Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 32:48 – 52 “On that same day the LORD said to Moses, “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites as their own possession.

And there on the mountain that you climb, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.

For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence. Although you shall see from a distance the land that I am giving the Israelites, you shall not enter it.”

WHAT IS GOD DOING??? This is MOSES, the guy whom God used to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, the guy to whom God entrusted His laws, the guy who did miracles, the man who would speak to God and come out of the tabernacle with his face shining so brightly that he had to put a veil over it. BUT……but there was a day when Moses rebelled, and he paid heavily for that rebellion.

The story is told in Numbers 20:2 – 13 “Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”

What a bunch of whiners! Every time things became a little tough, the Israelites conveniently forgot that they had been SLAVES in Egypt and only remembered the food! And how much of the things the Israelites listed did they actually get to eat? Generally, slaves don’t enjoy a very high – class diet.

“Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. And the LORD said to Moses, “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as He had commanded. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.”

Poor Moses! The Israelites have gotten on his last nerve, and it’s likely that Aaron isn’t helping the situation much either. Aaron is one of those “go along to get along” people. During the previous water crisis, God did order Moses to strike the rock; however, this time, Moses was to speak to the rock, so that God would get every bit of the glory. It’s possible that last time, some of the Israelites spread a rumor that there was water just under that bit of rock and somehow Moses already knew about it. All we know is that Moses was infuriated with the Israelites and in his anger, he hit the rock not just once but twice. Moses accused the Israelites of being rebellious and then acted in complete rebellion himself. Now Moses is paying the ultimate penalty for his rebellion; he will look into the Promised Land but he will not set foot there until he appears with Elijah to speak with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.”  

APPLICATION: REBELLION! Even though God loved Moses and enjoyed times of fellowship with him, when Moses rebelled, he had to pay a heavy price. What’s so terrible about rebellion? Later on, King Saul loses his kingdom when he fails to totally destroy the Amalekites. The prophet Samuel bukes King Saul, “Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:22 – 23) Some other translations say that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Both the sin of divination and the sin of idol worship were punishable by death.

Moses was probably one of the finest leaders ever to walk the earth. The Book of Exodus records that 600,000 men left Egypt; allowing for their families, that number likely was closer to 2,000,000 people. Then in the Wilderness, there were probably additional births, so it is difficult to know the actual number Moses was leading.

Thanks to advice from Moses’ father – in – law, Jethro, Moses organized the people into leadership groups of varying levels so that problems could be addressed swiftly and simply. Moses received the laws and wrote them down, thanks to an Egyptian education. Moses was tasked with taking a horde of people with a slave mentality and welding them into a nation. But when Moses rebelled, he had to be punished; otherwise, God’s holiness and righteousness would be meaningless. If God failed to punish Moses, He would be playing favorites and acting contrary to His own nature.

What can we learn from the tragedy of Moses? When Balaam tried to curse the Israelites, God refused to allow him. When Balak, King of Moab, tried to force the issue, God gave him this message through Balaam: “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19) God does not play games or mince words.

God holds leaders to a high standard; when they fail to meet that standard, there are consequences. God loved Moses, and Moses knew that and accepted his punishment, although he did wistfully beg God to let him enter the Promised Land. But when God refused, Moses continued to act faithfully and did not beg again. Sometimes as leaders, we make mistakes that have unfortunate consequences. But God will help us to bear the results of our mistakes and will also strengthen us so that we can move forward. Here Moses sets us a sterling example; he refuses to complain but accepts God’s will and continues to fulfill his ministry to the very end. May all of us who are leaders be so faithful!

PRAYER: Father God, this morning we lift up all who are in leadership. Lord, You know the stresses and the temptations. Help leaders throughout the world at every level to seek Your Face and Your Guidance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32:39 – 47 “See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh— the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”

Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.“

Then Moses came with Joshua, son of Nun, and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses had finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. For they are not idle words to you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

These are the last verses for the Song of Moses. God is reminding the Israelites that He is the only true God and that He has power over life and death, and over health and healing. God uses the phrase “I am,” the same phrase He used with Moses at the burning bush. This is also the same phrase that Jesus later uses when the priests send soldiers to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the mention of the phrase “I am,” the soldiers fell to the ground. (John 18:6) God is sufficient in Himself and is all -powerful.

“Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.” Surely when some of the Israelites heard these verses, they must have said, “HUH? God is encouraging the Gentiles to rejoice, the non – Israelites? What’s God up to?” The problem is one of perspective. God’s intentions have always been the salvation of the entire world. God only allowed the Israelites to wipe out tribes that had become so evil and so corrupt that they had totally rejected Him. But God wanted Israel to be a shining example of what could happen to any people who would serve Him whole – heartedly. Here God is calling on heaven and the angels and the Gentiles to rejoice in the day when God sets everything right, cleansing His land and His people. The sad part is that the Israelites always assumed that God’s salvation was only for them, even though throughout the Torah God kept mentioning foreigners who would worship along with the Israelites.

APPLICATION: Recent political events in various parts of the world have left many people hungering for righteous leadership. Sometimes people wonder if God has abandoned His world. Nothing could be farther from the truth! God is still on the throne and He is still passionately interested and involved in every aspect of His world.

Many times, we become frustrated because we feel that the wicked are getting away with their evil deeds; however, God sees the whole thing differently. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  ot slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God has promised to take vengeance on His adversaries and to repay those who hate Him. God also has promised to cleanse His land and His people. Remember that God knows all of our hearts better than we do. Only God can thoroughly cleanse us from hidden sins.

The theologian Francis Schaeffer once wrote a book entitled How Shall We then Live? Peter answers that question. “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight. (2 Peter 3:10-14)

God wanted Moses to teach the Israelites the Song of Moses so that they would remember what God had done for them and would not fall away. But the Song of Moses is as much for us as it was for the Israelites. We should remember that there is only one true living God and that He alone holds all the power of the universe. As children of our heavenly Father, we need to live righteous, godly, and holy lives, rejecting the parts of our culture that would drag us down. God promises that if we will take His words to heart, we will live long and fruitful lives.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we need Your help every single minute of our lives. There are so many things around us that try to destroy us. Help us to focus on You and on Your Word. Help us to love You above everything else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32:10 – 14 “He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.

As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them; He carried them on His pinions.

The LORD alone led him, and no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field.

He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag, with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.”

By now, the Israelites might have decided that they were pretty special people and that they were unusually good, virtuous, and attractive. Certainly, they were God’s favorites! Here God is trying to correct that idea. According to God, He found the Israelites “in a barren howling wilderness,” one where the wind was constantly moaning through the rocky landscape.

It was God who surrounded the Israelites, guarding them and instructing them, even when they had no desire to be instructed. God guarded the Israelites as carefully as if they were the pupil of His eye.

 

“As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them; He carried them on His pinions.” Baby eagles are enjoying the security of the nest when one day, Mama Eagle suddenly begins tearing the nest apart. Once the nest is gone, the baby eagles have no choice but to launch out; however, they aren’t very good at flying and tend to drop out one by one. Mama Eagle will swoop under a baby eagle, catching it on her wings and then dumping the baby eagle off again. This process is repeated until the baby eagle suddenly gets the idea and begins flying on its own. The Israelites had settled in Egypt, and God had to stir things up to get them to leave. But God also provided for the Israelites throughout their wanderings in the wilderness.  

“The LORD alone led him, and no foreign god was with him.” God wanted the Israelites to realize that He has been the one leading, guiding, and protecting. Those idols that the Israelites were hiding in their tents didn’t do anything.

“He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field.

He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag, with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.” Victors occupied the high parts of the land so that they could keep watch over everyone else. God was reminding the Israelites that they had enjoyed numerous victories and the spoils that came from those victories. Already the Israelites had conquered several cities and had enjoyed large amounts of booty.

APPLICATION: In the fall of 1985 my husband and I were extremely uncomfortable! I had just completed my final two years of pediatric surgery training and had taken a temporary job as a doctor in minor emergency clinics while we tried to learn what God wanted us to do. Financially, we were doing better than ever before, and we were in a good church with close friends. But we were intensely aware that something was not as it needed to be. One Sunday our pastor preached a sermon about Jonah. God called Jonah to go east to Nineveh; however, Jonah tried to run as far as possible in the opposite direction, boarding a ship headed west for Tarshish (probably Spain.) Once Jonah was shipwrecked and swallowed by a large fish, he finally did what God wanted him to do in the first place, and revival broke out in Nineveh. The point of our pastor’s sermon was this: If God is calling you to do something, you will never be comfortable until you answer God’s call.

Miraculously, God had put us in touch with a friend who was a missionary surgeon and he had had his group send us application forms. We went home and completed those forms and mailed them. (Email did not exist in those days.) Once we sent off those forms, the uneasiness lifted.

This was not a made for TV movie; that mission group rejected us on theological grounds. But we had made the first move, and now God began working in our lives. In 1986 each of us participated in a short – term mission. I went with a group to Haiti while my husband went to Chile with a different group. Shortly after my husband returned from Chile, we attended a presentation by a new mission group and eventually were accepted by them and sent to Ghana.

The point of my story is this: at the beginning, we were like baby eagles. We were very comfortable, but God had other plans for us. In the year between being accepted by the mission group and the time we left for Ghana, we moved five times. Talk about Mama Eagle taking the nest apart! And when we landed in Ghana, we were still like those baby eagles, frantically fluttering our wings to stay up. Adjusting to a new culture, a new language, and two different living situations left us breathless. In our first location, God gave us a crash course in spiritual warfare when we found ourselves living immediately below someone heavily involved in the occult.

Can you identify with those baby eagles? Has your comfortable situation become uncomfortable? Are you clinging to your nest while God is steadily taking it apart? Remember two things: If God is removing pieces of your comfortable situation, it’s because He has something far better. And baby eagles never learn to fly as long as they are still in the nest.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are confused and worried as we see our comfortable situations falling apart. Help us to realize that if You are bringing change, it is for our benefit. You don’t want us to remain spiritually nest – bound; You want us to learn to fly. Thank You that as we are making our feeble efforts, You will still be there to catch us on Your wings. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32:28 – 38 “Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them. If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.

How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies concede.

But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; Their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.

“Have I not stored up these things, sealed up within My vaults? Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them give you shelter!

In these verses from the Song of Moses, God is continuing to warn the Israelites what will happen if/when they refuse to obey Him. God predicts that no matter how many failures the Israelites experience, they will steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that their sins against Him are the root of their problems.

“How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies concede.” Heretofore, the Israelites have enjoyed unparalleled success in battle, largely due to the reputation their God enjoys among the surrounding pagan nations. These other tribes recognize the power of the God of Israel; however, the Israelites have come to take God for granted. The Israelites feel so entitled that they don’t realize they are on the brink of disaster.

“But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; Their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. “Have I not stored up these things, sealed up within My vaults? Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

These are interesting verses because they can be taken two ways. On the one hand, these verses may describe the faithless idol worshipers of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. On the other hand, these verses may also describe the pagan countries that will attack and carry most of the inhabitants of those two kingdoms into exile. The message is clear: No matter who is faithless, God is still watching and knows the time that He will bring punishment for faithlessness. At the same time, those who are used to bring that punishment will eventually also face the wrath of God because they steadfastly refuse to follow Him and persist in serving their idols.

“For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them give you shelter!” Eventually, God is going to clear His people of blame and justify them. There will always be a faithful remnant in Israel and God will deliver them. But those Israelites and pagans who have trusted in demons will be put to shame because they have served worthless deities.

APPLICATION: Ever meet someone who has a strong sense of entitlement? Dealing with such people can be frustrating beyond belief. No matter how bad circumstances may be, no matter how outrageously such individuals have behaved, they are SURE that they are untouchable and they can behave however they choose. I was raised in the State of Illinois, a state that has suffered for decades under the political machinations of those in Chicago. At one point, we had a governor who refused to live in the governor’s mansion in Springfield, the state capital. Instead, this man insisted on flying to and from Chicago daily at taxpayer expense because he felt entitled.

It is not only leaders who can feel entitled. Workers at any level can nourish self – pity. Self – pity can lead to an entitlement argument that runs, “I am so overworked and underpaid that I DESERVE to steal from my job, steal from clients, collect money on the side, etc. etc.”  

The Israelites only listened to God when He was telling them what they wanted to hear. As soon as God gave the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were already trying to see if there were any ways around them. When God ordered them to put away all their idols they had brought from Egypt, there were undoubtedly many who felt that these “gods” had comforted them for years, so why get rid of them now? The Israelites felt entitled, even though God told them plainly that they had nothing to be proud of!

A feeling of entitlement encourages you to feel that you are really better than others and that God may judge others harshly, but He will allow you to keep your pet sins. But God is not in the pet sin business! To a holy God, all sins are equally damning. All of us are sinners in need of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.”

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we have sinned against You in our thoughts, our words, and our acts. We have judged others while excusing ourselves. Lord, open our eyes to see the darkness in our own hearts! Help us to realize that we only have two choices: accept Your Word about our sins and beg Your forgiveness or continue to fool ourselves and die in our sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins so that anyone who confesses their sins and who believes in Jesus will be delivered from themselves. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:30 “Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:

Deuteronomy 32:1 – 8 ”Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.

For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.

His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the spot on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.

Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people?

Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you? Remember the days of old; consider the years long past.

Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will inform you.

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.”

This is the first part of the Song of Moses, the song that God has given Moses to teach to the Israelites. Remember that this is a people who still rely largely on spoken words and repetition of those words. Oral traditions are still quite strong, even though God has had Moses write out the Book of the Law. Now Moses is to teach all the Israelites this song so that it too will serve as a witness against them when they fall into apostasy. But this song also has some of the most glorious descriptions of God found anywhere in the Bible.  

“Ascribe greatness to our God! He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”  Moses has spent years meeting face to face with God in the tabernacle. Nobody knows God better than Moses does. The symbol of God as a rock is incredibly powerful. The Israelites have been traveling in wild places where only the rocks could offer shelter from the heat or protection from enemies. Rocks don’t change easily, and only earthquakes can shift or crack a huge rock. God too is faithful and does not change; He is totally righteous and just, utterly reliable.

“His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the spot on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.” The sins of the Israelites are not merely childish sins, but the sins of an entire generation that has twisted things to fit themselves.  

“Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people?

Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?” Actions demand responses. God has already done His part, being faithful to the covenant He made with Abraham hundreds of years ago. Now it is the turn of the Israelites; however, they are a group of ungrateful wretches.

“But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.” The totally amazing thing about the story of the Exodus and the forty years spent in the wilderness is that despite all the rebellion and idolatry exhibited by the Israelites, God still considers them His portion and treasures them.

APPLICATION: Is God YOUR Rock? In these days of uncertainty when COVID is ravaging the world, where do you put your trust? The last two years have seen businesses fail and jobs evaporate. The pandemic has not spared any group of people. Politicians have made promises they can’t keep.

In the midst of a crumbling world, the Lord our Rock is still there! God remains faithful, upright, and just. His work remains perfect. We can continue to trust in God and allow the truth of His nature to permeate our hearts. Moses said, “Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.” Many of us may feel as if our hearts have been in a waterless desert. We long for something healing and real! Let the truth about God’s nature fall like life – giving rain to your heart. God’s Holy Spirit will settle softly like dew, like gentle rain.

The saddest part of this situation is that God longed for the Israelites to turn their hearts to Him and to worship Him so that He could bless them. God still longs for us to come to Him and to open our hearts and minds to Him. God loves you more than anybody else ever has or can. Why not make this the day that you allow the peace of the Holy Spirit to settle in your heart forever?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, so many of us are hurting and confused. Please help everyone who reads these words to come to You, the Rock, the Source of all light and life and love. Heal us and make us whole. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Deuteronomy 32:23 – 27 “I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them. They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust. Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man. I would have said that I would cut them to pieces and blot out their memory from mankind, if I had not dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest their adversaries misunderstand and say: ‘Our own hand has prevailed; it was not the LORD who did all this.’”

The Song of Moses continues as God describes what will happen to faithless Israel. Disasters will mount up – famine, plagues, attacks by wild beasts and venomous snakes, attacks by enemies and night terrors. Reading this list, you might wonder why anybody would ignore such warnings. God even goes so far as to advise the Israelites that the only reason He will not wipe them off the face of the earth and blot out the memory of them is because He has regard for His own Name. God refuses to allow the enemies of Israel to take credit for what He will do.

Were there tribes whose names were blotted out? Yes. There were several ancient groups whose existence was thought to be a myth until the rise of modern archaeology. Recent discoveries have continued to prove the accuracy of the Biblical accounts. For example, until the latter half of the nineteenth century, the only mention of the Hittites was found in the Old Testament. It was not until a number of discoveries in several different locations came to light that the Hittite Empire was proven to have existed and to have been quite powerful. (Wikipedia – The Hittites)

Eventually, ten tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin to form the Kingdom of Israel in the north, while Judah and Benjamin formed the Kingdom of Judah. Those ten tribes were Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun. These ten tribes are sometimes referred to as the “lost tribes of Israel” because they were conquered early by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and assimilated so completely that they disappeared as recognizable entities. Only the exiles from Judah and Benjamin made it back to re – settle Israel in 586 B.C. The Kingdom of Israel embraced idolatry from its founding and received due punishment. The Kingdom of Judah held out longer due to some righteous kings who brought revival periodically.

APPLICATION: In a previous devotional, I mentioned an elderly friend whose faith was increased when she witnessed the return of the Jews to Israel as predicted in the Bible. Here in the Song of Moses God gives a preview of the disasters that eventually overtook the Israelites.

God knows the end from the beginning. The amazing aspect of this song is that God promises to preserve some of the Israelites so that their enemies cannot claim to have succeeded in wiping them off the face of the earth. God is not going to preserve the Israelites for any virtue of their own but to guard His reputation among the nations.

Why is God worried about His reputation? God’s plans were never just about the Israelites; God always had a plan for all the nations of the earth. The Israelites were to demonstrate God’s goodness and love for any people that would serve Him. There were probably a number of nations who knew the origins of the Israelites. God wanted those nations to witness the transformation of the Israelites into a holy nation for themselves. Unfortunately, there were many who thought God only wanted to bless them and even then they failed to obey His commands.

God’s plans are always more inclusive than we can imagine. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves the entire world without exceptions. When Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, He died for the sins of the entire world. Saul the Pharisee who persecuted Christians changed to Paul the Apostle when he had a vision of Jesus and realized the truth of the crucifixion and resurrection. Paul spent the rest of his life reaching out to as many people as possible. We need to make sure that our vision is as comprehensive as God’s.

Those of us who claim to follow God need to make sure that we do not represent bad advertising! I remember an incident that took place during my surgical residency. We had discharged a man from a Veterans Administration hospital; however, his wife did not agree with the discharge and began screaming at me. As this lady was demanding her husband’s rights, she was literally hopping up and down in her rage. Pinned to this lady’s lapel was a rhinestone pin that proclaimed “Jesus is Lord.” By that point, I was a believer; however, had I not already been a Christian, this lady’s tirade might have convinced me to have nothing to do with Christianity!

The ancient Israelites learned the Song of Moses but never took it to heart and likely failed to teach it to their children. Sometimes God tries to warn us away from bad choices. Do we pay attention or do we try to force to get our own way? If we have chosen a plan of action only to find we have no peace, it’s time to go to God in prayer and see if we are only trying to do our will and not His.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to ask for Your directions and then follow them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:24 – 29 “When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!

Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.”

WOW! What a horrible comment on the character of the Israelites! Moses has just completed writing all the words of the law and is now ordering the priests to store this book beside the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle. The Book of the Law is to serve as a witness against the Israelites for all generations.

The major failing of the Israelites is rebellion. From the first days in Egypt until the present, despite all the miracles, despite all God’s provision, despite God’s protection, despite everything God has done, the Israelites are still clinging to their Egyptian idols and even embracing others whenever they get the chance. Times without number, God has spoken to the Israelites, and as soon as the fire and earthquakes and smoke have dissipated, the Israelites are right back to their same behavior.

Now Moses is warning the Israelites of the certain doom their rebellion will bring upon them. God wants the Israelites to understand that if disasters befall them, it’s their own terrible choices that have brought about these disasters.

How many warnings does it take for someone to change their heart and their behavior? All the time the Israelites have been trudging through the wilderness and complaining every step of the way, God has been leading them and protecting them. Have the Israelites been grateful? Are you kidding? Back in their tents, the Israelites have still been cherishing idols that they brought from Egypt and ascribing all God’s works to their idols!

APPLICATION: Reading the accounts of the last part of Moses’ career is like watching a horror movie slowly unfold. Moses has communed with God face to face and yet his people have rebelled every step of the way. How Moses’ heart must have broken as he contemplated what was going to happen to Joshua when Joshua assumed leadership! And how Moses’ heart must have broken as he considered the wonderful future God wanted for the Israelites and the way the Israelites were going to mess things up.

When I was growing up on a midwestern farm, we used to raise pigs in small houses out in the field. The pigs were able to graze on the clover and alfalfa and timothy planted in the field they were occupying; however, eventually, we would need to move them to another pasture. Were the pigs willing to go? No way! We could drive those pigs toward a wide – open gate hole fifteen feet wide and they would try to stay in their same pasture. Finally, to get the pigs to leave the pasture that was exhausted so that they could occupy new ground with fresh grazing, we would have to herd them through the gate hole using 3 large wooden gates. As we gradually reduced the area that the pigs were occupying, the pigs would reluctantly back through the open gate, squealing all the way in protest.

Many times, we are like those pigs. God wants good things for us and God is showing us the way; however, we are determined to remain where we are, even though the resources in that particular situation may be exhausted. We want our own way, even when it will lead to disaster. Psalm 32:8-9 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Be not like the horse or the mule, which lack understanding, which must have their mouths held firm with bit and bridle, or else they will not come with you.”

A few years ago, there was a commercial for a particular investment company. The first scene would be that of heavy traffic in New York City with lots of noise; then suddenly, the noise would stop and there would be dead silence. The announcer would then say, “When E. F. Hutton speaks, everyone else is silent.” The idea was that this investment company gave better advice than anybody else. It should be like that for us with God. When God speaks, that should be the end of it.

Our way or God’s? It’s all about choices. Choose God’s way and choose life. Go our own way and risk everything, including our very souls.

PRAYER: Father God, help all those who read these words to choose life and to choose to follow You whole – heartedly. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32:15 – 22 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear. You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

When the LORD saw this, He rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.

He said: “I will hide My face from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a perverse generation— children of unfaithfulness.

They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.

For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.”

Here God was describing what would happen once the Israelites reached the Promised Land. Even though God ordered the destruction of all the tribes worshiping demons, He already knew that the Israelites would not obey. What would be the results of this disobedience?

1. As soon as the Israelites reached the Promised Land and began enjoying all the good things there, they became entranced with their prosperity and turned their backs on the God who had made it all possible.
2. Despite all God’s orders to the contrary, the Israelites began worshiping the gods of those tribes whom they had conquered. Such worship included horrific abominations, including burning children as live sacrifices to Molech.
3. Nations whom the Israelites had scorned would conquer them as a result of their disobedience.
4. God’s wrath would be poured out on the Israelites, consuming the earth and its produce and scorching the foundations of the mountains. Drought would overtake the land, leaving the Israelites with nothing.

APPLICATION: We read these verses and think to ourselves, “Oh, how ridiculous! I would never do anything like that!” But many times, we are fooling ourselves. God may have given us good jobs and nice homes and comfortable living situations, and we feel that we deserve all these things. We have studied hard and worked hard, and we have earned these blessings! We tend to look down on anyone in a homeless shelter, never realizing that those people may be victims of economic disasters that could just as easily have hit us also. If we are younger, we trust in our health, particularly if we are gym addicts; however, one doctor in London has sadly testified that many young people who worked out regularly were among his earliest COVID fatalities.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them…”  We must always continue to thank God for the good things He has given us and then share those blessings. When we cling to our blessings and behave as if they are only for our benefit, the very things we have hung onto will gradually become stumbling blocks.

One of the slogans painted on public vehicles in Ghana reads, “No condition is permanent.” Several years ago, large numbers of people saw their retirement savings evaporate because those managing the funds had trusted a scam artist who was running a massive Ponzi scheme. Wikipedia defines a Ponzi scheme this way: “A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors. The scheme leads victims to believe that profits are coming from legitimate business activity, and they remain unaware that other investors are the source of funds. A Ponzi scheme can maintain the illusion of a sustainable business as long as new investors contribute new funds, and as long as most of the investors do not demand full repayment and still believe in the non-existent assets they are purported to own.”

The people who lost everything had done nothing wrong; however, the money was gone, and many older people had to find jobs to survive. There is nothing wrong with saving for retirement; however, we must be aware that even “safe” investments can turn sour. In contrast, those who give charitably to reputable organizations have the comfort that their money is working for others.

How can we best handle blessings? Thank God for everything that He has given you, and then ask Him what to share and with whom. As long as you have open hands and allow the blessings to flow to others, God will continue to give you more. When you panic and try to hang onto the blessings, the flow will stop.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are worried about our futures and wonder if we will have enough to care for ourselves and our families. Help us to realize that as long as we share with those around us, You will continue to bless us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:14 – 22 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.”

So, Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.

And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them.

On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’ And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them. When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant. And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”

So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.”

At first this passage seems confusing. God begins by summoning Moses and Joshua so that He can commission Joshua to take over leadership from Moses. But then God turns His attention to Moses, explaining that He is about to teach Moses a song that Moses is to teach the Israelites. This song will stand as a witness against the Israelites when they prove faithless. Presumably, part of the reason God is informing Moses about the song is so that Joshua will also carefully study this song and learn it as well. As the next leader, Joshua needs all the information that he can get.

Just how faithless were the Israelites? God gave Ezekiel a vivid description of the actual behavior of the Israelites in Egypt and afterwards in the wilderness.

“ And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.’  But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.  But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.  So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.  I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live.  Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.” (Ezekiel 20:7-13)

Evidently, the Israelites hung on to their worthless Egyptian gods long after the One True Living God had delivered them from slavery, from attack by Pharaoh’s army, and from starvation and thirst in the wilderness. Why would God put up with this behavior? God acted for the sake of His Name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations.

APPLICATION: When you look at the story of the Exodus and then realize just how bad the Israelites still were even after they had seen all those miracles, you realize that God was incredibly patient and merciful! God did not choose the Israelites because they were any more virtuous than the Egyptians with whom they had been living for 400 years. God delivered the Israelites because He had made promises to Abraham when He cut covenant with Abraham. God gave Moses the unenviable task of leading this bunch of idol worshipers out into the wilderness so that they would have no other options than to trust God. Even at that point, there were still those who rebelled. God allowed an entire generation of Israelites to die off in the wilderness because of their rebellion and faithlessness. But how many of the children of the first generation were still cherishing Egyptian idols in their tents?

While we would love to smirk at the behavior of the Israelites, we must ask ourselves if we indulge in the same kind of behavior. Do we really try to learn God’s will for our lives and then do it, or are we trying to do our will in God’s name? The major difference is results. Seeking God’s will for our lives and then asking Him to help us follow His guidance brings life and light and peace. Following our own inclinations brings frustration and despair.

What do you do if you come to the end of your own resources and you truly do want God’s help? Simply ask.

PRAYER: Father God, we are frustrated and confused. We have tried to do things our way and we have failed miserably. We don’t know which way to go. Lord, please give us Your guidance and Your peace. Help us to make right decisions instead of wrong ones. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:9 – 13 “So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.

Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law. Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

When Moses was giving these instructions, the Israelites must have thought, “Duh! How can we possibly forget any of these things?” Unfortunately, it didn’t take very long for them to forget completely.

Moses commanded the priests to read the entire law to all Israel, including people of all ages and any foreigners living among them. Everybody in Israel was to study the Law, learn the Law, and abide by the Law so that they would learn to fear the Lord. These readings were to be done every seven years at the appointed time during the Feast of Tabernacles, the most joyous celebration in the Jewish year. Why every seven years? This cycle would give time for children who were too young during the first reading to be able to understand most of it.

So, what happened to this commandment? Sadly, once the Israelites made it into the Promised Land, they conveniently forgot about this commandment entirely. It was not until the time of Nehemiah when the Israelites had been in exile and then had returned from Persia that a public reading of the Law actually took place. (Nehemiah 8) When the exiles who had returned actually heard the words of the Law, they wept in remorse for their sins and the sins of their fathers. (Nehemiah 8:9) During that celebration, the Israelites also celebrated the Feast of Booths for the first time since the days of Joshua. How sad those Israelites who had been in exile must have been when they realized that their suffering might have been avoided completely, had their ancestors followed God’s commands regarding His Law.

APPLICATION: Psalm 119:10 -12 says, “With my whole heart have I sought Thee; O let me not wander from Thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.” And Psalm 119:18 says, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”

Long before advanced technology existed, there were those individuals whose job it was to detect counterfeit money. How did these people learn to discern the real from the fakes? They studied real money so intensively that they could not be deceived, no matter how cleverly a counterfeiter had been. In the same way, if we want to know what is spiritually true, we too must study the Word of God, hiding it in our hearts until our hearts overflow.

“But,” you say, “how can I possibly study God’s Word that intensively? I have very little time and I have never been to Bible school.” That’s where Psalm 119:12 comes in. If we ask God to teach us His statutes, He will do so readily. And God knows our minds and hearts better than we know ourselves. God knows exactly how much we can absorb at a given time.

James 1:5 promises that “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” When you ask God to help you understand His Word, the entire universe will be on your side. God wants you to understand His word so that you will be able to obey it. All that you need is a heart that is hungry for God’s truth and a willingness to learn. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Give us a hunger to learn Your Will for our lives. Help us to study Your Word and open our minds to understand more each day. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.