They
have dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are a perverse and crooked generation.
Deuteronomy 32:5
Deuteronomy 31 [24.] When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, saying, “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of Yahweh’s covenant your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh. How much more after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days; because you will do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”
Deuteronomy 32 [1.] Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak.
Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
My doctrine will drop as the rain.
My speech will condense as the dew,
as the misty rain on the tender grass,
as the showers on the herb.
For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name.
Ascribe greatness to our God!
The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
A God of faithfulness who does no wrong,
just and right is he.
They have dealt corruptly with him.
They are not his children, because of their defect.
They are a perverse and crooked generation.
Is this the way you repay Yahweh,
foolish and unwise people?
Isn’t he your father who has bought you?
He has made you and established you.
Remember the days of old.
Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he separated the children of men,
he set the bounds of the peoples
according to the number of the children of Israel.
For Yahweh’s portion is his people.
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Meaning:
Deuteronomy 32 is the Song of Moses, written near the end of his life and taught to the people of Israel as a witness for the future. The song begins by praising God: “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he.” This verse then turns sharply to describe the people. The contrast could not be greater.
- “They have dealt corruptly with him”
God had been perfectly faithful, but Israel had been unfaithful. Though God rescued them from Egypt and fed them in the wilderness, they grumbled and turned to idols, and God asked how long they would refuse to believe in him (Numbers 14:11).
- “They are not his children, because of their defect”
Israel was called God’s son and God’s people. Yet by their corruption they were acting as if they were not his children at all. The “defect” was not in God but in them. Isaiah later brought the same charge (Isaiah 1:2-3). The very next verses of the song ask, “Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you?”
- “They are a perverse and crooked generation”
“Perverse” means twisted, turned from what is right, and “crooked” is the opposite of straight. God’s ways are just and upright, but the people’s ways were bent.
This phrase is taken up in the New Testament. When the disciples could not heal an epileptic boy, Jesus said, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you?” (Matthew 17:17). At Pentecost Peter urged his hearers, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” (Acts 2:40). Paul told the Philippians to be “children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). Believers are called to be God’s true children in a crooked world.
The Significance of Deuteronomy 32:5
- God is faithful even when people are not
The song sets God’s perfect faithfulness against human unfaithfulness. Our failures do not change his character.
- Be different from a crooked generation
Believers are called to live straight lives in a twisted world, showing what God’s children look like. “See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).
Cross-References:
Matthew 17:17: “Faithless and perverse generation!” Jesus echoes the song.
Acts 2:40: “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Peter’s call at Pentecost.
Philippians 2:15: “children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation,” The calling of believers.
Isaiah 1:2: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” Isaiah’s similar charge.
Conclusion: In the Song of Moses, God is the faithful Rock, while Israel is “a perverse and crooked generation” whose corruption showed they were not living as his children. Jesus and the apostles used the same words for their own time. The verse warns against unfaithfulness and calls God’s people to live as true children, without defect, in a crooked world.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible