Don’t Listen to This

“They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” Deuteronomy 32:5 NASB

Not His children – Jeffrey Tigay points out that the syntax of this verse is particularly difficult. He suggests that it is the result of scribal error and he offers a few possible corrections.[1] But the message is perfectly clear. “God assigned Israel its land as a father assigns land to his children, and expected that Israel would acknowledge His fatherhood and remain loyal, and not ‘play false.’”[2] That expectation was never fulfilled. As the Song of Moses declares, Israel fails on every level to be the obedient son that God anticipated.

With this message in mind, we confront a very difficult problem unrelated to the syntactical confusion. The problem is simple. How are we to interpret Moses’ statements? This speech is the end of Moses’ leadership with the people. Immediately following this song, God instructs Moses to ascend the mountain and die. Deuteronomy 32 is Moses’ final words to Israel just before they cross into the Promised Land. But if you read the entire song, you will be shocked by its portrayal of Israel in the land. Instead of an enthusiastic pep talk to encourage the people who have survived a full generation in the wilderness, Moses essentially castigates these wanderers. He tells them that they will be severely punished, that they will backslide, that God will spurn them and heap judgment on them. In fact, his description is so demoralizing that it is a wonder that anyone would want to cross into the Land. For example, “‘I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them. They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague and bitter destruction; and the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust. Outside the sword will bereave, and inside terror—”[3] Not exactly a bon voyage message.

If this is a prophetic vision, if what Moses describes is the inevitable consequences of crossing over, then why would the people go forward? I know I wouldn’t. “No, Lord, thank you very much, but I’ll just stay on this side of the Jordan and avoid all this woe.” As a vision, this passage makes no sense when compared to the actual behavior of the people.

But there is an alternative. An uncomfortable one, I admit, but nevertheless, one that makes much more sense of the actual crossing of the Jordan. What if the Song of Moses was written long after the people crossed into the Land? What if the Song is really a statement of Israel’s actual apostasy represented in the mouth of Moses but seen from the perspective following the Assyrian invasion? Then all of these “predictions” would have already happened, and could be known as such.   Then Moses’ Song would be anachronistic. It would be written so that it appears that Moses laid out the inevitable but in fact recounts the actual choices of Israel over nearly 1000 years of history.

Before you throw up your hands in disbelief, ask yourself what the purpose of this text really is. If it is truly Moses’ declaration before the people enter the Land, then explain why they do so. But if it is historical recollection projected back to Moses, then the purpose makes sense. The audience is not the people waiting to cross over. The audience is Israel between Assyria and Babylon, a people who need to know how serious their ancestors’ past sins have been—and will continue to be—unless they reform. Babylon is on the horizon. Judgment is coming. God will use the nations to bring calamity unless . . .

Peter Enns writes, “Israel’s stories of the deep past were not written to ‘talk about what happened back then.’ They were written to explain what is. The past is shaped to speak to the present.”[4]

See if that view of the text doesn’t make a lot more sense.

And then try to sort out the implications for your view of inspiration.

Topical Index: Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:5, history, inspiration

[1] See the discussion in Jeffrey Tigay, The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, p 301.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Deuteronomy 32:23-25a

[4] Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending the Bible Has Made Us Unable to Read It, p. 112.

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Alfredo

The whole thing, beginning in the previous chapter seems to be a big warning… since there are several ways to warn people, I think that these verses can be explained in other ways…

For example, I could be singing about what I can anticipate that the world will become in a few years, having seen what the news are portraying these days… and anyone who hears my song would understand what is the message I’m trying to get across…

So, same thing here with the people of Israel on the verge of getting across the Jordan river in a few days…

Laurita Hayes

Alfredo, Moses was a prophet, and he was clearly shown (and told to tell) the future. Surely he wrote some form of that prophecy, you must be right. I have wondered, however, if his predictions were not written in the past tense later by people applying them to themselves. Deuteronomy (at least most of it) was actually written by Moses, but was rewritten many times, I am sure. I am very curious as to what we now know about the changes that occurred during the Babylonian captivity, but also during the Greek dark ages (last few hundred years BC)? What do we know?

Alfredo

I meant

“I can anticipate WHAT the world will become in a few years”…

Laurita Hayes

Well, it would sure make Chapter 34 more sensible, too!

Alfredo

There are so many possibilities Laurita… the one who wrote Joshua could have easily written Genesis chapter 34, without going all the way to babilonian times… as you say… what do we know?

Colleen Bucks

I am wondering if this is about not grieving & honoring God with our emotions during times of thresholds & transitions of life being vulnerable unto God & others ……….
Moses struck the rock in Numbers 20:11 right after Miriam death Numbers 20:1 & God confronted him about his unbelief towards God & not honoring God before the people vs.12 , here in Deuteronomy he is facing his own death -so is this a type of strike upon the people? ( in the name of prophesy of course ) Was striking the rock a type of wanting to control the water ,control tears of the heart . ….instead of letting God control those places?????
Are our emotions & being vulnerable to God & others a display of God’s own heart?
Or do we get angry, or prophecy or get super busy or have to strike things to justify our “weaker” deep emotions?
I’ve worked in a nursing home & hospitals for 27 years repressing emotions is a serious thing to our health & wellbeing….
Deuteronomy 32 the song of Moses proceeds chapter 33 which is Moses blessing upon the people, then his death in chapter 34 ….
I am so relieved deuteronomy 34:8 the children wept ,they wept 30 days & then it ended &then they followed Joshua
They wept !No complaining this time ! No bitterness! It was time to follow go forward & possess the land .I wonder was this because they had finally possessed a greater fullness of God’s heart & their own?

Laurita Hayes

Colleen that it profound for me. I deal with chronically ill people too and I see this, too.

Colleen Bucks

Thank you Laurita ! I have been reaping the treasures of your & Skips Godly wisdom on Today’s Word for years!! Thanks for the affirming.
I am researching and asking God about the emotional climate of Moses life & the 40 years in the wilderness was there other emotions expressed & documented other than anger ? If you study Arthur Burke study on ” the redemptive gifts ” Moses may have been an “exhorter ” .

Colleen Bucks

I believe death is a holy threshold & as humans there sure is a lot of “stuff” we do not to feeling -our -feelings of vulnerability & drawing closer to God’s heart..
I am 54 years old & asking what does Godly grieving act & feel like to God????????
Why was there no weeping when they were sent out from the garden even way back at Genesis 3 ?

Judi Baldwin

Thanks Colleen for sharing your profound thoughts.

Judi Baldwin

Unrelated to this TW…I’m sharing an email I got from one of the ministries I subscribe to:
It’s Chanukah, the Feast of Dedication that commemorates the rededication of the Temple after it was desecrated in a time of great darkness. Also called the Festival of Lights, Chanukah marks the miracle when a day’s worth of oil for the Temple menorah burned for eight days, enough time to prepare a new supply.
What a wonderful time this is to reflect on Yeshua (Jesus), the Light of the World, and our heavenly Father, who is the Father of light. It also prompts us to consider what it means for us to be lights in this dark world (Philippians 2:14-16). What a special opportunity to rededicate our own “temples” – not just our bodies but our very selves – in a fresh way to the Lord. May we cast off anything that defiles us in order to be able to burn brightly with His love into the lives and world around us.

Usually our Prayer Points focus on asking God to shine His light into the dark places in the world. This time, let’s ask Him to shine His light in and through us

May the Light of Your love shine brightly and expose anything in us that is not of You
May this truly be a time of rededication for each of us
Help us to be steadfast in good deeds that will bless those around us, and draw them to You
Give us a renewed love for Yeshua, Light of the World
Remove any scales from the eyes of our understanding; may we be filled with light
Give us the light of revelation, like the sons of Issachar, who understood how to interpret the times for the good of Your people
The entrance of Your Word gives light; so may we dwell in You and Your Word, and may Yeshua, the Living Word, abide in us
Help our faith to arise. Give us faith that trusts you for miracles for ourselves, our families, communities, and our world
Father, we dedicate ourselves to you. afresh in this season of light. May the light of Your countenance shine upon us and those we love, revealing Your glory, goodness and grace. May we be bright lights in this dark world, revealing you to others. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN

Seeker

Judi
You have me thinking of the translation in Acts where the light shined around Paul rather than shone… Would this be a translation error or more specific a reference to how God the eternal light makes things acceptable rather than highlighting deficiencies. It is about healing and restoring rather than punishing.
If that be what the warnings Moses provided implied. We are to view things as incidents to rather prepare and cleanse rather than being punitive…

George Kraemer

I would hope that the “thumb down” response was accidental Judi. You are a light to this web site for me.

Colleen Bucks

Judi-I really relate to your post on light -consecrating our lives before Almighty Jehovah -clean hands ,clean closets , fire cleansing us to join in his light ..

Mark Parry

Well I get your point but that of course undermines the veracity of the scriptures as God breathed and prophetic. It suggests rather they are contrived in the services of men. I marvel when we find ourseves in this place. Might I advance an alternative view, easily dismissed because it is of faith and not acedemic or intelectual supported ? What if Moses did write the scriptures and in time . Such that YHVH spoke through this scribe? What if the people where actually enveloped in the Spirit of YHVH who hovered overthem “like a hen over her chicks” and they where able to recived this prophetic song in their time because of the grace, peace and presence of the living God. As Art Katz has said “for one to correctly interpret and understand the scriptures they must be in the same Spirit as the ones who pend them.”

Daniel Kraemer

When pioneer Americans first travelled west years ago were they promised a rose peddled path along the way? I imagine they knew there could and would be grave misfortunes including famine, plague, destruction, wild beasts, insects, snakes, hostile arrows, draught, hurricane, tornado, swamps, mountains etc. but did that stop them? No, the lure of the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey was even greater than these. The manna had stopped, there was no turning back.
Say what you will Moses but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Jennifer

I agree that this was not the pep talk I would have wanted before going into the Land. However, right after Abraham received great promises, God put him to sleep and showed him the ugly oppression and future of his family as slaves in Egypt for 400 years – before it happened. (Gen 15:12-16) And then there was redemption.
In the story of Joseph, as he relates the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream to him he says that God has told/shown Pharaoh what He is about to do (twice) preceding the great famine. (Gen 41:25, 28) The abundant years were great – the famine was horrid, but they obeyed and survived.

Amos 3:7 says that, “YHWH, God does nothing without revealing His plan to his servants, the prophets.”

Maybe we all need to know that when the road ahead is ugly, (and it will be), that YHWH is fully aware of it and waiting on the other side with the fulfillment of HIS promises. When it looks like we messed up again (for sure), HE is there. I think that IS encouraging.