And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
On that selfsame day God spoke to Moses to give him His final instructions before his death, among the closing words and songs before the record of his death. He was told to make his lonely final ascent to see the land he would not enter and there die. After eighty years leading Israel toward the promised land he was stopped on the plains of Moab and not allowed to cross the Jordan because at the waters of strife he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, failed to follow God's command exactly, and did not give God glory. It was for one offense, no great crime as men count crimes but the common and grievous sin of unbelief and distrust, and his punishment was increased in just proportion to the light he had enjoyed as one honored above every other living man who had spoken with God face to face. His being cut off shows that God visits disobedience with death and will not tolerate rebellion, for sin and death are inseparable and the wages of sin is death, and it shows that God is not dependent on any person however experienced or influential.
Setting at Moses' Death
Deuteronomy 32:48 belongs to the closing chapters and closing account of Deuteronomy, which recount the end of Moses' life. The last chapter records his death and was probably written by Joshua. The verse marks the selfsame day on which the Lord spoke to Moses, introducing God's final instructions to him before his death. It stands among those final instructions and the poems in chapters 32 and 33, before the record of his death in chapter 34.
It belongs to the account of Moses being told to ascend the mountain before his death. It was a lonely final ascent, in which he sees the beautiful land he will not enter and goes to an unknown grave. The verse stands in the chapter whose first forty-three verses are the song God commanded Moses to write and teach Israel as a witness against them. That song recalls their own nothingness and God's goodness and power.
The song indicts Jeshurun for forsaking God who made him, lightly esteeming the Rock of his salvation, being unmindful of the Rock that begat him, and sacrificing to new gods their fathers feared not. It depicts Jacob as the lot of God's inheritance, found in the waste howling wilderness and kept as the apple of His eye. He was fed with honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock, with butter of kine and milk of sheep with fat of lambs, with fat of kidneys of wheat, and the pure blood of the grape.
Jeshurun's quick apostasy grieved God the Rock and evoked just judgment unless he repents. Judgment is described as spending arrows upon them, hiding His face, and sending teeth of beasts with poison of serpents, and sword without and terror within, because they are children with no faith and a nation void of counsel. It closes with God's plea that they were wise and would consider their latter end, challenging them to bring forward the gods in whom they trusted which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink-offerings.
Judgment on Moses' Disobedience
After eighty years leading Israel from Egypt toward the promised land, Moses reached the plains of Moab but was not allowed to cross the Jordan and must die on Mount Nebo with rebellious Israel before crossing over. He was barred because, when the people provoked him at the waters of strife, they angered God and provoked Moses' spirit so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, failed to follow God's command exactly, and did not give God glory. The decree came for his one offense, not because he had committed a great crime as men count crimes, but for a sin of common occurrence, the grievous and widespread sin of unbelief, distrust, doubt and positive unbelief that limits the Holy One of Israel and leads to backsliding and apostasy.
The cutting and humiliating punishment was not severe because he had been honored above every other living man, had his cause vindicated again and again, had his prayers heard, and had spoken with God face to face as a man speaks with a friend, so his criminality was increased in just proportion to the light and knowledge he had enjoyed. Retribution surely follows the transgressor even after a life of labor for God, self-denial and self-sacrifice, marked with special favors, great foresight and wisdom, when watchfulness and prayer fail, and the departure from rectitude is more noticeable and Satan's triumph more complete because of the usual purity and nobility of the character. His being prohibited from entering the promised land and condemned to die for disobedience means God visits disobedience with death and will not tolerate rebellion, illustrating the eternal principle that sin and death are inseparable and the wages of sin is death, and that God, with whom is the fountain of life and in whose hand is the life of every living thing, cuts away life lifted in antagonism to Heaven.
His physical strength did not prevent him from leading the people, and his removal shows that God is not dependent on any person, regardless of experience or influence, and is prepared for every emergency. His history illustrates that faithful people may wait a long time for God's purposes to be fulfilled, and that the expected outcome may not come to them as they hoped. Telling the sending of Moses up a mountain to die as God being mad at Moses and making him go up to die presents God as a powerful, vindictive ogre whose main attribute is wrath, and hides the truth of a loving heavenly Father who is a friend to little children.
On that selfsame day God spoke to Moses to give him His final instructions before his death, among the closing words and songs before the record of his death. He was told to make his lonely final ascent to see the land he would not enter and there die. After eighty years leading Israel toward the promised land he was stopped on the plains of Moab and not allowed to cross the Jordan because at the waters of strife he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, failed to follow God's command exactly, and did not give God glory. It was for one offense, no great crime as men count crimes but the common and grievous sin of unbelief and distrust, and his punishment was increased in just proportion to the light he had enjoyed as one honored above every other living man who had spoken with God face to face. His being cut off shows that God visits disobedience with death and will not tolerate rebellion, for sin and death are inseparable and the wages of sin is death, and it shows that God is not dependent on any person however experienced or influential.
Setting at Moses' Death
Deuteronomy 32:48 belongs to the closing chapters and closing account of Deuteronomy, which recount the end of Moses' life. The last chapter records his death and was probably written by Joshua. The verse marks the selfsame day on which the Lord spoke to Moses, introducing God's final instructions to him before his death. It stands among those final instructions and the poems in chapters 32 and 33, before the record of his death in chapter 34.
It belongs to the account of Moses being told to ascend the mountain before his death. It was a lonely final ascent, in which he sees the beautiful land he will not enter and goes to an unknown grave. The verse stands in the chapter whose first forty-three verses are the song God commanded Moses to write and teach Israel as a witness against them. That song recalls their own nothingness and God's goodness and power.
The song indicts Jeshurun for forsaking God who made him, lightly esteeming the Rock of his salvation, being unmindful of the Rock that begat him, and sacrificing to new gods their fathers feared not. It depicts Jacob as the lot of God's inheritance, found in the waste howling wilderness and kept as the apple of His eye. He was fed with honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock, with butter of kine and milk of sheep with fat of lambs, with fat of kidneys of wheat, and the pure blood of the grape.
Jeshurun's quick apostasy grieved God the Rock and evoked just judgment unless he repents. Judgment is described as spending arrows upon them, hiding His face, and sending teeth of beasts with poison of serpents, and sword without and terror within, because they are children with no faith and a nation void of counsel. It closes with God's plea that they were wise and would consider their latter end, challenging them to bring forward the gods in whom they trusted which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink-offerings.
Judgment on Moses' Disobedience
After eighty years leading Israel from Egypt toward the promised land, Moses reached the plains of Moab but was not allowed to cross the Jordan and must die on Mount Nebo with rebellious Israel before crossing over. He was barred because, when the people provoked him at the waters of strife, they angered God and provoked Moses' spirit so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, failed to follow God's command exactly, and did not give God glory. The decree came for his one offense, not because he had committed a great crime as men count crimes, but for a sin of common occurrence, the grievous and widespread sin of unbelief, distrust, doubt and positive unbelief that limits the Holy One of Israel and leads to backsliding and apostasy.
The cutting and humiliating punishment was not severe because he had been honored above every other living man, had his cause vindicated again and again, had his prayers heard, and had spoken with God face to face as a man speaks with a friend, so his criminality was increased in just proportion to the light and knowledge he had enjoyed. Retribution surely follows the transgressor even after a life of labor for God, self-denial and self-sacrifice, marked with special favors, great foresight and wisdom, when watchfulness and prayer fail, and the departure from rectitude is more noticeable and Satan's triumph more complete because of the usual purity and nobility of the character. His being prohibited from entering the promised land and condemned to die for disobedience means God visits disobedience with death and will not tolerate rebellion, illustrating the eternal principle that sin and death are inseparable and the wages of sin is death, and that God, with whom is the fountain of life and in whose hand is the life of every living thing, cuts away life lifted in antagonism to Heaven.
His physical strength did not prevent him from leading the people, and his removal shows that God is not dependent on any person, regardless of experience or influence, and is prepared for every emergency. His history illustrates that faithful people may wait a long time for God's purposes to be fulfilled, and that the expected outcome may not come to them as they hoped. Telling the sending of Moses up a mountain to die as God being mad at Moses and making him go up to die presents God as a powerful, vindictive ogre whose main attribute is wrath, and hides the truth of a loving heavenly Father who is a friend to little children.