Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth!
Moses is at the end of his life. Instead of a farewell speech, he leaves Israel a song. Its opening words do not address Israel at all. They call the sky and the ground to listen. Why summon creation as an audience, and what is so weighty that heaven and earth must hear it?
The song was not Moses' own idea. God ordered it, and told him in advance why he had to write it and teach it.
Two songs are attributed to Moses. He and the children of Israel sang the first at the start of his forty years of ministry, just after they had crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-18)… He composed the second at the end, just before he died. There is no sign that anyone ever sang it. The instructions were, "Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel" (Deuteronomy 31:19).
The content is severe. The form is deliberate.
They are now to hear in the words of his closing song the testimony to their treachery and God's faithfulness. He proclaims it in the form of a song, because the spirit of praise must run through even the most solemn condemnation of evil… It is as though we are not to dwell on evil in a way that crushes the soul — on the degradation of man, his rebellion and hostility to God, and the foolishness and waywardness of His own people. Instead we are to view it all with Moses in song, celebrating and declaring God's victory over all evil, and His final triumph for His people as well.
Moses does not open by addressing Israel. He opens with creation, because his subject is that big.
Moses began his song by calling heaven and earth to hear the words of his mouth. What he was about to say concerned indeed heaven and earth. Isaiah too began his book with the same call (Isaiah 1:2).
Another writer asks who is really being called, and what the song is really about.
Moses calls the heavens to hear, at the opening of his majestic song. He calls not only the material heavens, but the intelligent heavens, to hear something about Jehovah. The great theme is not the people and their failures, but the faithfulness of God.
The opening of the song also shows how its words are meant to reach the hearer.
These four verses open the song of Moses, and they are both magnificent and beautiful. He calls the heavens and the earth to hear the faithful words from the mouth of the Lord. His teaching drops as the rain. It falls not like a cloudburst, but as the refreshing, nourishing dew on the land, or as showers on the grass. How well it would be with us if we received it as such, appreciating its living value and refreshment. For it begins, not with what we may selfishly desire for our advantage, but with proclaiming the name of the Lord.
Moses names his subject at once. That subject also shows up what the people are.
Because he would publish the name of Jehovah, they were to ascribe greatness to their God. He is the rock abiding in unshakeable strength for His people. Not they, but He, is this tower of strength… As for the people, it was clear what they were. The corruption was theirs, not His; it is that of His children, theirs is the blemish — a perverse and crooked generation.
The opening call prepares for a survey that runs far past Moses' own day.
The song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32 and Revelation 15:3) is a wonderful summary of God's ways with Israel. It gives God's sovereign call of that nation, their perverseness, their defeat by enemies as a result, and their scattering. Then it gives the final overthrow of those enemies, and the recovery of both land and people through sovereign mercy, to enjoy the favour of Jehovah along with the spared nations.
- Witness. God commanded the song, and had Moses write it and teach it, so that it would stand as a witness against Israel.
- Summons. Moses calls heaven and earth because his subject reaches that far. Isaiah later opens his book the same way.
- Manner. The words are to fall as rain and dew, refreshing rather than flattening those who receive them.
- Name. The call to listen has one purpose: to publish the name of the Lord, so that the people ascribe greatness to Him alone.
- Outcome. The rest of the song traces Israel's failure, scattering and recovery. The blemish is theirs; the faithfulness is His.
My doctrine shall drop as rain, My speech flow down as dew, As small rain upon the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.
Moses is about to die. His last public act is a song, and it opens not with warnings but with rain and dew. Why should teaching come down so gently, and what makes it give life instead of crushing?
Where else does Scripture use the words "drop" and "distil"?
Scripture uses this word for "rain," as in Judges 5:4: "The clouds also dropped water"; and, "He draws up the drops of water" (Job 36:27). Growing out of this, the same word describes speech flowing out, or distilling: "My speech dropped upon them; and they waited for me as for the rain" (Job 29:22); "Your lips drop as the honeycomb." This last might well find its explanation in the direct language of the New Testament: "All bore Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth" (Luke 4:22).
How teaching comes matters as much as what it says. So does how we receive it.
His teaching drops as the rain, not like a cloudburst, but as the refreshing, nourishing dew on the land or as showers on the grass. How well it would be with us if we received it as such, appreciating its living value and refreshment. For it begins, not with what we may selfishly desire for our advantage, but with proclaiming the name of the Lord. The honor of His name is far above every other consideration.
The refreshing comes from the subject: God Himself.
The great theme is not the people and their failures, but the faithfulness of God... In a drought everything looks burnt up and lifeless. Then a shower of rain brings life and strength to the earth. In the same way, proclaiming the name of Jehovah revives His people and makes them like a well-watered garden. When we hear what God is for us through the risen Christ, it should have the same effect. It should refresh us and cheer us in all the care, discouragement and distress of these days. Nothing in God's universe can lift our heads like the knowledge of God.
Refreshment like this does not depend on circumstances.
Come what may, the Name of our God shall stand for ever. No power of earth or hell can possibly counter the divine purpose, or hinder the outshining of the divine glory. What sweet rest this gives the heart, in the middle of this dark, sorrowful, sin-stricken world... Proclaiming that blessed Name must always be like refreshing dew and tender rain falling on the heart.
The rest of the song carries severe warnings.
Strong warnings were needed for this murmuring, disobedient people. What was the best way to present them? He composed the song! But he did not begin with the warnings. He began by inviting heaven and earth to hear the words of his mouth. His words were not ordinary words. They were pure words of instruction that would fall as rain, heavy at times, but they were also gentle words.
Moses reached this gentleness the hard way.
Leaders could fail. Moses had. His failure had painful consequences. He had once spoken badly and called God's people "rebels." He had not set God apart before the eyes of the people. And God denied him the privilege of bringing His people into the Promised Land. Even the meekest man in all the earth had used hard words, but now at the end of his life his speech could distil as the dew.
One writer sees the verse answered in someone greater than Moses.
Moses might proclaim the name of Jehovah, but here was the One who revealed the Father; he might ascribe greatness to God, but here was the One who unfolded His love. Surely His teaching dropped as the rain, His speech distilled as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.
This gentle work is not limited to great speakers.
How sweet to think of the dew as a figure of the refreshment we may be to others! It is not conspicuous; it does not call attention to itself; but it is there, and you know it by the effect it produces... some who were neither great preachers, nor eloquent teachers, nor prominent workers. Yet you could not be with them without feeling the sweetness and fragrance of the very presence of Christ. Why was this? Because their own souls were enjoying His presence, without thinking of the effect on others. He is as the dew to His own.
- Rain — "drop" and "distil" describe falling water, and Scripture uses the same verb for speech.
- Measure — not a cloudburst, but nourishing dew and showers, given in a form we can take in.
- Name — what refreshes is the subject: God's Name proclaimed, which stands for ever and gives the heart rest.
- Distilling — the man who once spoke harshly ends his life with speech pure enough to fall as dew.
- Dew — the same refreshment can pass through us, quiet and known only by the effect it leaves.
For the name of Jehovah will I proclaim Ascribe greatness unto our God!
Moses is at the end of his life, and he opens his final song not with Israel's record but with God's name. It holds a promise and a command. Moses will proclaim who the LORD is. His hearers must give God the greatness.
Older translations read "I will publish the name of Jehovah" where the ESV has "proclaim the name of the LORD." One writer links "publish" to Exodus, where God proclaimed His own name to Moses.
There is an interesting connection between this scripture and Exodus 34:5-6. You can see this once you notice that the word "publish" in Deuteronomy is the same word as "proclaim" in Exodus 33 and 34… In Deuteronomy we find Moses himself proclaiming Jehovah's name. God made him the vessel of the divine testimony for that day, so he could publish it, and as purely as he received it. The lesson is this: we cannot truly preach what we have not received from the Lord. And we can only faithfully proclaim what we have received by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why does Moses put "name" and "greatness" side by side? One writer says the two words mean nearly the same thing.
The great theme is not the people and their failures, but the faithfulness of God… There is nothing in the universe of God that can lift our heads like the knowledge of God. It lifts our hearts and our heads in praise to that God who delights to unfold Himself to our hearts. So he says, "I will publish the name of Jehovah." We are used to speaking of a name in the sense of greatness or fame. That this is the thought in this passage is clear, for Moses continues: "Ascribe greatness to our God" — the greatness He has gained for Himself in His mighty acts.
The same writer weighs two kinds of greatness against each other.
God is not only great in the sphere of power, as is seen in creation, He is morally great also. Not only great in what He has done, but great also in what He is… Which is the greater? Is it for a mighty supreme Being to send out the glorious stars that fill the heavens? Or for that same Being to bow down and take an interest in poor weak things like you and me? It is the greatness of His love and grace that engages Him with those He has created, cares for them in their sorrows and binds up the broken heart.
To ascribe greatness is to hand it over to God. One writer turns that into a rebuke aimed straight at the reader.
It is Jehovah's name they publish, that sweet and wonderful name which expresses truly what He is, and which man, having dropped out of that knowledge, so badly needs to learn. To Him they ascribe greatness; yes, to Him, O man, made out of the clay, who have ruined yourself by claiming it.
Why should announcing a name refresh anyone? One writer answers that this Name cannot be shaken.
Here lies the solid, the imperishable foundation of everything. Come what may, the Name of our God shall stand for ever. No power of earth or hell can possibly work against the divine purpose, or hinder the shining out of the divine glory. What sweet rest this gives the heart! Our world is dark, sorrowful and sin-stricken, and the schemes of the enemy seem to succeed. The publishing of that blessed Name must always fall on the heart like refreshing dew and gentle rain.
God had told Moses he would not enter the land. So his praise cost him something.
With delight, Moses proclaims the Name of Jehovah, ascribing greatness to Israel's God. If poor Israel proved himself unstable, God remained immovable. He is the Rock, and nothing would move Him from His purposes, or alter His ways… God could not let His people's sins go unpunished. He is a faithful God, without deceit. Moses knew he himself was shut out of the land because of his failure. Even so, he can still say, "Just and right is He."
What Moses did here is not the last word. One writer sets Moses beside Christ.
Moses might publish the name of Jehovah, but here was the Revealer of the Father. He might ascribe greatness to God, but here was the Unfolder of His love.
- Received — "Publish" is the same word God used when He proclaimed His own name to Moses. No one can pass on what he has not first received.
- Refreshing — The theme is God's faithfulness, not Israel's failure. That news falls on tired hearers like dew and rain.
- Great — The name means fame. God is great in the power that flung out the stars, and great in the love that stoops to weak people.
- Ascribed — Hand greatness to God; do not claim it. Man ruined himself by grasping at it.
- Unshaken — Moses sings this though he is barred from the land himself. The Name that stands for ever gives rest when everything else fails.
[He is] the Rock, his work is perfect, For all his ways are righteousness; A God of faithfulness without deceit, Just and right is he.
God gave Moses a song to teach Israel — one that would expose their coming failure. Before any word of rebuke, the song fixes the eye on what God is. That standard measures everything it says later about Israel.
The reason behind the song is painful. Israel was meant to be God's witness to the nations.
Instead of Israel being a witness for Jehovah before all nations, the song of Moses was to be a witness for Jehovah against the children of Israel. They were called to be His witnesses. They were to declare His Name and show His praise in the land into which He brought them, in His faithfulness and sovereign mercy. But they utterly and shamefully failed. So a song was to be written. First it sets out the glory of God in the most magnificent language. Second, it records Israel's deplorable failure at every stage of their history.
The wording is deliberate. Moses does not say God is a rock among others.
"He is the Rock" — not merely a rock. There is, there can be, no other Rock but Himself. Eternal and universal honour to His glorious Name! "His work is perfect" — not a single flaw in anything that comes from His blessed hand. It all bears the stamp of absolute perfection. One day God will make this clear to every created being. It is clear to faith now, and is a spring of divine comfort to all true believers.
The picture behind the word comes from the desert.
He is the Rock — the "dwelling place in all generations," as our Moses says elsewhere (Ps. 90:1) — safe as shelter, strong against storm, giving clear shade in the noonday heat of a desert land. "His work is perfect" — though men and devils have joined together in their own persons to dishonour it.
Why is the work perfect? Because of who stands behind it. One writer traces this back to Christ Himself.
It is the Person which gives value to it all. Services would be nothing, sorrows would be nothing, death, resurrection and ascension, all would be nothing (if we could even imagine them), if Jesus were not the One He is. His person is the "Rock;" therefore "His work is perfect" (Deut. 32:4).
Older translations read "all His ways are judgment," which can sound like a threat. The word means something better.
"All His ways are judgment" — not wrath, but far-seeing, well-discerning righteousness. "A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He."
One writer defines this justice, then shows what happened when Israel questioned it.
Justice, or righteousness, is that feature in God in which He is consistent with Himself in all He says and does. His word expresses that justice, and His word is the guarantee that everything stays stable… The godless in Israel dared to challenge the consistency of God's ways in His dealings with the people. He took account of this and graciously came down to reason with them. By then their ways had become so bad that He left His own Sanctuary (Ezek. 8:6). Then we hear Jehovah say: "Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' O house of Israel, are My ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?" This condescension of the Lord is most telling in the light of Deut. 32:4.
The most costly detail is who is singing. Moses had been shut out of the land he was looking at.
God could not allow His people's sins to go unpunished; He is a faithful God, without deceit. Moses himself was shut out of the land because of his failure. Knowing that, he can still say, "just and upright is He." How blessed for His people to have such a God: completely transparent, no deceit, no unfaithfulness, no unrighteousness, no imperfection — and marked all through by greatness.
The verse is not only a description; it is an offer of solid ground.
This reveals His stability, His unchanging goodness. The blessed God carries out His own purposes despite men's failure and evil and wickedness… He uses everything to serve His own purpose. He is supreme over all… When you come to God you come to perfection, reliability — that which cannot shift. You have come to that which you can stake your soul upon for time and eternity.
- Rock first. Moses opens the song with God's character, not Israel's sin. He sets the standard before naming the failure.
- Rock alone. Not a rock but the Rock: shelter in the storm, shade in the desert heat, a dwelling place in every generation.
- Rock, therefore work. The work is flawless because the Person behind it is flawless.
- Rock, therefore ways. His ways are not blind wrath but clear-sighted righteousness. When men accuse Him of unfairness, He comes down to reason with them.
- Rock, therefore rest. Moses was shut out of the land, yet still called God "just and upright." This ground holds even when God's dealings cost you something.