Deuteronomy 32

The Explanation

Moses is very old. His hair is grey, his voice is thin, but today he stands up straight before the whole camp. Thousands of people are listening. Children sit on their fathers' shoulders. And Moses does not preach a sermon. He sings.

"Listen, heavens!" he sings. "Earth, hear my words!" His song will fall on them like rain on soft grass, quietly soaking in.

Then Moses sings about God. He calls him the Rock. Not a little stone you can kick away, but a mountain of rock that never moves. "His work is perfect," Moses sings. "All his ways are just."

And he sings about how God found his people. They were out in the desert, in a wild, howling wilderness. No water, no road, nobody to help. And God found them there. He put his arms around them. He kept them safe, the way you keep something precious right in front of your eyes.

Then comes the picture the children in the camp never forget. Have you ever seen a mother eagle? She stirs up her nest so the young ones must fly. And when a little one tumbles and falls, she swoops underneath and catches it on her wings. That is what God did, Moses sings. He carried his people on his wings all the way here.

But then Moses' voice changes. Because God gave his people honey out of the rock, and butter, and milk, and the very best wheat. They ate and ate until they were fat and full. And then, Moses sings, they kicked. Like a well-fed animal that kicks at the hand that feeds it. They walked away from God who made them. They forgot the Rock.

They started bowing to other gods. Little gods made of wood and stone that nobody had ever heard of before. And God saw it, and God was angry. Really angry. Moses does not hide this part. He sings about fire and arrows and swords. Hard words, and they are true.

But listen to what God says in the middle of it all: "See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me." Those little wooden gods cannot help anybody. And God says something else too. When his people have nothing left, no strength, no help, then he will have compassion on them. He will not let them go.

When the song ends, Moses says to everyone: hold these words in your heart. Teach them to your children. "It is your life."

That same day God says to Moses, "Go up the mountain. Look at the land." So Moses climbs Mount Nebo, all alone. From the top he can see it, the green land across the river. God had said Moses may look but not go in. Moses looks a long, long time. And there, on the mountain, he dies.

What Does This Mean?

Moses knew his people well. He knew they would forget God once life got easy and their stomachs were full. So he gave them a song, because songs stick in your head. You hum them without thinking.

And the song says two things at once. God is a Rock you can stand on, faithful, doing nothing wrong. And God is not a pushover. When his people kick at him, it hurts him and he says so out loud.

The Common Thread

The last line of the song is a surprise: God "will make atonement for his land and for his people." Atonement means God makes things good again between him and people who ran away from him. Israel could never fix it themselves. God did it. Later he sent Jesus to do exactly that, so that everyone who kicked and forgot could come home.

For You

Learn one line by heart this week: "The Rock: his work is perfect." Say it when you lie in bed. Say it when something scary happens. And when someone gives you something today, food, a hug, help with your homework, say thank you out loud. That is the opposite of kicking.

Talk About It

Why do you think Moses gave them a song instead of a long speech?

When is it hardest for you to remember God: when things go badly, or when everything is fine?

Praying Together

God, you are the Rock. You found us and carried us like an eagle carries her young. Help us not to forget you. Thank you that you never forget us. Amen.