Deuteronomy 31:17

31:14-22 Moses and Joshua attended the Divine Majesty at the door of the tabernacle. Moses is told again that he must shortly die; even those who are most ready and willing to die, need to be often reminded of its coming. The Lord tells Moses, that, after his death, the covenant he had taken so much pains to make between Israel and their God, would certainly be broken. Israel would forsake Him; then God would forsake Israel. Justly does he cast those off who so unjustly cast him off. Moses is directed to deliver them a song, which should remain a standing testimony for God, as faithful to them in giving them warning, and against them, as persons false to themselves in not taking the warning. The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of men's hearts, and meets them by reproofs and correction. Ministers who preach the word, know not the imaginations of men; but God, whose word it is, knows perfectly.

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day,.... As the anger of a man is against his wife who has treacherously departed from him: and jealousy, which is the rage of such a man, is very cruel; and much more the wrath and anger of a jealous God, who is a consuming fire: and I will forsake them; withdraw his favours from them, and his protection of them: and I will hide my face from them; take no notice of them in a providential way for good, nor hear their cries, to deliver them from evil: and they shall be devoured; by their enemies, or by the sore judgments of God, by famine, sword, pestilence, and evil beasts, they and their substance: and many evils and troubles shall befall them; both in their own land, and in other countries, where they would be, and have been carried captive: so that they will say in that day, are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not amongst us? of which they would be sensible by their being exposed to their enemies for want of his protection, and by the evils upon them through his displeasure, and by their being deprived of the good things that came from him; but no intimation is given of their being sensible of their sins as the cause of all this.

Deuteronomy 31:17 . Then my anger shall be kindled against them — So it was upon their first defection to idolatry, ( Jdg 2:14 ,) and so it continued to be in all ages, as we read in that and the following sacred books. I will hide my face from them — A metaphor borrowed from kings, who will not allow those who have offended them to come into their presence and see their face. It signifies, I will withdraw my favour and my help. Whatever outward troubles we are in, if we have but the light of God’s countenance, we are safe. But if God hide his face from us, then we are undone. Are not these evils come upon us because God is not among us? — Here we see the true source of most national, domestic, and personal troubles, the absence of God, or his withdrawing his power, protection, and blessing. This made so remarkable a change in their affairs, that it could not but at last make them reflect on the cause of it. See Jdg 3:9-15 ; Jdg 4:3 .

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will {h} hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? (h) That is, I will take my favour from them; as turning his face toward us shows his favour.

The future apostasy of the people is announced in the presence of Joshua that the latter might be fully aware of the danger and strive in his day to avert it. This he faithfully did (compare Joshua 24:31 ); but we find him in his own last address to Israel repeating Joshua 23:15-16 the self-same prediction and warning.

17. Then my anger shall be kindled, … and I will hide my face from them—an announcement of the withdrawal of the divine favor and protection of which the Shekinah was the symbol and pledge. It never appeared in the second temple; and its non-appearance was a prelude of "all the evils that came upon them, because their God was not among them."

17 . None of the clauses in this v . is characteristic of Deut. My anger shall be kindled against it, JE, Numbers 11:10 ; for in that day , as Dillm. points out, Deut. has elsewhere at that time; I will forsake them , contrast Deuteronomy 31:6; Deuteronomy 31:8 , Deuteronomy 4:31 ; hide my face from them , in Pent. only here and Deuteronomy 31:18 ; it shall be devoured , cp. Deuteronomy 7:16 ; come upon me because my God is not in my midst , Deuteronomy 1:42 . Note that in Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Deuteronomy 31:20 Israel is referred to in the Sg. Yet Sam. and LXX have many plurals here.

After handing over the office to Joshua, and the law to the priests and elders, Moses was called by the Lord to come to the tabernacle with Joshua, to command him (צוּה), i.e., to appoint him, confirm him in his office. To this end the Lord appeared in the tabernacle ( Deuteronomy 31:15 ), in a pillar of cloud, which remained standing before it, as in Numbers 12:5 (see the exposition of Numbers 11:25 ). But before appointing Joshua, He announced to Moses that after his death the nation would go a whoring after other gods, and would break the covenant, for which it would be visited with severe afflictions, and directed him to write an ode and teach it to the children of Israel, that when the apostasy should take place, and punishment from God be felt in consequence, it might speak as a witness against the people, as it would not vanish from their memory. The Lord communicated this commission to Moses in the presence of Joshua, that he also might hear from the mouth of God that the Lord foreknew the future apostasy of the people, and yet nevertheless would bring them into the promised land.

In this there was also implied an admonition to Joshua, not only to take care that the Israelites learned the ode and kept it in their memories, but also to strive with all his might to prevent the apostasy, so long as he was leader of Israel; which Joshua did most faithfully to the very end of his life (vid., Joshua 23 and 24). - The announcement of the falling away of the Israelites from the Lord into idolatry, and the burning of the wrath of God in consequence ( Deuteronomy 31:16-18 ), serves as a basis for the command in Deuteronomy 31:19 . In this announcement the different points are simply linked together with "and," whereas in their actual signification they are subordinate to one another: When thou shalt lie with thy fathers, and the people shall rise up, and go a whoring after other gods: My anger will burn against them, etc. קוּם, to rise up, to prepare, serves to bring out distinctly the course which the thing would take. The expression, "foreign gods of the land," indicates that in the land which Jehovah gave His people, He (Jehovah) alone was God and Lord, and that He alone was to be worshipped there. בּקרבּו is in apposition to שׁמּה, "whither thou comest, in the midst of it." The punishment announced in Deuteronomy 31:17 corresponds most closely to the sin of the nation.