Deuteronomy Chapter 32
The Song of Moses
A. The song of Moses.
1. (Deuteronomy 32:1–4) Introduction.
“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
My doctrine shall drop as the rain,
my speech shall distil as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb,
and as the showers upon the grass:
Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
He is the Rock, his work is perfect:
for all his ways are judgment:
a God of truth and without iniquity,
just and right is he.” (King James Version)
a. “Give ear, O heavens… and hear, O earth”:
Moses begins this sacred song by summoning creation itself—heaven and earth—to act as witnesses to the words he is about to declare. This reflects the covenantal language previously used in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you…” Creation stands as a silent but enduring witness to Israel’s obedience or rebellion. It shows that Moses’ message is not limited to Israel but is universal in scope, relevant to all creation. This poetic form also emphasizes the gravity of the message; these are not idle words but truths that echo through eternity.
b. “Let my teaching drop as the rain… My speech distil as the dew”:
Moses compares the word of God to life-giving rain and dew. Rain symbolizes abundant and powerful revelation, while dew indicates gentle, quiet nourishment. Both are necessary to bring growth to the land, especially in an agricultural nation like Israel. God’s Word is not harsh or destructive, but sustaining, refreshing, and fruitful. This echoes Isaiah 55:10–11, “For as the rain cometh down… So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth…” The image emphasizes that truth from God produces life, righteousness, and spiritual maturity when received with a sensitive heart.
c. “For I will proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God”:
Before addressing Israel’s sin or warning of judgment, Moses begins with worship. He declares the name of the LORD, meaning God's revealed character—His nature, attributes, and covenant faithfulness. The command to “ascribe greatness” is a call to acknowledge who God truly is. True theology begins with right worship. This is similar to Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name.” Moses teaches that understanding God’s greatness is essential before understanding man’s failure.
d. “He is the Rock”:
This is the first time in Scripture God is explicitly called “the Rock,” a title repeated throughout the song. A rock symbolizes strength, stability, faithfulness, and refuge. It implies that God is unchanging and reliable in contrast to Israel’s instability. Later in this chapter, Moses will contrast the LORD the Rock with the false gods whom Israel would foolishly pursue: “For their rock is not as our Rock.” (Deuteronomy 32:31)
e. “His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment”:
God’s actions are flawless, without error or injustice. His dealings with humanity are always consistent with His holiness and wisdom. Unlike human rulers who may act with partiality or corruption, God’s decisions are always right. Psalm 18:30 affirms this: “As for God, his way is perfect.” This truth prepares Israel to accept the coming rebuke—because if God brings judgment, it is deserved and just.
f. “A God of truth and without iniquity; just and right is He”:
In a world filled with lies, injustice, and moral confusion, the character of God stands in absolute contrast. He is truth itself (John 14:6), cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and cannot be unjust. All His attributes—truth, righteousness, justice—are unified in perfect harmony. Moses is reminding Israel that if judgment comes, it is never because God failed, but because His people forsook Him.
2. (Deuteronomy 32:5–6) The Accusation: The child has forsaken its Father.
“They have corrupted themselves,
their spot is not the spot of his children:
they are a perverse and crooked generation.
Do ye thus requite the LORD,
O foolish people and unwise?
Is not he thy father that hath bought thee?
hath he not made thee, and established thee?” (King James Version)
a. “They have corrupted themselves”:
Moses now transitions from praising God to indicting Israel. The corruption is not from God; it is entirely self-inflicted. Israel's moral decay is a result of their own choices. The phrase indicates deliberate deviation from purity and covenant faithfulness. Sin always begins with self-corruption, not divine failure. This aligns with James 1:14–15, which teaches that sin originates when a person is “drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,” and when sin is finished, it brings forth death. God remains holy and unchanged; it is the people who defile themselves.
b. “They are not His children, because of their blemish”:
This does not mean Israel ceased to belong to God covenantally, but rather that their behavior is inconsistent with being His children. The phrase “spot” or “blemish” refers to moral stains—evidence that they do not resemble their Father. True sonship should reflect the character of the Father. Jesus later said in John 8:39, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” Their conduct denied their relationship. The covenant was still intact, but their actions showed disloyalty and spiritual illegitimacy.
c. “A perverse and crooked generation”:
This is strong language describing spiritual rebellion and moral deviation. Perverse indicates a willful turning from the right path; crooked implies twisted, morally bent living. Moses uses similar language found later in Psalm 78:8, which describes a generation “stubborn and rebellious… whose spirit was not steadfast with God.” Jesus also quoted this language to describe unbelieving Israel in His day (Matthew 17:17). Sin distorts the soul; rebellion against God twists what was meant to be straight.
d. “Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise?”
Moses rebukes Israel for their ingratitude. The word requite means to repay or respond. In essence, Moses is saying: “Is this how you repay the LORD after all He has done?” Ingratitude toward God is not merely impolite—it is foolish and irrational. It is spiritual insanity to rebel against the very One who sustains life. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Here, foolishness is not intellectual weakness but moral rebellion and ingratitude.
e. “Is not He thy Father that hath bought thee?”
This is one of the earliest declarations of God as Father in Scripture—not in the New Testament sense of individual regeneration, but in the covenantal sense of ownership and care. God bought Israel—not with silver or gold, but by redeeming them from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 15:13). Redemption establishes divine ownership. It foreshadows the greater redemption through Christ, who “gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6).
f. “Hath He not made thee, and established thee?”
God is not only Redeemer but also Creator and Sustainer of Israel as a nation. He formed them from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; He established them by covenant, law, and land. To rebel against Him is to reject the very foundation of their existence. Isaiah 44:21 echoes this truth: “O Israel… thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have formed thee; thou art my servant.” Therefore, their rebellion is not only sin—it is betrayal of the One who made them what they are.
3. (Deuteronomy 32:7–14) Moses recounts God’s past faithfulness to Israel.
“Remember the days of old,
consider the years of many generations:
ask thy father, and he will shew thee;
thy elders, and they will tell thee.
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.
For the LORD’S portion is his people;
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about, he instructed him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest,
fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them,
beareth them on her wings:
So the LORD alone did lead him,
and there was no strange god with him.
He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
that he might eat the increase of the fields;
and he made him to suck honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock;
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep,
with fat of lambs,
and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
with the fat of kidneys of wheat;
and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.” (KJV)
a. “Remember the days of old”:
Moses calls Israel to reflect on their history. Memory is a moral duty. Forgetfulness leads to rebellion; remembrance leads to humility and gratitude. Israel is commanded to recall God's miracles—the covenant with Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the provision in the wilderness, the giving of the Law. This remembering is generational—“ask thy father… thy elders.” Truth is not isolated to the present; it is rooted in God’s dealings across time. Psalm 77:11 says, “I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”
b. “When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance… set the bounds of the people”:
This points back to Genesis 10–11, when God scattered the nations at Babel. The boundaries of the nations were not random; they were sovereignly set by God “according to the number of the children of Israel.” This suggests that even before Israel existed as a nation, God was ordering world history with Israel in mind. Acts 17:26 affirms, “And hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” History is not chaotic—God is directing it toward His redemptive plan.
c. “For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance”:
While God gave the nations their inheritance, His own inheritance is Israel. This is covenantal language: Israel belongs to God in a unique, intimate way. Exodus 19:5 says, “Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.” Israel was not chosen because of greatness, but because of God’s sovereign love (Deuteronomy 7:7–8). God delights in His people; they are His portion.
d. “He found him in a desert land… He kept him as the apple of His eye”:
This describes God’s rescue of Israel from slavery and preservation through the wilderness. The “apple of His eye” means the pupil—one of the most protected parts of the body. God shielded Israel as one protects their own eye from harm. This imagery also appears in Psalm 17:8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye.” Despite Israel’s weakness, God cared for them with tender, jealous protection.
e. “As an eagle stirreth up her nest… beareth them on her wings”:
This is one of the most beautiful pictures of God’s care. When a young eagle must learn to fly, the mother disturbs the nest, forcing the eaglet out, yet flies beneath it, lifting it on her wings if it falls. God both challenges and carries His people. Exodus 19:4 echoes this: “I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” God is not distant—He trains, protects, and upholds His people personally.
f. “So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him”:
Israel prospered not because of idols, military strength, or human wisdom—but because God alone led them. This is a rebuke against later idolatry. Everything Israel possessed was by divine guidance.
g. “He made him ride on the high places of the earth…”
This speaks of victory, prosperity, and inheritance. Riding on the high places means conquering fortified cities and inhabiting the promised land. God gave them abundance:
“Honey out of the rock… oil out of the flinty rock”—unexpected provision from barren places.
“Butter of kine, milk of sheep… fat of lambs… rams of Bashan”—symbol of rich pastoral blessing.
“Fat of kidneys of wheat… blood of the grape”—fine grain and wine, symbols of joy and covenant rest.
Everything Israel had came from God’s gracious hand.
4. (Deuteronomy 32:15–18) Israel responded to God’s kindness with apostasy.
“But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:
thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness;
then he forsook God which made him,
and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods,
with abominations provoked they him to anger.
They sacrificed unto devils, not to God;
to gods whom they knew not,
to new gods that came newly up,
whom your fathers feared not.
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful,
and hast forgotten God that formed thee.” (KJV)
a. “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked”:
“Jeshurun” is a poetic name for Israel meaning upright one (Isaiah 44:2). Moses uses it ironically—Israel, called to be upright, instead became self-indulgent and rebellious. “Waxed fat” signifies prosperity and abundance. God had blessed them richly, but comfort made them proud and independent. With prosperity came spiritual complacency. Like an ox that grows fat and kicks against its owner, Israel rebelled against the very God who blessed them. Prosperity often tests a nation more than poverty. Hosea 13:6 parallels this: “According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.”
b. “Then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation”:
To “forsake” means to deliberately abandon. Israel turned their back on the God who formed them as a nation. To “lightly esteem” is to treat as insignificant. God is called again “the Rock”—stable, faithful, unchanging. Yet Israel treated Him with contempt. This highlights the irrational nature of sin: to despise the One who saves. It fulfilled the warning of Deuteronomy 8:11–14—not to forget God in times of blessing.
c. “They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods… with abominations provoked they him to anger”:
God’s jealousy is not petty or sinful; it is the holy jealousy of a covenant husband wronged by an unfaithful spouse. Israel’s idolatry was spiritual adultery. Strange gods (foreign deities) were not merely cultural traditions—they were an abomination to the Lord. Worshipping idols is not harmless—it attacks God’s glory and breaks His covenant love. Exodus 34:14 states, “For the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
d. “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God”:
Here Scripture reveals the dark reality behind idolatry. The idols of the nations were not mere statues but spiritual fronts for demons. Psalm 106:37–38 says, “Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils.” Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 10:20, “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.” Behind every false god is a demonic deception. Israel, a people redeemed by the LORD, deliberately entered demonic worship.
e. “To gods whom they knew not… new gods that came newly up”:
These deities had no role in creation, no covenant with Israel, no history of faithfulness. They were recent inventions—idols created by human imagination or borrowed from surrounding nations. They were untested, powerless frauds. Yet Israel abandoned the eternal God for temporary lies. Jeremiah 2:11 captures the tragedy: “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.”
f. “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful… forgotten God that formed thee”:
Israel forgot their origins. God begat them—not biologically but covenantally. He birthed the nation through Abraham, delivered them from Egypt, carried them through the wilderness, and gave them a land. Yet they were “unmindful”—willfully ignoring His care. Forgetfulness is not weakness of memory but neglect of heart. This is the essence of apostasy—not ignorance, but ingratitude. Isaiah 1:3 rebukes the same attitude: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.”
5. (Deuteronomy 32:19–27) God’s reaction: Withdrawal from and punishment of Israel.
“And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God, they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people, I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
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.
I will heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend mine arrows upon them.
They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of angels of the dust.
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
I would have said, I will cut them off from the earth, the remembrance of them from among the men;
Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.” (KJV)
a. “I will hide My face from them”:
God’s holiness means that fellowship with Him cannot coexist with willful sin, therefore when Israel persisted in covenant unfaithfulness, the Lord declared He would hide His face. This hiding is not total annihilation of God’s knowledge of His people, rather it is the withdrawal of the warm, guiding presence that had distinguished Israel’s history. Intimacy becomes distance, and where once there was conviction and loving restraint, there follows a stupor that allows sin to run its destructive course. The experience is paradoxical, in that initial relief from conviction may feel like freedom, but that freedom is a prelude to darkness and loss. The biblical pattern is consistent, the withdrawal of God’s gracious presence produces spiritual blindness and moral decline, until external discipline or mercy draws the people back.
b. “I will heap mischiefs upon them”:
When hiding the face does not result in repentance, God permits corrective judgments to fall, judgments that are designed to break pride and to awaken the conscience. Moses describes sweeping calamities, natural and social, pestilence, famine, savage beasts, violent enemies, internal terror, and the sword without the gate. These images emphasize the comprehensive nature of divine chastening, it touches every level of life, from the cradle to the aged. The purpose is not merely punitive, it is remedial, aiming to bring a wayward people to self-knowledge and ultimately, to repentance. Moses also limits the finality of judgment by the divine concern for how the nations interpret Israel’s fall; God refuses to remove Israel utterly, because He will not allow pagans to misattribute His actions to human pride. Even in judgment God acts with a wisdom that preserves His glory, and with a mercy that keeps a remnant.
c. Jealousy and counterprovocation:
God’s response is framed in covenantal jealousy. Israel had provoked Him with what is not God, and therefore He says He will provoke them by “those who are not a people,” foreign nations that will expose Israel’s vulnerability. The irony is sharp, when Israel is unfaithful to covenant love, God’s remedy may include allowing consequences that reveal the folly of idolatry. The effect is to show that security, prosperity, and identity belong only to the God who made them. Theologically, this underscores that divine discipline is not caprice, but a measured response to covenant breach, aimed at restoration where possible.
d. The limits of divine wrath:
Moses describes fierce language, even the prospect of cutting Israel off, yet he immediately explains a restraint grounded not in pity for Israel’s sin, but in God’s concern for how the nations will interpret history. God will not allow the judgment to be explained away as human triumph, and so He withholds total obliteration. This restraint displays a further dimension of God’s character, He is jealous for His honor among the nations, and He preserves witnesses to His sovereign justice and mercy. The consequence is that judgment becomes both a sign and a sermon to the watching world.
e. Practical application for covenant people:
The passage is a solemn warning that blessing does not guarantee permanence, blessings require faithfulness. Prosperity can breed forgetfulness, and forgetfulness can produce apostasy. The spiritual disciplines of remembrance, thanksgiving, and obedience are therefore safeguards against the slow corrosion of covenant loyalty. For the church and for believers individually, Moses’ words call for sober self-examination, and for humility in prosperity, knowing that God’s hidden face is the gravest danger.
6. (Deuteronomy 32:28–43) The LORD states His case and makes a plea unto Israel.
“For they are a nation void of counsel,
neither is there any understanding in them.
O that they were wise, that they understood this,
that they would consider their latter end!
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?
For their rock is not as our Rock,
even our enemies themselves being judges.
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,
and of the fields of Gomorrah:
their grapes are grapes of gall,
their clusters are bitter:
Their wine is the poison of dragons,
and the cruel venom of asps.
Is not this laid up in store with me,
and sealed up among my treasures?
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;
their foot shall slide in due time:
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
For the LORD shall judge his people,
and repent himself for his servants,
when he seeth that their power is gone,
and there is none shut up, or left.
And he shall say, Where are their gods,
their rock in whom they trusted,
Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
let them rise up and help you,
and be your protection.
See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god with me:
I kill, and I make alive;
I wound, and I heal:
neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven,
and say, I live for ever.
If I whet my glittering sword,
and mine hand take hold on judgment;
I will render vengeance to mine enemies,
and will reward them that hate me.
I will make mine arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh;
and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives,
from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:
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.” (KJV)
a. “For they are a nation void of counsel… consider their latter end.”
God laments Israel’s spiritual blindness. They are “void of counsel,” meaning they no longer listen to reason or divine wisdom. Their downfall is not due to ignorance of information, but the rejection of truth. God’s plea, “O that they were wise… that they would consider their latter end,” is a call to think about consequences—where sin leads. This principle is a powerful deterrent to apostasy. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” True wisdom thinks beyond the present temptation to the eternal outcome.
b. “How should one chase a thousand… except their Rock had sold them?”
Israel’s military defeats would not be because their enemies were strong, but because the LORD had withdrawn His protection. One soldier chasing a thousand Israelites would be unnatural unless God Himself had delivered them over. This mirrors Leviticus 26:17 and Joshua 23:10. Their downfall is divine discipline, not coincidence. Their enemies know—even their “own judges”—that Israel’s God is unlike any other rock or refuge.
c. “Their vine is of Sodom… grapes of gall, clusters are bitter.”
Israel, instead of bearing fruit of righteousness unto God, has become like Sodom—morally rotten and spiritually poisonous. Their “wine is the poison of serpents,” meaning their teachings and practices now corrupt others. Isaiah 5:2–4 uses similar vineyard imagery to show Israel’s degeneration. Apostasy does not make a person neutral—it makes them destructive.
d. “To Me belongeth vengeance and recompence… their foot shall slide in due time.”
God declares that vengeance belongs to Him alone (Romans 12:19 quotes this verse). “Their foot shall slide in due time” pictures a person walking on a slippery path—stable for a moment, but destruction is certain unless they repent. Jonathan Edwards famously preached from this verse, warning of sudden judgment. The day of calamity is approaching, and nothing can stop it but repentance.
e. “For the LORD shall judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants…”
Here is divine mercy. The same God who judges is the God who has compassion. When Israel is broken—when “their power is gone… none shut up or left”—God will intervene. He waits until pride is crushed and self-reliance dies. This is not God changing His mind, but God relenting from continued judgment out of covenant love. Psalm 106:45 confirms, “He remembered for them his covenant.”
f. “Where are their gods… let them rise and help you.”
God mocks idols. When Israel is ruined, God will ask: Where are the gods you trusted? Can they save you now? This exposes the foolishness of idolatry. Psalm 115:4–8 speaks the same way—idols have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. When false gods fail, only the true Rock remains.
g. “See now that I, even I, am He… I kill, and I make alive.”
This is one of the most powerful self-revelations of God in Scripture. He alone is sovereign over life, death, healing, and judgment. “There is no god with Me” refutes polytheism entirely. He is absolute. None can deliver out of His hand (Job 9:12, Isaiah 43:13).
h. Final vengeance and final mercy (vv. 40–43):
God swears by His own life (“I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever”). He promises vengeance on His enemies but mercy to His land and people. Verse 43 is prophetic:
“Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people” — Paul quotes this in Romans 15:10 as proof that Gentiles would one day share in Israel’s blessings through Christ.
God will avenge the blood of His servants — pointing ultimately to the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 19:2).
He will make atonement for His land and His people — a future promise fulfilled fully in Messiah’s return.
7. (Deuteronomy 32:44–47) Moses encourages Israel.
“And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.” (KJV)
a. Moses and Joshua together (v. 44)
Moses, nearing the end of his earthly life, stands alongside Joshua the son of Nun, his successor. This public unity demonstrates continuity of leadership and reinforces that the Word of God does not die with a man. Moses speaks, Joshua stands with him—God’s truth remains. The presence of Joshua also marks a transition: Moses had led them out; Joshua will lead them in.
b. “Set your hearts unto all the words…” (v. 46)
Moses does not ask Israel merely to hear the words of this song, but to set their hearts on them. This implies:
Deep commitment—not shallow acknowledgment.
Obedience flowing from affection, not mere duty.
Internalization of truth—not external compliance only.
He further commands them to teach these words diligently to their children. Obedience to God is not just an individual responsibility but a generational mandate. God’s truth must be preserved through intentional instruction within the family. Compare Deuteronomy 6:6–7, “And these words… thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.”
c. “For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life” (v. 47)
Moses directly confronts the lie that obeying God is pointless or unprofitable.
“Not a vain thing” — not empty, not worthless, not a waste of time.
“It is your life” — God’s Word sustains, directs, and blesses life. It is the difference between blessing and cursing, life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).
Satan often tempts believers to think obedience is futile, especially when wicked people seem to prosper. Psalm 73 echoes this temptation, until Asaph enters the sanctuary and sees the end of the wicked. Moses urges Israel to view obedience in light of eternity.
d. “By this word ye shall prolong your days…”
Obedience to God’s Word is tied to possession and enjoyment of the Promised Land. The law does not merely guarantee entrance into the land, but continuance within it. Disobedience would lead to discipline and exile; obedience would lead to longevity and prosperity.
This principle holds a spiritual parallel for believers today—not that salvation is lost, but that fellowship, fruitfulness, and blessing are tied to ongoing obedience and fellowship with God.
8. (Deuteronomy 32:48–52) God’s final command to Moses.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, 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:
And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.” (KJV)
a. “Go up this mountain… and die in the mount” — Moses’ final act of obedience
God commands Moses to ascend Mount Nebo—part of the Abarim range, east of the Jordan River. This is not merely a scenic climb, but an act of faithful submission. Moses must obey God in life and in death. After 120 years of service, his final duty is to walk alone up the mountain to meet his God. This mirrors Aaron’s death on Mount Hor (Numbers 20:23–29), where he too died in obedience and was “gathered to his people.”
This act highlights Moses’ lifelong faithfulness: he began on a mountain when God called him at Horeb, and he ends on a mountain, yielding to God’s will. His death is not tragic defeat, but a sacred dismissal from earthly labor into eternal rest.
b. “Because ye trespassed against Me… because ye sanctified Me not” — The reason Moses could not enter the land
God reminds Moses why he cannot enter Canaan. At the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:1–13), Moses struck the rock in anger instead of speaking to it as God commanded. In doing so:
He failed to honor God before the people.
He misrepresented God's character as harsh rather than gracious.
He obscured the typology—Christ, the Rock, is struck only once (1 Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 10:10).
To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). Moses, who spoke with God face to face (Exodus 33:11), was held to a higher standard of obedience.
c. “Yet thou shalt see the land before thee, but thou shalt not go thither” — Mercy and consequence together
God, in mercy, allows Moses to see the land with his own eyes from the summit. This is both kindness and discipline. Moses is granted a vision, but denied entrance. Judgment and grace meet atop Nebo.
However, this is not the end of Moses’ story. Centuries later, God brings Moses into the Promised Land—standing with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:1–3). What law could not grant, grace in Christ provided.
d. “Be gathered unto thy people” — the hope beyond death
This phrase confirms life beyond the grave. Moses would be reunited with those who died in faith—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and soon Aaron. Death for the believer is not extinction, but gathering. Moses’ earthly mission ends, but his fellowship with God continues.
