Deuteronomy 32:27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.
29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
31 For their rock is not as 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 dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
In these verses Moses was directed by God to express the concern that the nations that God chose to use to punish Israel would assume their gods gave them the victory. Israel was supposed to be the people of God. They were to shine as a light among the pagan Gentile nations. The trouble was and is that Israel does not want to be different. In every generation, there have been some Jews who have known the fear of the Lord and have understood what He is doing. However, the majority of Jews are walking in darkness. They are still rejecting the true Messiah and thus cannot see. That includes their current P.M. Sadly this is going to continue until the end of the Tribulation.
Jews across the world are finding that the world does not respect them. Canada is currently supporting the Muslims in their Ramadan observance. Part of that is “al quds” day. It is interesting that our governments are more concerned with promoting pagan customs, than they are in protecting the Jews. Sadly, many Jews do not believe in the true God. However God is faithful and He is still working in that nation and one day they will turn to Him. The Muslims and others want to kill them because they are the servants of the devil.
In our text Moses was concerned with what the nations would think of Israel as God was punishing them. Moses did not want the enemies of God to assume that they were stronger than God. We know that Babylon did get that opinion. That was not God’s problem. Lost people often get a distorted view of what God is doing. That is quite common for those who do not know Him.
Those who are saved, have the Bible as their authority. We can understand the justice of God along with all His other attributes. He loves Israel. He does not want them to mock Him. He had to punish them and He is still punishing them. It is true that Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas are major enemies of Israel right now. They are wicked people but God is using them to punish the Jews. He would rather have Israel turn to Him and know His peace. As we have mentioned before, at the end of the Tribulation, Israel will repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation.
God was speaking through Moses to express His concern for the nation of Israel. Israel would come to the place of being a nation void of counsel. God gave them prophets, but they rejected them. The prophet Ezekiel is one of several that God chose to speak to the nation of Israel as they were being punished by the Babylonians. He was a contemporary of Daniel. Ezekiel wrote to the Jews in Judah as a captive in Babylon. He was taken back into Jerusalem in the spirit. He was shown the wickedness taking place there. God would show the Jews His justification for bringing the Babylonians in to destroy the Temple and Jerusalem.
Ezekiel also prophesied of the future glory of Israel. That is still ahead.
In verse 29 God spoke of how He would rather that Israel were wise. We know that Daniel and his three friends understood what God was doing. However, the majority of the nation did not understand and they still do not understand. When you look at the party attitude that still exists within that nation, it is sad to see them suffer, but it is a choice they are making.
In verse 31 Moses wrote of how a small number of enemies of God would chase the Jews out of their land. How could that be?
Moses knew that the pagan nations did not have the LORD as their Rock. They had pagan gods. The sad reality was that Israel would forsake the Rock and would choose the pagan rock as well. God would use the pagan nations to judge Israel. That should have shocked the Jews into repentance, but it still has not done that.
In verse 32 God compared the ungodly to Sodom and Gomorrah. That is certainly not praiseworthy. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God for their wickedness. Yet, God was talking to Moses of the future and how Israel would stoop to such a level. God showed here that following false gods is like sour grapes and the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps. Revelation 11:8 refers to Israel as Sodom and Egypt. Not a flattering description for sure.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
God wants us to learn from what He did in the Old Testament times, and what He is doing now. As we have pointed out many times, most religion today is just as bad as what Israel is guilty of. The problem we are facing is that most religious people are not any more interested in truth than Israel was and still is.
Today is the Lord’s Day. God wants people to go to a local church where the truth is taught. God is not interested in entertainment. He is not interested in making lost people feel good in their sin. God’s peace is reserved for those who walk in the fear of God. You cannot manufacture that peace. Man can make a pseudo peace, but that does not satisfy the longing of the heart. It is important to be humbled and submissive to God rather than trying to make Him submissive to your ideology. God does not need to bend to the whims of man. We need to be broken and submissive to Him. That is still the only way to know His peace and blessing. It is comforting to the soul to know His peace and blessing.
Pastor Bartel