Deuteronomy 32 - 11.19.21
Scripture - What stood out?
Deuteronomy 32:5 (ESV)
They have dealt corruptly with him;
they are no longer his children because they are blemished;
they are a crooked and twisted generation.
Observation - What does it say?
Joshua had just been commissioned to be Israel’s next leader. This is Moses’s farewell song to the nation he has led for 40+ years. The song is a very moving warning to the people he loves.
Understanding - What does it mean?
Moses does not pull any punches in this his farewell song/speech to the nation he has been leading, appointed by God Himself. I had read the chapter a third time asking God to highlight something for me and it just hit me as I read verse five. ‘Wait, Moses sir, which generation are you calling a twisted generation? Surely, not this new group who is about to enter the promised land right?’ As I have read this chapter over and over again I have not got the sense that Moses was referring to a single generation of Israelites (and here the term Israelites for me is fairly synonymous with humans at this point). The sense I got here was that multiple generations, possibly even the one that was listening to his final song, were crooked and twisted.
And so I am reminded of my mother o’ Lord. My loving mother who will not stop hounding me to lose weight!
She has tried the loving gentle approach by nearly cooing: Kenneth I love you. Lose some weight, ok? I love you. Bye!
She has tried the logical approach: Kenneth, I love you but you need to lose weight. The health problems you will face in the future are too many. Please, please lose weight ok? I love you.
And due to the failure of the two above strategies she has now tried the current approach: Kenneth, you need to lose weight ok? No, at least 30 pounds before you come back to New York. Just do it. Please. Just...lose...weight. Bye. Mind you 3 weeks prior to that she told me I looked like a “fat old man” and that I better lose weight. But the truth is my mom loves me. And she knows. She KNOWS that this is something I have to do.
I believe that Moses loved his people. Moses LOVED his people. And he knew. He KNEW that the best thing for the people he loved was for them to acknowledge, love, and cling to everything the Lord had told them to do.
Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
And so this song suddenly isn’t the foundation for a turn or burn speech. While there is an overtone of ‘you better don’t!’ The foundation of this song is a deeply embedded desire and love for one’s child to do what is right. I can see and almost feel the loving embrace of a father, of a shepherd who had dutifully led a flock he so loved. And he was going to do and say whatever it took to keep them aligned to the one thing that mattered - their God, their Rock, their Savior. Moses pulls no punches and delivers God’s message faithfully. Moses is direct, he is honest, and his message is filled with love. Much like God is direct, God is honest, and God is love.
Lord, I don't know how to apply what I learned this morning to my life asap. Show me how to be a little more like You today. Show me to be a little more like your servant Moses. And dare I say, show me to love a little more like my own Mom. In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.
-kenneth lee
