Scripture Notes: The Song of Moses, Part 3 (Deuteronomy 32)

Moses’ reminiscences continue as he sings of the people’s response to God’s loving care. God has given His covenant family everything they need. He has shielded them and supported them and blessed them. But what do they do in return? They get fat and thick and sleek, and they start to kick, actually turning away from God and His will. They even scoff at “the Rock” of their salvation (Deut 32:15). 

In fact, the people of Israel did do all of this. God gave them manna in the desert, for instance. At first, they were grateful and marveled at this new food, but later they called this delicious bread of angels (which actually conformed to each person’s taste) wretched food and claimed they were thoroughly sick of it. They wanted to go back to Egypt where they had plenty of fish and vegetables. They were tired of wandering in the desert, even though they were led by God at every step, and they were ready to go right back into slavery.

What is more, the people began to worship other “gods,” Moses says. Perhaps they thought they could get a better deal. Maybe they wanted to hedge their bets; if God would not give them what they wanted, maybe someone else would. They worshiped the golden calf. They “sacrificed to demons which were no gods” (Deut 32:17). They started worshiping anything but God, forgetting their Creator to bow down to a creature. 

Needless to say, God was not pleased. Moses offers a vivid depiction of His reaction to His people’s infidelity (using, of course, human concepts as an analogy, for God allows us to grasp at understanding His infinity in this way). God, Moses says, spurned the people and hid His face from this “perverse generation” (Deut 32:20). He was jealous for them and provoked by their idols. God’s jealous is not the same as human jealousy. God wants only what is best for His people, and when they turn their backs on that “best” and choose something else, He is roused to zeal (again analogously) because of His great love. God also had a plan to bring His people back to the right path.