The Song of Moses

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it "really" means.. Let's see where this takes us! 

Deuteronomy 32

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 is quite the mysterious passage:

[8]When the Most High] apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the gods; [9]the Lord’s own portion was his people, Jacob his allotted share.

In the NRSV,  after "according to the number of the gods" is a footnote with another translation saying "the Israelites" instead of "the gods." But that's even more confusing than "the gods."

What the passage suggests to me is that the "Most High," supposedly the supreme deity or a congress of deities, divided the nations so that each god would be a particular god of a particular nation. The LORD would be the god of the Israelites.

Verse 15 is also interesting: "Jacob ate his fill; Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, bloated, and gorged! He abandoned God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation."

The name "Jeshurun" hasn't appeared before in the Bible. In context it sounds like another name for Israel, but how are we supposed to know that?

In any case, my interpretation of the chapter is that the Israelites will abandon the LORD (i.e., the highest self) and chase demons and non-existent gods. This angers the LORD, and the LORD is tempted to abandon Israel to the enemy, but then the enemy would take credit. The LORD, then, will defend and avenge Israel because "there is no god besides me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; and no one can deliver from my hand."

If you remember the power of God within, then your enemies don't stand a chance against you.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)