Song of Moses - Part VII - God's Payback Time & Vindication -- Deuteronomy 32:34-43
In this passage, verses 34-44 of the Song, God speaks directly. The passage ultimately covers the vindication of God by God. It is addressed to the Israelites, even though at times it sounds like God is referring to the enemies of Israel (e.g. in verse 43). And indirectly, He may be -- because whether one is an Israelite idolater, or a heathen idolater, he is still an enemy of God's.
34. God tells us He is indeed "storing" up all these things -- His anger, His revenge. How long will he store them up? How much more godless could Israel have gotten in those days? How much more godless can we become today? We do not know the limits of God, but I assure you that from passages like these we know that He too has limits when it comes to this.
It is interesting that the text says these things are "sealed up in [His] treasuries". The NET Bible says "in [His] storehouses".
35. God says "vengeance is Mine". Period. There will come a time when Israel (and thus us) will slip so far that our calamity will be at hand. It is at this time that the things He has stored up for that time (His anger, His revenge), things He has prepared, will start coming at the Israelites (and thus us). The NLT and the NET says "I will pay them back."
On these two verses (34 and 35), Matthew Henry writes:
[God shows] displeasure against their wickedness, which he takes notice of, and keeps an account of, v. 34, 35. "Is not this implacable fury of theirs against Israel laid up in store with me, to be reckoned for hereafter, when it shall be made to appear [or made clear] that to me belongs vengeance?' Some understand it of the sin of Israel, especially their persecuting the prophets, which was laid up in store against them from the blood of righteous Abel, Mt. 23:35. However it teaches us that the wickedness of the wicked is all laid up in store with God.
On verse 35, Chuck Smith adds this most interesting account:
It was a very powerful sermon, one of the most classic sermons in the history of the church, I guess. Jonathan Edwards was nearsighted; he had written out the sermon and he read it holding it up close so that he could see it. And as he was reading this sermon to the congregation, the power of the Holy Spirit began to convict people so greatly that they began to crawl down the aisle, screaming out to God for mercy. You want to read something really chilling sometime read "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. Oh, what a servant. It's really heavy duty. This is the text for that sermon.
36. But we are then provided with this verse, that says God will judge His people, and then He will have compassion on them, or change His mind about destroying them, when He sees that their strength is totally gone, and they have all but disappeared, either free men or in captivity. It is hard to fully understand what is meant here. Matthew Henry again tries to help us out:
He will [judge] in compassion to his own people, who, though they had greatly provoked him, yet stood in relation to him, and their misery appealed to his mercy (v. 36): The Lord shall judge his people,. that is, judge for them against their enemies, plead their cause, and break the yoke of oppression under which they had long groaned, repenting himself for his servants; not changing his mind, but changing his way, and fighting for them, as he had fought against them, when he sees that their power is gone. This plainly points at the deliverances God wrought for Israel by the judges out of the hands of those to whom he had sold them for their sins (see Jdg. 2:11-18), and how his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel (Jdg. 10:16), and this when they were reduced to the last extremity. God helped them when they could not help themselves; for there was none shut up or left; that is, none that dwelt either in cities or walled towns, in which they were shut up, nor any that dwelt in scattered houses in the country, in which they were left at a distance from neighbours. Note, God's time to appear for the deliverance of his people is when things are at the worst with them. God tries his people's faith, and stirs up prayer, by letting things go to the worst, and then magnifies his own power, and fills the faces of his enemies with shame and the hearts of his people with so much the greater joy, by rescuing them out of extremity as brands out of the burning.
37-38. Then back to chiding or scolding them via a means of ridicule, asking, "Where are their gods? Where is their rock of refuge? Who ate the sacrifices they offered? Let them rise up (since they're dead) to help you (God is talking directly to the Israelites and thus to us here). Hide in them," He mockingly advises. And He alone is the one that can mock as the next two verses suggest.
39-40. God then speaks again of Who He is. There is no one beside Him. He gives life and He takes life. He wounds and He heals. No one can save anyone from His hand. He lives forever. Henry says He does this by way of an oath: "The divine sentence is ratified with an oath (v. 40): He lifts up his hand to heaven, the habitation of his holiness; this was an ancient and very significant sign used in swearing, Gen. 14:22. And, since he could swear by no greater, he swears by himself and his own life." God will indeed get His revenge as He explains in the next two verses.
41-42. In these two verses, God switches to what He can or would do. If He sharpens His sword and if His hand pursues justice, He will render vengeance on His enemies and will repay those who hate Him. His arrows will be drunk with blood and His sword will devour flesh. The NET says the Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (saneʾ, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures.
If there is anything we see in the world today, especially among many liberal and progressive leaders, is the fact they unequivocally hate God, often by hating everything that God stands for. God say when the time is right, He will sharpen His sword and get His vengeance, repaying those that hate Him. And that's the bad news these leaders do not want to hear from Christians. And that's why they would prefer that we either shut up or be eliminated one way or another. And folks when we shut up, the Enemy loves it. God's Adversary is inching forward when we do that.
But as these verses tell us the ultimate revenge by God will be a terrible execution of justice. I want no part of it.
43. Then Moses enters the Song again and is basically encouraging the Israelites (and us) that as God's people we can indeed rejoice. God will avenge us who remain true to Him. He will take revenge out on 'our' enemies and they will 'atone' for what they have done to His land and His people. (The NLT says, "He will cleanse the land for His people.)
Henry says, "in God's Israel there is a remnant whose end will be peace." Amen.
A judgment day is coming for us all. May I suggest you get to know the Judge now, as well your Advocate.
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