A SONG REMINDER OF GOD

PRAY WITH ME FOR AFRICA: Over the next few weeks we will be praying for a country you may not have heard of before - The Republic of The Gambia or The Gambia. This worm shaped country straddles the Gambia River and is embedded in the country of Senegal. The Gambia is 90% Muslim and 8% Christian, mostly Catholic with less than 1% being evangelical. There is a large degree of religious freedom. Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict The Gambia of sin, righteousness and judgement to come so that many will come to Christ for salvation. Pray also for spiritual maturity in the few evangelical believers.

 God told Moses to write a song, not to lead a worship concert, but to remind the people of Israel after they entered the promised land of God's faithfulness, of God's wrath against their disobedience, and of God's final mercy after judgment. This terrifying "national anthem" is found in Deuteronomy 32 and calls to our attention both the love and mercy of God and His wrath against sin.

Verses 1-18 Reviews the faithful fatherly love of God in choosing and providing for Israel and points out that Israel has still foolishly turned against Him. dealt corruptly with him; crooked and twisted generation; foolish and senseless people; grew fat, stout, and sleek and then forsook God and scoffed; sacrificed to demons; unmindful; forgot the God who gave you birth.
Verses 19-27 Graphically express the wrath of God on Israel. This wrath was direct through natural disasters and animals, and also through the cruelty of invading nations. God would have completely removed Israel from human memory if it were not for the boast of the nations that the Lord did not do all this (v27).
Verses 28-42 Describe the ignorance of the activity of God in Israel  among these invading nations and the judgment of God that is coming on these nations as well, and Israel's realization that the idols they worship are powerless to help them under God's judgment, with the hope that Israel will forsake their idols and return to their faithful God and father.
Verse 43 There is no other god but God and He will avenge His enemies and cleanse (atone for) his people (LXX).
It would be a sobering exercise to meditate on God's wrath expressed in v23-27 and to make sure we do not fall into the presumption of v15.

Good articles this week:
Doctrines of Graciousness
Dara City in Syria (the picture alone is worth this article)