“It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” Deuteronomy 32:35
These are the last 3 Chapters of Deuteronomy. The majority of Chapter 32 is called “The Song of Moses” and is given to the Children of Israel as a Way to Remind them of their Duty to “follow carefully, all the words of this Law”. And to emphasize the Urgency to them, Moses says “it is not a trivial matter for you; indeed it is your life”! The Song opens declaring “Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!” and the next 3 Verses we have the Introduction and Praise. However, very abruptly we read in Verse 5, “They have acted corruptly against Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation” and we then have Admonition and Warning until the end. The Fact that this is “A Song” and the People were to memorize it, shows How Important this was from God’s Perspective.
There is something extremely Sobering about this Passage, and its Purpose! If you’ve ever memorized A Song, you know how powerful it can be at times; how you suddenly recall a verse that seems to address a particular person or situation. I often find that to be the case with Bob Dylan Lyrics where I will see someone or something and a verse will come to mind. Or perhaps you’ve memorized Scripture in the form of song. I’m sure you’ve had recall of a Verse in that manner. But imagine recalling the details of “Warnings and Demise” associated with “You”, or “Other’s” Behavior. Very Frightening. Well, that was part of This Song’s Purpose! Today’s Verse encapsulates that!
What is also Noteworthy about Today’s Verse is that it was used in the Most Famous Sermon of all time! Jonathan Edwards used this as the Text to his Sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. He had already written this out and preached it at his home Church in Northampton, Massachusetts. As the story goes, there was concern about the area of Enfield, Connecticut, which seemed to be untouched by the Revival taking place at the time. If you remember your Church History, this was the time of the Great Awakening in which Edwards, along with George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennent, and others, saw Thousands upon Thousands converted under their preaching. On July 8, 1741, Edwards would begin preaching this same Sermon at Enfield, but not be able to finish because of the impact it had upon the listeners. This Sermon should be read by All Christians and one that I hope to post on the Website soon!