Word of Encouragement (01/31/2023)
"The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. 20 And he said, 'I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. 21 They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deut. 32:19-22)
How did Moses describe the Israelites’ idolatry? “They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols.” What was God’s response? “So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” Do you see the parallels? Because they made God jealous, He would make them jealous, too. Because they made Him jealous with what is no god, God would make them jealous with those who are no people. Because they provoked Him to anger, God would provoke them to anger. Because they provoked Him with their idols, God would provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
With this expression, God made His intention of carrying out lex talionis (“the law of retaliation” as exemplified by the expression, “an eye for an eye”) against the people of Israel. Of course, whatever temporal punishment God inflicted on them was not the full punishment they deserved. For even our smallest sin deserves eternal damnation as it violates God’s infinite honor. But who are “no people”? Was God speaking of angels or animals? I think not. As S.R. Driver suggests, the LORD might have been talking about “wild and savage barbarians” who were not fit to be called a “people” or “nation” (ICC, Deuteronomy). The Philistines, the Midianites, and the Scythians might fit this category. The key is that, as the LORD was “humiliated” by the Israelites’ worship of “what is no god,” God would humiliate the Israelites by “those who are no people.”
The same is true of the usage of the word, “provoke.” The Israelites provoked the LORD to anger with their idols. Here, the Hebrew word for “idols” is hebel, which means vapor, breath, or vanity. This is the word with which the Book of Ecclesiastes opens: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (1:2). Many translations opted for “idols” because of the context (especially, the parallel between this word and “what is no god”). The King James Version translates more literally, “they have provoked me to anger with their vanities.” Either way, this verse highlights how vain or futile it is to worship idols, which are no more than just a vapor or breath in comparison to the LORD.
It was only right that God should be provoked to anger by the foolishness [or senselessness] of Israel’s worship of idols. In fact, v. 6 described Israel as a “foolish [nabal] and senseless people.” So, they deserved to be provoked to anger by “a foolish [or senseless, nabal] nation”—a nation they looked down on for whatever reason, in addition to being a pagan nation. This insult would be added to their agony of defeat.
How dreadful it is that God should judge us according to lex talionis! Those who hate God will be hated by God. If the One, who is almighty and omnipresent and eternal should hate you, where can you go to find your refuge? What can you do to protect yourself? If you rebel against God’s will, He can frustrate your plan and will at every turn. As we saw last Sunday, that was Saul’s lot. Jonathan had no trouble finding David. The Ziphites had no trouble locating him. Only Saul had trouble finding him. Because he resisted God’s will in his attempt to kill David, God frustrated his every attempt to capture David. All this will be infinitely multiplied and eternally extended in hell!
But those, who love God, will be loved by God. Our love is feeble and inconstant, not deserving of His love. Yet, He will repay our love with His infinite and unbreakable love. If this is so, it is not because our love is worthy of His love. It is only because the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ covers those who believe in Him, which makes us entitled to God’s divine love. But, you see, our love for God is sandwiched between God’s love. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And when we love Him in gratitude, we receive from Him, love upon love. Jesus said that, if we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us before God. If we live to honor Him in all that we do, He will also honor us on the last day. Oh, may our hearts be filled with the eagerness to please Him in all that we do, knowing that He will fill our hearts with joy and delight and pleasure inexpressible for all eternity!