Moses’ song, but not very cheerful
Deuteronomy 32:1-43
Here are the words to the song God told Moses to write back in Deuteronomy 31:19-21 (see notes). It’s a rather long song and a very important song…with a big ending. It’s a song that tells a story and issues a warning. On this day Moses seems to have introduced the writing technique that country music song writers would use centuries later – the story song.
Since this is a long song, we’ll divide it up with some brief explanations regarding content:
Moses begins with, “Everybody listen up!”
Deuteronomy 32
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.
“He is a Rock.” This is the first time God is called a “rock” in Scripture.
Deuteronomy 32
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?
Moses gives particular instances of God’s kindness and concern for the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32
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.
Here are two instances of the wickedness of Israel, each was apostasy from God. Jeshurun is another name for Israel meaning, “upright people” (Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5, 26; Isaiah 44:2).
Deuteronomy 32
You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you.
They move God to anger (that’s not good).
Deuteronomy 32
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: “I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.
21 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.
22 For a fire is kindled in My anger,
And shall burn to the lowest hell;
It shall consume the earth with her increase,
And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
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.
The idolatry and rebellions cause God to respond.
Deuteronomy 32
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.
34 “Is this not laid up in store with Me,
Sealed up among My treasures?
35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’
36 “For the LORD will judge His people
And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
And there is no one remaining, bond or free.
37 He will say: “Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge?
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise and help you,
And be your refuge.
God is awesome.
Deuteronomy 32
And there is no God besides Me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, “As I live forever,
41 If I whet My glittering sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance to My enemies,
And repay those who hate Me.
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword shall devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’
43 “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.”
So, there you have it. As Moses is getting ready to leave them, he pens these words with the hopes that Israel will stay faithful to God. However, he’s already received word from God that they won’t stay faithful…introduced over the last three chapters beginning with Deuteronomy 29:22 (see notes). Those chapters are complete, including the consequences of rebellion against God. Putting the whole thing into a song is just another step to help Israel maintain their resolve for God.
Moses gets the bad news…again
Deuteronomy 32:44-52
Deuteronomy 32
45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel,
46 and he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law.
47 For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”
48 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying:
49 “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession;
50 and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people;
51 because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”
Here’s the confirmation: No Canaan land for you, Moses. Of course, he already knew that from Numbers 20:1-13 (see notes). On that occasion Moses struck the rock with his rod in disobedience to the command of God to just speak to the rock. God told him then that he would not be entering Canaan, so the decree here in verses 50-52 is just a repeat from earlier.
Moses is to be “gathered to his people,” a term reflecting the Hebrews’ knowledge of eternal life. Notice the places where this terminology is used in the Pentateuch.
- Genesis 25:8 (see notes) “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.”
- Genesis 25:17 (see notes) “These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.”
- Genesis 35:29 (see notes) “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”
- Genesis 49:33 (see notes) “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.”
- Numbers 20:24 (see notes) “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah.”
- Numbers 20:26 (see notes) “and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.”
- Deuteronomy 32:50 (see above) “and [Moses] die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people;”
He does get a view of the place, though, from atop Mount Nebo in the mountain range known as Abarim in Moab. Moses actually had rehearsed this point previously in Deuteronomy 3:23-29 (see notes).
Note: You will notice a reference to Jeshurun in 32:15, 33:5 and 33:26. It’s also found in Isaiah 44:2 (see notes) with a slight deviation in spelling. Jeshurun a poetical name for the people of Israel, used in token of affection, meaning, “the dear upright people.”
Time for a blessing
Deuteronomy 33
Just as Jacob had blessed the Tribes of Israel in Genesis 49 (see notes), Moses does it again here prior to his death.
Introduction to the blessings
Deuteronomy 33
2 And he said:
“The LORD came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
3 Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
everyone receives Your words.
4 Moses commanded a law for us,
A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And He was King in Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.
Reuben
Deuteronomy 33
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few.”
Judah
Deuteronomy 33
“Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies.”
Levi
Deuteronomy 33
“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who says of his father and mother,
“I have not seen them’;
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, LORD,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
Benjamin
Deuteronomy 33
“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”
Joseph for Ephraim and Manasseh
Deuteronomy 33
“Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come “on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Zebulun and Issachar
Deuteronomy 33
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand.”
Gad
Deuteronomy 33
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there.
He came with the heads of the people;
He administered the justice of the LORD,
And His judgments with Israel.”
Dan
Deuteronomy 33
22 ¶ And of Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan.”
Naphtali
Deuteronomy 33
“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the LORD,
Possess the west and the south.”
Asher
Deuteronomy 33
“Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.
The conclusion to the blessings
Deuteronomy 33
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, “Destroy!’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places.”
Hey! Where’s Simeon in these blessings? As a matter of fact, the Tribe of Simeon gets swallowed up into the Tribe of Judah when they reach Canaan. Their inheritance is contained within the boundaries of Judah. Later on, they seem to disappear altogether. Remember that attempt to overthrow the theocracy in lieu of a democracy back in Numbers 16 (see notes)? Well, the Tribes on the south side of the Tabernacle (Simeon was one) took a big population hit as a result. When the census is taken at the end of the 40 years, their numbers have diminished by nearly two-thirds. (Click here to see the population chart of the tribes from the Numbers 26 notes.) Now, at the end of the 40 years, they are the smallest Tribe of Israel with just 22,200 men. And to make things worse, they don’t even get a mention in the blessings of Moses.
Moses gets a 30-day send off
Deuteronomy 34
Deuteronomy 34
2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
3 the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.
4 Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”
5 ¶ So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.
7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.
8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.
9 ¶ Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 ¶ But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
11 in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land,
12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Moses’ time has arrived. He ascends “to the top of Pisgah” and looks over the new homeland. God assures him “I will give it to your descendants” (verse 4). Then Moses dies in verse 5. Verse 6 says “And he buried him.” Who’s the “he” in that verse? All indications are that God himself buried Moses. The fact that “no one knows his grave to this day” would indicate that to be the case. Moses’ trusted assistant, Joshua, undoubtedly had a hand in the completion of the Book of Deuteronomy. He probably had a hand in Genesis through Numbers as well.
So, Moses was frail anyway, right? Look at Deuteronomy 34:7, “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.” Everyone should be so useful between the ages of 80 and 120. God took his life at the ripe old age of 120 after his mission was complete. This was no surprise to Moses; he first got the word back in Numbers 20:12 (see notes), “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Verse 8 says they wept and mourned his death for 30 days.
Now it’s Joshua’s turn. Notice the legacy of Moses in verses 10-12, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”
Joshua had been Moses’ right-hand man since the beginning out of Egypt; he’s ready for the big assignment here. We see in verse 9, “Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
Moses is established as unique before God in verse 10, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” This unique means of communication with God was experienced by no one else in the Old Testament – just Moses. We see it explained in more detail in Exodus 33:7-23 (see notes).
Go with God, and He’ll go with you
Psalm 91
Psalm 91
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
This is a Psalm magnifying God’s protection for those who trust Him. While not stated, this Psalm was probably written by Moses as well; it seems very similar to Psalms 90 (see notes) which is definitely attributed to Moses.
An interesting point is worth mentioning here. Satan quoted verses 11-12 to Jesus in Matthew 4:6 (see notes) as he was tempting him. Isn’t it interesting that a ploy of Satan is even to quote scripture out of context in order to make a point.