Deu 32:40-42 | KingComments | STEP | In the song, the moment has now come when God presents Himself to His people in His glory and power. The contrast with the previous verses is enormous. Here we see that God is the Eternal One, the Being One, without origin, always present at every conceivable time in eternity. He is also the Only One at all, besides Him no one is God, with Him no one can be compared ( ). Just as He cannot be equaled in His Person, so is He in His deeds. He acts in complete freedom, without being accountable to anyone ( ; ). By the way, who would be so audacious to call Him to account ( )? With undisputed authority He disposes of all His creatures. But He never does it at will. His actions always have a perfectly just basis and are aimed at blessing. He puts to death, but He gives life to everyone who acknowledges His judgment. So shall it be with the people ( ; ). He who believes, “has passed out of death into life” ( ). He swears by Himself that He will judge all His adversaries, all who go on to resist Him ( ). This judgment will be terrible, sparing nothing and nobody. The blood will flow in large quantities ( ). The long-haired leaders speak of leaders with a hair dress that expresses a fullness of strength and overconfidence in the enemy (cf. ). Their overconfidence will not last in God’s judgment. God is merciful and patient, but there comes a moment when to be patient any longer would be to compromise His righteousness. There is an end to His forbearance. That is when man has proven to have a hardened and unrepentant heart ( ). After the execution of the judgment, the nations are called to rejoice with His people. His people are delivered. The enemies have been defeated. The time of peace has come. The people can dwell in peace and enjoy all the promised blessings. Peace is great and endless. The Messiah rules. This means blessing not only for Israel, but also for the nations. Therefore Paul cites in the letter to the Romans ( ). He shows that God has already spoken in the Old Testament about mercy for the nations. This mercy is not something new, something that has only been revealed in the New Testament. It is not about the church. In the Old Testament the church is indeed something hidden. What is at stake here is to make it clear that God’s heart in the Old Testament also goes out to the nations outside of Israel. To prove this, Paul quotes, among other things, this verse from the song of Moses, in which the nations are called to rejoice with God’s people. The great peace in which Israel enters and in which the nations may share is the result of the atonement that God has brought about. Atonement is only possible through satisfaction. God’s holy demands regarding sin and sins are satisfied through Christ on the cross. He has reconciled sinners guilty of death to God by pouring His blood. The land and the creation, on which there is blood guilt ( ), will be atoned on the basis of the same work ( ). For sinners there is only reconciliation if they repent from their evil way with faith and confession of their evil deeds, their sins. For Israel, this will happen under the action of God’s Spirit, through which they will see on Him, “whom they have pierced” ( ). About atonement of land and people we read in Daniel 9 ( ).

‏ Deuteronomy 32:40-42

The LORD Delivers His People

In the song, the moment has now come when God presents Himself to His people in His glory and power. The contrast with the previous verses is enormous. Here we see that God is the Eternal One, the Being One, without origin, always present at every conceivable time in eternity. He is also the Only One at all, besides Him no one is God, with Him no one can be compared (Isa 43:10b-11).

Just as He cannot be equaled in His Person, so is He in His deeds. He acts in complete freedom, without being accountable to anyone (Isa 45:7; Lam 3:37-38). By the way, who would be so audacious to call Him to account (Rom 9:20)? With undisputed authority He disposes of all His creatures. But He never does it at will. His actions always have a perfectly just basis and are aimed at blessing. He puts to death, but He gives life to everyone who acknowledges His judgment. So shall it be with the people (1Sam 2:6; Isa 26:19 Hos 5:15 ; Hos 6:1-2). He who believes, “has passed out of death into life” (Jn 5:24).

He swears by Himself that He will judge all His adversaries, all who go on to resist Him (Psa 7:13-14). This judgment will be terrible, sparing nothing and nobody. The blood will flow in large quantities (Rev 14:20). The long-haired leaders speak of leaders with a hair dress that expresses a fullness of strength and overconfidence in the enemy (cf. Psa 68:21). Their overconfidence will not last in God’s judgment. God is merciful and patient, but there comes a moment when to be patient any longer would be to compromise His righteousness. There is an end to His forbearance. That is when man has proven to have a hardened and unrepentant heart (Rom 2:5).

After the execution of the judgment, the nations are called to rejoice with His people. His people are delivered. The enemies have been defeated. The time of peace has come. The people can dwell in peace and enjoy all the promised blessings. Peace is great and endless. The Messiah rules. This means blessing not only for Israel, but also for the nations. Therefore Paul cites Deu 32:43a in the letter to the Romans (Rom 15:1). He shows that God has already spoken in the Old Testament about mercy for the nations.

This mercy is not something new, something that has only been revealed in the New Testament. It is not about the church. In the Old Testament the church is indeed something hidden. What is at stake here is to make it clear that God’s heart in the Old Testament also goes out to the nations outside of Israel. To prove this, Paul quotes, among other things, this verse from the song of Moses, in which the nations are called to rejoice with God’s people.

The great peace in which Israel enters and in which the nations may share is the result of the atonement that God has brought about. Atonement is only possible through satisfaction. God’s holy demands regarding sin and sins are satisfied through Christ on the cross. He has reconciled sinners guilty of death to God by pouring His blood. The land and the creation, on which there is blood guilt (Num 35:33), will be atoned on the basis of the same work (Col 1:19-20).

For sinners there is only reconciliation if they repent from their evil way with faith and confession of their evil deeds, their sins. For Israel, this will happen under the action of God’s Spirit, through which they will see on Him, “whom they have pierced” (Zec 12:10). About atonement of land and people we read in Daniel 9 (Dan 9:24-27).