（申32）审判与悔改（Deuteronomy 32) Judgement and repentance

(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

This week’s scripture reading is called “Give Ear,” which is Deuteronomy 32, the Song of Moses, and is generally read between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. The Jewish tradition of scripture reading is often related to the season of reading, which is quite a miraculous phenomenon. According to Jewish belief, this is a season of judgment and repentance because, during the time between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, the Creator judges the Israelites and gives them an opportunity to repent. So, are the themes of judgment and repentance related to the reading of Deuteronomy 32 during the same period?

At the end of this chapter, God made His final judgment regarding Moses on the last day of Moses’ life:

(Deuteronomy 32:49-52) “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

However, in Deuteronomy 32:4, Moses compares God to a rock, declaring that God’s judgments are always right, and it is people who are at fault, not God. The word “Rock” appears up to eight times in this song, which very likely implies Moses’ repentance and confession, acknowledging that even in the incident where he struck the rock to bring forth water, leading to him being barred from entering the Promised Land, it was Moses himself who was at fault, and God is always right. The reason Moses was forbidden from entering the Promised Land was due to his striking the rock to bring forth water (Numbers 20), but about forty years earlier, he had also struck the rock to bring forth water (Exodus 17), yet at that time, he did not offend God. See the analysis of the two different Hebrew words for “rock” and Moses’ future glory in the afterlife with the Lord: http://mijiale.mypressonline.com/2023/09/19/（申32）他是磐石/

In the Song of Moses, he also prophesies that as a nation, Israel will turn away from God and be punished, so when they encounter suffering in the future, they will know it is not without reason but because God is punishing them to bring them to repentance. Thus, God is a God of judgment. He decides the method and degree of punishment, and these are meant to lead His children to repentance. More broadly, human suffering is never without cause, and God’s judgments are always right. Humanity should repent and turn to the Creator. The thoughts reflected in this week’s scripture align perfectly with the themes of judgment and repentance that characterize the season of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.

（申32）审判与悔改

本周的读经进度叫“侧耳”，是申命记32章，摩西的歌，一般都在吹角节与赎罪日之间阅读。犹太传统的读经进度经常与读经的季节有关，这是一个很神奇的现象。因为犹太人认为这是一个审判与悔改的季节，因为在吹角节与赎罪日造物主对以色利人的审判和给他们悔改的机会。那么审判与悔改这些主题与同时期申命记32章的阅读有什么关系吗？

在本章的结束，神在摩西生命的最后一天对摩西作出了最后的判决：

（申命记32:49-52）“你上这亚巴琳山中的尼波山去，在摩押地与耶利哥相对，观看我所要赐给以色列人为业的迦南地。你必死在你所登的山上，归你列祖（原文作本民）去，象你哥哥亚伦死在何珥山上，归他的列祖一样。因为你们在寻的旷野，加低斯的米利巴水，在以色列人中没有尊我为圣，得罪了我。我所赐给以色列人的地，你可以远远地观看，却不得进去。”

然而，在申34:2-3摩西把神比喻成磐石，宣告神的判决总是对的，犯错的是人而不是神。“磐石”一词在这首歌里出现了多达8次，很可能隐含着摩西的悔改认罪，承认连击打磐石出水导致自己不得进迦南地一事，犯错的也是摩西自己，而神总是对的。摩西得罪神不得进迦南地是因为击打磐石出水（民20），但他约四十年前也曾击打磐石出水（出17），却没有得罪神。参见关于磐石的两种不同希伯来语单词的分析，以及摩西将来在来世与主同在的荣耀：

http://mijiale.mypressonline.com/2023/09/19/（申32）他是磐石/

在摩西的歌里，摩西也预言以色利作为一个民族将背离神而受惩罚，这样他们将来遇到苦难就知道不是无缘无故的，而是神惩罚他们让他们悔改。所以，神是审判的神，是祂决定惩罚的方式与程度，而这些是为了让祂的儿女悔改。更广泛地说，人类的遭遇都不是无缘无故的，神的判决总是对的，人类应当悔改归向造物主。本周经文所反映的这些思想，正好符合吹角节与赎罪日的季节，关于审判与悔改的主题。