Deuteronomy 32:19-29,39-44,48-52

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

“The LORD saw it and spurned them,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
They have made me jealous with what is no god;
they have provoked me to anger with their idols.
So I will make them jealous with those who are no people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
For a fire is kindled by my anger,
and it burns to the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
“‘And I will heap disasters upon them;
I will spend my arrows on them;
they shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured by plague
and poisonous pestilence;
I will send the teeth of beasts against them,
with the venom of things that crawl in the dust.
Outdoors the sword shall bereave,
and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike,
the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;
I will wipe them from human memory,”
had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant,
it was not the LORD who did all this.”‘
“For they are a nation void of counsel,
and there is no understanding in them.
If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would discern their latter end!

“‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven
and swear, As I live forever,
if I sharpen my flashing sword
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and will repay those who hate me.
I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh-
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’
“Rejoice with him, O heavens;
bow down to him, all gods,
for he avenges the blood of his children
and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him
and cleanses his people’s land.”

Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun

Moses’ Death Foretold

That very day the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

– Deuteronomy 32:19-29,39-44,48-52

Devotion

What a powerful point is made in this passage! Moses chose to do things his own way, striking the rock when God commanded him to speak to it, and because of that, he didn’t get to enter the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This comes directly on the heels of Moses’ song of warning to Israel, that God is just and His anger burns against rebellion and the desire to do things our own way.

BUT, God remembers His name. Even though Israel suffers because of their stubbornness, and even though we suffer for our stubbornness, God’s plan revolves around all people seeing that He is who He claims to be. For the sake of His name His people are redeemed. To me this is more than just an amazing fact about God. It is a call to remember his greatness today, and live surrendered to Him.

The Big Question

Are you stubborn? Is there something that God is calling you to change? Is there a habit you need to get corrected? Fast and pray. Remember His name, be humble and ask God to replace your desires with His desires.

Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.