Exposition of the Song of Moses (6) (Deut. 32:23-27)

This is a critical point in the Song of Moses in that the judgment of God reaches a crescendo after which God determines He will not go further.  There are four judgments mentioned in v24: hunger (famine), pestilence, beasts or wild animals and the sword.  Again we see that Ezekiel was paying close attention as he mentions these same four judgments (Ezek. 14:21).  

We mention these connections with the message of the prophets because there is an important truth for the Church today.  We tend to think that the prophets received their messages directly from God by dream or vision; and that did happen without question.  But we are also seeing that a lot of what they preached was the result of their paying attention to the word of the Lord through Moses.  They did what they were supposed to do as Israelites and that was to learn the Song of Moses.  Thus they could look at the extreme sin and lack of blessing in the nation of their day and know that God was fulfilling His word through Moses.  Today we also need to stop the search for new and different messages through the latest person with a dream or vision and simply pay closer attention to what has already been revealed.  It is enough!

Now note the mercy of God in v26-27.  God would, in this future time of judgment, continue to punish Israel until she ceased to be a nation, except that He would fear for His glory.   The nations would think that the destruction they would bring on Israel was their own doing.  The truth will be that the nations are simply God’s tools for judgment.  

God often was close to making Israel extinct.  The prophets noted these times.

·        The bondage in Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-9).

·        The golden calf incident in the wilderness (Ezek. 20:10-17).

·        The rebellion of Korah against God and Moses (Ezek. 20:21-26).

·        The Assyrian captivity (Isa. 37:21-35).

·        The Babylonian Captivity (Zech. 1:14-15).

We can add the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70AD and the attempt to exterminate the Jews by Hitler.  There will be a future attempt by Satan (Rev. 12:13-17).  But none of these destructions were complete because God would not allow it.  This is a promise noted often by the prophets.  

·        Jer. 30:11; 46:28: I am with you; for I will make a complete end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but I will not make a complete end of you.  I will rightly correct you, for I will not leave you wholly unpunished.

·        Ezek. 11:16: Although I have case them far off among the Gentiles … yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.

·        Jer. 4:27: The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end.

·        Jer. 5:18: In those days, says the Lord, I will not make a complete end of you.

·        Amos 9:8: “Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says the Lord.