Questions Regarding Other Nations

The Song of Moses continues with descriptions of the Israelites’ unfaithfulness, God’s anger towards them, and His discipline of them (verses 15-25). There would come a time in Israel’s future when they would follow other gods and perform detestable acts, such as sacrificing children. God’s anger would burn and He would discipline the people through misfortunes.

Speaking of the Israelites, in verses 26-31, God then says,

I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces, I will remove the memory of them from men,” Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge, That they would say, “Our hand is triumphant, And the Lord has not done all this.” For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them. Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future! How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up? Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this.

When the Israelite nation disobeyed, God would use other nations to discipline them. Even so, God was concerned that other nations would think they were powerful over Israel when it was God allowing other nations to triumph over Israel. No matter what the odds were, God would determine the victor. He asked,

How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?

How could a small nation defeat a larger nation unless God had guided the outcome? Any nation that triumphed over Israel achieved that victory because God had determined that they would. God used the other nations to discipline Israel not because the other nations were righteous, but because Israel needed to be honed. Israel belonged to God and He would punish the nations that brought destruction on His children.

The remainder of the song, verses 32-43, paints a picture of how God would vindicate His children. The historical books of the Bible (such as Chronicles and Kings) describe the adversaries of Israel. Other nations followed gods that required self-mutilation, human sacrifice, and indescribable suffering inflicted upon children. Even though Israel would be shaped by the conflicts they endured with these nations, God would not allow those nations to go unpunished.

God’s remaining questions in the song refer to these evil nations.

Is it not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries?

The “it” in the question refers to God’s vengeance against other nations. Vengeance belonged to God and He would punish the other nations.

Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge?

When the other nations fell, they would realize that their gods were not able to save them.

Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering?

All the time that the various nations were offering sacrifices and spending themselves and their children on the altars of the false gods, who was it that was actually benefitting? Who took their sacrifices and wine offerings? The heart-wrenching truth is that their sacrifices went to nothing. The death of their children was for no good and their self-mutilation was in vain. Their wines were either poured out on an altar only to dry up or they were taken by the selfish false priests of the pagan religions. Either way, the people gave and gave, but never received anything in return.

The song of Moses ends with an encouragement that God will atone for His people.

No matter the course of events, God is sovereign and His character is consistent. He acts towards His children with the same care that has always been in His nature. Sometimes we disobey God and He brings discipline upon us in whatever form He deems best. And sometimes other people hurt us through their own sin when we have done nothing wrong.

In times of trials, the best thing we can do is remember Who God is and His character. When we are hard pressed, a song can help us do that very thing. Just as the Song of Moses helped the Israelites to remember God, a song can help us to do the same.

When you face trials, disappointments, or failure, do you listen to encouraging songs that remind you of God’s goodness? Do you listen to music that is based in Scripture and can focus your mind on the truth? Do you have a favorite song that describes God’s character?

Do you thus repay the Lord…? Is not He your Father…?

The Song of Moses, found in Deuteronomy 32, was not solely a declaration of God’s greatness. It was not a description of Israel’s feelings toward God. It was not wholly cheerful or “watered down” to be palatable. The Song of Moses is a testimony. It contains beautiful analogies from nature, declarations of history, expressions of the Lord’s jealousy, judgment and compassion, and details of a specific future in time that would be recognized by the events mentioned in the song.

After Moses recited the words of the song to the people, he told them,

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess. (Deuteronomy 32:46-47)

In the same way God spoke through Balaam, the song that God gave Moses contained references to Himself. In other words, the song mentions the Lord from the perspective of someone speaking about the Lord, even though the Lord Himself provided the song.

The first four verses of the song begin with praise to God:

Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb. For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

The people had spent forty years wandering through desert lands so the very beginning of the song gave them a visual picture of the rain they must have so appreciated. The tone changes in verses 5 and 6 to describe the disobedience of the people of Israel. We read the first two questions in the song:

They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation. Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.

Generally, parents and their children have similar physical features, traditions, and vocabularies, but there would come a time when the people’s disobedience to the Lord gave them no likeness to God at all. Remember the purpose of this song; it was to be handed down the generations as a testimony to the people. God knew that they would stray and He gave this song to them in advance to display His sovereignty and foreknowledge.

The first two questions in the song are placed together, but we will look at them separately. The first question concerns the disobedient actions of the people whom God had cared for,

Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people?

The people disregarded God’s provision and followed other gods. Verses 7-14 describe what the Lord had done for the people and how He provided for them:

Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. The Lord alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field; and He made him suck honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock, curds of cows, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat– and of the blood of grapes you drank wine.

Even with God’s miraculous provision, the people chose to ignore Him. Rather than praise Him, they complained and sought other gods. Even so, God gave them another question to testify about Himself:

Is not He your Father who has bought you?

Verse 5 of the song mentioned that the people were not His children because of their defects, but then God includes this question in the song. Regardless of how far the Israelites strayed, who they imitated, or what god they gave themselves over to, the Lord was still the One who had bought them. At times, the Israelite nation had no likeness to God, but He was still their Father.

The word translated “bought” in the Hebrew is kaw-naw, which means more than purchase. It carries with it the idea of creation and establishment. It also includes the ideas of continued possession and jealousy. The Lord did not merely buy the people. He redeemed them for Himself as a lasting possession.

Like the people of Israel, there may be times in our lives when we show little likeness to God and no one would be able to guess that we are His child. We stray and do things contrary to His loving instructions. Even so, for those who believe, He claims us as His own. In our disobedience, we can sense His correction and know that He is still our Father.

The Song of Moses

Have you ever heard a song that evokes feelings and memories of another time? Perhaps you hear a song on the radio that you haven’t heard in years, and it takes your mind back to a different place when life was completely different. You momentarily experience feelings similar to the feelings you felt at that time in your life.

That must be how the Israelites felt when they heard the Song of Moses.

The Lord gave Moses a song to help in the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. In the presence of the people, Moses declared Joshua his successor. Moses told the Israelites to be courageous and take possession of the land God promised. The Lord predicted to Moses that Israel would rebel by prostituting themselves to foreign gods. The people would be held accountable because they would remember the song. One of the last things Moses did before he died was to pass on to the Israelites the song the Lord gave him. The Lord instructed Moses:

“Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.  (Deuteronomy 31:19-22)

God knew that no matter what kinds of beliefs and habits the people of Israel developed, they would remember the song He gave them.

Music rouses the soul, guides wistful hearts, and awakens memories. Music is the most powerful mood and memory enhancer that I know of. I even remember songs that I have tried to forget. Those who write commercial jingles exploit certain music techniques to make it easy for anyone to remember the words. We’ve all had a song “stuck” in our heads.

What kinds of music do you listen to and how does it affect you? Which songs tend to stick in your head longer? How do you feel when you hear a song that was meaningful to you years ago?