Deuteronomy 32:1-18
Israel's Position and Apostasy... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel's Position and Apostasy... [ Continue Reading ]
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth! Heaven and earth are not only called upon as witnesses in the event of Israel's future apostasy, but they are concerned also inasmuch as God's faithfulness and righteousness are revealed in heaven and in earth, the e... [ Continue Reading ]
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, the gentle and persistent rain which brings forth fruit in abundance; MY SPEECH SHALL DISTIL, gently flow, AS THE DEW, AS THE SMALL RAIN, mild showers, UPON THE TENDER HERB, as it breaks forth from the buds in the spring, AND AS THE SHOWERS UPON THE GRASS, upon th... [ Continue Reading ]
Because I will publish the name of the Lord, proclaim, preach of His name; ASCRIBE YE GREATNESS UNTO OUR GOD; in their entire life, in words and deeds, they were to show that they acknowledged His exalted nature, His glory as Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
He is the Rock, the unchangeable, unshakable Refuge, Protection, and Security for the forsaken and for all those that believe in Him; HIS WORK IS PERFECT, without a single defect; FOR ALL HIS WAYS, His manner of dealing with men in the world, ARE JUDGMENT, in perfect agreement with justice; A GOD OF... [ Continue Reading ]
They have corrupted themselves, namely, in the various apostasies and rebellions charged against them since the days of Sinai; THEIR SPOT IS NOT THE SPOT OF HIS CHILDREN, literally, "not His children, but their blemish," that is, all the rebellious people did not really belong to the children of Jeh... [ Continue Reading ]
Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Instead of showing their appreciation of God's kindness and mercy by worshiping Him and clinging to Him, they showed themselves an arrogant people, devoid of all real understanding. IS NOT HE THY FATHER THAT HATH BOUGHT THEE, acquiring them a... [ Continue Reading ]
Remember the days of old, the period of the Egyptian bondage and beyond, CONSIDER THE YEARS OF MANY GENERATIONS, the experiences which one generation after the other had had under the guidance of Jehovah; ASK THY FATHER, AND HE WILL SHOW THEE; THY ELDERS, AND THEY WILL TELL THEE, they were in a posi... [ Continue Reading ]
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. From the very beginning it was a work of God's providence, of His government of the earth, to give to each tribe and nat... [ Continue Reading ]
For the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob is the lot, the surveyed land, the possession, OF HIS INHERITANCE. In this people, therefore, He took a special interest, to it He gave countless proofs of His fatherly love and care.... [ Continue Reading ]
He found him in a desert land, in a most helpless and disconsolate position, AND IN THE WASTE, HOWLING WILDERNESS, where only the dismal and terrifying cry of wild animals could be heard, all of which is added to emphasize the position of Israel at that time. HE LED HIM ABOUT, He compassed him with... [ Continue Reading ]
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, in encouraging the young to make an attempt at flying, FLUTTERETH OVER HER YOUNG, ready to save the weak and helpless, whose wings are not yet fully grown, from a bad fall, SPREADETH ABROAD HER WINGS, TAKETH THEM, BEARETH THEM ON HER WINGS,... [ Continue Reading ]
so the Lord alone did lead him, the people of Israel, AND THERE WAS NO STRANGE GOD WITH HIM. Jehovah being their only Helper and Stay, the children of Israel were under obligation to serve Him alone as God. It is a remarkable picture showing the loving care of Jehovah in leading the people forward t... [ Continue Reading ]
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, as the victorious conquerors of the land, THAT HE MIGHT EAT THE INCREASE OF THE FIELDS, the rich products, all the wealth of the fruitful land; AND HE MADE HIM TO SUCK HONEY OUT OF THE ROCK, AND OIL OUT OF THE FLINTY ROCK, an expressive description o... [ Continue Reading ]
butter of kine, including all the products gained from milk, AND MILK OF SHEEP, WITH FAT OF LAMBS, AND RAMS OF THE BREED OF BASHAN, noted for their excellence in every respect, AND GOATS, WITH THE FAT OF KIDNEYS OF WHEAT, figurative for the finest and most nourishing grain; AND THOU DIDST DRINK THE... [ Continue Reading ]
But Jeshurun, the people of righteousness, as they are called to remind them of God's loving and honoring plans for their permanent advancement as the just and righteous among the nations of the world, WAXED FAT, AND KICKED, like an ox that is fed too well, like a horse that feels his oats, Isaiah 1... [ Continue Reading ]
They sacrificed unto devils, to demons, to wasters or destroyers, for thus the evil and harmful character of the heathen deities was often indicated; TO GODS WHOM THEY KNEW NOT, who neither by benefit nor by blessing had manifested themselves as true gods, TO NEW GODS THAT CAME NEWLY UP, but recentl... [ Continue Reading ]
of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. They had shown themselves coolly neglectful against Him whose care had partaken of the love of both father and mother toward them. They were thus unnatural children, an evil and perverse generation, a warning to... [ Continue Reading ]
And when the Lord saw it, by the testimony of His own personal observation, HE ABHORRED THEM, He rejected them with a feeling of bitterness, BECAUSE OF THE PROVOKING, the vexation, the grief, OF HIS SONS AND OF HIS DAUGHTERS. The behavior of the children of Israel caused the Lord to plan their rejec... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah's Sentence and its Execution... [ Continue Reading ]
And He said, I will hide My face from them, withdraw His mercy, be inaccessible to all their pleading for mercy. I WILL SEE WHAT THEIR END SHALL BE, for their apostasy was bound to bring them everlasting destruction; FOR THEY ARE A VERY FROWARD GENERATION, perverse, wicked, CHILDREN IN WHOM IS NO FA... [ Continue Reading ]
They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God, by turning and clinging to idols of men's imagination; THEY HAVE PROVOKED ME TO ANGER WITH THEIR VANITIES, literally, "their nothingnesses," Leviticus 19:4; AND I WILL MOVE THEM TO JEALOUSY WITH THOSE WHICH ARE NOT A PEOPLE, by turning in me... [ Continue Reading ]
For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains; for the judgment of God, as realized in the course of the centuries, not only upon Israel, but upon all those that rejected Him,... [ Continue Reading ]
I will heap mischiefs upon them, evils of every kind; I WILL SEND MINE ARROWS UPON THEM, use them up in bringing retribution upon them.... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall be burned with hunger, become thin for lack of food, AND DEVOURED WITH BURNING HEAT, with a consuming pestilence, AND WITH BITTER DESTRUCTION, an infectious epidemic; I WILL ALSO SEND THE TEETH OF BEASTS UPON THEM, raging beasts of prey, WITH THE POISON OF SERPENTS OF THE DUST. Cf Levitic... [ Continue Reading ]
The sword without and terror within, on account of the utter helplessness and the terrible fate which would await them in the hands of the victorious and cruel enemy, SHALL DESTROY BOTH THE YOUNG MAN AND THE VIRGIN, cutting them off in the bloom of their youth, THE SUCKLING ALSO WITH THE MAN OF GRAY... [ Continue Reading ]
I said I would scatter them into corners, blow them away, exterminate them, I WOULD MAKE THE REMEMBRANCE OF THEM TO CEASE FROM AMONG MEN;... [ Continue Reading ]
were it not that I feared the wrath of, that is, over, THE ENEMY, LEST THEIR ADVERSARIES SHOULD BEHAVE THEMSELVES STRANGELY, misunderstanding or ignoring the fact that Jehovah's interference and not their power had destroyed Israel, AND LEST THEY SHOULD SAY, OUR HAND IS HIGH, has shown itself mighty... [ Continue Reading ]
For they, Israel, ARE A NATION VOID OF COUNSEL, NEITHER IS THERE ANY UNDERSTANDING IN THEM; they were utterly lacking in spiritual insight and wisdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! Complete destruction is their inevitable lot if Jehovah for His name's sake does not turn away His wrath.... [ Continue Reading ]
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? If they would only cling to Jehovah, the Rock of their salvation, then it would be a small matter for them to overthrow all their enemies; but now their apostasy would... [ Continue Reading ]
For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. The heathen themselves were obliged to confess that the gods in whom they put their trust could not really be compared with Jehovah, the true God.... [ Continue Reading ]
For their vine, that upon which Israel was placing its trust, IS THE VINE OF SODOM AND OF THE FIELDS OF GOMORRAH, Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 3-9; Jeremiah 23:14; THEIR GRAPES ARE GRAPES OF GALL, on account of the bitterness of their transgressions, THEIR CLUSTERS ARE BITTER;... [ Continue Reading ]
their wine is the poison of dragons, of serpents, AND THE CRUEL VENOM OF ASPS, of a very poisonous, deadly snake. Thus the vine and its fruits are a picture of the people and of its works. Cf Isaiah 5:2. In this entire section the punishment upon Sodom is suggested, as the formal announcement of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Is not this laid up in store with Me, both the sins of the people and the judgments of God, AND SEALED UP AMONG MY TREASURES? The registers of guilt were still secret, but would be opened in due time.... [ Continue Reading ]
To Me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time, at that time, when the foot would begin to be uncertain, when their fall would be imminent, then God would prove Himself the avenger, the rewarder, then the secrets with regard to their punishment, which He had kept hidden... [ Continue Reading ]
For the Lord shall judge His people, and repent Himself for (comfort) HIS SERVANTS, by punishing those who are only outward members of His people, and by saving those who are found true worshipers of Jehovah, WHEN HE SEETH THAT THEIR POWER IS GONE, when all the earthly props of Israel's power upon w... [ Continue Reading ]
And He shall say, when He has thus brought punishment upon His people and avenged Himself upon His enemies in their midst, WHERE ARE THEIR GODS, THEIR ROCK IN WHOM THEY TRUSTED,... [ Continue Reading ]
which, namely, the idols of the false Israelites, DID EAT THE FAT OF THEIR SACRIFICES, accepting what the foolish Israelites consecrated to them, AND DRANK THE WINE OF THEIR DRINK-OFFERINGS? LET THEM RISE UP AND HELP YOU, AND BE YOUR PROTECTION. Thus the helplessness and vanity of the idols are brou... [ Continue Reading ]
See now, by contemplating the fate which struck the foolish idolaters, THAT I, EVEN I, AM HE, AND THERE IS NO GOD WITH ME; Jehovah alone is the true God. I KILL, AND I MAKE ALIVE; I WOUND, AND I HEAL; NEITHER IS THERE ANY THAT CAN DELIVER OUT OF MY HAND. To Him, as the almighty God, pertains the abs... [ Continue Reading ]
For I lift up My hand to heaven, in the gesture of one swearing a solemn oath, AND SAY, I LIVE FOREVER.... [ Continue Reading ]
if I whet My glittering sword, in the capacity of champion of His people, AND MINE HAND TAKE HOLD ON JUDGMENT, namely, for the purpose of carrying it out, I WILL RENDER VENGEANCE TO MINE ENEMIES, AND WILL REWARD THEM THAT HATE ME, punish all the godless, not only among the heathen, but also among th... [ Continue Reading ]
I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, a very strong figure denoting the complete overthrow of the enemies; AND THAT WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SLAIN AND OF THE CAPTIVES, FROM THE BEGINNING OF REVENGES UPON THE ENEMY, literally, "from the unbarbered head of the enemy,... [ Continue Reading ]
Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people, since all men are included in God's love; FOR HE WILL AVENGE THE BLOOD OF HIS SERVANTS, AND WILL RENDER VENGEANCE TO HIS ADVERSARIES, AND WILL BE MERCIFUL UNTO HIS LAND AND TO HIS PEOPLE. By the punishment of the bold offenders and by the extirpation of idolat... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, Deuteronomy 31:22, HE AND HOSHEA, THE SON OF NUN, for so Joshua, who probably wrote this account, modestly calls himself. He assisted Moses, and Israel could see that the two were in entire accord.... [ Continue Reading ]
Conclusion of Moses Address the Lord's Command to Him... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel, his entire proclamation herewith came to an end;... [ Continue Reading ]
and he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, through which I lay down my testimony, WHICH YE SHALL COMMAND YOUR CHILDREN TO OBSERVE TO DO, ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW. Note that the obligation to impart the instruction of the Law to the children is here... [ Continue Reading ]
For it is not a vain thing for you, an empty, meaningless proclamation; BECAUSE IT IS YOUR LIFE, Deuteronomy 30-20; AND THROUGH THIS THING YE SHALL PROLONG YOUR DAYS IN THE LAND WHITHER YE GO OVER JORDAN TO POSSESS IT. The promise of temporal blessings is again included, but in a manner which points... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,... [ Continue Reading ]
Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, the range which runs parallel with the Jordan and the Dead Sea, UNTO MOUNT NEBO, the highest peak of the range, WHICH IS IN THE LAND OF MOAB, THAT IS OVER AGAINST JERICHO; AND BEHOLD THE LAND OF CANAAN WHICH I GIVE UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOR A POSSESSION;... [ Continue Reading ]
and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, an expression which implies the immortality of the soul: AS AARON, THY BROTHER, DIED IN MOUNT HOR, AND WAS GATHERED UNTO HIS PEOPLE, Numbers 20:28;... [ Continue Reading ]
because ye trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, Numbers 20:11; BECAUSE YE SANCTIFIED ME NOT IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Their rebellion had consisted in their expressing a doubt of the Lord's willingness to give wat... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet thou shalt see the land before thee, namely, from the top of Mount Nebo, where, on a clear day, a view of practically the entire country of Canaan may be obtained; BUT THOU SHALT NOT GO THITHER UNTO THE LAND WHICH I GIVE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Thus the Lord visits the transgressions of His chil... [ Continue Reading ]