The Death of Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 34:1) And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead to Dan,

The Lord had previously told Moses he would not be able to cross into their promised land (Numbers 20:12, Deuteronomy 32:51-52), but that He would allow him to see it.  Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab where the Israelites had been for some time and went onto the mountain of Nebo to Pisgah, the highest point of Nebo.  This was across from Jericho on the other side of the Jordan River.  The Lord began to show Moses the promised land as He had promised He would.  First the Lord directed him to behold the land of Gilead on that side of the Jordan where he was, which was the possession of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32), then to Dan, which was not the possession of the tribe of Dan, but rather a city in the farthest north of the promised land as seen in this map:

(2) And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the utmost sea, (3) And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, to Zoar.

The Lord showed Moses the promised land from the city of Dan in the north, to the lands of the tribes as they would soon be assigned, Naphtali, down through Manasseh and Ephraim, to Judah, to the sea, and to the southernmost part of the land.  He showed him the valley of Jericho near to them on the other side of the Jordan River.  If you click to enlarge the map, you can see Jericho in the tribe of Benjamin across from Mt. Nebo.  He showed him the whole plain from Jericho, called the city of palm trees, to Zoar, which was at the southern tip of the Salt or Dead Sea, as seen in this map:

As the tribal lands had not yet been assigned in Canaan, Joshua either wrote this chapter some time after the fact, or perhaps he wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit about what was to be.

(4) And the Lord said to him, "This the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants,' I have caused you to see with your eyes, but you shall not go over there."

The Lord told Moses that He was showing him the land He had promised to his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to their descendants.  The Lord said He "caused" Moses to see it with his eyes.  When you think about it, it would not be possible for Moses to physically see all that land without some supernatural help.  The Lord blessed and allowed Moses to see the entire promised land but told him again that he would not be crossing over into it.

(5) So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

Then Moses died there in the land of Moab as the Lord had said he would (Deuteronomy 32:50).  

(6) And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no man knows of his sepulchre to this day.

Amazingly, the Lord Himself buried Moses!  He apparently buried him in the land of Moab across from Beth Peor which may have been in the same vicinity of Mount Peor near Mount Nebo and Pisgah.  However, even at the time of the writing of Joshua, no one had ever seen Moses's grave.  Perhaps the Lord hid it so that the people would not be susceptible to idolizing it and Moses himself.  Some think that perhaps Moses was carried away like Elijah, pointing to the transfiguration of Elijah and Moses with Jesus in Mark 9:4, inferring that Moses must have been in the same state after death as Elijah.  However, the two verses above state that Moses died and the Lord buried him.  Some point to an interesting scripture in Jude 1:9 that tells about Michael the archangel contending with the devil, disputing about the body of Moses.  That does seem to suggest something extraordinary about Moses's burial place.  But as scripture states, no one really knows; however, there may be symbolism in Moses's burial place or lack thereof.  John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Bible, "...the death and burial of Moses were an emblem of the weakness and insufficiency of the law of Moses, and the works of it, to bring any into the heavenly Canaan..."

(7) And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Moses was 120 years old when he died, and although he was in advanced age, his eyes were still clear and good, and his mind and body were sharp and strong.

(8) And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

The Israelites mourned and wept for Moses there in the plains of Moab for thirty days, which was the usual time of mourning for someone of high place.  After thirty days, the weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

(9) And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened to him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

At that point Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom as Moses had laid hands on him and prayed for such, and the Lord had delivered.  Therefore the people listened to him and did just as the Lord had commanded Moses, acknowledging Joshua as Moses's successor.

(10) And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.

At the time of this writing, Joshua or whoever wrote this last chapter of Deuteronomy, said that there had not arisen a prophet like Moses who had known the Lord personally and conversed with Him.  "Face to face" is not to be taken literally, because no man could see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20), but it is meant to say that Moses had a very familiar relationship with God.

(11) In all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, (12) And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

There had not arisen a prophet like Moses who had done all the signs and wonders which the Lord had sent him to do in Egypt to Pharaoh and his servants and his land.  There had not arisen a prophet with so mighty a hand as had divided the Red Sea or as had done in all the great and terrible things that the Lord enabled Moses to show in the sight of all the Israelites.

So ended the life of Moses and the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, commonly called the Law of Moses.  I believe that we might argue that there never has been another prophet like Moses even to this day.  There would arise great prophets, but I'm not sure any can compare with the long-term familiarity and friendship Moses shared with God.  Moses was probably the most highly privileged prophet in all the awesome signs and wonders that God worked through him.  Moses was allowed to see God's glory and His back only, as again, no one could see God's face and live.  That sight made Moses's face shine like the sun which terrified the people when he returned to them.  Moses was the Old Testament figure who was mentioned the most times in the New Testament.  It is probably safe to say that Moses indeed was the greatest prophet until Jesus Christ, of whom Moses himself said, "The LORD your God will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like me; to Him you shall listen" (Deuteronomy 18:15).  God Himself confirmed that prophecy when He said of Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him" (Matthew 17:5), a probable allusion to "to Him you shall listen."  Moses was an Old Testament symbol of Christ.  God sent him to save His people, and he gave them God's law to live by.  Jesus came to save people from the consequences of the law that they were unable to uphold.  Indeed, Hebrews 3 compares Moses to Jesus, but of course pronounces Jesus as superior to Moses.  However, Moses was worthy to be compared to Jesus!  That is the highest honor and privilege of all.  Moses was a faithful servant and forerunner of Christ the Son of God and God Himself.

The Blessing of Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 33:1) And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

In the last chapter, Moses had recited the Song of Moses that the Lord had directed him to write and to teach to the people.  He now offered the following blessing to the people.

(2) And he said, "The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand a fiery law for them."

Moses began his blessing by stating that the Lord had come from Sinai, where His first appearance to Moses was.  He showed Himself to the Israelites in Seir like the sun when it rose up and continued shining on them to Paran.  He came with tens of thousands of saints or holy angels of heaven who attended Him in His great and glorious work of delivering His fiery law which came directly from Him, a law which pierced and penetrated the consciences of men like fire.

(3) "Yea, He loved the people, all His saints in Your hand, and they sat down at Your feet and shall receive of Your words."

Moses declared that the Lord loved His people Israel, and now calls them His saints in His hands, in His care and protection.  His people sat at His feet, perhaps alluding to them being at the foot of Mount Sinai when He gave the law from the top of the mount, and they received His words.

(4) "Moses commanded us a law, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob."

Moses spoke of himself in the third person and said he had commanded to the people the law that had been given to them by the Lord Himself, they the congregation of Jacob considered His inheritance, His own special people.

(5) "And He was king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together."

The Lord was king in Israel, Jeshurun being another name He sometimes gave Israel, when the heads and tribes of Israel were gathered at Mount Sinai to hear the law recited by Moses.

(6) "Let Reuben live and not die, nor let his men be few."

Moses's blessing was that the tribe of Reuben live and not die, although Reuben had deserved to be cut off or greatly diminished because of his sin against his father (Genesis 49:4).  

(7) And this of Judah, and he said, "Hear Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him and You be a help from his enemies."

Regarding Judah, Moses asked that the Lord hear the prayers of Judah, which John Gill believes "was eminently fulfilled in David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and other kings."  Bring him back safely and victorious to his people and make him able to defend and provide for himself with the Lord's protection and preservation from his enemies.

(8) And of Levi he said, "Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one whom You tested at Massah, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah, (9) Who said to his father and to his mother, 'I have not seen him;' neither did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children, for they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant."

Regarding Levi, Moses said that the Lord's Thummim and Urim, objects used to determine God's will worn by the high priest, be with Aaron of the tribe of Levi, the same Aaron the Lord had reproved and contended with at Massah and Meribah.  I believe the sense of verse 9 is that the Levite priests had no natural affection or respect for their parents and family over the Lord.  They followed God and His command fully and kept His covenant.

(10) "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments and Israel Your law; they shall put incense before You and whole burnt sacrifice upon Your altar."

The Levite priests would teach Jacob, that is Israel, the Lord's statutes and laws, and they were the only ones who could put incense on the altar before the Lord and offer whole burnt sacrifices on His altar.

(11) "Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; strike through the loins of them who rise against him and of those who hate him that they rise not again."

Moses asked that the Lord bless Levi's substance because the Levites had no inheritance of their own and were wholly dependent on the Lord's blessing.  He asked that the Lord accept the work of the priests' hands in their administration of their priestly duties and thoroughly destroy those who would rise up against them.

(12) Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him who shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders."

Regarding Benjamin, the temple would be built in Benjamin's lot.  Benjamin was the beloved of his father Jacob and is so called the beloved of the Lord.  His tribe would dwell in safety near the temple of the Lord who would continually protect him and support him as a father might carry his son upon his shoulders.

(13) And of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the Lord his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lies beneath, (14) And for the precious fruits by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, (15) And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, (16) And for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the good will of Him who dwelt in the bush, let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, upon the top of the head of him separated from his brothers."

Regarding the tribe of Joseph, his land was blessed by the Lord and extremely fruitful, blessed by the precious rain from heaven, by the dew, by the deep springs of water coming out of the earth, by the light and warmth of the sun, and by the coolness and moisture put forth by the moon.  He was blessed by the excellent fruits, grapes, olives, and figs, which grew in the mountains, and the precious minerals that were contained there.  He would be blessed by all the precious things of the earth, and by the good will of the Lord who dwelt in the burning bush and appeared to Moses.  Let all these blessings come upon the tribe of Joseph, he who had been separated from his brothers when they sold him into slavery in Egypt.

(17) His glory the firstling of his bullock, and his horns the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth, and they the ten thousands of Ephraim and they the thousands of Manasseh.

Joseph's glory was like that of a firstborn bull, an emblem of power and strength.  His horn was like the horn of a unicorn.  The unicorn in the Bible is not what we picture today.  It was more likely a now extinct wild bull with a single horn, more like a rhinoceros.  Wherever it is mentioned in the Bible, it is an animal of great strength.  That is the animal that could push the people together to the ends of the earth, referring to his enemies.  The tribes of Joseph were in his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  Although Manasseh was the eldest son of Joseph, fewer people were ascribed to him and more to the younger Ephraim, according to Jacob's prediction in Genesis 48:19.

(18) And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents."

Moses blessed the tribe of Zebulun as it went out to sea as it was a maritime tribe with its portion of land by the sea, also predicted by Jacob in Genesis 49:13.  He included his brother Issachar in the blessing, who would be just as blessed, but in his tents, or at home with his land and his livestock.

(19) "They shall call the people to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall suck the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand."

Referring again to Zebulun, his people would call people back to the mountain, to the temple of God, where they would offer sacrifices of righteousness.  They would grow rich by their traffic on the seas and by treasures hidden in the sand, but they would not forget their duty at home, and they would even call Gentiles to the true faith in the one true God.

(20) And of Gad he said, "Blessed He who enlarges Gad; he dwells as a lion and tears the arm with the crown of the head."

Regarding the tribe of Gad, Moses first acknowledged the Lord who enlarged Gad, delivering him out of his troubles mentioned in Genesis 49:19 that he would overcome at last.  He would then dwell as a lion, bold, courageous, and secure, and would destroy his enemies, both the arm of their strength and the crown, their kings and governors.

(21) "And he provided the first part for himself, because there a portion of the lawgiver, seated, and he came with the heads of the people; he executed the justice of the Lord and his judgments with Israel."

Gad provided the first part of the promised land for himself because he asked for and was given it by Moses, the lawgiver.  There he seated and secured his wives and children, while he would go with the heads of the people into war against Canaan.  He and the rest of the Israelites would execute the judgment of God against the Canaanites.

(22) And of Dan he said, "Dan, a lion's whelp; he shall leap from Bashan."

The tribe of Dan was like a young lion, bold and strong, and able to leap from Bashan, a mountain place inhabited by many lions.  This is not meant to be said of Dan himself as his tribe doesn't have any special relationship with Bashan, but with the strong lion that leapt from the mountain of Bashan upon its prey.  The tribe of Dan was courageous and strong like that lion.

(23) And of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the blessing of the Lord; possess the west and the south."

Naphtali would have great favor, perhaps among men, but mainly with God, and he would have great blessing of the Lord.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun enjoyed wondrous favor from the Lord as Jesus spent most of His time there in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13,15, 9:1).  Jesus called Capernaum "exalted unto heaven" (Matthew 11:23).  All the commentators I study agree that possessing the west and the south did not mean the tribe of Naphtali would inhabit the west and the south, as they did not.  The main definition of "yam" that was transcribed as "west," is more often "sea."  "Darom" transcribed as "south" also meant "south wind" and may be used here in a characteristic way here to mean warm and sunny.  Naphtali would possess a warm and sunny sea region.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote, "The possession of Naphtali included nearly the whole west coast of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Merom, the modern Bahr el Hulch, and the well watered district near the springs of Jordan. It contained some of the grandest scenery and some of the most fertile land in Palestine."

(24) And of Asher he said, "Asher blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil."

Asher would be blessed with large numbers, in union and harmony with the other tribes, and he would have such plenty that he would be able to dip his feet in oil, meaning not only anointing his head, but his feet also.

(25) "Your shoes iron and brass, and as your days, your strength."

It is said that mines of iron and copper were in Asher's portion, but this verse might also mean that the tribe was strong and steadfast.  Their strength would continue all their days; they would not become feeble with age.

(26) "None like the God of Jeshurun, riding upon the heaven to help you, and in His excellency on the sky."

There is no god who compares to the God of Israel.  Their almighty sovereign God of the heavens and the sky was there to help His people Israel.

(27) "The eternal God your refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you, and shall say, 'Destroy!'"

The eternal God was Israel's refuge and protection.  Underneath the everlasting arms of the eternal God, they were safe and secure.  God would thrust out their enemies from before them to clear the land for them and would direct them to carry out His righteous judgment by destroying them.

(28) "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone; the fountain of Jacob upon a land of corn and wine; also His heavens shall drop down dew."

Once their enemies were destroyed, Israel would dwell in safety alone.  I found the words of Adam Clarke on this verse to be profound, "This people shall not be incorporated with any other people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual."  Even to this day there are attempts at a two-state solution in Israel which has never worked.  The descendants of Jacob that would spring forth as from a fountain would be in a fertile land abounding in corn and wine and all good things.  The Lord would continue to drop actual dew making the land fruitful, but also drop blessings as dew from heaven.

(29) "Happy, you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your excellency? And your enemies shall be found liars to you, and you shall tread upon their high places."

Israel should be the happiest in the world as there are no others like her, a people chosen and saved by the Lord, the one true God who shields and protects her and destroys her enemies and lifts her to excellency.  The Israelites' enemies would be found to be liars in that when they said they would destroy Israel, they would never be able to fulfill their intent.  Israel would possess their enemies' high places.

The Song of Moses in the last chapter highlighted the calamities that would befall Israel when she turned from God, but these blessings of Moses describe the glory and greatness that in God's love and mercy He would crown her.  Every tribe was blessed with the exception of Simeon.  Jacob had cursed Levi and Simeon as "instruments of cruelty" in Genesis 49:5 and said they would be scattered in Israel (Genesis 49:7).  In His mercy God chose the Levites to be His priests, but they would not have their own inheritance in the promised land.  Simeon was given only a select number of cities within Judah's inheritance (Joshua 19:1-9).

The Song of Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 32:1) "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."

In the last chapter the Lord told Moses to write this song and recite and teach it to the Israelites.  Chapter 32 contains his song.  It began with Moses calling on the heavens to listen and to the earth to really hear the words of this song, to be witnesses of the truth of his words against the people. 

(2) "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass."

The purpose of Moses's instruction in his song was that it drop like rain and spring up as dew upon all the people of Israel to be absorbed by them to produce good results as the rain does for the grass and plants.

(3) "Because I will publish the name of the Lord; ascribe you greatness to our God."

Moses would proclaim the name of the Lord in his song, and he called on the people themselves to attribute greatness to their God.

(4) "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice, a God of truth without iniquity, just and right is He."

These may actually be the first words of the song, as verses 1 through 3 may have been Moses's words of introduction to the song.  God is the Rock; Jesus is the Rock of salvation.  His work is perfect.  His work of creation and Christ's work of salvation is all perfect.  His ways are always just and true and cannot be iniquitous.  This has more recently in my life become real to me.  We don't always have to fret and worry about situations in life and how to pray and what to pray for; we can just put our trust in God as what He does is perfect.  It may not be the answer that we think we want, but in the end it is always good.  Even death is good in that the person will be with the Lord and will be in a far better place than they were on earth.  When we come to realize that what He does is always good, we can trust and not worry.  The world will be evil and bad things will happen to good people because of it, but you can be assured that God will do good.  If we fear that someone died prematurely without salvation, God knows the heart and will give them a chance to accept Christ in their last moments, or He knows that they would have never accepted Him even if they lived to 100.  God knows everything, even things that have not happened yet, and He is always good, so trust in Him, and you don't have to figure out what's right.  As Jesus said, His yoke is easy and His burden is light; just give it to Him, trust in Him.

(5) "They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not of His children, a perverse and crooked generation."

The people have corrupted themselves.  They are stained with the spot of wickedness and iniquity and cannot be God's children as His children have no such stain.  That's not to say they are without sin, but by accepting Christ, their sins are covered by His blood.  Before Christ, God provided laws for atonement of sins.  The people had become a perverse and wicked generation.

(6) "Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is He not your Father who has bought you? Has He not made you and established you?"

Do the foolish and unwise people repay the Lord in such a way, that is, by their perverse and wicked corruption?  Did they not acknowledge that He was their Father who had redeemed them from bondage in Egypt, and Christ who would redeem people with His blood?  Had He not created them and called them to Himself to be His special people?  Did they not remember how He had set them up in their own abundant land to be envied by all nations?

(7) "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask your father and he will show you, your elders and they will tell you."

The song exhorted the people to remember the former times and consider the many generations before them.  Remember what God had done for them and remember what happened to them when they turned from Him.  It encouraged them to ask their father and their elders about those days of old and they would tell them.  That is what is meant here, but also if they asked their heavenly Father, He would show them truth and the way.

(8) "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the people according to the number of the children of Israel."

After the flood, when the world began again to be populated, Noah and his sons, said to be all sons of Adam, were divided into their own nations (Genesis 10:32).  In the time of Abram (later Abraham) God set the boundaries of the land he would be giving to the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 15:18-21).

(9) "For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance."

The Lord had so early set the boundaries of the land that He would give to the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob) because they were His special people whom He had allotted for Himself.

(10) "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye."

The Lord found Jacob (Israel) in the desert land of Egypt and led him through the wilderness, a wasteland destitute of all the necessities and comforts of life, where He taught him and kept him and provided for him with the utmost care.

(11) "As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, taking them, bearing them on her wings, (12) So the Lord alone did lead him, and no strange god with him."

As an eagle stirs up her nest and flutters over her young to excite them to fly, the Lord stirred the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt where they often seemed reluctant to leave and desirous to go back to.  As an eagle might bear her young on her wings, so the Lord alone bore His people on eagles' wings (Exodus 19:4) to lead them out of Egypt.  There were no other gods helping Him do that; the Egyptian gods could not even save their own people.  

(13) "He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields, and He made him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;"

Speaking of the future as it had already come to pass because it positively would come to pass, God would make His people ride high above the other nations, conquering the nations necessary to possess that abundant land flowing with milk and honey, where they would have honey from the bees that made hives in the rocks and oil from olives that grew on rocks.

(14) "Butter of kine and milk of sheep with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat, and you drank the pure blood of the grape."

The people would also have butter from cows, milk from sheep, and fat lambs to eat.  They would have the best rams and goats, the best wheat with fat and full grains, and pure red wine of the grapes.

(15) "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you have grown fat, you have grown thick, you are covered with fat; then he forsook God who made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

Jeshurun, meaning upright, was a name God sometimes called Israel.  Perhaps the meaning was that the once upright Israel would grow fat and rebellious against God.  The people would grow fat, fat, fat, as it is repeated three times, due to their abundance of good things, and would forsake their Lord who had created them and made them His special people and had given them that abundance.  They would lightly esteem or give little value to the only God of their salvation.

(16) "They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger."

Because they followed strange false gods, the people provoked God to jealousy and righteous anger.  As has been discussed before, God's jealousy is not an envious one.  His is more of a zealousness in love and care for His people.  It's a righteous jealousy for what is His alone; worship and service belong to Him alone.  For example, righteous jealousy would be the jealousy a man might have if he saw another man flirting with his wife, as that right of flirting belongs only to him.  Sinful jealousy is being envious of something that doesn't belong to you which might be said of the man who was doing the flirting with a woman who was not his wife, wishing she did belong to him.

(17) "They sacrificed to devils, not to God, to gods whom they did not know, to new gods newly arrived, whom your fathers did not fear."

The people sacrificed to demons, false gods, and even new gods that had only recently come into existence, gods their fathers had never known and followed, rather than to the one and only true God.

(18) "Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful and have forgotten God who formed you."

The firm Rock of their salvation, the Rock who had created them and made them His own special people, of Him the people had become unmindful and had forgotten Him.

(19) "And when the Lord saw, He abhorred, because of the provoking of His sons and of His daughters."

When the Lord saw that the people sacrificed to false gods and demons and that they had forgotten Him, He despised them and their actions because they so provoked Him to righteous anger.

(20) "And He said, 'I will hide My face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faith.'"

The Lord would then determine to hide His face from His people and would see then what would become of them as they were a very perverse people with no faith in Him.

(21) "'They have moved Me to jealousy by what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities, and I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.'"

That perverse generation of His people would so provoke the Lord because of their allegiance to false gods and even godlessness, that He would then call Gentiles in general, not a particular nation of people, to be His people in that He had chosen them to be taken into covenant with Him.  His people Israel would be provoked to anger and jealousy because He had chosen whom they considered to be inferior people to be His own.  The Apostle Paul would quote this very verse in Romans 10:19 and would go on to say that God would call those Gentiles His people and His beloved, those who had never before been His beloved people.

(22) "'For a fire is kindled in My anger and shall burn to the lowest hell and shall consume the earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.'"

The Lord's anger would be as a fire that would burn to a complete destruction as Moses had described in Deuteronomy 29:23.  That fire would consume all of Israel's increase and strength.

(23) "'I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend My arrows on them.'"

The Lord would heap one disaster after another on the people.  The Lord would be as an enemy to the people, having set His bow against them, and He would shoot every one of His arrows upon them.

(24) "'They will be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction; I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them with the poison of serpents of the dust.'"

Still with the symbolic image of burning arrows, the people would be burnt with hunger and fevers and complete destruction.  The Lord would also send beasts and poisonous serpents to devour them.

(25) "'The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling with the man of gray hairs.'"

The actual swords of the enemies outside and the terror of them inside would destroy all the people, from nursing babies to young people to the very old.

(26) "'I said I would scatter them into corners; I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men.'"

The Lord had intended to "scatter them into corners," the original word "paah" meaning more like blowing them away.  He would have made the memory of them cease among men.

(27) "'Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should misunderstand, and lest they should say, "Our hand is high, and the Lord has not done all this."'"

It's not that the Lord feared any enemy, but had He completely destroyed all of His people, the enemy Satan and his servants would believe that they had been victorious over the Lord's people, and He had been unable to deliver them.  They would believe that they alone had destroyed God's people and that He had had nothing to do with their destruction.

(28) "'For they are a nation void of counsel, neither any understanding in them.'"

Their enemies would believe that way because they had no understanding of spiritual things in them.

(29) "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end."

These appear to be the words of Moses, not of the Lord, although surely under a spirit of prophecy, that he wished the people were wise and would understand what their end would be if they turned away from the Lord and He in turn turned His face from them (verse 20).

(30) "How should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up?"

How else would it be possible that one enemy or two could chase thousands of Israelites away unless their God had given them over to be slaves of their enemies and had closed them off.

(31) "For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves judges."

The Israelites' enemies' gods were not like the true Rock of salvation of the Jews as even their enemies themselves had confessed as in Exodus 14:25.

(32) "For their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters bitter."

It appears by what follows that Moses refers now to the Israelites, that they had become as Sodom and Gomorrah with their actions being only sin and abomination.

(33) "Their wine the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps."

The Israelites' doctrines and beliefs had become as poison and destruction to all who followed them.

(34) "'Is this not laid up in store with Me, sealed up among My treasures?'"

These would be the words of God, that the wicked deeds of His people had been stored in His memory, tucked away as would be treasures.

(35) "'To Me vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.'"

Vengeance and recompense is the Lord's.  Those who think they stand fast shall slide into destruction in due time.  The day of their calamity would be at hand and the evil things that God had determined in prophecy would come upon them quickly.

(36) "For the Lord shall judge His people and repent Himself for His servants when He sees that their power is gone, and none shut up or left."

Now were the words of Moses, that the Lord would judge His people.  However, He would change His conduct toward them when He saw that their power was gone and there were none remaining, neither slave nor free.

(37) "And He shall say, 'Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted?'"

The Lord would ask at that time where their false gods were, those gods they had trusted in instead of Him.

(38) "'Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you and be your protection.'"

Where were those gods to whom they had offered sacrifices and drink offerings?  The Lord would suggest that those gods rise up and help the people and be their protection, as if they could.

(39) "'See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; neither any who can deliver out of My hand.'"

The Lord would tell His people that He was the only God; there were no other gods but Him.  He had all power to kill and to make alive; He had all power to wound and to heal, and there were none who could deliver anyone out of His hand.

(40) "'For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, "I live forever. (41) If I whet My glittering sword and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies and will reward them who hate Me."'"

The Lord would lift His hand up to heaven as in an oath, swearing as sure as He lived forever, that if He prepared for the execution of His righteous judgment, He would indeed follow through with vengeance on His enemies and He would repay those who hated Him.

(42) "'I will make My arrows drunk with blood and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.'"

By the numerous and various judgments God would bring upon His enemies, it would seem that His arrows would be soaked with blood, appearing drunk with blood.  His sword would devour the flesh of His enemies because of the blood of the slain whom they had killed and carried away captive.  The Lord would avenge His people for the beginning of the enemies' oppression of them to the present time.

(43) "Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants and will render vengeance to His adversaries and will be merciful to His land and to His people."

Moses exhorted all nations of people to rejoice with God's people, indicating a future time when the Gentiles would be grafted into the vine of God's people.  God would avenge the blood of His servants by rendering vengeance on His adversaries, and He would be merciful to His land and to His people.

(44) And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. (45) And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel.

Moses and Joshua spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of all the people.  Moses concluded the song.

(46) And he said to them, "Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law."

Moses then exhorted the people to lay up all his words in their hearts, not just the words of his song, but all the words of the law he had given them.  They were to teach them to their children and command that they also adhere to them.

(47) "For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land in which you go over Jordan to possess it."

Moses told the people it was not a vain trifling matter for them to keep those words in their hearts, for those words were the key to their very lives.  And by adhering to the words of the law, the people would prolong their days in the land the Lord was giving them.

(48) And the Lord spoke to Moses that same day, saying, (49) "Go up into this mountain Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab that is across from Jericho, and behold the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession."

Then the Lord spoke to Moses.  He told him to go up into a range of mountains called Abarim, onto Mount Nebo which had formerly belonged to Moab, and was across from Jericho which lay on the other side of the Jordan in Canaan.  There he would be able to see the land of Canaan that God was giving to the Israelites.

(50) "And die on the mountain where you go up and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; (51) Because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not sanctify Me in the midst of the children of Israel."

After Moses viewed the land the Lord was giving His people, Moses should plan to die on that mountain and be gathered with the souls of his people before him, just as his brother Aaron had died on Mount Hor and was also gathered with his people.  Moses would die on the mountain, not being able to cross over into the land God was giving His people, because he had not sanctified the Lord in the eyes of the Israelites at Meribah-Kadesh (Numbers 20:11-12).

(52) "Yet you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel."

The Lord would allow Moses to see the land He was giving His people, even though he would not be able to go into it, as He had told him he would not in Numbers 20:12.

This Song of Moses was both a history and a prophecy of God's people Israel to be remembered by them.  It told of the great things the Lord had done for His people, but then how the people would turn from Him and follow false gods.  Judgments would come upon them because of their wickedness, but God would not completely destroy them.  God always saves a remnant and delivers them and destroys their enemies as He will continue to do till the very end.