your government and be your rulers.” Franklin

Benjamin Franklin saw the inevitable outcome of the tyrannical desires of those who hate freedom for the masses. The recent medical manipulation of the masses has moved these forces into hyperdrive. It is doubtful that even Franklin would have been able to imagine this avenue having been employed as it has.

We have established witnesses that testify to the people of what was anticipated when vigilance is replaced with apathy. Israel does too. Oddly enough, many of Israel, meaning the people, live in this nation today.

And of them, many are in the halls of government striving for ever greater promotion of wickedness. The very attitude of the people that both Moses and our founding fathers warned against is clearly seen in them.

It is as if they rejected the Lord through their rejection of Moses, and now they are openly embracing the devil through their movement of this nation towards an alignment with the coming antichrist. The same spirit moves within them now that moved them away from their Savior when He presented Himself to them.

Text Verse: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:43-47

“If Congress can employ money indefinitely, for the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county, and parish, and pay them out of the public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, the establishing in like manner schools throughout the union; they may assume the provision of the poor…. Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America.” Madison

Madison’s words stand as a witness as well. Exactly what he spoke of concerning the welfare state, the religion of the state, the taking over of the school, and the subversion of the government are all being cunningly worked out by the left in our nation. We can no longer say, “the radical left,” because the left has completely converted to what that once meant.

They are taking the foundational underpinnings of our nation, and they are tearing them apart, one statue, one religious attack, one police department at a time. The work of their own hands, and not the providence of God who rules, has become the standard. And their works speak only of wickedness and control.

Israel failed to heed Moses so that when Christ came, they nailed Him to a tree. Our nation is failing to heed its Christian founders9, and we are crucifying our religious rights – and thus all of our other rights – openly and publicly.

Man apart from Christ cannot properly rule with freedom. And a nation which has departed from the way of the Lord is doomed to destruction. In the end, we know Israel will finally learn its lesson. As for this nation, that is not as certain. Only time will tell. But for the short term, we can see where things are going. And it isn’t pretty.

But enough about this nation. We have a better hope in Christ. We must do what we can while we are here, but no matter what the outcome for this land will be, for those who are the called of the Lord, a far fairer land lies ahead. For now, we have a sermon to hear. It is one based on God’s Superior word.  And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. And I Will Be with You (verses 22 & 23)

In the previous passage from last week, the Lord told Moses that he was to rest with his fathers. After that, He detailed to Moses how the people would rise up and play the harlot, forsaking the Lord and breaking His covenant. In this, the Lord told him that many evils would fall upon the people and that He would hide his face from them because of their actions.

With that noted, he then said these words to Moses to close us out –

“Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. ²⁰ When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. ²¹ Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.” Deuteronomy 31:19-21

With that context remembered, the narrative now continues, saying…

²² Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day,

This is exactly in accord with what the Lord had just said, “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves.” The words now bear an emphasis: v’yiktov Moshe eth ha’shirah ha’zot ba’yom ha’hu – “And wrote Moses the song the this in the day the it.”

The command was given, and the record of Moses’ immediate obedience is recorded. In verse 19, the command was in the plural, but here it is Moses who actually pens the words that are recorded.

It can be inferred from the Lord’s words that the song to be recorded comes directly from Him through divine inspiration, or even through audible oral pronouncement, probably the latter. That this is likely was seen in Numbers 7 –

“Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.” Numbers 7:89

As such, the song – like all of Scripture – contains the very word of God, uttered forth by Him. Of the song that Moses records, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown gives a rather awkward analysis –

“National songs take deep hold of the memories and have a powerful influence in stirring the deepest feelings of a people. In accordance with this principle in human nature, a song was ordered to be composed by Moses, doubtless under divine inspiration, which was to be learnt by the Israelites themselves and to be taught to their children in every age, embodying the substance of the preceding addresses, and of a strain well suited to inspire the popular mind with a strong sense of God’s favor to their nation.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

This may ultimately be true, because the Lord had covenanted with Israel to never abandon them, but it hardly reflects the words that the Lord has just said to Moses –

“…then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. ²¹ Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness.” Deuteronomy 31:20, 21

The song, rather than being something to “inspire the popular mind with a strong sense of God’s favor,” is rather a song:

* To witness to the Lord’s unchanging character
* Of His faithfulness to the nation in providing everything He said He would
* Of their apostasy against Him
* Of the consequences of that apostasy
* Of His clear calling of others outside of Israel to Himself as a means of rebuking them for their actions because of their ridiculous stupidity in not perceiving exactly what He was doing – because He had told them in advance of exactly what He was doing
* Of His returning His favor to them, not because they deserved it, but because of His unchanging character that set forth His plans and purposes in the first place.

These are some of the main themes that can be deduced by a cursory reading of the song recorded in Chapter 32. The only “strong sense of God’s favor” to be found is the overarching promise to not utterly destroy them.

If that was the only thing Israel was looking forward to concerning God’s favor, it would demonstrate an even duller sense in the collective mind than the song actually portrays of them, which is a hugely dull sense, as the Lord Himself says –

“For they are a nation void of counsel,
Nor is there any understanding in them.” Deuteronomy 32:28

Despite these things, the song was recorded, it has been carefully maintained, and it clearly and accurately details the incredible future history of the nation. As such, it isn’t just a national song to inspire, like the words of their national song, Ha’tikvah, sung by Israel today.

Rather, it is a prophetic look into the future of the nation, which is at best bleak for much of its history, the calling of others by the Lord as a means of provoking them, and of the ultimate return to a state of blessing upon them while continuing to bless those He has called apart from them.

Paul will rely on portions of this song in His writings to convey what is going on in God’s redemptive workings between Israel and the Gentiles. With these things in mind concerning the song, Moses obediently wrote it down…

^{22 (con’t)} and taught it to the children of Israel.

v’lamedah eth bene Israel – “and he taught sons Israel.” Again, this is exactingly in accord with verse 19, “and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths.” Just as instructed, so Moses followed through with what was said. This is now the seventeenth and last time that the word lamad, is used in Deuteronomy.

It was introduced into Scripture in Deuteronomy 4:1, and it will continue to be seen, but it has been a common note concerning the contents of the law in this book. It properly signifies “to goad,” and thus – by implication – “to teach.” The rod is given as an incentive to learn at times. This is the idea now.

Moses is prodding them to learn this song so that it would be thoroughly instilled in them, and that they would then pass its words on to others after them. With this task complete, the Lord now personally ensures that the continuance of leadership in the nation will not be in question…

²³ Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun,

v’tsav eth Yehoshua bin nun – “And commanded Joshua son Nun.” This may or may not be the same as the inauguration of Joshua recorded at the time Moses laid his hands upon him before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation. That was recorded in Numbers 27 –

“So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. ²³ And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.” Numbers 27:22, 23

The same word, tsav, is used both there and here. It means to command, commission, give charge, and so on. As for the command, the text makes it unclear who is actually speaking. One would initially think it was Moses based on the connection to the previous verse. And yet, in the next clause, it will be in the first person and appear to be the Lord –

“And Moses wrote this song in that same day, and he taught it to the children of Israel. ²³ And he (or He) commanded Joshua, son of Nun, and said, ‘Be strong and be strengthened; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you’” (CG).

This leaves several possibilities:

It is Moses speaking on behalf of the Lord (something seen elsewhere).
It is Moses speaking in the first clause, and then the Lord picks up the second.
The subject has changed from the previous verse from Moses to the Lord.

No matter which, the Lord is the understood subject of at least the final clause. For now, whether Moses or the Lord…

^{23 (con’t)} and said, “Be strong and of good courage;

It is the exact same words spoken by Moses to Joshua in verse 31:7 – v’yomer khazaq v’emats – “and said, ‘be strong and be strengthened.’” It is also what Moses said to the people in verse 31:6. However, for Joshua now, there is a difference in the next words…

^{23 (con’t)} for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them,

In 31:7, Moses said that Joshua must go with the people. Now, the Lord (either directly or through Moses) says, that Joshua would bring the people in. Joshua is both one of the people and he is the leader of them as well. Such is true with Christ. He was both of Israel, and He is the Leader who will bring them into the inheritance.

The Lord swore to Israel that He would bring them in, and He will do exactly as He swore, using Joshua as His instrument to make it come about. Likewise, the promised rest for Israel will come to them, and Jesus is the instrument by which that will come to pass. The Lord has spoken, and He will perform, as He next notes…

^{23 (con’t)} and I will be with you.”

The “you” is singular. He is speaking to Joshua, through whom the action will be performed. Notice the three times this thought is presented in the chapter.

Taken together with the highly unusual structure of verse 31:3 that was carefully evaluated then, one cannot help but get a sense of the 1) absolute inspiration of Scripture, represented by Moses, and 2) the deity of Christ which is being hinted at with the words of Moses and the Lord concerning the Lord and Joshua –

v3 – Moses to the people: “The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; Joshua himself crosses over before you.”

v6 – Moses to the people: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

v7, 8 – Moses to Joshua: “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. ⁸ And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

v23 – Moses/the Lord to Joshua: “Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, ‘Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.’”

The law (Moses – the word of God) instructs the people concerning who Jesus is in relation to the Lord. The law (Moses) instructs Christ Jesus concerning His charge and of the Lord’s presence with Him. The law (Moses)/the Lord instructs Christ Jesus that the Lord is with Him.

Whether one accepts this interpretation or not, it is exactly what is revealed in Scripture concerning the nature of what actually occurs concerning the word of God, the Lord, and Christ Jesus when evaluated from a Christian perspective.

The word of God reflects who the Lord is. Christ is the embodiment of the Word given forth by the Lord, and the word testifies to who Christ is and what He would do because He is the Lord – He is the Word. The commissioning of Joshua is both by Moses and the Lord, and the commission of Christ is both by the Word and the Lord.

The Law of Moses, the word of the Lord presented to Israel for their instruction, is carefully presenting what lies ahead in typology concerning the coming of Messiah. With that incredible thought, the words of revelation received in the tent of meeting come to a close.

But more, the words that Moses recorded have now come to an end as well. Though the Song of Moses, the blessing of the tribes, and the record of Moses’ final time overlooking the land – along with his death and burial – is yet ahead, it has been compiled by this point in the chronology by him, or some of it was recorded by someone else. This is to be understood from the next words of the narrative…

Be strong and also be of good courage
For you shall bring the people in
Let not what lies ahead discourage
For You shall prevail; in You shall be found no sin

They shall enter the land of promise that to them I swore
And I will be with You; it shall come about
Those with faith will enter and receive so much more
Because they believed My word; in them there was no doubt

Trust in Me, My people, and trust in My Son
We will go with you, and we shall bring you in
By faith in what we will do, the battle is won
At the moment you believe, your new life will begin

And it comes with a guarantee concerning what was done
The seal of the Spirit, purchased for You by My Son

II. Call Heaven and Earth to Witness (verses 24-30)

²⁴ So it was when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished,

It is possible this was written by Moses, but it is not so much instruction as a historical account of what next takes place. Or, it could have been written later. Being dogmatic about who wrote the words here and in Chapter 34 is unnecessary.

It is true that Moses could have been inspired to write the account of his death and burial, which is what I think is correct, but most scholars would dispute that thought. No matter what, the verse now – rather than “in a book” – says, al sepher ad tumam – “upon document until completed.”

This means the words of the entire Pentateuch, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, had been written upon a single scroll. This is how it is maintained to this day by Jews. It is the single, united, and complete Law of Moses. As such, again, it is possible that even the words now and the words of Chapter 34 were written by him as inspired by the Lord. Once written out, it next says…

²⁵ that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying:

“The Levites,” here is a shortened form of “the priests, the sons of Levi.” It is the priests alone who could bear the ark of the covenant. In verse 31:9, it said –

“So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.”

That was probably referring to a reading forth of the law to these people. This is now the actual presentation of the scroll of the law to the priests for its safeguarding henceforth, as next noted…

²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you;

The words now and in the coming verse are carefully chosen to convey very precise meaning. The verb “put” is plural – “you (priests) put it.” It then says, “the Lord your (plural) God.” But it then ends with “against you (singular).” As such, it reads –

“Take this Book of the Law and (you, priests) put it beside the ark of the covenant of Yehovah your (all) God, and it shall be there in you (singular) to witness.”

He is addressing the priests, but he then lumps them in as a part of the nation to whom they belong. Yehovah is their God, and the law which has come from Him through Moses will be given as a witness against the nation.

Thus, the priests have a solemn charge laid upon them to be stewards of this law, ensuring that the people understand their responsibility toward the Lord, and their culpability when they fail to measure up according to His standard. Because they are putting the law up, and because the final chapters are a part of the law, I personally feel that even those chapters were received by Moses.

²⁷ for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck.

There is a stress here: ki anokhi yadati – “For I, I know.” Further, the words are singular – “your (Israel) rebelliousness and your (Israel) neck, the stiff.” Moses personally is aware of the propensity of the nation. He had to endure it, and he was absolutely certain that it was congenital. As such, he asks, or more likely proclaims…

^{27 (con’t)} If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death?

There is an adamant nature to his words, “Behold! In my continuance alive with you (all) this day, rebellious you (all) have been with Yehovah, and also for after my death!”

He not only notes that the nation is rebellious and stiff-necked, but everyone has been and will continue to be rebellious against the Lord after he is gone. The proclivities of Israel are carefully noted by him, and they will be magnified in the people after he has left them to their own devices.

It is not unlike Adam in the garden. Once the Lord was out of sight, he became unfaithful to the command he had been given. Likewise, once Israel’s lawgiver was out of sight, the people would become faithfully unfaithful, just like their first father.

Moses was sure to let them know this in advance. Thus, his words continue as a witness – in the recorded witness – which is the law that bears his name. As such, he now makes a special call…

²⁸ Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers,

The verb is plural and an imperative – “You (all) gather to me…!” He is calling forth for the priests to assemble the elders and the officers, meaning the scribes of the people, to be brought before him. This was so…

^{28 (con’t)} that I may speak these words in their hearing

The Hebrew literally reads “in their ears.” Moses was to personally convey to these leaders the words of the song directed by the Lord. Like verse 22, this follows directly after the command of the Lord in verse 19. Again, there He said –

“Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths.”

The song cannot be put in their mouths unless it is first spoken into their ears. Thus, Moses will convey the words to them, and from there, they will be conveyed to all the people. And as in verse 19, the words continue to run parallel in the next clause…

^{28 (con’t)} and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

v’aidah bam eth ha’sh’mayim v’eth ha’arets – “and call to witness in them the heavens and the earth.” In the continuation of verse 19, it said, “that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.” The song will be a witness, but the song itself calls forth witnesses, beginning with these words –

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.” Deuteronomy 32:1

In calling for the heavens and the earth to witness, Moses is not calling for judgment, but for witnesses that will testify to the just nature of any coming judgment and punishment. In this is a reference back to the first sentence of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The heavens and the earth themselves are being likened to the surety of the covenant, of which the song is a prophetic anticipation of how Israel will conduct itself before the Lord in relation to the covenant.

In other words, when Moses calls the heavens and the earth to witness against Israel, it is not speaking of calling those who dwell in the heavens and those who dwell on the earth to be witnesses. Rather, it is saying that even the heavens and earth are the witnesses.

As evident as these are to remind us of the existence of God, so shall it be the same when judgment comes. Thus, Israel should then rightfully say, “As sure as I am standing on the ground, and as surely as the heavens are above my head – both created by God – so is this punishment deserved.”

The inanimate heavens and earth metaphorically speak out the obvious reality of what has occurred when Israel fails and is punished. Just as the Lord is the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, He is the Initiator and Monitor of the covenant.

As such, He is also the offended party if (meaning when) Israel does not measure up to their side of the agreement. One thing is for sure, if the Lord did not uphold His side of the covenant, the whining of the people against Him would never end. But He did and He continues to do so.

On the other hand, Israel never measured up to it, and Moses has told them that he is certain they never will. Thus, the song is a witness against them, and the heavens and the earth that have been called forth to hear are sure witnesses against them as well.

All of creation will behold the steadfastness of the Lord and the unceasing failure of the nation and its people. And this is not without a greater purpose.

In the never-ceasing failure of the people – through their rebellion, harlotries, and rejection of the Lord – and through the unswerving faithfulness of the Lord in His keeping them as a people despite their failings, His very nature as the covenant-keeping God is revealed.

For the most part, this is either ignored (think of replacement theology), overlooked (think of replacement theology), or misunderstood (think of replacement theology), by the people of the world.

But if someone truly wants an example of the unlimited grace and mercy of the Lord, and of His covenant-keeping nature despite all else, all he needs to do is consider in its proper light the nation of Israel that has been, Israel that is, and Israel as it is promised to be.

When one believes that God has replaced Israel with the church, he has an unbalanced, even a skewed, sense of God’s faithfulness. Eventually, there will always be a fault in how such a person perceives the word “grace.”

He may say that good works are a necessary part of saving faith. He may say that salvation can be lost. He may point his fingers at the unsaved and decide they are not worth saving. And so on. But he will never truly understand what it means that a person is saved, continues to be saved, or that he is even worth saving at times, by demonstrating faith – and nothing else – when presented with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul says that the law is a tutor to lead people to Christ. If that is so, then it is those under the law who are the example of what that means. As Daniel 9 tells us that there are seven more years of law left for this group of people, that example continues on to this day.

Until that time of law comes, the punishments for disobeying the law from the past continue on in them. Nobody in his right mind would disagree that the last two thousand years have been a fulfillment of what is stated in Deuteronomy 28.

If this is so, then it means that the words of Deuteronomy 28 still apply to Israel. And if they do, then it means that Israel is still bound to them, and if that is so, then Israel has not been replaced by the church. They are simply waiting to be brought into what the church has already received.

Be sound in your theology in this regard, and you will understand the magnitude of what Moses is saying to the people, there on the eastern shores of the Jordan River.

²⁹ For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt,

There is a very heavy emphasis in the words: ki yadati akhare moti ki haskhet tashkhitun – “for I know after my death, for corrupting, you will (certainly) corrupt yourselves.”

Moses isn’t just saying that the people will become gross. Rather, they will be septic. Their putridity would cause a match to ignite the surrounding air and level everything around them. This is the general sense of the force of his words. And there is a result of such corruption…

^{29 (con’t)} and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you.

The way of the Lord is right. The way of the Lord is just. The way of the Lord is holy and pure. If one has corrupted, it is not possible for him to follow the way of the Lord. The natural consequence of such corruption is to turn away from it…

^{29 (con’t)} And evil will befall you in the latter days,

v’qarat etkem ha’raah b’akharit ha’yamim – “and will befall you (all) the evil in later the days.” It is as if evil is personified. They will turn from the way of the Lord, and they will walk directly into the path of Mr. Evil.

Moses has not even yet read the words of the song to the people, but he already knows the words himself. It is as if the frustration of the knowledge he possesses impels him to chide them now, even before he has presented them with it.

And in his chastising, he tells them they will reap what they have sowed. They will meet a foe because they have rejected their closest Friend.

As far as the term “the latter days” it is used much like Paul uses it in the New Testament to refer to an indeterminate time. It is simply a time in the future when the things being described come to pass because they will surely come to pass…

^{29 (con’t)} because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord,

Here it says that they will do ha’ra, the evil, in the eyes of the Lord. In doing such, they will meet the same consequences for what they have done. They will do the evil and they will thus encounter the evil. The Lord’s eyes will see, and the Lord will repay in kind – evil for evil – because of what they have done…

^{29 (con’t)} to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

The word kaas or “anger,” has been used twice so far in Deuteronomy. Both times, it was in relation to provoking the Lord’s anger through false gods fashioned by hand. And it will again be used in the song that will next be presented to the people –

“They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With abominations they provoked Him to anger.” Deuteronomy 32:16

Moses remembered what they had done in fashioning the golden calf. He had warned them about doing such things again, and yet he knows that they will – in fact – do them as the song clearly says. Because of this, he is furious at them for what they will do in the coming days.

One can see, even before the law is finalized that it is a point by which Israel will not, and indeed cannot, abide. In Moses’ words, there is actually not a call out for, “This law will save you.” He has already told them that it is their life, but he has also told them that it will be their death.

His words are clearly a call out for something else; something better. He has hinted at it, and the fact that he will die on the east side of the Jordan confirms it. The song of Moses will, in fact, testify to it as well. We need something else!

It cannot be otherwise, because the song says, “I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation.” However, only Israel was given the Mosaic Covenant which is the Law of Moses.

As such, it cannot be that the Lord will use this law to provoke Israel, unless it is a provoking of them by it as it is fulfilled by Another. But if it is fulfilled by Another, it must be One who is of Israel, because only Israel was given it. If only they could see this. As for now…

*^{30 (fin)} Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:

The meaning here is that either Moses spoke to all of the people with the elders close enough to hear, or that he simply spoke to the leaders who represent all of the assembly. As the elders and the officers were just called to assemble in verse 28, the latter is likely. From there, they would have conveyed the words to the people.

Either way, the words are recorded, they would be copied and rebroadcast, and they were intended to be remembered by the people for all time.

They are words that witness to the state of the people, and they explain the state of them from the times of Moses, even until the day when they are again redeemed to be considered the people of the Lord through their acceptance of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood.

With the coming of this song next week, and with its being so close to the time of Israel’s entrance into the land of promise, one can see that the two songs of Moses, one in Exodus 15, and one in Deuteronomy 32, actually bracket the period of the Exodus. From exit to entry.

However, the Song of Moses, the servant of God, is also referred to in Revelation 15. As such, it will be right to consider that when the song is presented to Israel by Moses. For now, it is certain that as Deuteronomy winds down, we are seeing an amazing step in the plan of redemption for mankind taking place.

Everything about this book, and the four books that precede it, have given us clues into what God is doing in Christ to reconcile the world to Himself. Israel has been used as a key part of this, but Israel is not the focus of the story. They are intended to highlight that which is key.

Through their disobedience, the obedience and faithfulness of Jesus Christ is especially highlighted. And the faithfulness of Jesus, in turn, highlights the glory of the Lord. It is in His coming and uniting with human flesh that we see the highest magnificence of what God was willing to do to ensure His creatures could be brought back to Himself.

Let us not forget this as we consider our own failings before Him. And then let us be ever thankful that they have been dealt with through the sufferings and death of Jesus. Yes, let us thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord today and through all the days of our lives.

And, of one thing we can be certain. When we are translated to glory, we will continue to be thankful to God forever and ever. Hallelujah to our God. Great things He has done.

Closing Verse: “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²² But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:21-25

Next Week: Deuteronomy 32:1-6 It will take several sermons before the chapter is done… (The Song of Moses, Part I) (93^rd Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But He also has expectations of you as He prepares you for entrance into His Land of Promise. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Witness Against You

Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day
And taught it to the children of Israel; the words He did convey

Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said
“Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring
———-the children of Israel
Into the land of which I swore to them
And I will be with you, so all shall go well

So it was, when Moses had completed writing
The words of this law in a book, when they were finished
———-all the words he was conveying
That Moses commanded the Levites
Who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying…

“Take this Book of the Law
And put it beside the ark of the covenant, so you shall do
Of the LORD your God
That it may be there as a witness against you

For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck
If today, while I am yet alive with you – while I still have breath
You have been rebellious against the LORD
Then how much more after my death?

Gather to me all the elders of your tribes
And your officers, so to you I address
That I may speak these words in their hearing
And call heaven and earth against them to witness

For I know that after my death
You will become utterly corrupt, I know that it is true
And turn aside from the way
Which I have commanded you

And evil will befall you in the latter days
Because you will do evil in the LORD’s sight
To provoke Him to anger
Through the work of your hands, things that just aren’t right

Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel
The words of this song until they were ended, every word
———-he did tell

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

²² Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. ²³ Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

²⁴ So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, ²⁵ that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: ²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; ²⁷ for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? ²⁸ Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. ²⁹ For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

³⁰ Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended: