Provocation

For Month 4, question 13, Let’s rephrase the part of the question about the heart of Moses. Let’s notice that God asked Moses to write this song in chapter 31, verses 19-21 and that this song, written by Moses, was to be a testimony against Israel when they would later encounter evils and troubles because of faithlessness and rebellion. Moses was called on to write this even as Moses knew his life was ending in a way that was utterly disappointing, personally, for himself. This song was among the last of the words of God given to the people of Israel through Moses. We know, also from chapter 34, verse 7 that Moses was not weak and sickly when he died. He COULD have lived on to see the promised land, had he not failed to sanctify God at the waters of Meribah (32:51) when the children of Israel clearly had provoked Moses by their rebellion (Numbers 20:10). Now look at Deuteronomy 32: 1-19. Notice that Moses, in these first 19 verses, is talking through inspiration ABOUT God and his disappointment with a rebellious people. (God doesn’t start speaking, in the song, until verse 20.) With all of this in mind, look at chapter 31:24-30 and describe what was in the heart of Moses as he got ready to die. As we describe his heart, let’s be painfully aware that rebellion, on the part of the people was the burden Moses was carrying to his grave. It was the factor that had tempted him to sin at Meribah. It was behind the sin that kept him from entering Canaan. Let’s also be thankfully aware that he was going to a place where all frustration and provocation by a rebellious people was gloriously absent. When we meet Moses next on the mount of transfiguration in Matthew 17, he was talking to the One who is victorious over all enemies who would rebel (Acts 2: 32-36). Finally, notice the words of another song– the joint song of Moses and this victorious Lamb in Revelation 15:3,4. Putting all of these passages together, in your own words, describe how you believe Moses was feeling as he penned the song in Deuteronomy 32. This is a thought question and all of our answers will be different, but we surely get a flavor of his frustration from the words of the song that are contained in verses 16-19 of Deuteronomy 32.