THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

48 The Hope of Israel: What Is It?
ness, does not mean exactly what it says. Again we
have the plain statement, "If thine heart turn away . . .
ye shall surely perish, and shall not prolong your days
in the land."
Deut. 31:15-21. God now appears to Moses and
plainly tells Him that "this people will rise up, and go a
ivhoring after the gods of strangers, and will forsake
Me, and break My Covenant. And My anger shall be
kindled against them." Therefore He commanded
Moses to teach them that remarkable prophetic "song,"
which witnessed beforehand what they would do, and
what was to befall them. "For," says God, "I know
their imagination even now, before I have brought
them into the land" (21)
.
To this Moses adds (vv. 27-30) that he knew their
rebellion even while he was with them; "And how
much more," he asks, "after my death? For I know
that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves,
and evil will befall you in the latter days" (and no subsequent
recovery is hinted at; though surely, if such a
thing were to be, it would appear here) .
Deut. XXXII. Here is the "song" which bears so
clear a testimony against them. Note the following
points :
"They have corrupted themselves; they are a perverse
and crooked generation" (5)
: "Remember" all
that the Lord did for them (7-14) ;
"But" how they
requited Him ;
and then, ivhat He will do because thereof
: "I will hide My face from them, I will see what
their end will be" (20). "A fire is kindled in Mine
anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell" etc., (22)
.
Threats of vengeance are found in verses 23-26;
and there is the declaration that, were it not that their
adversaries would be gratified thereby, God would