Read Deuteronomy 32:15-27, Song of Moses Revisited (2)

Ø 32:5-7: Here we see Israel, in all her “apostatizing.”  She shamed her Father!

Ø Israel is called to remember.  If you are a believer in Christ, these are the kinds of things you must remember.  Remember how …

¨     32:7-9: The LORD’s portion/inheritance was Israel (Gen. 10:11).

¨     32:10-12: The LORD made Israel into a nation.

¨     32:13-14: The LORD gave Israel abundant blessing.

¨     32:15-18: Israel grew fat and forgot God her Father.

¨     32:19-20: The LORD hid His face from them.  God’s judgments are always deserved.  He hid His face; He left Israel on her own to deal with her enemies.  This was where Israel wanted to be, so God let her have her way.

Ø 32:20-27: There are many passages in Scripture where the LORD reveals His plans using a series of “I will” statements.  We have this here.  It is an amazing passage.

¨     32:20b: I will see what their end will be.  In other words, He leaves Israel on her own; we will see how well she is able to handle her affairs without God.

¨     32:21a: I will provoke her to jealousy by those who are not a nation.  Paul applies this prophecy to the Church and Israel in Rom. 10:19 and 11:11-14.  God poured out the Holy Spirit, fulfilling a promise to Israel; but it was primarily Gentiles who benefited from this, to this day.

¨     32:21b: I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.  Again, this speaks of the Church and the salvation of the Gentiles.  Jews in Jesus’/Paul’s day hated the ragtag Body of Christ (the unlearned ones who turned the world upside down.)  The initial persecution of Christians was by the Jews.

¨     32:23: I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them.  This has been the case throughout the time between the first and second Advents.  32:24-25 give some of the specifics of these disasters.

¨     32:26: First we have the critical words, I would have said followed by words that God did not say: I will dash them in pieces, I will make the memory of them to cease from among men.  32:27 helps us to understand what this means.  God would have completely destroyed Israel had He not feared her adversaries would misunderstand and take credit for what they did to Israel.  God wants it to be known that all these disasters were His doing. 

Again, consider this in our own day.  Often people have a hellish freedom to be critical of God in times of major trial.  But REMEMBER: God does not retreat and beg people to understand that He really loves people and would never do such a thing.  God is involved.  God is so loving He is willing to bring about even a pandemic and the fears of many people, in hopes that they will humble themselves before Him.  It is the most reasonable thing, that we should glorify Him as God and give Him thanks for His abundant goodness (Rom. 1:21).