Deuteronomy 32:4

THE CORRUPT PEOPLE CALLED TO REMEMBER GOD (Deuteronomy 32:4-6)

"The Rock, his work is perfect;

For all his ways are justice:

God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

Just and right is he.

They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish;

They are a perverse and crooked generation.

Do ye thus requite Jehovah,

O foolish people and unwise?

Is not he thy father that hath bought thee?

He hath made thee and established thee."

Note the use of the term "Rock" for God; it appears a number of times in this song (Deuteronomy 32:13,15,18,30,31).

"They have dealt corruptly with him ..." The time envisioned in this prophecy is long subsequent to the times of Moses. This is predictive prophecy at its best. The time foreseen here is after the settlement of Canaan, indeed after the death of Joshua, when Israel shall have become arrogant, proud, fat, rebellious, and shameful in their debaucheries. It is this time-focus of the prophecy that drives the critics to later centuries to find the date of Deuteronomy, but their "a priori" rejection of predictive prophecy compels this on their part. There is no logical necessity for ascribing this song to any generation other than that of Moses. As Keil put it: "This standpoint of the ode is not to be identified with the poet's own time."[14] Moses here spoke of developments that would occur long after his death.

"A perverse and crooked generation ..." The crookedness of Israel became a proverb in the whole world. Even when Jesus Christ saw an honest Israelite, he exclaimed, "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile!" (John 1:48). If the words of Jesus mean anything, they mean, "Look here! Here's an Israelite who is not crooked!" On Pentecost, Peter came to this very passage in his appeal for Israel (to whom he spoke) to obey the gospel (Acts 2:40).