Align Yourself With God

Deuteronomy 32 - Episode 114

When we need help, there is no one as capable as our God. He has power that no human has. Just as a loving father loves, protects, provides, and guides his children, so does our Heavenly Father. Likewise, as an earthly father expects his children to listen, obey, and learn his ways, God expects the same from His children. But like a rebellious child, our Father punishes us when we aren’t faithful to keep His commands and He does whatever it takes to bring us back when we go astray. Because He has all the power and He loves us so very much, we want to align ourselves with Him. We want His power to be against the things in this life that threaten to hurt us and not directed towards us to keep us in line. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of who God is, who He expects us to be, and why He is deserving of our obedience. It is best that we listen to the voice of warning so we don’t have to endure the consequences.

Let This Be a Warning! - Deuteronomy 32:1-3

When Moses was in the Tabernacle with God, the Lord told him that the people would not always remain faithful to Him after they entered the Promised Land. Then God gave him the words to this song and told him to write them down and teach the song to the people as a warning. But, before Moses told them its words, he expressed the importance of what he was about to teach them. All of creation needed to listen because he was about to tell them how great their God was. He wanted these words to fall on them like rain, that their faith might grow, and their lives might be preserved.

God’s Word still warns us, keeps us safe in Him, and nourishes us in the faith. Colossians1:28

Whose Child Are You? - Deuteronomy 32:4-6

He began by describing the character of God. He is the steady, unchanging, strong rock. He is the foundation their nation would be built on. He is perfect, just, faithful, flawless, and everything He does is right. In this song, He’s their father, yet they don’t act like His children. They don’t have any of His characteristics. Something has gone wrong. There’s a defect in their character. They’ve gotten off the path and perverted all His good qualities.

God not only created them in the same way He created all people, but He created their nation. He was their Father, and like a foolish child, they were going against everything they had been taught. The way they were acting didn’t make any sense considering who their Father was, and it wasn’t going to work out well for them. They needed to remember everything He had done for them. If they couldn’t remember, then they needed to ask their parents and their elders, because it was God who had given them everything they had.

When you catch yourself not acting like God’s child, remind yourself of who He is, what He expects of you, and why He deserves it. If you need to, then ask another believer to remind you of His goodness and who you’d be without Him. Ephesians 5:1

Protector & Provider - Deuteronomy 32:7-14

Because this is a song, Moses described God’s protection and provision for them poetically, painting a picture for them instead of just stating it. He said God surrounded them like the iris surrounds the pupil, protecting our vision.

We are right there in the center. When God created the earth and everything in it, He said it was good. But when He created people, He said it was very good. We’re important to the Lord and He protects us. Psalm 125:1-2

Then, just like a chick learning to fly, God hovers over His children, catching them when they fall.

When we’re born again of the Spirit, we’re baby Christians. We must learn and practice His ways. It’ll take time and we’ll constantly fall into old habits. But our loving Father is there to catch us and bring us back to safety. Then He gently nudges us out to try again. The more we practice, the less we’ll fall. He’s patient and kind, guiding our way. 1 Peter 2:1-3

God is the One who protected them. It was not the gods of the other nations. He gave them good soil that produced good food. Even in the rocky land, God gave them olive trees and He brought bees to build hives in the cleft of the rocky cliffs. He gave them cheese, milk, meat, bread, and wine. They had tasty food not found in desolate lands.

Complacency and Infidelity – Deuteronomy 32:15-18

But like a spoiled child, they turned away from their God, not recognizing the blessing they had with their Father. Sarcastically He called them Jeshurun, the upright ones. Both reminding them of who they were supposed to be and revealing how far they had fallen. Their unfaithfulness made God jealous and angry. Like a scorned wife He said, “Yeah, go ahead. See if she makes you happy,” knowing that it’s their own wandering heart that caused them to stray, but still being hurt by the notion of it. They would sacrifice to gods that weren’t real and had no ability to meet their needs. But they had grown complacent and forgot to show love to their God, and over time, they had drifted away.

If we want to please our God, we must be mindful. If we aren’t purposeful, we’ll drift away. Psalm 1

Provoked to Jealousy – Deuteronomy 32:19-38

Because the Israelites withdraw from Him, God will withdraw His protection and blessings from them. They will be hungry, sick, hurt, and fearful. His anger will affect everyone, young and old. Because they turn to other gods, the Lord will turn to other nations. Just as a man might pretend to be interested in another woman to make his wife jealous and draw her back to him, God will join Himself with other nations. Appearing to have chosen them instead, He will give the Israelites over to them. But they are just being used. God has no affection for them. As a matter of fact, the Lord is storing away the evil they have committed against His people, and He will punish them for it later.

Like Sodom and Gomorrah, their gods have their roots in evil, and they’re feeding the people with poisonous fruit. It tastes sweet at the moment, but it will be their demise in the end.

If God were to only act on His emotions, He would let the Israelites be completely destroyed, but that would make Him look weak. He must never let the seductress think she’s won. He will ultimately fight for His love so that they, and every other nation, will know of His power. They only had power over His people for a time because God allowed it. Jesus also explained this to Pilate when he claimed power over Jesus’s life. John 19:10-11

It’s like a father who lets his son win. If that kid gets a little too cocky, the dad can put him back in his place.