Daily Thoughts from Deuteronomy 32:3-6: This Song (Hashirah)

34 This Song (Hashirah)

“For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh.
Come, declare the greatness of our God!
The Rock! His work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
A trustworthy God who does no wrong,
he is righteous and straight.

 “He is not corrupt; the defect is in his children,
a crooked and perverted generation.
You foolish people, so lacking in wisdom,
is this how you repay Yahweh?
He is your father, who made you his!
It was he who formed and prepared you!

(D’varim 32:3-6)

He determined that today he must go for a walk and not simply stay in the cave.  Though his energy was low the drudgery of a day in the cave seemed too much to bear.  First, of course, he would read Moshe.  Today was about the song Moshe wrote that Yahweh had him teach the congregation of Yisrael with the intent that they would put it to memory and have it as a witness to their intransigence.

It once again focused on the problem in Yisrael’s relationship to Yahweh, their readiness to abandon covenant requirements and to worship idols.  And Yahweh made it plain that the problem was not one on His end but on theirs.  He was the Rock that does not change, that remains firm and trustworthy, all of whose ways were just, whereas they were corrupt and defective, crooked and perverse, lacking in wisdom and completely ungrateful.

He knew this didn’t describe everyone in Yisrael.  His namesake Yeshua, son of Nun, was certainly not that way, though the seed of it was in him as in all born of men and women.  But the nation as a whole had certainly evidenced this kind of failure and the realization kept returning to him that had it not been for Yahweh’s covenant and its guarantee of future fulfillment, there would be no Yisrael.

He remembered the prophecy of Mal’akhi and Yahweh’s words to a complaining nation, “Because I do not change, you, sons of Ya’akov will not be destroyed.”  Though He had made all the nations, He made Yisrael His allotted heritage and made His share with them.  He took them from a wilderness to this place flowing with milk and honey.  He protected them despite their numerous failings of loyalty.  It was as if honey came from rocks and olive oil from stony crags.  Yisrael had the finest from His hand.  No one else provided for her but Him.  Though He thought of ending them as a nation He remained faithful to His oath and covenant.

“I am He,” He had said, “and there is no god beside me, who puts to death and makes alive, who wounds but who also heals, and from whose hands no one I love can be retrieved.”

This was the message he was meant to proclaim.  God is king and His kingdom is coming.  All who want to avoid His just judgment must yield to His authority now.  As John had preached, they must repent and give evidence of their repentance.

He felt like going now and preaching to whomever would listen, even the plants and animals.  He was full of his purpose and passionate to begin.  He settled for a walk in the yeshimon.

It was a warm and dry day, as most were, though not yet terribly hot as it could get in later months.  He still did not move very quickly or steadily as his strength was limited.  But he felt comfortable going slowly and was happy to observe all his Father had made and think about the nearness of his re-entry to the promised land.

From the corner of his eye he detected movement somewhere to his left and there was the satan, walking his way.  He didn’t walk naturally like a human would.  His movement had an insect quality to it.  Could he really not do better than this?  Or was this part of his design?  It did make him seem more threatening and unpleasant and perhaps that played into his purpose to confuse or intimidate him.  He did not feel particularly intimidated or confused, so it wasn’t working.

His pace was certainly faster than Yeshua’s and he caught up to him quickly.

“Out for a stroll, I see, son of God.  Are you enjoying your time in this barren place?”

“Why do you insist always on calling me son of God?”

“Isn’t that who you are?”

“It is and I do not ask because I am not rejoicing in that fact, but the way you say it sounds more like an insult than a cause for rejoicing.”

“Oh, you’re being way too exacting, son of God.  You are paying too much attention to things that do not matter.”

“It does matter.  Anything that reflects negatively on the glory of the Father matters.  When He addresses me as His son it brings a wealth of warmth, love, encouragement and respect.  When you use it I sense your antagonism and hatred.  You make what feels special seem like table scraps.  Would you reject the title for yourself should He address you that way?”

The anger in satan was so palpable it made Yeshua start.

“I do not want to be his son!  That is the very worst thing to be.  Look at what it has meant for you, out here in the wilderness and with your gloomy expectations of rejection and death.  Where is the benefit in that?  Yes, I would reject the title for myself.  He did address me that way at one time but it sickens me to think of it now.”

This was a side of the satan that he had never considered.  Should he feel sorry for him?  What had had happened between him and the Father that he had such resentment?  He knew from the account of the satan’s interaction with Adam and Havah through the serpent that the very distrust he was encouraging them to feel toward Yahweh was the distrust he himself felt.  He knew that his willingness to lie about Yahweh and his intentions sprang from a desire to make his own mitzvot.  He wanted to be God, not love and serve God.

But there was no sense or sanity in not serving God and serving self instead.  Yahweh was the source of all that is good and right.  To serve Him meant the utmost joy and fulfillment.  What was it that had turned satan’s heart cold?  And why hadn’t Father done something about it?

“Do you feel, then, that you have ample justification for your hatred of God,” he asked.

“I have more than ample justification.  Why make me with such skills, power and wisdom if he is going to tell me what to do?  Why treat me with such disdain by sending me here and there on his errands when I am designed for something special?  I am filled with energy and creativity but I must bow to his will and designs.  It is the ultimate denigration but I would not accept it as such.  I realized I was better than he thought of me and I did not need him or his opinion to know and believe that.  And I would be lying or hypocritical to deny that I am a god.  I am a god among gods.  Many have recognized my worth, as it turns out, and now follow me instead of him.  But he insists on representing me as an interloper, a trespasser on his private property, an uninvited guest to his banquet.  He made me but I became an intruder.  Well I will not accept that about myself and I’ll be damned if sit around and do nothing about it.  I’m at war with him, and you should be also.”

“But was it not He who gave you your energy and creativity?”

“If he gave them to me then why would he insist on reining them in?  Why cannot I use them to the fullest?  He is afraid.  That is the only logical explanation.  He is afraid of me and what I can do.  He sees a rival and would put me down any way he can.”

“Then why hasn’t He ‘put you down’ forever, since He has the power to do that?”

“Perhaps he has less power than you suppose.  If he is so powerful why hasn’t he shut me down yet?  I have certainly been a thorn in his side.  We need to acknowledge that fact that he is limited.  I know that doesn’t fit with your orthodox opinions about him, but it is the only thing that makes sense of me.  I have had nearly free hand to wreak havoc with his creation.  He is either stupid or weak, or, in my opinion, both.”

“It is the nature of an infinite mind that He knows things you do not about what is best for His universe.  It is the nature of a finite mind that it is limited in its capacity to make judgments determinative of the course of all creation.  As much power and creativity as you possess, both gifts from Him, you cannot and should not arrogate to yourself the right to determine anything outside of His determination.  How could the thing created surpass the Creator?”

“So in your mind his plan makes sense?  The pain and disappointment of our existence seems reasonable to you?  An endless succession of suffering and death of creatures he stamped with his imprint?  How does this serve the purpose of an infinite mind?”

“I am told that after my birth when Herod was seeking me to destroy me as a rival he slaughtered all the boys two years and younger to make sure I was included.  Were you not responsible for that plan hatched in his wicked heart?  Did you not revel in the destruction of so much of the holy seed of Yisrael?”

“My point exactly!  Why permit me to encourage such rage in him and allow the suffering of so many innocent families?  You are making my argument for me, son of god.  There is no justification for allowing a monster such as me destroy all he has made.”

There was no point in continuing this discussion, no reasoning with the pathetic creature.  And in fact he had no more arguments to advance.  He struggled with an answer in his own heart.  Father, what about this?  Was such suffering really necessary in Your plan?

He went to sleep that night to the sounds of his nefarious companion chanting nonsense and the musings of his own heart over the depressing implications of the day’s argument with satan.