What Great Things God has Done
Deuteronomy 32:7-14
July 1-2, 2023
All right, at this point in the history of Israel, they're coming to the end of their 40-year journey in the desert, and they're just about to enter into that land that God has promised. Moses has one final opportunity to speak to them before they enter in. Now he already knows God has already let Moses know that he will not be the one that leads them, that will be Joshua. This is literally the last opportunity that he has, and he gives them this epic speech, which is the Book of Deuteronomy. It is in so many ways a book of revival, which is why this book is so important for us to hear, to receive because there's an urgent need for revival today.
This is a broken world, but you do not have to be broken in this broken world. God can be a foundation of life and revival is the key to that. This is an epic speech where he gives here in the Book of Deuteronomy the greatest words that God has ever spoken. Now, you might say, pastor, how do you know that God's greatest words were found in the Book of Deuteronomy? Well, because Jesus said so. An expert in the Jewish law came to Jesus at one point and he said, “Now, Rabbi what is the greatest and the foremost of all the things that God has ever said?”
Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy, "The greatest, the foremost is this, that you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, your mind, your strength, and that you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” All of that is in Deuteronomy. It is a message of revival. After that, God took Moses aside and said, "Now these people, they will go after strange gods of that land in which they're going. They will forsake me. They will break my covenant, which I will make with them. In that day that they turn from me and the many troubles arise and the adversity comes upon them as I forewarned them, that they will blame me in that day and they will say, this is happening because God is no longer with us."
I. Never Forget What God has Done
He said, “So therefore, I want you to write down the words of a song that they would learn the words of this song and be reminded of all the great things that God has done for them. In the times of adversity, in the time of trouble. That they would look back and they would see the words of this song--” which we're going to read here in Deuteronomy 32, “Will remind them, oh, they need to know all of the great things that God has done for them. For then they will be brought back to a place of revival.” See, there comes a time to choose, to choose the way to walk, to choose the way you will live your life.
In many ways, that call that revival is a choice. Here's what I mean. God says through Moses, "I said before you, life and death, prosperity or adversity, you choose. I want you to choose life." God says, "I love you. I want you to choose life, but you must choose it. I set before you prosperity adversity life, and death. When you choose adversity,” because he says, “You surely will.” He says to Israel, "I want you to be reminded in the words of this song, how much that God has done. Oh, what great things God has done and will do again if you would only come and return to the Lord and choose again the way of greatest blessing, I want you to sing it to him.
Now, see, in those days, remember Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and at first, they had just one copy. Now we are blessed because we've got many copies. All of us, I think have multiple copies of the word of God. Anytime you want to read the promises of God, they're right there for you to read but they didn't. Scribes would write by hand some copies, but the average Hebrew, no did not. What they did, they would gather them all together and read the word of God once every seven years. Once every seven years, that's really not enough we would say, right?
Therefore, he said, "This song is a song that I want them to learn to sing and to sing it over and over,” because songs have a powerful way of embedding themselves in your mind, your memory. That's why even today, companies will hire songwriters to write songs to sell their products, right? Jingles we would call them. These are powerful. Today it’s very commonly used. I still remember some of the jingles from when I was a kid. That's how it gets embedded into your mind. You probably still remember some of them too. Plop, plop, fist, fist.
There you go. See, it's embedded in your mind, right? Some of these just are locked in, right? Like a good neighbor. It's there, it’s locked into your mind, right? There was great wisdom when God says, "Teach them a song. Let them sing the song and be reminded again in that day of adversity when they turn their hearts towards the gods of the world, that they would remember the words of this song." These are the words that would remind them of the great things that God has done and will do. Now we're jumping into the midst of it. We're not going to read the whole of it, but chapter 32, we start in verse seven. I don't know the tune of the song and it was written in Hebrew so we're going to do our best.
Chapter 32:7 “Remember that days of old, the song went. Remember, consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, he will inform you. Ask your elders, they will tell you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of man, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.” That is amazing. He determined the boundaries of the nations by first establishing the boundaries of his people. Very interesting. Then he says verse nine, “For the Lord's portion is his people.” Jacob is the allotment of his inheritance. Then it says, “God, he found Israel, found him in a desert land.”
He found him in a howling waste of a wilderness. Very poetic. It's a beautiful Hebrew way of saying, I brought you out. Never forget what I brought you out of. I found you in a desert land. I brought you out of a howling waste of a wilderness. Then he had circled him. God had circled Israel. He cared for him. He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. That is the apple of the eye, we say. Like an eagle that stirs up the nest, that hovers over its young, He spread his wings, He caught them. He carried them on his pinions. The Lord alone guided Israel and there was no foreign gods then. He made him to rise.
Speaking of the eagle here again, He made him to ride on the highest places of the earth and he ate the produce of the field. He made him to draw honey from a rock and oil from the flinty rock. That is very interesting here. He's speaking also of the great things that God will do. They will find oil in the rock. That's just so interesting. Did you know recently, fairly recently, Israel has discovered oil so much so there's such reservoirs of oil discovered by Israel that they will become one of the great oil exporters of the world? They found oil in Israel, black gold, Texas tea. They found oil. Here it is in Deuteronomy, right?
Then he says, "Of the great things,” notice “And there will be curds of cows, milk of the flock, fat of lambs, and of rams, even the breed of Bashan" that's the best, “And goats with the finest of the wheat, and from the blood of grapes, they shall drink wine.” Oh, what God will do, write it in a song. Let them sing it over and over. Never forget. That's the whole point of the song. Never forget what God has done. Sing it over and over in the times of adversity. When the heart wanders away and goes after the things of the world, there's no hope there. There's no life there.
You'll find trouble and adversity there but when you do remember the song because it speaks of all of the great things that God has done and will do if you'd only come back to revival. See, I love the picture of this. Never forget, in other words, never take God for granted. Oh, what great things he has done. I'll tell you what, when you come to the end of your life and you look back, don't you want to be able to look back and say, “It was a good journey, Lord, God and I, we had a story. God and I, we had a journey and God, you have proven yourself to me over and over and over. Oh, what great things you have done in my life.”
A. You are God’s portion
I'll tell you what, I am so, so blessed. God has done great things for me. Oh, I've been through troubles. Some of them epic in proportion but I'll tell you what, God has been with me through them all, God has done great things for me. Anybody want to agree with that? Yes, let's give the Lord praise. Absolutely right. Then he starts speaking of the aspect of it. Notice, you are God's portion. See, verse eight is interesting. He starts out by saying that when God established or set the boundaries of the nations, he first established the boundaries of the sons of Israel.
Fascinating, and then he set the boundaries, even within the boundaries of Israel, by dividing up the land according to the tribes and then further interesting, he said to Levi, the tribe of Levi, “You will have no land in Israel. You'll have me." God says, "I will be your inheritance." What a picture is that, how beautiful, “I will be your inheritance.” Then he says, God's inheritance is his people. You are the alignment. Notice Deuteronomy 26:18 “The Lord has declared today, he declared you to be his people, a treasured possession as he promised you.” See, that's what he says to Israel.
Does he say something similar to the church? Oh, yes, He does. He says, even says to the church, you are so treasured and so valued that he calls the church the bride of Christ. That speaks of love, that speaks of depth of love, of relationship that God desires. That's why Paul said this prayer in Ephesians 1:18. It's a prayer. Paul says, “Oh, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened. Open the eyes of your heart that you might see,” in other words, “That you will know the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”
Do you know who you are? He says. You are so treasured that I call you the bride. It speaks of love. Now, one of the ways to understand the value of something is by the price that was paid for it. What price was paid for you? The redemption of your soul. Oh, the price was so high, and nestable in value. The price was the Son of the living God, the blood that was shed that day. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price. You have been redeemed with the greatest and most precious blood.”
Or how about Revelation 5:9 “And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you now, worthy are you, oh Lord, speaking of the Lord Jesus, to take the book, break it seals for you were slain and you purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Do you know who you are? Never forget who you are.” Then he adds, “And never forget from where you came, where God brought you out of.” Notice how he says in verse 10, “He found you in a dry place. Found them in a desert land.” He says in verse 10. In other words, never forget the condition of your life which God found you, He says to Israel, and the same is true for you and me. Never forget the life that he brought you out of, that desert of a land, of a life, you might say.
B. He found you in a dry place
He found you in a dry and weary life. He pictures the soul that's thirsty. See, there is no water. The soul is wanting water. There's such a deep longing in the human soul, there is a deep searching, a deep longing. There's a deep thirst, the soul thirsts and we are living in a dry and weary land where there is no water yet the soul thirsts, the soul lungs for more, is a picture of all the stuff of the world that does not satisfy the soul. Psalm 63:1, “Oh God, you are my God, and I shall seek you earnestly. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh yearns for you.”
That's the thirst of the soul in a dry and weary land where there is no water. There's nothing in this world that will satisfy the thirst of a soul, that longs for more, longs for that which is deeper. I was thinking of an illustration. One of the most famous rock songs of all time came out of the ‘60s. It was 1965, and it was a song by The Rolling Stones. Now I know all about The Rolling Stones. I read about them in the history book. Anybody remember The Rolling Stones? You have to be old to remember The Rolling Stones but they wrote a song that became iconic, and it's really actually become one of the most popular songs of all time, rock songs of all time. Iconic because it's people were relating to it and the words of the song went like this.
‘I can't get no satisfaction. Bam, bam, bam. I can't get no satisfaction.’ Now, first of all, you have to ignore the poor grammar. They had more important things to do in the ‘60s than learn grammar like start a revolution, for example. ‘I can't get no satisfaction but I try and I try and I try.’ That's pretty much the whole song right there. That's the whole lyric. ‘And I try and I try and I try.’ Maybe the problem was that they didn't understand the difference between a rolling stone and a solid rock. See, what I did there? Praise God. In other words, yes. If you have a foundation, you have a rock, then the soul is satisfied. I'll tell you what, you honor God in your life, you have a rock to stand on, and your soul is satisfied.
Notice Psalm 63, how it continues, verses three to five, “Because your loving kindness is better than life” that right there is a picture of a soul that has been satisfied. There's nothing in this world that will satisfy a soul that longs for more. Your loving kindness is better than life. “Therefore, he says, my lips will praise you. I will bless you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands to your name. For my soul is satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, as my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.” One of the great songs or church history was written on those verses.
Then verse 10 continues, “I found you in a dry and weary land” and then it says, “And out of a howling waste of a wilderness, I found you. I brought you out of the waste.” Ah see, now there's a picture, it's a powerful picture of a waste of a life. The life that's lived in the world, the life that pursues all of the things of the world is a waste, He says. Another expression that came out of the ‘60s was, I was wasted. I was wasted, man. That's how they would say it. I was wasted, man. Right on, that's how you say. That was in chapter three on ‘60s expressions. I remember reading that very carefully. It's a picture of someone who was high, and then later they say, “Yes, I was wasted.”
I'll tell you what, that is a very appropriate way to describe it. When I see what's happening in the world today, it's heartbreaking to see such a waste of life. So many are wasting, the ‘60s in many ways was a drug culture revolution but what's happening today, I'll tell you what, that pales in comparison to what's happening today. So many are losing their lives. You want to talk about wasted life, they're losing their life. Epic proportions of loss. So many people are wasted and wasting their lives.
I’ll tell you what though, it's not too late. God will redeem. God will turn it around. If you come to the point where you see it, God will redeem it. Reminds me, many of you know the story of my dad. He was an alcoholic, angry, abusive, but when he got to 75 years old, he saw it. We were having a heart-to-heart talk and he said, "I see it now. Now I understand, I have wasted all of my life. Whatever I have left, I want to do something with it, can you help me?" Oh, I waited all my life to hear those words and yes, I will help you. The result was we established his life, we rebuilt his life and brought him back up and gave him a life up here.
We brought him to church, he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. I got to baptize him with my own hands and we had four years with him as a changed man. It's not too late. If you see that there has been waste, I'll tell you what, you honor God with your life and your life will not be wasted. He'll make meaning out of it, He'll bring purpose. God is the one who can redeem the wasted life. Amen. Then God says, "I brought you out of that dry and weary land. I brought you out of the howling waste of a wilderness." Then He says, "And then I will make you the apple of my eye." That's such a beautiful picture. “I brought you out of waste. I brought you out of the dry and weary land and then I made you the apple of my eye.”
C. God watches over the apple of His eye
He says God watches over the apple of his eye. Notice verse 10 It says, "He encircled Israel. He cared for him. He guarded him as the apple of his eye." The pupil is the apple of the eye. It means the look is focused on that which he's speaking of. He's describing a relationship of commitment. My eye is upon you. Speaking of the relationship, I brought you out of that and I will set you on a rock and then I will watch your life. The pupil of my eye is what he says, you're the apple of my eye and I will guard you. See when the eyes of the Lord range to and fro, He says, "But on you I set the pupils on my eye." I will keep you. I will guard you.
Speaking of songs, beautiful songs there was a song we used to sing in the church many years ago, some of you might remember. His eye is on the sparrow and it speaks of the words that Jesus said, "Hey, if God takes notice of a sparrow, who is only worth two farthings, then you know that the eye of God is upon you. How much more valuable are you?" That's why that song was so beautiful. I'll read some of the lyrics, "Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven or home.
When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is He, if his eye is on the sparrow, I know he watches over me. I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches over me." It’s a very beautiful song, Psalm 17:17, "Oh wondrously show your loving kindness." See how beautiful is that? I brought you out of that mess. I brought you out of that dry. I brought you out of that howling waste of a wilderness and I will wondrously show you love. Wondrously show your loving kindness oh savior of those who take refuge at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye.
Zachariah 2:8 is like a warning, He says, "For thus says the Lord of hosts, really to all others, he who touches you touches the apple of my eye." You are the apple of my eye He says to Israel and he says to the church, you're the bride of Christ. That is a beautiful picture of a very similar thing. You might say, "I don't feel like he's guarding me. I'm going through troubles." Well, look at the next verses, because it speaks to what God does in the midst of that trouble, starting with this understanding that God's favor covers you, I brought you out of the howling waste of a wilderness. I set your life on that rock. You became the apple of my eye. Then he pours his favor. God's favor covers you.
II. God’s Favor Covers You
Notice verse 11, He compares the relationship that God has with you like an eagle to her young. He covers. He says when they need protection, and of course the eagle will build their nest way high, oftentimes in the direct sun, but the eagle will cover her young when it's hot, will actually take the heat of the sun herself to protect them from it, and it's a beautiful picture. In fact, in Psalm 91, He speaks of the beauty of that where He says, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Oh, I love the beauty of that.
The nearness of God is the dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with his pinions and under his wings, you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is a shield, is a bulwark. Having said that, his wings will cover you, God's favor covers you but notice he also then says in those verses that the Lord may stir up the nest. That Lord may stir it up. We were on a vacation recently for our 39th anniversary. We had an opportunity to do a cruise to Alaska which was beautiful, except for the rain, but on the trip, we saw so much wildlife, which is why it's so beautiful.
We saw so many bald eagles. At one point we came upon this creek and there were like 10 of them all together, and they're having a meeting or something. Look at all these things. There was a lot of them and so they give you education along the way, and of course we love to learn. It says some interesting things about eagles. First of all, they will mate for life, which is right there very good, and then it says, they will build and continue the same nest year after year after year and it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Some the nests are 15 feet deep, 20 feet wide. God makes this comparison with the way of an eagle and God's relationship to Israel and to you.
A. The Lord may stir up the nest
He says that He will stir up the dust. See when it's time for the eagle to learn to fly, the nest may be 20 feet wide. The eagle will begin to beat upon the nest, just stirring it up, beating upon the nest that the young eaglet might feel that wind, might feel the wind, it catches the air as it rises beneath it, stirring it up, stirring it up, but up to this point, they've been living on the nest in perfect comfort. At ease, protected from all things, from all harms but now it's time to arise. The eagle begins to bring disturbance into the nest, to disturb it, to stir it up, because he wants that eaglet to learn to fly. Verse 13, it says, "And He made him to fly or to ride on the high places of the earth."
It's a picture of that soul that has been stirred so that it learns that it can soar, it can fly, it can soar to high places. It's a soul that's come to understand life. The soul that sings, the soul that soars the soul that has found revival is the soul that's filled with an abundance of the life of God, is a picture of a spiritual glorious riding on the high places but what is it starting with? Starts with the stirring up and the beating of the nest because it was comfortable. It was all comfortable and warm there in the nest, but it knew nothing of flying. Comfortable, warm, protected, but knew nothing of flying. Knew nothing of rising.
The nest would be beat and stirred up, it's this picture of the trials and the difficulties and the sufferings and the trials of life. He would use those things to strengthen and increase your faith, your life for the purpose that he has for you. He will use those things. It's oftentimes in the struggles, in the difficulties, and in the sufferings that God proves himself to you over and over, and God will prove himself to you in the troubles, in the trials, and in the sufferings.
See if you know that's true, then you'll look for it. You'll know that God does use the troubles and the trials to stir you up, that your faith would increase. Those things that cause sorrow or pain are the very things that God can use to bring in greater depth of faith to your soul. Notice Psalm 30:11-12. "You, oh Lord, have turned for me my morning into dancing. You have loosed my sackcloth." Now, sackcloth is what one would wear when he is in the depths of grief or despair. "You have loosed my sackcloth, and you have girded me with gladness that my soul may sing praise speaking of rising. The soul is rising in a high place. I will sing. I'll sing praises to you, and I will not be silent. Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever" because God has proven himself to you over and over and over. God will prove it to you. Amen.
B. Wait on the Lord and gain new strength
Then lastly, wait on the Lord and gain new strength. There's a picture again of the lesson that comes from the eagle. Wait on the Lord. Don't be impatient. God will do. God will move. His hand will move. God will help in time of need but wait. Don't become impatient. If you become impatient, you'll make a mistake. Wait for the hand of God to move. Wait for the inside of the Lord to show you, wait. Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. Faith increases when you wait. When you wait with hope, be patient. Don't make a mistake.
Isaiah 40:29-31 speaks of it. "It is he who gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might he increases power. Though youths grow tired and weary and vigorous, young men stumble badly yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles."
Here it is. He uses the same picture. "You'll gain new strength. You'll mount up with wings like eagles. You will run and not get tired. You'll walk and not faint, wait. God will do it. Waiting on the Lord." Psalm 27:14. "Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart take courage. Yes, wait. God will do it. God will take you out of that wasted howling waste of a wilderness, and that dry and weary land, and he'll put your feet on a rock and he'll bring forth that into your life that you would increase." That's why this message from Deuteronomy is so important, but you must choose it.
I set before you a course, and there comes a time, a crossroad in that journey by which you must choose. He's setting forth a beautiful picture of what God wants to do. First, He says, look back. Never forget what God has done. Sing it. Sing it over and over. Be reminded again of great things that God has done and will do. There comes a time of choosing. I set before your life or death or prosperity or adversity. There comes a time to choose the course. Let's pray. Lord, we love you, and thank you for showing us the way of life. Lord, you've shown it to us. The words of this beautiful song reminded us of it.
That you brought us out of the dry and weary land where there is no water. There's nothing in this world that can satisfy a soul that desires and longs for more. You’ve taken us out of a howling waste. You set your eye upon us. Your favor rests upon us, but then you say, choose. Come to a crossing point. Come to a decision point, choose. I set before you, life and death, prosperity or adversity. Remember the great things that God has done and will do, but you must make that choice. Church, how many would say to the Lord today, "I choose to build my life on that rock? I choose you. I have no one in heaven but you and there's nothing on this earth I desire but you, Lord. For my soul has found nothing that would satisfy that thirst but you have. You have satisfied the longings of my soul. I choose life. I choose you. I choose your hand. I choose to build my life on this rock."
Church, would you say that to the Lord by simply raising your hand as a way of declaring it to the Lord? "I choose to build my life on that rock. For there is no other name. There is no other way. There is nothing that would satisfy you, Lord. I build my life upon that rock." Lord, we thank you for everyone is moved of God, stirred up by the Spirit to settle this with you, God, today. We give you honor and glory for it all in Jesus’ name and everyone said, can we give the Lord praise and glory and honor? Amen. Amen.