Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Aug 1964

Moses the lawgiver, who wrote the first five books in our Bible (which are also the first five books in the Jewish Bible, although the latter does not contain the New Testament), wrote two songs, the song of triumph at Israel's deliverance from Pharaoh and his host at the Red Sea (Exodus 15.1-18), a song which Miriam and the women of Israel also sang (verses 20-21), and the sad song of Deuteronomy 32.1-43, written at the end of their wilderness journey.

The song of Exodus 15 is one of exultation at the glorious triumph of Jehovah over proud Pharaoh, who had said, "Who is the LORD, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go" (Exodus 5.2). What a confession of ignorance and rebellion! After the ten plagues had fallen upon Egypt's dark and idolatrous land, there was a brief softening of Pharaoh's attitude to God's demand for the freedom of His people, but soon the plague of hardness of heart asserted itself and he would up and after Israel with his horsemen and chariots, but only to perish in the waters of the Red Sea, which he looked upon as blocking Israel's escape. What seemed a way of hopelessness, proved God's way of salvation for His people, and destruction for His and their enemies. This is the story of Golgotha also! The Jews gloated over the death of Him whom they thought was a destroyer of their nation. Blind Caiaphas said, for he was as blind as Pharaoh was in the years of old, in the Jewish council, "Ye know nothing at all, nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (John 11.49-50).

Israel's way of deliverance was through the sea, a figure of death and resurrection, and the Lord's way was through death, in its dread reality, and glorious resurrection. Asaph sang in days long after Israel's deliverance:

"Thy way was in the sea,

And Thy paths in the great waters,

And Thy footsteps were not known.

Thou leddest Thy people like a flock,

By the hand of Moses and Aaron" (Psalm 77.19).

It was through death that the Lord brought to nought him that had the power of death, that is. the devil; and delivered all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Hebrews 2. 14-1 6), and delivered many, many others beside. The song of Moses. and the song of the Lamb will be sung in heaven of deliverances which will never be forgotten (Revelation 15.24).

The song of Deuteronomy 32 is of a quite different sort. It is a teaching song, which begins with Moses saying.

"Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak;

And let the earth hear the words of My mouth:

My doctrine shall drop as the rain,

My speech shall distil as the dew;

As the small rain upon the tender grass,

And as the showers upon the herb" (Deuteronomy 32.1, 2).

In the song we have the goodness and faithfulness of God contrasted with the perversity and unfaithfulness of His people. Yet for all their corruptions and crookedness He says,

"The LORD's portion is His people;

Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" (verse 9).

They were the people He loved. What provision He made for them, giving them the best that nature's full hand could give in a land which flowed with milk and honey! as is outlined in verses 13 and 14 of this song; honey and oil, butter and milk, well-fed lambs and rams and goats, wheat and wine from the blood of the grape. Their tables groaned beneath their weight of good things.

The flesh in them so well nourished expressed itself as the flesh ever does.

"Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:

................................

Then he forsook God which made him,

And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

As nature hates a vacuum, even so it is in things spiritual. To forsake God leads to putting something else in His place.

The words of the song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32. were spoken by Moses in the ears of the assembly of Israel. There is no mention that it was sung. No such words are found in connexion therewith like those of Exodus 15. 1:

"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD." The song of Deuteronomy 32 treats of the sadness of Israel's corruption and crookedness, a foolish people and unwise, a people who forsook God and lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation, a people who became idolaters and sacrificed to demons, a very froward generation in wham was no faith, who in their idolatry moved God to jealousy, and provoked Him to anger with their vanities. God said,

"I will hide My face from them,

I will see what their end shalt be" (verse 20).

This hiding of His face from Israelis referred to in Isaiah 8.16, 17:

"Bind thou up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.

AndI will wait for the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him."

It is again referred to in Isaiah 54. 8:

"In overflowing wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer."

The moment referred to in this verse is this present interval between Pentecost (Acts 2.) when the Holy Spirit came, and when the Lord shall come again for the Church, for all in Christ, the dead and the living, as I Thessalonians 4.13-18 and other portions of the New Testament clearly show.

As Israel provoked God to jealousy by their idolatry and vanities, so would the Lord move them to jealousy.

"I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people;

I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation" (Deuteronomy 32.21).

These words of Moses are quoted by Paul in Romans 10.19, showing that Israel should have known that the message of the Gospel was going out into all the earth, and the words thereof to the ends of the world, co-extensive with the sunshine (Psalm 19.4). Repentance and remission of sins were to be preached to all the nations (Luke 24.47), yea, to the whole Creation (Mark 16. 15).

The result of this was to be a new people, who were once no people, and a foolish people. God would make a new nation; "which in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2.10). Here was the People in whom the law and testimony of the Lord were to be found. And the Lord says, "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given Me" (Isaiah 8.16-18; Hebrews 2.13). Again, the words of the Lord in Psalm 22.22,

"I will declare Thy name unto My brethren:

In the midst of the congregation will I sing Thy praise" (Hebrews 2.12)must have removed the scales from the eyes of many devout Jews, as they saw the dispensational change that had taken place in their time. Such scriptures, touched by the living fire of the Holy Spirit, would glow with light in the hearts of those that believed. They would be like the story of the brazen serpent which the Lord used to explain to Nicodemus the new birth, and how a new life is obtained through believing. Of this we often sing, of there being life in a look, as with the serpent so with the Lord (John 3.14, 15).

God said that He would scatter Israel (Deuteronomy 32.26), and He would have made their remembrance to cease among men but He feared the provocation of the enemy, for His adversaries would have said that their hand had done it. Thus it is that before Moses ends his song he writes of the glorious days of the Millennium, when the Gentile nations will rejoice with the people of Israel. He will avenge the blood of His servants and will make expiation for His land, for His people. The story of Israel in the song and in their history is a sad one, but it will have a glorious end, but in divine purpose the Church, the Bride of the Lamb, will eternally have a place of priority and nearness above Israel.

J. Miller | Aug 1964
Jottings