“Then
Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the
ears of all the assembly of Israel: ‘Give ear, O heavens, and I
will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my
teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle
rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I
will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!
The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God
of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.”
–Deuteronomy 31:30-32:1-4 (ESV).
Moses
had already received the ten commandments. The tablets of stone on
which they were written were placed in the Ark of the Covenant.
Moses had the Book of the Law placed beside the Ark of the Covenant.
He was an old man and the years of his leadership were about over.
Joshua had already been chosen and commissioned to succeed Moses as
the leader of the Israelites. In a solemn assembly, Moses lifted his
voice and gave a farewell message to the people. Called “The Song
of Moses” and “The Blessing of Moses,” these are recorded in
Deuteronomy 32 and 33. The focal verses for today are a prelude to
Moses’ long speech and set the stage for what he propounded to the
people as he pled with them one last time to be faithful to God their
Rock.
A
leader such as Moses had his words recorded for posterity. They have
been studied by Bible scholars, taken as texts in sermons for
centuries, taught in Bible studies, read for their depth of meaning
and truths to be lived by. His song and blessing still inspire us
today. Indeed, these words of Moses were “as gentle rain…as dew
distilling…as showers upon the herb.” And the reason for the
importance of His words for generations was that he proclaimed the
faithfulness, perfection, and justice of God, our Rock.
Just
this week I was talking to a friend, a fellow traveler along life’s
road, who, as I, has faced many challenges in life. She and I are
both “journal keepers.” We like to write down events in our
lives and how we handled challenges as we met them. Having had the
conversation with her after a meeting, I came home and took the time
to get down from my bookshelf a journal dated twelve years ago. At
that time in my life I had the challenge of caregiving for an ill
husband and the move from a beloved home in the mountains to a place
in Middle Georgia. A very important theme emerged from journal
entries—some of which enumerated difficult decisions, challenges
beyond my human ability and knowledge to meet. But permeating the
sometimes shakily-written record of my days a keen and persistent
message emerges: God is my Rock. He is faithful in all His ways. I
did not meet a situation that He did not bring me faithfully through
it. In adversity I learned patience and trust. I grew in faith and
in waiting for God to lead the way.
Prayers
voiced twelve years ago and written down as I look back in retrospect
were answered even more graciously than I dreamed. At one point, on
February 22, 2003, I broke into praise with these words: “Knowing
that God is holy and just causes me to think that my learning praise
verses and songs here is a small preparation for singing them
perfectly in heaven. Here is my offering for today,
Lord, in praise:
Praise
be to God, the One all holy.
Praise
to the Lord, our Sacrifice.
Praise
and adoration, now and forever;
Our
destiny is sure: He paid the price!” -Amen
-Ethelene
Dyer Jones 01.18.2015 (quoting some from 02.22.2003)
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