Deu 32:1

Heavens/earth = people of Israel: Deu 31:19,30; Isa 14:12n.

Deu 32:5

WARPED AND CROOKED: “Perverse” (KJV). “Perversion: It has an unpleasant, unwholesome ring — and well it might: turning away from a straightforward, healthy course to deformity and ugliness. It is the natural, inevitable tendency of our sin-cursed flesh. It is not new, though its modern victims proclaim it as the wave of the future. It is as old as the vile Canaanites that Israel was to ruthlessly wipe out to cleanse the land from filth: as old as the bestial Sodomites whom a holy God burned up in a dreadful outpouring of righteous wrath: as old as the gross antediluvians who were swept relentlessly away by the purifying judicial waters to rid God’s fair earth of their moral putridness. And now we have the whole earth sinking rapidly down to the same state: every moral vice glorified as virtue. But perversion takes many forms. Man was designed to serve God in total love, total holiness, total devotion. Anything short of that is the perversion of the flesh. Such selfish perversion in those who know — or should know — better may be more offensive to God than the ignorant bodily perversion of the dead animal world around us. We can so sink down from the true original ideal that we can’t even see our own pitiful perversion for what it is. Let us strive every moment to painfully (but joyfully) work our way back up to where God from the beginning intended the blessed and noble race of mankind to be” (GVG).

Deu 32:6

CREATOR: This meaning is confirmed by the Ugaritic (cp Gen 4:1n; Gen 14:19,22).

Deu 32:7

The temptation of Israel in the desert // temptation of Christ in the desert. Note //s between vv 9-20 and Luk 4:1-13.

Deu 32:9

THE LORD’S PORTION IS HIS PEOPLE: “How are they His? By His own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set His love upon them. This He did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which He foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom He would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they His by His unconstrained election.

“They are not only His by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing, hence about His title there can be no dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ [1Pe 1:18,19], the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed. There is no mortgage on His estate; no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s freehold for ever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for ‘the Lord knoweth them that are His’; he forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men; he counts the sheep for whom he laid down his life, and remembers well the Church for which he gave himself.

“They are also his by conquest. What a battle he had in us before we would be won! How long he laid siege to our hearts! How often he sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm? When he placed his cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of his omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to show forth his glory” (CHS).

Deu 32:10

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE: In Deu 32:10 and Psa 17:8 lit means the little man or daughter of the eye: a picture in miniature of one’s self is seen, as in a mirror, when looking into another person’s eye. The ref is then to the pupil, and the surrounding iris.

Deu 32:11

HOVERS OVER: Brooding, as in Gen 1:2 (sw), over the new “creation”.

TO CATCH THEM: The method by which eagles teach their young to fly: the parent forces the fledgling from the nest, and then circles underneath to catch it and bear it up on outstretched wings if it flounders. See Lesson, Eagle and its young, the.

Deu 32:13

HONEY FROM THE ROCK: Bee hives among clefts of rocks (LB 299).

OIL FROM THE FLINTY CRAG: Olive trees grow best among hard, flinty rock, among which they sink deep roots. Also, presses to extract oil are carved from rocks: “The rock poured me out rivers of oil” (Job 29:6) (LB 52,53).

Deu 32:17

WHICH ARE NOT GODS: “An idol is nothing” (1Co 8:4,5).

GODS YOUR FATHERS DID NOT FEAR: “Fear” sw “devil / he-goat” in Lev 17:7, identifying “shed” (‘demons’ here) with “seir” there.

Deu 32:18

The firstborn nation failed; the firstborn son succeeded (Luk 4:1-13).

Deu 33:2

THE LORD CAME FROM SINAI: To Moses, Sinai was the place of God’s revelation to His people; he knew no other. The deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness trek were the focal points of his life. Therefore, when he speaks his final blessing upon the people, it is certainly fitting that “the Lord came from Sinai… with ten thousands of saints (certainly angels and not saints in this context! cp Psa 68:17)… and (with) a fiery law.” This same thing Yahweh has done before (Exo 19:16-19)! So there are two reasonable interpretations of Deu 33:2,3: either (a) Moses is remembering what has already happened, or (b) the last revelation of God to Moses follows the patterns of the previous ones: ie, God coming out of the great fiery cloud atop Sinai. Even assuming that, as some say, “the context calls for this to be a future blessing” — meaning, it is supposed, the distant future (from Moses’ day) of Christ’s return… then, since the words are addressed to the twelve tribes (just as are Deu 28; 29; etc), is not the LD fulfillment (if there is to be one) most likely to be a re-enactment of the Exodus and the giving of the Law for the remnant of the nation of Israel, imprisoned again in Egypt? To this Isa 11:11,15; 19:1,18-20; 63:11-19; and Mic 7:15 may well ref. See Lesson, Judgment seat at Jerusalem.

Deu 33:3

Sitting: for rest (Luk 8:35); for communion (Song 2:3), as disciples (Deu 33:3), in worship (2Sa 7:18-27), in resurrection (Eph 2:6), in glory (Rev 3:21).

Deu 33:6

See Lesson, Double negative, Hebrew.

LET REUBEN LIVE: Moses as the mediator for weak, unstable (Gen 49:3,4) Reuben.

Deu 33:7

BE HIS HELP AGAINST HIS FOES: Impl a rift between Judah and the other tribes. Judah seems to have been set apart almost from beginning.

Deu 33:8

MASSAH: Moses himself (a Levite) was tested at Massah.

MERIBAH: But God strove with Moses and Aaron (Levites) at Meribah, because they did not give God the glory: “Must we..?”

Notable Levites: Moses, Aaron, Phinehas, Samuel, Jehoiada, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist.

Deu 33:9

Exo 32: The Levites rallied to Moses’ side in the great sin of the golden calf.

HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIS BROTHERS… CHILDREN: There is no tie so strong as that of God’s covenant.

Deu 33:12

BELOVED OF THE LORD: “Jedidiah” (2Sa 12:25).

BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS: That is, the mountains: Jerusalem, on border of Benjamin, chosen as God’s dwelling (Dawn 42:185). (Ref to a hammock-like arrangement by which mothers carry small children: Str Scr 21.)

Deu 33:15

ANCIENT MOUNTAINS: The mountains of Jerusalem: Psa 48:1,2; 125:1,2; Isa 2:2,3; 11:9.

Deu 33:17

BULL: Joseph associated with bull. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic pictures Joseph as a bull calf with a sheaf of corn above his head (cp Exo 32:4n).

Deu 33:18

“The Gentiles in darkness there saw a great light” (Isa 9:1,2).

Deu 33:22

A possible reference to the route the men of Dan followed in their conquest of Laish, in the far north (Jdg 18). “From this it may be inferred that from Ephraim the migrants crossed Jordan and travelled north round the east side of Galilee. Their target Laish means ‘a lion’, so there is fair likelihood that it was an understanding of Moses’ prophecy which led them to this remote place in the north” (WJR).

Deu 33:23

Christ, the blessing of the LORD, preached most in Galilee (Isa 9:1).

Deu 33:24

BATHE HIS FEET IN OIL: Asher received territory in the fertile lowlands near Zidon. This led to apathy and ease (Jdg 1:31,32).

Deu 33:25

YOUR STRENGTH WILL EQUAL YOUR DAYS: “One secret of a happy Christian life is living by the day. It’s the long stretches that tire us. But really, there are no long stretches. Life does not come to us all at once. Tomorrow is not ours; but when it does come, God will supply both daily bread and daily strength.”

Deu 33:27

THE ETERNAL GOD IS YOUR REFUGE: “The word ‘refuge’ may be translated ‘abiding-place,’ which gives the thought that God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and sweetness in the metaphor, for dear to our hearts is our home, although it be the humblest cottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is our blessed God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. It is at home that we feel safe: we shut the world out and dwell in quiet security. So when we are with our God we ‘fear no evil.’ He is our shelter and retreat, our abiding refuge. At home, we take our rest; it is there we find repose after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find rest in God, when, wearied with life’s conflict, we turn to Him. At home, also, we let our hearts loose; we are not afraid of being misunderstood, nor of our words being misconstrued. So when we are with God we can commune freely with Him, laying open all our hidden desires; for if the ‘secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him,’ the secrets of them that fear Him ought to be, and must be, with their Lord. Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is in God that our hearts find their deepest delight. We have joy in Him which far surpasses all other joy. It is also for home that we work and labour. The thought of it gives strength to bear the daily burden, and quickens the fingers to perform the task; and in this sense we may also say that God is our home. Love to Him strengthens us. We think of Him in the person of His dear Son; and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer constrains us to labour in his cause. We feel that we must work, for we have brethren yet to be saved, and we have our Father’s heart to make glad by bringing home His wandering sons; we would fill with holy mirth the sacred family among whom we dwell. Happy are those who have thus the God of Jacob for their refuge!” (CHS).

UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS: See Lesson, Eagle and its young, the.

“God — the eternal God — is Himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless. Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet ‘underneath’ thee ‘are everlasting arms.’ Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ’s great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as ‘the uttermost’; and to the uttermost He saves. Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are ‘the everlasting arms.’ He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the ‘everlasting arms’ ” (CHS).

Deu 26:1

Deu 26: “This important law concerning tithes is brought before the ecclesia of Moses. It reinforced the wisdom of the Deity that He requires a return from that with which He blesses His people. It is only right that this be so. And the liberality of Yahweh is revealed in the fact that the tithe was only a tenth of the whole, as representative of all the divine blessings. Significantly, this chapter concludes the Mosaic Code, and completes the instruction. The tithe thus summarizes the believer’s attitude towards his God.

“Moses speaks concerning (1) confession of dependence to be made when presenting the firstfruits: vv 1-11; (2) confession made when presenting tithes by the third year: vv 12-15; and (3) Moses’ solemn admonition to observe these laws and statues: vv 16-19. The section shows Yahweh as the Giver of Good (Jam 1:17). The memorial Name of ‘Yahweh thy Elohim’ is used 299 times in Deuteronomy. It expresses a personal and exclusive relationship between Yahweh and Israel. This was expressed by the ritual of the tithing. Every Israelite had to individually avow that the inheritance he enjoyed was from Yahweh and not by personal merit. It thus proclaimed the doctrine of grace and gratitude, the offering in return thus being one of understanding and reason (Rom 12:1). In presenting his ‘basket of firstfruits,’ the worshipper pledged his life and service to Yahweh. And in presenting the tithes every three years, he had to publicly declare that he had withheld nothing that was Yahweh’s due (v 14); and Yahweh, on the basis of that, invoked a blessing upon the people and the land” (GEM).

Vv 1,2,3,15: Yahweh the giver of every good gift: Jam 1:17.

Deu 26:5

A WANDERING ARAMEAN: “A Syrian laboring in service” (similar in Heb). Jacob in Syria, oppressed by the cruel, treacherous Laban (Gen 31:38-42).

Deu 26:14

I HAVE NOT EATEN ANY OF THE SACRED PORTION WHILE I WAS IN MOURNING: The oriental practice was to have lavish feasts at funerals, to feed and entertain those who attend, and to spend large amounts to hire mourners. Even such a pressing, unforeseen matter was not to deter a man from performing his vows to God (LB 104,105).

Deu 27:1

Deu 27: “On entering the land the nation is to gather great stones, and — whitening them with lime — are to write thereon the words of the Law. In addition, an altar is to be erected upon Ebal the Mount of Cursing: a wonderful type of the purpose of Yahweh in Christ as expressed in the Gospel. The nation is to assemble at the place selected to hearken to and endorse the cursings and blessings of the Law. These principles set forth the terms of the impending reign of Yahweh in the Land. It shows that submission to His rule is the secret of success on the part of His people (vv 1-8); that those who attempt to obey will enjoy His grave or favour (vv 9,10); and that the responsibility of doing so rests upon each individual (vv 11-26). To sum up these requirements: if Yahweh is Lord of the heart, He will be Lord of everything else! His influence will motivate action and establish a character fitted for eternity” (Expos).

Deu 27:11

Vv 11-13: Tabernacle facing east, and thus Ebal on left (cursing), and Gerizim on right (blessing). Cp curses by Christ from Mt Zion/Jerusalem (Mat 23:13-29), and blessings by Christ from mt in Galilee (Mat 5:3-10).

Deu 27:12

Meaning of names of 6 tribes: “Hear the son, join him, praise him, for he will reward you by adding you to himself, the son at God’s right hand.”

Deu 27:13

Meaning of names of 6 tribes: “You will see the son and a troop of blessed ones dwelling together, but the Judge will wrestle with you.”

Deu 27:25

THE MAN WHO ACCEPTS A BRIBE TO KILL AN INNOCENT PERSON: Pilate! Judas!

Deu 27:26

THE MAN WHO DOES NOT UPHOLD THE WORDS OF THIS LAW BY CARRYING THEM OUT: High Priests and Sanhedrin!

Deu 28:1

Deu 28: “A dramatic and personal introduction is presented. ‘If thou shalt hearken diligently…’ It is both a challenge and an invitation. The ch appears in a section demonstrating the perpetuity, power and promise of the Law, together with the rewards and penalties which actuate it as such. Moses sets out: (1) The condition of blessing: vv 1,2. This was the purpose of hearkening — to learn what was required, and to do it. (2) Blessings in the domestic sphere: vv 3-6. How the law affects personal lives for good. (3) Blessings in time of war: v 7 — when the nation is challenged by the enemy. (4) Blessings in activity: v 8. Yahweh’s eyes are constantly on the Land to ensure a blessing. (5) Blessing in the national status: vv 9,10. The Name of Yahweh is now invoked, as it is the title of ownership. (6) Blessings in the increase: vv 11,12. The people would not only have increase, but the ability to enjoy it. (7) Blessings in rulership: v 13. (8) Moses’ exhortation: v 14. Moses’ personal appeal to faithfulness. (9) The cursings of the Law: vv 15-68. It is significant that the cursings take 53 verses, for they emphasize the evidence of sin in the nation. The remarkable prophecy has been so remarkably fulfilled in the history of Israel. It is a preview of the circumstances of the ecclesia. The theme of the whole ch is found in v 58: to fear the glorious and fearful Name of Yahweh thy God” (GEM).

Deu 28:2

Vv 2-6: “It was part of the promise under the national covenant of Israel, that God would bless them in basket and store if they were obedient; and that disobedience would bring blasting and poor harvest. It was part of an arrangement of national life, where material prosperity, expressed in an agricultural community in the terms of the produce of the land and of cattle, was the blessing of their Divine Ruler. We might be drawn to entirely wrong conclusions if we determined a man’s standing in divine favor in these days of industrial activity, by the vast accumulations of wealth beyond contemplation for others than rulers in simpler ages. We would also be misled in following the prevailing temper of the present day in regarding all laws of nature as explicable by natural science, and being in no way subject to divine rule. While it would be a mistake to relate all natural happenings, good harvests, wet seasons, earthquakes and storms, to the divine will, to exclude them from God’s operations if He so desired would be a greater mistake” (PAE 205).

Deu 28:60

DISEASES OF EGYPT: Prob bubonic plague. The ne corner of the Nile delta was a source of plagues from the earliest of times… due to high temperatures, swamps, mixing of salt and fresh water. Through the maritime plain, in both directions, many ancient armies as well as traders traveled, carrying diseases of all sorts with them: cp Deu 7:5; Amo 4:10; 1Sa 5:6,9,12.

Deu 29:1

Deu 29: “The principles of the Covenant, including the benefits of obeying and the penalties of breaking it, have been already set forth by Moses to the ecclesia as it stood on the eve of entering their promised inheritance. There only remains the formal endorsement of it by the people. It is that act, and the accompaniments to it, that are the subject of Deu 29; 30. Its leading elements are thus repeated in brief. Deu 29:1-9 answers to the historical prologue in Deu 1:6; 4:49.

“Deu 29:16-29 answers to the sanctions of Deu 28:1-68.

“Deu 30:8,10-14 alludes to the stipulations of the covenant embodied in Deu 5:1 to Deu 26:19. Finally, Deu 30:15-20 contains the summons to the oath of confirmation and the invocation of witnesses. The covenant contains strong exhortatory appeal.

“Thus Deu 29 can be analysed as follows: [1] Introduction to sealing the covenant: v 1. [2] The people exhorted to keep the covenant on the grounds of personal experience: vv 2-9. [3] All of Israel of every age involved: vv 10-13. [4] It extends even to the unborn: vv 14-15. [5] Punishment resulting from breaking the covenants: vv 16-29.

“The Mosaic Covenant was designed to prepare the nation for the greater Covenant established in Yahshua, and provides the basis for individual spiritual development” (GEM).

Deu 29:5

See Luk 12:33.

Deu 29:14

Vv 14,15: “Not only… but also…”

Deu 29:18

Parents who bring up children in false ways.

BITTER POISON: Heb “rosh l’anah” = the head of poppy plant, also called wormwood.

Deu 29:19

I WILL BE SAFE: LXX, “I am without sin” (anamartetos: sw Joh 8:7).

Deu 29:20

UNDER HEAVEN: A phrase suggesting the universality of Yahweh’s judgement: Gen 6:17; Exo 17:14; Deu 7:24; 9:14; 25:19; 29:20; 2Ki 14:27. The two NT references (Acts 4:12; Col 1:23) expand the theme to show that the Father is indeed concerned with salvation for all mankind.

Deu 30:12

ASCEND INTO HEAVEN: Moses did this, when ascending mt Sinai to meet with God.

Deu 30:19

NOW CHOOSE LIFE, SO THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE: “Keep in direct contact with God at all times. Keep the communication line open. This is our lifeline. When this is broken or neglected, we are dead. Reading the Word, meditating on the Word — these strengthen the line, tighten all the connections, clear away the impediment, keep the channel clear, and the power flowing. Pray without ceasing: it has limitless, measureless power. These divine things are real and actual: more so than what we can handle and see” (GVG).

Deu 31:1

Deu 31: Moses informs the people that he is not permitted to enter the Land of Promise, so that they must be led there by another man appointed by God: Joshua the son of Nun. Both the people and their new leader are exhorted to faith and courage, with the assurance that the LORD will be an unfailing source of help if they manifest those qualities. The discourse is interrupted by an incident in which open endorsement of Joshua’s appointment is made by a divine revelation, and a very solemn warning is given of coming apostasy and its consequences. The section concludes with a charge given to Joshua.

The chapter may be divided into the following sections: (1) The people are exhorted to faith and courage (vv 1-6); (2) Joshua is appointed and charged (vv 7,8); (3) The Law is delivered to the priests for instruction of the people (vv 9-13); (4) Yahweh gives warning of coming apostasy (vv 14-21); (5) Moses’ charge to Joshua (vv 22,23); and (6) The Law is completed and laid up as a witness (vv 24-29).

The final verse (Deu 31:30) introduces the Song of Moses (Deu 32).

Deu 31:21

THIS SONG WILL TESTIFY AGAINST THEM: “The people of God” and “the book of God” continue to exist together, each giving meaning to the other. To see how wildly improbable this is, cp with Egyptians or Babylonians.

Deu 23:12

Vv 12-14: “One has but to read the Bible carefully and thoughtfully to conclude that the wisdom expressed therein regarding health, hygiene and sanitation form the groundwork of today’s public health rules. As one closes the book he must realise that these biblical rules on health and hygiene were far in advance of, and superior to, any which then existed in the world. Many of these hygienic precepts have been little improved upon to this day, and are as worth following now as when they were first promulgated” (Wain, “History of Preventive Medicine”, 1970).

“Moses has been characterised as the greatest sanitary engineer that the world has ever seen. His doctrines laid down in that fine treatise on hygiene, the book of Leviticus, could be summed up by the objects of sanitation today — pure food, pure water, pure air, pure bodies, and pure dwellings” (RH Major, “A History of Medicine”, 1954).

“Recently medical historians have become sceptical about these sorts of conclusions made by an earlier more God-fearing generation. It has been pointed out that the reasons given for keeping the ‘sanitary’ rules are explicitly to do with religion and not health. This is indeed the case, but it makes the insights all the more remarkable. How was it possible that an overtly religious code could, as it were in passing, capture such fundamental insights, essential for the health of a huge and mobile ‘refugee’ camp?” (SP, Tes 71:202).

Deu 23:13

EXCREMENT: Lit, “that which comes out”. Cp Mar 7:15,20,21 and Mat 15:18,19 — where sin is equated with excrement.

Deu 24:10

DO NOT GO INTO HIS HOUSE…: Insolent intrusion: a very humiliating thing (LB 322).

Deu 24:19

“What a delightful peek at the right way of life is prescribed by God’s beautiful law. Here are no ‘thrifty’ scrapings to the last straw, but an open-handed liberality that leaves handfuls for the poor. No one could starve under such a system: no one sink to the despairing depths we see yawning around us in modern times. Of course it cannot be — now. But it ought to be, and it will be, when we have God’s Kingdom back among us, to ‘judge for the poor and the needy, and break in pieces the oppressors.’ We wait God’s hand in the matter; and He says, ‘They shall not be ashamed that wait for me’ ” (RR).

“Boaz ordered handfuls of corn to be left on purpose for Ruth [Rth 2:16], and God blessed him. All that is left is not lost” (Henry).