Deuteronomy 32:6-9 - Remember the days of old

32:6
“Is this the way you repay the Lord?” This applies especially to Israel, who would not exist as a nation at all unless God had created them. They would not have been in the Promised Land if God had not given it to them. Likewise, none of us would exist unless God had created us, we would not have planet Earth unless God had created it. We are utterly and completely dependent upon Him. Yet, how do we repay the Lord?

32:7-9
“Remember the days of old”. This is written for future generations, urging them to look back, to look to the history of Israel. The Lord allocated the various parts of Israel to the tribes. “The Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob His allotted inheritance”. We belong to the Lord. If we are to view ourselves and to view life properly we need to remember who we belong to.

Hebrews 13:14,15 - Looking for the city to come

13:14

Jesus endured the scorn of the cross for the joy set before Him. We also should do likewise, for we have an eternal city, this world is not an enduring city. This world is temporal. So we have joy set before us. We need to have an eternal perspective, not as a form of escapism, but so that we we live properly and wisely today.

13:15

So we should indeed offer sacrifices, not animal sacrifices but a sacrifice of praise. Circumstances may say we have nothing to praise God for, but we should praise God as an act of faith. And this praise is not just singing or worship, but includes the way we live our lives. We should gladly proclaim the name of Jesus.

Deuteronomy 32:4,5 - He is the Rock

32:4
Jesus is the Rock. He is the foundation on which we must build. His works are perfect, no one else's. And all His ways are just. If we want justice then we need to have Jesus. And it is Jesus who comes first, not the justice. He is a faithful God who does no wrong.  He is upright and just. So if we ever imagine that God is unjust, or that some of His ways are wrong we can be absolutely sure that it is we who are wrong, not God.

32:5
The “they” here must be the people of Israel. They are described as “corrupt”, “a warped and crooked generation”. One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it is absolutely clear about the nature of Israel, and it is not kind to them! If the Old Testament was a man-made book, who would write it? Surely not the Israelites for it does them no favours. The Bible is God inspired, telling the truth about Israel, and all mankind.

Hebrews 13:11-13 - Let us go to Him outside the camp

13:11

The writer now goes back to the way Levitical sacrifices were offered and uses it as a source of encouragement for the situation the Hebrew Christians were encountering. It is vital to realise that throughout Hebrews the writer makes two parallel points about the sacrifices. The first is that the sacrifice of Jesus far superseded the Levitical sacrifices and renders them obsolete, but the second is that the Law points towards the gospel. It was only a shadow, but it was a shadow. I.e. if we think there is nothing to learn from the Law then we are badly mistaken. He draws attention to the fact that while the blood was taken into the Most Holy Place, the bodies were burned outside the camp.  

13:12,13

Then he points out that Jesus’ crucifixion took place outside the city gates, adding that Jesus’ blood purified the people. So Jesus bore disgrace, for crucifixion was designed to be as humiliating as possible. The Hebrews were suffering disgrace because of their faith in Christ, in doing so they were following the footsteps of Jesus. The writer urges them to be prepared to suffer disgrace for the sake of Christ. This is something we need to take on board as our societies become increasingly anti-Christian.

Deuteronomy 32:1-3 - Listen, you heavens

32:1
We now come to the song that was heralded in the previous chapter. It is interesting that God provides a song to emphasise the message. We often remember songs more readily than prose. While the primary purpose of the song is as a witness to the people, it is also a witness to the whole of creation, the heavens and the earth. In Rom 8:19-22 we read of creation being subjected to frustration and waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. The best thing a person can do for the environment is to repent and believe.

32:2
Jesus said that He came here to teach (see Mark’s gospel). It is the words and teaching of Jesus that bring life. So God’s teaching is to fall like rain, abundant rain. It is the word of God that gives life.

32:3
So Moses will proclaim the name of the Lord. What do we think has the greatest impact on society? We often make mistakes, whether on the left or the right. Some will claim it is environmentalism, racial quality, or social justice, others will think it is “make America great again”. It is only the name of the Lord that will save our society. We need to repent and believe. We need to proclaim and praise the greatness of our God.

Hebrews 13:9,10 - Do not be carried away by strange teachings

13:9

The previous verse also leads into this one. “All kinds of strange teachings” arise, and always have done. We must not be carried away by them, the gospel remains the same, Christ remains the same, our hope remains the same. Strange teachings come in all sorts of flavours, it appears that the one around at the time of this letter concerned ceremonial foods. It may have claimed that they had some sort of magical power.  In reality the food was of no value whatsoever. There can still be teachings today which go down a similar line. They are all useless, instead we are to be strengthened by grace, by God's undeserved and unlimited favour towards us.

13:10

The teaching may also have been rooted in Judaism, going by all the teaching that has gone before on how the tabernacle and sacrifices of Judaism have been superseded by Christ. The false teachers may have claimed to have some special knowledge and access, and if others followed their teaching, then they too would have similar access. The truth was that these false teachers had no right to go to (unless, of course, they repented and believed) the true altar of God.

Deuteronomy 31:24-30 - I know how rebellious you are

31:24-26

Moses wrote this book, a fact attested to by Jesus. Moses then gave instructions to the Levites, the book was to be placed in the ark of the covenant. The Law was a witness against the people. Why so? Because the Law set out a path to prosperity and well being, if they obeyed the Law then all would be well with them, but if they departed from the Law then disaster would come upon them. The people were without excuse. We should note that the Lord never envisaged that the Law was a way of salvation, rather “through the Law we become conscious of our sin”.

31:27-30

Moses knew and understood the nature of the people, they were “rebellious and stiff-necked”. Moses knew that this would not change after he died, indeed they would be even worse. All the people were to be assembled together to hear all the words of the Law. Moses finishes these words with a damning criticism of the hearts of the people. And in the next chapter we will get the song.