The Song of Moses: Deuteronomy 32 (3)

Opening Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.15-18
“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you.

Sing Deuteronomy 32.15-18, 3
(Sagina: And Can It Be))
Then they forsook their gracious God, and scorned their saving Rock and Lord;
turning instead to every god and evil forbidden by God’s great Word.
They sacrificed to gods unknown, forgetting Him Who had made them His own.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

Today’s Text: Deuteronomy 32.15-21

Preparation
1. What would cause Israel to turn away from God?

2. How would the Lord respond to that?

Meditation
Moses is now looking into the future, showing the people where they will end up when they turn away from the Lord. Once they have begun to know the rich blessings of God, the people will “grow fat” on them, and will turn from God to idols (v. 15). They will take up the idolatrous ways of their pagan neighbors (vv. 16, 17), and this will provoke the jealousy and anger of the Lord. In doing so, they would depart from the practices of their forebears (v. 17) and forget the greatness and graciousness of God.

God, in response, would grant them what they had chosen – independence from Him, His covenant, blessings, and favor (vv. 20, 21). Ultimately, He will bring a nation against them to enslave them (v. 21). Thus we should learn that the alternative to obeying God unto life and blessing is captivity to the world and its powers to deprive and oppress. 

The hope was that, by remembering and singing this song, this situation could be averted. That it was not indicates the low esteem in which the people held the Word of the Lord, and the great God Who had saved them.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Through the ages God’s lament toward His chosen people is the same. They, and we, have failed Him. We have turned to other gods, sacrificed to demons, and are unmindful of our Rock Who has begotten us, and forgotten the God Who fathered us. (vs. 16-18) We have betrayed Him. And although He reminds us that His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor our ways His ways (Is. 55.9), He still uses our human experiences to convey what is happening. We are to imagine that we are the perfect spouse, and yet our beloved has chosen another who is perverse and in whom is no faith. Or, we are the perfect parent, but our children prefer and have chosen others who are abominable persons. Think of it. Our perfect Creator has been set aside by us because we choose to scornfully esteem His salvation. We have provoked Him and moved Him to anger (vs. 21). He is completely justified to spurn us. Jesus bemoaned the same about the church in Ephesus, whose behavior was a bit better than the Israelites, but their hearts were just as unfaithful: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” But then He adds these words of hope and redemption: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works”. And tagged on to that hope, these words of warning: “or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” (Rev. 2.4,5) The Song of Moses: same song, second verse. When will we ever learn?

Reflection
1. How can we know when God’s blessings are beginning to become more important than God?

2. What does it look like when a church loses its first love? How can they find their way back?

3. How can singing hymns help us to keep our focus on the Lord, more than on the things He does for us?

Behold, then, the reason why the Law was written down, that God's truth might be witnessed in the continued lapse of ages. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Deuteronomy 31.9

Lord, let Your Word be in my mind, on my heart, and in all my life, so that I…

Closing Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.19-21
Ask the Lord to show you any areas of your life where you are beginning to prefer His blessings more than Him. Repent and renew your love for the Lord.

Sing Deuteronomy 32.19-21, 3
(Sagina: And Can It Be)
God saw and turned His face away, their sins too wicked to behold.
Jealous and angry in that sad day, He swore to condemn their acts so bold.
He called a nation to arise to judge and condemn them before His eyes.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Listen to our summary of last week’s study in Deuteronomy by clicking here. You can download all the studies in the series by clicking here. And check out our current ReVision series on encouragement.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Ancient Christian Commentary Series III, Joseph T. Lienhard, S. J. ed. in collaboration with Ronnie J. Rombs, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001). All quotations from John Calvin from John Calvin, Commentaries on The Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Order of A Harmony, Rev. Charles William Bingham M. A., tr. and ed. (Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society, 1863. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).