The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/deuteronomy/32.htm

The Song of Moses, and yes, this chapter is very poetic and very understandable. I’m not a smart man, so some of the language in the Bible is hard for me to grasp. Ernest Hemingway, the great author, once pined that the Book of Job was the greatest literary work of all time, and I agree, so great that it is difficult for me to understand. I’m not a reader of “War and Peace”, “Of Mice and Men”, and other works like that. I’m comfortable to admitting, they are over my head. Not that I couldn’t understand them if I tried, I just find other things to devote my time to more important. But this chapter, is pleasing to the ear and well worth the read.

Here are some points:
3For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
4He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

The Lord is our Rock, no matter what troubles we have in life, we can always turn to the Lord in prayer for comfort, and guidance, and peace. The majority of us had wonderful fathers; there are many “daddy girls and boys” out there that, when faced with a dilemma, run back to daddy for comfort, to help them with a problem, to help them out of a problem. God is greater, we can always run back to Him for help and even best, stay with Him throughout our lives and have a daily relationship with Him.

God is just, he shows no favor regardless of your financial or social status. Jesus, much to the dismay of the Pharisees, sat and ate dinner with the tax collectors and prostitutes. We are all God’s children. We all descended from Adam and Eve, we are His creation.

Moses then talks about the pagans, those who have turned from God. Those that totally ignore God, taking credit for their own social and economical status. These are the people occupying the land of Canaan, those who worship other gods and sacrifice children, those who are morally corrupt. And God isn’t just destroying them because they are evil, He has given them chances to repent. They also descended from Noah. They were taught about God and the importance of following God, but they were rebellious and turned away from God, just like the many today who are doing the exact same thing. God is instructing the children of Israel to push them out of the land, but if they resist and rebel, then they must be eradicated. Sin must be stopped, we cannot allow the slaughter of our children. Yes, God gives us freewill, but if our own will is to sin and separate ourselves from God, and refuse to turn back, we will perish from that separation. Design makes us rely on our Creator, and turning away from our Creator leads to self-destruction, no different than a young child running away from home and turning their back on their parents; they simply do not have the tools to survive on their own, and we don’t have the tools to survive without God.

In verse 15, the word Jeshurun is a Hebrew poetic name for Israel (I had to look it up myself), and Moses talks about how the children of Israel rebelled against the God that had saved them and provided for them.

God talks about being a “jealous” God. What do we think of when we think of “jealousy”? We think about someone who is envious, who suspicious, who feels slighted. And that is why it is important that we research every word if necessary, but we all have preconceived notions. Merriam defines “Jealous” as, “intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness, disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness, vigilant in guarding a possession“.

We work hard to raise our children to be safe, and healthy, and smart, and kind good citizens. If we see them stray, do we not try to guard them. Are we not “intolerant” of rivalry against us? If our children suddenly die their hair black, start wearing black lipstick and getting numerous piercings, wearing chains and leather, and their grades fall, do we not suspect they have started to run with the wrong crowd? Do we allow that, or do we not try to correct that? No difference. God wants what is best for His children, and when He sees us going astray, He tries to correct that. So if God is “intolerant” of the pagans who try to draw us away from Good (yes, good, because God is Good), if God is “vigilant” in protecting us, then I guess He is a jealous God, not because we are His possession, but rather we are His children who He loves and wants to protect.

The chapter is too lengthy for me to share my thoughts verse by verse, but I urge you to study this song, verse by verse, if necessary, and look at each verse in two lights. Yes, you can take the words of Moses literally as we perceive them, or we can look at the definitions, and we can admit there are two different perspectives.

Plus, and this is not accepted by “The Church, Inc” who, like the Pharisees, take every word literally, we can accept that these words are the Words of Moses, not God. I know, every word in the Bible is inspired, “according to man”. But what if it isn’t? Moses is writing his own story, is he not? I’m sorry, but the majority of the Bible has been interpreted by man, taught by man, and men have told us what to think about it. We need to have discernment over what is actually in the Bible, keep an open mind, forget what we’ve been taught, and examine each chapter with consideration to the era in which it occurred and the mental framework of the author. Again, “if you read the Bible and God does not come out smelling like a rose, read it again.” Our God, our Father, is a loving and merciful God who is exactly like the Jesus that walked on this earth. If Jesus wasn’t a “jealous, angry, wrathful” person, why would God be? (“If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father”).

The chapter ends with God telling Moses that his days are short, and to go to the top of Mount Nebo in the land of Moab (which I believe is modern day Jordan), and to see the land of Canaan, the promised land and again, because of Moses’ sin, he is not allowed to enter. And God tells Moses that he will die on top of Nebo.

There are two more chapters of Deuteronomy, then the Torah comes to an end.

God bless you all. I pray you achieve understanding of the Bible, I pray the Spirit be with you as you study.

Amen.