THESE WORDS ARE YOUR LIFE

Passage: Deuteronomy 32:15-47

Key verse: 47

NIV

15 Jeshurun[a](A) grew fat(B) and kicked;
    filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(C) the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock(D) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(E) with their foreign gods
    and angered(F) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(G) to false gods,(H) which are not God—
    gods they had not known,(I)
    gods that recently appeared,(J)
    gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot(K) the God who gave you birth.

19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(L)
    because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(M)
20 “I will hide my face(N) from them,” he said,
    “and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(O)
    children who are unfaithful.(P)
21 They made me jealous(Q) by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.(R)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(S)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(T)
    one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(U)
It will devour(V) the earth and its harvests(W)
    and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(X)

23 “I will heap calamities(Y) on them
    and spend my arrows(Z) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(AA) against them,
    consuming pestilence(AB) and deadly plague;(AC)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(AD)
    the venom of vipers(AE) that glide in the dust.(AF)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
    in their homes terror(AG) will reign.(AH)
The young men and young women will perish,
    the infants and those with gray hair.(AI)
26 I said I would scatter(AJ) them
    and erase their name from human memory,(AK)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
    lest the adversary misunderstand(AL)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
    the Lord has not done all this.’”(AM)

28 They are a nation without sense,
    there is no discernment(AN) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(AO)
    and discern what their end will be!(AP)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
    or two put ten thousand to flight,(AQ)
unless their Rock had sold them,(AR)
    unless the Lord had given them up?(AS)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(AT)
    as even our enemies concede.(AU)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(AV)
    and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(AW)
    and their clusters with bitterness.(AX)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
    the deadly poison of cobras.(AY)

34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
    and sealed it in my vaults?(AZ)
35 It is mine to avenge;(BA) I will repay.(BB)
    In due time their foot will slip;(BC)
their day of disaster is near
    and their doom rushes upon them.(BD)”

36 The Lord will vindicate his people(BE)
    and relent(BF) concerning his servants(BG)
when he sees their strength is gone
    and no one is left, slave(BH) or free.[b]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
    the rock they took refuge in,(BI)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(BJ)
Let them rise up to help you!
    Let them give you shelter!

39 “See now that I myself am he!(BK)
    There is no god besides me.(BL)
I put to death(BM) and I bring to life,(BN)
    I have wounded and I will heal,(BO)
    and no one can deliver out of my hand.(BP)
40 I lift my hand(BQ) to heaven and solemnly swear:
    As surely as I live forever,(BR)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(BS)
    and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(BT) on my adversaries
    and repay those who hate me.(BU)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(BV)
    while my sword devours flesh:(BW)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
    the heads of the enemy leaders.”

43 Rejoice,(BX) you nations, with his people,[c][d]
    for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(BY)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(BZ)
    and make atonement for his land and people.(CA)

44 Moses came with Joshua[e](CB) son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,(CC) so that you may command(CD) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(CE) By them you will live long(CF) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

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Footnotes
  1. Deuteronomy 32:15 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
  2. Deuteronomy 32:36 Or and they are without a ruler or leader
  3. Deuteronomy 32:43 Or Make his people rejoice, you nations
  4. Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, / and let all the angels worship him, /
  5. Deuteronomy 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

15 “But (A)Jeshurun grew fat, and (B)kicked;
    (C)you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
(D)then he forsook God (E)who made him
    and scoffed at (F)the Rock of his salvation.
16 (G)They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
    with abominations they provoked him to anger.
17 (H)They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
    to gods they had never known,
to (I)new gods that had come recently,
    whom your fathers had never dreaded.
18 You were unmindful of (J)the Rock that bore[a] you,
    and you (K)forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 (L)“The Lord saw it and spurned them,
    because of the provocation of (M)his sons and his daughters.
20 And he said, (N)‘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.
21 (O)They have made me jealous with what is no god;
    they have provoked me to anger (P)with their idols.
So (Q)I will make them jealous with those who are no people;
    I will provoke them to anger with (R)a foolish nation.
22 For (S)a fire is kindled by my anger,
    and it burns to (T)the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
    and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 “‘And I will heap disasters upon them;
    (U)I will spend my arrows on them;
24 they shall be wasted with hunger,
    and devoured by plague
    and poisonous pestilence;
I will send (V)the teeth of beasts against them,
    with the venom of (W)things that crawl in the dust.
25 (X)Outdoors the sword shall bereave,
    and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike,
    the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 (Y)I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;
    (Z)I will wipe them from human memory,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
    lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, (AA)“Our hand is triumphant,
    it was not the Lord who did all this.”’

28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
    and there is (AB)no understanding in them.
29 (AC)If they were wise, they would understand this;
    they would (AD)discern their latter end!
30 How could (AE)one have chased a thousand,
    and two have put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock (AF)had sold them,
    and the Lord had given them up?
31 For (AG)their rock is not as our Rock;
    (AH)our enemies are by themselves.
32 For their vine (AI)comes from the vine of Sodom
    and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of (AJ)poison;
    their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of (AK)serpents
    and the cruel venom of asps.

34 “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,
    (AL)sealed up in my treasuries?
35 (AM)Vengeance is mine, and recompense,[b]
    (AN)for the time when their foot shall slip;
for (AO)the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For (AP)the Lord will vindicate[c] his people
    (AQ)and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
    and there is none remaining, (AR)bond or free.
37 Then he will say, (AS)‘Where are their gods,
    (AT)the rock in which they took refuge,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
    let them be your protection!

39 “‘See now that (AU)I, even I, am he,
    and there is no god beside me;
(AV)I kill and I make alive;
    (AW)I wound and I heal;
    and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
40 For (AX)I lift up my hand to heaven
    and swear, As I live forever,
41 if I (AY)sharpen my flashing sword[d]
    and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
    and will repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
    and (AZ)my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
    from the (BA)long-haired heads of the enemy.’

43 (BB)“Rejoice with him, O heavens;[e]
    bow down to him, all gods,[f]
for he (BC)avenges the blood of his children[g]
    and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him[h]
    and cleanses[i] his people's land.”[j]

44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and (BD)Joshua[k] the son of Nun. 45 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, (BE)“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, (BF)that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, (BG)but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

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Footnotes
  1. Deuteronomy 32:18 Or fathered
  2. Deuteronomy 32:35 Septuagint and I will repay
  3. Deuteronomy 32:36 Septuagint judge
  4. Deuteronomy 32:41 Hebrew the lightning of my sword
  5. Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text Rejoice his people, O nations
  6. Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text lacks bow down to him, all gods
  7. Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text servants
  8. Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks He repays those who hate him
  9. Deuteronomy 32:43 Or atones for
  10. Deuteronomy 32:43 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew his land his people
  11. Deuteronomy 32:44 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Hoshea
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. When Jeshurun rejects God (15-25)

Jeshurun was God's pet name for Israel. Ironically, it means 'the upright one.' When God's people give their hearts to idols that are not gods at all, then God will pour his love and grace on people who are no people. This promise looks forward to God's saving grace poured out on the Gentiles (Ro 1

:19). God hoped that his people Israel would become jealous and return to him. When God's great love for his people is rejected, his love turns to wrath; he punishes those he loves in order to lead them to repentance.

2. I have wounded and I will heal (26-47)

God's dilemma is that the wicked nations don't know that they are only instruments in God's hand to punish his people. Their arrogance is groundless. But someday they will know, for he will judge the wicked nations and take vengeance on his enemies. He will make atonement for his land and his people. He wounds his own people so that they will repent and be healed. God wounds so that he may heal; he puts to death so that he may bring to life (39).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your tough love; help me to repent before your word daily.

One Word: These are not idle words (47)