Parasha Ha’azinu Chavurah Shalom Saturday 9/15/18

This Parasha is the Song of , called the Shirat Ha’azinu (Song of ‘Give Ear’) taken from the first words of the poem, and "Give Ear" is the meaning of Ha'azinu. Deuteronomy 31:19 reveals that ADONAI is the source of this song. This song was given to Israel as a legal witness, a part of the covenant relation with His People. It was a warning of the consequences of rebellion, a call to faithfulness, and a testimony to God’s faithfulness to the Covenant, either bad or good. Moshe wrote this song the same day he finished the Scroll of the Torah, the same day on which he was to die. This is Hebrew poetry, and even critical scholars agree that this is one of the oldest poems/songs we have. Hebrew poetry is built on parallelism, so that the first line is explained, expanded as it is duplicated in the second line. When a word in one line is obscure, its parallel line helps to define it. The song embraces the whole of the future history of Israel, and bears all the marks of a prophetic testimony from the mouth of Moses, in the perfectly ideal picture which it draws, on the one hand, of the benefits and blessings conferred by the Lord upon His people; and on the other hand, of the ingratitude with which Israel repaid its God for them all. “This song, soaring as it does to the loftiest heights, moving amidst the richest abundance of pictures of both present and future, with its concise, compressed, and pictorial style, rough, penetrating, and sharp, but full of the holiest solemnity, a witness against the disobedient nation, a celebration of the covenant God, sets before us in miniature a picture of the whole life and conduct of the great man of God, whose office it pre- eminently was to preach condemnation” (O. v. Gerlach ).--Keil & Delitzsch. No text within Deuteronomy has received more attention through the years than the Song of Moses (32:1–43), from ancient scribes who copied it to modern critical scholars who ponder its structure and meaning. The text is hauntingly beautiful, even in translation; and it touches on familiar themes found elsewhere throughout the whole Hebrew Bible. Talmudic rules require that two songs in the Pentateuch (Exod 15; Deut 32) be written in a distinctive manner (b. Meg. 16b). Up to this point in L, the text is in three narrow columns of twenty-seven lines each per page—until we reach the , “these words,” in 31:28, which mirror the opening words ofהדברים האלה words , “these are the words.” On the next page of theאלה הדברים ,the book in 1:1

- 1 - codex, the first six lines extend across the full width of the page with numerous spaces and large dots between the words of 31:28c–30. A large space follows, separating this introduction from the text of the Song of Moses in 32:1–43, which follows in two columns, as stipulated by the Talmud, for twenty more lines on that page and seventeen on the next page, a total of thirty-seven lines. A smaller space separates the poem from the text of 32:52a, ending with the word .the land,” so as to make twenty-seven lines of Hebrew text on each page“ ,הארץ The following page resumes the standard three narrow columns of Hebrew text per page to the end of the book. Such special treatment is anticipated in the Scrolls containing Deut 32, though in different ways (see Tov, “Special Layouts”).--Word Biblical Commentary, p. 785. With this brief introduction, let us now dive on into this song. Deuteronomy 32:1-3 “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 “Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb. 3 “For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God! Vv. 1-3 The poem opens calling upon Heaven and Earth to bear witness and give testimony to the words of this song. This has a double connotation. For the eyewitnesses had to be first in carrying out the punishment of the wicked and cast the first stone. In this case, the heavens would withhold the rain, and the earth the produce, just as ADONAI had promised in the Shema. This expression "Give Ear," and Shema, "Hear," is common language in the wisdom literature of a teacher addressing his student. Moshe’s words are compared to rain, dew and droplets on fresh grass, for the Torah nourishes and fosters growth. The Torah is refreshing to the Soul. Water is life in this world of the Middle East. That which gives life to the plants and animals, the Mayim Chayim. The Ruach HaKodesh is described in the same kind of language by Yeshua – John 7:37-38 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will

- 2 - flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. There are many passages which give either the one or the other, or the double entendre, the two meanings in one statement. This is a resplendent theme in the Scripture, as our God uses the necessity of water for life in the physical realm as a metaphor for describing the necessity of God for life in the spiritual realm. Ezekiel 47:5 Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Ezekiel 47:9 “And it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there, and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Ezekiel 47:12 “And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who

- 3 - hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Thus the calling upon the heavens as the source of water, and understanding the water to be the source of life, has a double connotation – the life on this earth, so dependent as it is upon water, and the eternal life, so dependent as it is on the water of the Ruach and the Torah which gives life eternal. The Chofetz Chaim wrote that the heavens represented the Written Torah and the earth, the Oral Torah. The heavens are associated with the rain, the earth with the dew. He noted that the rain can be counted, but the dew has no discrete countable elements. It is also possible to count the elements of the Written Torah – the letters, the words, the mitzvoth, but it is not possible to measure the Oral Torah....claiming that in this world, only the light of the Oral Torah has been revealed; the Written Torah, embodying the Or HaGanuz, the Hidden Light of creation will only be fully revealed with the appearance of Elijah heralding the coming of the Messiah.--The Chumash, p. 204. I have included these words to emphasize the assertion of the rabbinical writings to the Oral Torah. This is an important understanding of the Jewish people of more modern times and their beliefs. It is a false assumption to believe that the Jewish people or their rabbis study and know the Old Testament, the Tanach. What they Study is the commentary of the and the Talmud on the Torah. v. 3 To Proclaim the Name of ADONAI means to declare His qualities, His Attributes – ascribe greatness to our God. Psalm 105:1, Psalm 145. It is from this verse that the Talmud derives the necessity for saying a blessing before studying the Torah, and reciting the blessing after meals when three or more are gathered. Additionally, when His sacred name was uttered in the Temple, those assembled were to respond, Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuto L’olam Vaed, Blessed be the Name of His Glorious Kingdom for All Eternity. Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. This word refers to a cliff or mountain .צּוּר ,v. 4 describes God as “the Rock,” tzur and pictures a rock fortress on high ground in which safety may be found. The word is used 7 times in the poem to describe God. V. 13 says, “and He made him

- 4 - suck honey from the rock and oil from the flinty rock." This is a roundabout way of describing God, and the absolute dependence upon Him in the wilderness wanderings where there was no food, and yet God sustained His people. God is described by the use of this word as the only sure place of protection and provision, the source of life itself. This expression is then further identified with the following terms: This description of God relates to His complete perfection blameless, without any flaws תָּמִ ים – His work is perfect – tamim- מִשְׁפָּת His ways are just – mishpat- He always keeps His word אֶמוּנָה – He is faithful – emunah- iniquity or dishonest עָוֶל – He is never false – avel- יָשָׁר and upright – yashar צָדִּ יק – He is righteous – tzaddik- The use of this word Rock and the ongoing depiction of both God and Yeshua as a Rock or a Stone is very telling. This informs us later with the various uses of God and Yeshua as a Rock. This is then also coupled with the concept of the Bedrock on Mount Moriah as the place of the Temple, the Personal Presence of God on the Earth, the only place in all the World where ADONAI put His Name. Deuteronomy 32:5-9 “They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 “Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. 7 “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you. 8 “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel. 9 “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

- 5 - v. 5 Israel is described in stark contrast to the perfections of the Almighty: they acted corruptly,the worship of the golden calf שִׁחֵת - Corrupt - shicheit- ,acted like non-children לוֹ לֹא בָּ נָיו - loh loh banav ־ to Him not children- physical or moral blemish, the opposite of tamim of God מוּמָם - defect - mumam- the opposite of righteous דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ - corrupt generation - dor iqeish- opposite of upright פְתַ לְ תֹּל - crooked –f’taltol- Rather than acting as "Children of God," or "Children of Israel," they have acted as non-children, and later will be referred to as a "non-people." God creates, nurtures, guides and protects, and expects honor and respect in return. They however, in Canaan, will become the exact opposite. v. 6 is a “How could You?” How could you treat the one who redeemed you, made you and established you in this way? Moshe adds the expressions of "foolish" and "unwise" to the list. This flows into a sketch of Israel’s history. V. 7 is a call to remember the history of the world, and of Israel. This is a call to remember the fall of man, the flood over the earth, the tower of Babel, and in each instance, the lesson to be learned from the obstinacy and rebellion of man. It is also a call to remember they exist as a nation only because God created them. They were dependent upon God for their national existence. Some suggest that God as Father is continued in this verse, so that the people would ask of God in future generations concerning their great history. But this is not the impact of this verse. We are called upon to Remember. That is to rehearse the covenant relationship which calls us to the actions of obedience. The first order of instruction, even today according to the Talmud, is the responsibility of The other .דּוֹר וָ דוֹר ",Abba. This instruction is to be "generation by generation group involved in this ongoing instruction is here listed as the Elders of the nation. V. 8 is understood by the Jewish Sages to refer to the separation of man at the tower of Babel into 70 nations and 70 languages, corresponding to the 70 of Jacob who would go into the captivity of Egypt. They understood that at this point the rest of mankind had refused the call to God’s mission for mankind, and that at this point God selected Israel as the bearers of God’s mission to the world. Deuteronomy 10:22; Exodus 1:1-5. The main point of v. 8 seems to be the exalting of the nation of Israel above the other nations of the world. This was with a missionary purpose, not an exclusive

- 6 - group to flaunt to the other nations. Israel was to be God’s portion on the earth, to represent Him to all mankind, to be the reflection of God, v. 9. Through them God would dwell upon the earth and with all who would come to Him. God gave them a position of privilege, relationship and responsibility. As Elyon, the Most High, he alone was able to do this. While not used exclusively of God, it is an expression of absolute supremacy. This is a title common to poetry. A variant reading is found in one of the Qumran scrolls, the Septuagint, and other texts. In place of “equal to Israel’s numbers” (le-mispar benei yisra'el) these texts read “equal to the number of divine beings," or "sons of God." (le-mispar benei 'elohim). Verses 8–9 would then be translated as follows: When the Most High allotted the nations, and set the divisions of man, He fixed the boundaries [or territories] of peoples Equal to the number of divine beings, And lo, His people became the Lord’s portion, Jacob His own allotment. This means that when God was allotting nations to the divine beings, he made the same number of nations and territories as there were such beings. Verse 9 implies that He then assigned the other nations to those divine beings, and states explicitly that He kept Israel for Himself. This seems to be part of a concept hinted at elsewhere in the Bible and in postbiblical literature. When God organized the government of the world, He established two tiers: at the top, He Himself, “God of gods ('elohei ha-'elohim)) and Lord of lords," Deuteronomy 10:17, who reserved Israel for Himself, to govern personally; below Him, seventy angelic divine beings” (benei 'elohim), to whom He allotted the other peoples. The conception is like that of a king or emperor governing the capital or heartland of his realm personally and assigning the provinces to subordinates.-- JPS Torah Commentary, p. 303. This opens a whole new can of worms – were they all “good angels”? We cannot help but reference Daniel 10:12 -13; Ephesians 6:10-12. Then the follow up question would be, how many nations are there today, and would that mean that there has been an increase in the total number of divine beings? And where did the number 70 come from anyway? Is this to be understood as a literal 70 or is this a theological reference to fullness? We must be reminded that the number 70 is associated with the former translation, meaning an equal number of nations at that time as there were Israelites. Keil & Delitzsch simply relate this to the apportioning of the to Israel

- 7 - according to its numbers, and to the other peoples according to their own fruitfulness and expansion. This description was more to set Israel apart from all the rest to serve God's purpose to reflect Him to the rest of the world. Hegg however, understands the reference "sons of God" to refer not to angelic beings, but rather to Israel. He regards this then as fitting the overall thrust of the Song in which God is seen as Israel's Father, the One who gave her birth, v. 18. V. 9 – In ordering the world, then, God was revealing His choice of Israel as the means of representation of Himself. She was to be “His portion” and “the allotment of His inheritance” in all the world. He has chosen to dwell on the earth among Israel. Deuteronomy 32:10-14 “He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. 11 “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. 12 “The LORD alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with him. 13 “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock, 14 Curds of cows, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs, And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the finest of the wheat — And of the blood of grapes you drank wine. V. 10-14 describe the tender mercies shown to Israel. Lost and wandering in the desert, He rescued her and guided her as the “pupil of the eye,” Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye. The basic reference in Deuteronomy is to the call of Israel unto Sinai.

- 8 - The metaphor of an eagle caring for her young, carrying them on her back, and teaching them to fly is found also Exodus 19:4 and Hosea 11:3. This was a beautiful description of how God carried Israel, providing for them in the desert and wilderness, and in bringing them into the . He was providing for her the very best land, and the very best products, a “land flowing with milk and honey,” Exodus 19:4. Israel had all she needed because ADONAI provided for her in every way. Deuteronomy 32:15 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked — You are grown fat, thick, and sleek — Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. V. 15 - The real test of a man’s character is prosperity. You would think that the privileged people of Israel would respond with gratitude and thanksgiving. Instead, as often happens when people grow fat, they became selfish and "kicked" against God. This is a similar statement to the description of Paul by Yeshua on the road to Damascus, Acts 26:14 “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ A cattle goad was the iron point of the stick by which the cattle are driven by someone from behind. Goads were implements of instruction and direction. They kicked against the direction of God contained in the Torah and proclaimed by the prophets, in this case, Moshe. When people become prosperous they tend to indulge in their lusts and passions. Israel became self absorbed. The name Yeshurun is found only 4 times in the Tanach – Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5, 26; Isaiah 44:2. In every instance the name Yeshurun is in the context of God’s care for Israel and His covenant reltaionship with her. This name is based on the verb yashar, which means, "To be straight, or upright." This highlights the contrast of care vs rebellion. This might be an indication of the original meaning of the name Israel, as it is used in place of Israel at this place. Israel itself might mean "Upright of God." They forgot the Shema. We should recite the Shema at least twice daily, in the morning and before going to sleep at night. Deuteronomy 32:16-18 “They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger.

- 9 - 17 “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread. 18 “You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth. V. 16-18 takes the matter further. They have now turned to idols, giving the honor due only to God to the false gods and idols of the peoples whom they had driven off the land and annihilated. These non-entities are ‘johnny come lately’ and counterfeit in every way. The One True God is eternal, without beginning or end. Israel did two things. They first sought to incorporate some of these other gods into the worship system God had given to them. But what this results in is not a syncretism, but a rejection of the Real God. To Worship God requires a confession of His Essence as the Only One True God. Much of this idolatry resulted in prostitution and sodomy. The result then was that they neglected the Rock which had begotten them, and forgotten the God who gave them birth. Our God is a Rock, a Fortress, One who cannot be moved. The expression denotes the unchangeable power, faithfulness, and love that constitute the secure and immovable foundation on which we build our hopes. The Rock is a source of refuge from human foes, from the burning heat of the sun, and from the destructive storms of life. Our God is not the one who has changed, it is His People Israel who have changed and have gone away from Him. Deuteronomy 32:19-25 “The LORD saw this, and spurned them Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters. 20 “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. 21 ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, 22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol,

- 10 - And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23 ‘I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them. 24 ‘They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, With the venom of crawling things of the dust. 25 ‘Outside the sword will bereave, And inside terror — Both young man and virgin, The nursling with the man of gray hair. Vv. 19-25 describes God’s Wrath. God resolves to punish Israel by withdrawing His protection and exposing it to war and natural disasters, vv. 21–25. The punishment of Israel is emphatically just. Verse 21 shows that Israel is requited measure for measure, that is, its punishments match its sins. Verses 22–30 describe a justified reversal of the benefactions God had conferred on Israel: famine and other disasters undo the blessings conferred in verses 10–14. The general statement is that God will hide his face from them, meaning His protective presence and bountiful provision is removed. She then becomes vulnerable to her enemies, and God becomes a consuming fire. The terms describe both war and pestilence, and the two often go hand in hand. You find: arrows, famine, plague, destruction, fangs, venom, and sword. It was often true that the wild beasts would multiply after times of destructive war. El , אֵ ֤ ל אֱ מ וּ ָ נ ה֙ lo emun, is in contrast to God who is ,לֹא־אֵמֻ֥ן ,The words no loyalty emunah, “a faithful God,” v. 4. v. 21 - God will punish Israel measure for measure, treating it as it treated Him. As Israel incensed Him by favoring non-gods (lo'-'el), futilities (havalim), He will “incense” it by favoring a non-people (lo'-'am), a nation of fools (goy naval), sending it to invade Israel. The poetic justice of the punishment is highlighted by the use of identical verbs, “incense,” and the assonance of the terms describing the sin and punishment.--JPS Torah Commentary, p. 308. The general assessment is that these nations of fools, believing that is was their own prowess, or their own gods that had defeated Israel, failed to acknowledge the

- 11 - God of Israel. They could not conceive that the God of Israel had caused their victory, and that it was God who was delivering His Own People over to them for punishment. V. 30 will say,“How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up? Back in v. 8-9, it seemed that there was such a separation and exclusion as to eliminate the Gentiles from being or becoming a part of Israel. This was likely a key place in the arguments of those Jews who opposed Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, and the Gentile inclusion. Paul however, in Romans 10:19 uses this passage as a reference to the Gentile believers, who coming to God as they were, and taking upon themselves the living out of the Torah, would then provoke the Israelites to jealousy. The Gentiles coming into their synagogues would be seen as a non-people as they had rejected their own culture and yet also rejected the proselyte conversion demanded in Paul’s day. Thus they would no longer be Gentiles and yet not Jews either! Here is where we stand today as Messianics! Paul then goes on in Romans 11:13-14 to again speak of moving the Israelites to jealousy in order that they might be saved. v. 22 Fire is a metaphor for God’s anger, and burning to the bottom of Sheol and to the foundations of the mountains is a picturesque description of its power. This fire burns also to the foundations of the city of Jerusalem, the one founded on the highest hill. Vv.23–25. God resolves to bring all of His destructive forces against Israel. The attack by the enemy in v. 21 will be followed by war’s natural consequences: famine, disease, and wild animals overrunning devastated territory. In verses 23– 24 the disasters are described by seven phrases, a number that expresses their comprehensiveness (compare the lists of seven disasters in 28:22, 27–28). Ibn Ezra notes that the disasters fall into the four categories described by Ezekiel as God’s “four terrible punishments—the sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence,” Ezekiel 14:21.--JPS Torah Commentary, p. 308. Deuteronomy 32:26-35 ‘I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces, I will remove the memory of them from men,” 27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge,

- 12 - That they would say, “Our hand is triumphant, And the LORD has not done all this.”’ 28 “For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them. 29 “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future! 30 “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up? 31 “Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this. 32 “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters, bitter. 33 “Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of cobras. 34 ‘Is it not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries? 35 ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ Vv. 26-27 God would use nations never privileged to know Him to punish Israel. It would seem that He would be justified in completely destroying Israel, except for the one obvious truth: these nations would attribute their gain to their own abilities, deities and strength, and God would receive no name and no glory. The emphasis at this point is NOT His covenant relationship to Israel, but rather the pride of the nations, V. 27. In order to establish His glory upon the earth, God will preserve Israel. The primary purpose of God’s faithfulness to Israel is the revelation of God and His sovereignty and not any importance of Israel. Ezekiel 36:22-23. 1 Samuel 12:22: “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself."

- 13 - v. 30 The motif of a few chasing thousands is a traditional way of describing a divinely determined rout. The pagan nations were full of pride and corruption. Vv. 32–35 Their vines bear poisonous grapes, meaning that their own corrupt way of life is itself will become their executioner. God is “storing up” this poison, and will serve it back to them in the day of His vengeance. Deuteronomy 32:36-43 “For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free. 37 “And He will say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? 38 ‘aWho 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 hiding place! 39 ‘See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. 40 ‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever, 41 If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. 42 ‘I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’ 43 “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.” Vv. 36-43 Israel is comforted. When Israel finally comes to understand that the

- 14 - idols in which they have trusted afforded them no safety nor provision, God will ask the question: Where are your gods, the rock in which you sought refuge – v.37. He will reveal that He is the one who wounded them, and He is the one who can heal. He will cause Israel to know that no one can deliver out of His hand and that He alone is the God of Heaven – Zechariah 14:9. Alternately, He is also a God of vengeance, and He is the one who will repay the enemies of Israel. It is forbidden for man to take vengeance upon his enemies. God reserves this right for Himself, and we have this picture at the end when in Matthew 25:31-46 Yeshua sits in judgment separating the Sheep from the Goats, based upon how they treated His people Israel. Thus Paul also requires that we leave vengeance with God, Romans 12:17 quoting Deuteronomy 32:35. v. 39 recalls the first of the 10 Commandments. There is no god with Me. There is no other god. v. 43 when God pours out His wrath upon the nations, God will yet call to them in an offer of salvation. This salvation is offered in connection with His People Israel. God’s salvation is indelibly linked to His covenant with Israel. Revelation 7:1-8 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and

- 15 - tribe and tongue and people. The Jewish people do not interpret this final part of the song to mean that they must repent for a final redemption, but rather this is a guarantee of their survival and the ultimate downfall of all their enemies. Deuteronomy 32:44-47 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun. 45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. 47 “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the to possess.” v. 44-47 Moshe and Joshua exhorts the people of Israel to heed the warning of this song. Israel has been given an opportunity to peer into the future and see the consequences of a rebellion against God. Most did not heed this warning. In each generation there have been the faithful, just as God told Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. The theme of a small Remnant is found throughout the Scripture, Isaiah 10:22 For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness; Romans 9:27, 11:5. The people are admonished to “place these words upon your heart.” How do you place these words upon your heart? The heart is the place from which comes choices, decisions, commitment. This expression would then mean we must study the Torah to know it and to practice it, it is our very life! Meditate upon it, understand what it means, and make the Torah the guiding principle that governs all of life. V. 47 It is not an idle word. This reminds us of Isaiah 55:11 and Hebrews 4:12 – the Word of God is powerful! Allow the word of God its impact upon your mind and upon your heart – to conform yourself to God and not God to yourself. One of the biggest problems of our modern world is the effort to get God out of heaven and to cause Him to enter into our lives with us. The opposite is the expectation of our God, that we die to self, and follow after God by following in His Word. It is to allow God’s Word to be the guide to life, to allow God to decide for us what is

- 16 - right and wrong, good and evil, better and best, the road in which to travel. Revelation 15:2-4 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. 3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! 4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.” The Song of Moshe is renamed the Song of the Lamb, as the history of the world is brought to its divinely ordained goal. Deuteronomy 32:48-52 The LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50 “Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 “For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” Finally, in Vv. 48-52, we come to the end of Moshe's minsitry to Israel. Here he is told to climb to the top of Mount Nebo, from where he will view the Land of Promise, and there he will be gathered to his people. The “heights of Abarim” is probably the mountain range east of the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo was one of its prominent peaks. To reach it, Moses would have doubled back on the Israelites’ route by the distance of one day’s march since, according to Numbers 33:47–48, “the heights of Abarim, before [the city] Nebo,” was the Israelites’ last encampment before reaching their current one.--JPS Torah Commentary, p. 316. The issue being referred to occurred in Numbers 20:1-13. Here Moshe and

- 17 - Aharon are said to have "broke faith" with me. This translates the single Hebrew The Context of the Numbers passage makes it clear that they .מָעַל ,word ma'al took the glory that belonged to God and assigned it to themselves, as if they were able to bring forth water from the Rock. We have only one true source of life, and that is Yeshua our Messiah sent forth from God the Father. He alone is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. He alone must be lifted up and glorified. There are none of the 613 Mitzvot found in this passage.

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