There is temptation to follow man-made gods of idolatry and power. There is blatant disobedience resulting in fractious disunity among us all. And these two chapters summarize the warnings given clearly by God. Now we must ask whether what we are seeing all around us are his judgments against a treacherous, stiff-necked people called Americans.
I encourage you to pull out chapters 31 and 32 right now and see how it feels. But notice something important. The Cycle does not stop with judgment full of lightning bolts and flaming arrows. Behind it all is God’s never-ending love, is a passionate desire for his children to simply reject the false gods that have invaded our culture and to return to his ways.
Then notice something else. This “Song of Moses” that contains so much of the Cycle and hints at our current condition, does not predict one thing – repentance. Notice the judgment and its aftermath:
“Vengeance is mine, and retribution; in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near; and the impending things are hastening upon them…” (Deuteronomy 32:35, NASB).
This sounds like a dead end for us, doesn’t it? But wait.
“For the Lord will vindicate his people, and will have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their strength is gone, and there is none remaining, bond or free” (32:36).
Yes, God will judge his children who disobey, but he will not destroy us, even though he feels like it. Verse 35 above actually applies to someone else:
“If I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on justice, I will render judgment on my adversaries, and I will repay those who hate me” (32:41).
Those who know Jesus have repented and hopefully continue to repent daily. Once we are disciplined, we are loved beyond measure. This is the condition of the Christian church. Maybe our strength is wavering, but:
“Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is the one who goes before you; he will not fail your nor forsake you” (31:6).
In America, though, the number of people who hate the God of the Bible, his Son, and Holy Spirit is growing rapidly. These are God’s adversaries, and I do believe God is taking notice of them today (see 32:41 above). They are not all Democrats and not all Republicans. They are those who worship the foreign gods of the culture that has invaded us, foreign to God, that is.
The Cycle makes it clear: if America wants to be restored, America must repent and return to unity with God who created all men equal, with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We are losing those freedoms for a reason, and it is not because of people who love Jesus.