If you’ve read much of my writing, Bible exposition, for long … you’ve heard me say: “This is one of the GREAT Chapters of Scripture!” Debbie says I declare that fact about nearly every Text I preach!

Wow!

Then, please put Deuteron0my 32 on the list!

It is Poetry, a “Hymn” or “Song” really.

Written (under the Inspiration of God the Holy Spirit) by Moses … shortly before his death on Mount Nebo.

And in it verse 15 tells a sad story.

After all God’s multiple Blessings on His people Israel …

“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.” Deuteonomy 32:15, where “Jeshurun” (meaning “upright one”) is another Name (a term of endearment) for the Jewish people. For that people, that little Nation.

“Waxed fat” means she “grew heavy.” It’s symbolic language for sure, meaning that she was well-fed, had no needs, was lavishly cared for … by God in Heaven!

But instead of obeying God, following His Instructions, she “kicked.” Where “baat” in Hebrew means “kicked at!” She kicked her very Provider, Protector! The “time” sense of this verb indicates she kicked at God again and again and again, habitually!

She’s no longer “fit and trim,” eager to do anything God asked.

But heavy and lethargic … and stubborn, in essence much like the Laodicean Church of many years later. “Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17

Then … Israel “forsook” God!

“Natash,” the verb, means “to leave” someone. “To be loosed” from him or her! “To abandon” or “to desert” him! And it too inherently has the idea of repeated action, as a lifestyle really!

(Note Creation neatly “tucked” in the verse! “Then he forsook God which MADE him.” The verb “asah” means “designed, built, prepared, accomplished.”)

Now, to my “goal” for the whole Lesson!

Look what Israel did!

“and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.”

The verb “lighly esteemed” is spelled “nabel” in Hebrew. It means “to consider foolish!” (“Nabal” is one of the key nouns for “fool” indeed!) Or “to believe senseless!” Also “to dishonor.” And once in the King James Version, “to make vile!”

They essentially blasphemed Almighty God!

Oh, let none of us ever be guilty of such wicked behavior.

In fact, we should seek to do the opposite!

Instead of “lightly esteeming” God … we should seek to “highly honor” Him!

“Honor” in Hebrew is written as “kabod” … to count “heavy, weighty,” of great value!

Tonight in our current Revival Meeting (in North Carolina) the Text for this week (Psalm 104) ends with a paragraph greatly extolling our great God in heaven!

Worthy is His Name!

Never consider Him as “nothing,” rather let Him be your “Everything!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

What a lovely beginning to a song!

The Song of Moses (and Joshua), according to verse 44 of our chapter, Deuteronomy 32.

Its first three verses say: “Give ear, O ye 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.” Deuteronomy 32:1-3

A song that serves as a Speech, a Lecture, a Sermon, and an Act of Worship, all simultaneously!

Note the addressees, both the heavens (from a Hebrew root verb meaning “to be lofty) and the earth (also from a Hebrew verb meaning “to be firm). Everyone!

The noun for “doctrine” is “leqach,” translated “learning” 4 of the nine times it’s found in the Bible. “Fair speech” once, it’s also rendered, in Proverbs 7:21 … where it’s applied to an immoral woman persuading an innocent young man into her house!

“Leqach” is derived from “laqach,” which is found 965 times in the Bible! A key verb meaning “to lay hold of, to grasp, to fetch!” In fact, it’s “married” four times in Scripture, that strong a bond!

Clearly the Word of God is supposed (that’s what Moses’ Doctrine was, in reality) to “grip” us like that! “Consumed” by the Word! “Taken” by the Bible!

Watch now the pleasant word pictures attributed to the Scripture. “Rain” and “dew!” Both gently arriving and then powerfully envigorating! (Also … both rain and dew are applied as symbols of the Holy Spirit, especially in the Old Testament!)

Growth!

Listen to Peter as well. “Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye MAY GROW thereby.” 1st Peter 2:2, the same idea … with just a different metaphor!

Then Moses (and Joshua) pledge to “publish” this Word of God, this holy Doctrine! The verb here is “qara” in Hebrew, meaning “to speak out loud!” Also (in the King James Version) “to proclaim, to read audibly, to preach!”

Wow!

Then our beautiful little three-verse “triplet of truth” closes with a command!

The mandate is … “Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.”

“Ascribe” is “yahab” in Moses’ tongue, literally “to bring!” Plus, it’s “to give” 23 times in the Bible! In English “ascribe” carries the idea of making a record of His Greatness, writing it down somewhere!

The last few Services here (in the North Carolina Revival this week) I have been preaching through Psalm 104, verse by verse. See if you think its opening line ascribes greatness to God!

“Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.”

Amen!

Next time you hear good preaching/teaching folks … se if you can spiritually “smell” and “hear” the gently falling rain, and dew, from Heaven!

It’s good!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Today on our “Standing with the Bagwells” Page … you can see several pictures from this week’s Revival Meeting. If anyone is interested, that is.

 

 

Deuteronomy 32 is, as they say, a “classic.” It contains 52 verses, the longest of all Deuteronomy’s thirty four chapters. And is a “song!”

Yet it is full of teaching, in an amazing review of Israel’s history. And the ways of God!

Read with me Deuteronomy 32:44. “And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea (Joshua) the son of Nun.”

Thus we have a “didactic” song! Meaning one that “instructs” as well as harmonizes.

The noun “song” employed in today’s verse is “shiyr,” used 90 times in the King James Bible. Among those it means “musick” (music) 7 times. And “singing” 4 times, but “song” 74 times.

It is derived from a root verb (“shur”) meaning “to travel, to journey,” thus linguists believe it hints at “singing as you go, singing all the time,” as in the “traveling minstrels” of bygone ages.

Wow!

In essence … SINGING THE TRUTH! I think Fanny Crosby’s hymns excel in this area. That lady had a true grasp of Bible doctrine!

Plus … SINGING WHILE ON THE ROAD; AT HOME AND WORK AND IN-BETWEEN!

I have an idea.

Today sing an old song like “How Great Thou Art” to your Lord!

Especially, maybe, as you drive.

You will then be blending all the essential elements of Deuteronomy 32.

Song and lifestyle.

And oh yes, probably tomorrow morning’s Lesson … obey the spirit of what you’re singing as well!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Provoking the Lord!

That’s the term Deuteronomy 31:20 uses, predicting how Israel will behave after the death of Moses!

Not loving the Lord, provoking Him!

Here’s God speaking to Moses of the Jewish Nation: “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, AND PROVOKE ME, and break my covenant.” Deuteronomy 31:20

“Shall have brought” is, in English anyway, a “future perfect tense!” (Wow! I love grammar. And the beauty of language, particularly English and Greek and Hebrew. Though I am surely a beginner in all three.)

God just “guaranteed” He would bring Israel into her “promised” Land!

Christian, with like resolve, He is going to bring you into Glory, into Heaven, too!

God “suspects” (actually it’s much stronger than that … HE KNOWS) that Israel will NOT be true to the Commandments just given them. (The Book of Deuteronomy being “specifically” in mind.) But all the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy) as well.

Look in today’s Text at an often repeated sequence:  “They will eat. They will become fat. They will turn to other gods. They will serve those false gods and goddesses. Then … they thereby will ‘provoke’ our great God!” (Notice this “downward spiral” of sin!)

And what in Deuteronomy 31:20 was prophecy … is now history!

Israel did exactly what God feared!

What about that verb “provoke?”

I find it used in the Bible only 25 times, relatively rare then.

It is spelled “naatzs,” and means “to spurn” someone! “To despise or abhor,” as well.

Here’s its “usage,” the way it is translated throughout the King James Bible, Old Testament.

“Despise,” 8 times.

“Provoke,” 5 times.

“Abhor,” 4 more times.

Then “blaspheme” 4 times.

“Contemn (our word condemn) 2 times.

“Great occasion to blaspheme” 1 more time.

Plus one “miscellaneous” occurrence.

Keep in mind that other Hebrew verbs are also translated “provoke.”

In English “provoke” has this background. “Pro” means “forth.” And “vocare” means “to challenge, to summon!” It’s Latin, folks. (Like “calling God on the carpet,” so to speak!) Which action obviously”upsets” God Almighty!

I am amazed that anything I do can so disturb God. I suppose that is an indication of how much He loves me! I NEVER want to “despise” Him, do you?

Now I am wondering, is the Old Testament act of “provoking” God the same thing (or nearly so) as “quenching” the Holy Spirit? Or “grieving” the Holy Spirit?

1st Thessalonians 5:19 … short but clear: “Quench not the Spirit.” The verb means “to put a fire out!”

And Ephesians 4:30, equally imperative: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Here “grieve” means “to hurt, to cause pain,” suggesting sensitivity! Personality in the Godhead!

Wow!

I don’t know that I’ve “taught” anyone much today … but my heart sure does feel challenged!

I want to live in such a way as to “please” or “glorify” the Lord, not hurt Him!

Grant it, Lord.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

The Clause struck me, mightily!

In the rather lengthy closing section of the Book of  Deuteronomy … which by the way means “Second Law,” or the second time God stated the Law to Moses and the Israelites … we find Israel being strongly “encouraged” to obey God’s Words, all of Them!

It’s there I read these words: “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: FOR HE IS THY LIFE, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

He is the Very Life of Israel!

To live … is to known and love God!

Do note that not only is the Lord God that Nation’s “Life” but also is “the Length of thy Days!”

I find this astounding!

If a man or woman really believes, directs his or her life by this statement … HE IS MY LIFE … all will be well. I am not saying “all will be smooth!” But indeed, all will be well!

Our classic Verse again: “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: FOR HE IS THY LIFE, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Love Him.

Obey Him.

Cleave to Him.

In Hebrew, these three verbs: “ahab, shama” and “dabaq,” to “stick” literally!

If those are implemented, those fundamental actions, HE WILL BE YOUR LIFE!

Do any of us love Him that much?

Paul (the Apostle) did.

He said as much in Philippians 1:21 … “For to me to live is Christ.”

Wow!

What a challenge today.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell