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Deuteronomy 32:8 (ESV)-When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
Where did the nations come from?
According to the Bible, God made them.
In Deuteronomy 32, Moses discusses the events that took place at the time of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). This text there describes the events that led to the descendants of Noah being divided into separate nations. Indeed, we are told in that Scripture that seventy nations were formed, all by God’s direct will and intention.
There things stand out here that I would like to call your to your attention.
First, the formation of the seventy nations recorded in Genesis 11 has been confirmed to be a completely reliable historical account, and not fiction. This “Table Of Nations” (as it is often called) has often been ridiculed by those who have not studied the matter. However, one scholar learned after years of research that Genesis is here (as everywhere) shown to be reliable:
“When I first came across this problem some fifty years ago, I found it most perplexing. On the one hand I had the Bible itself claiming to be the very Word of God, and on the other I was presented with numerous commentaries that spoke with one voice in telling me that the Bible was nothing of the kind. It was merely a hotch- potch collection of Middle- Eastern myths and fables that sought to explain the world in primitive terms, whose parts had been patched together by a series of later editors. Modem scientific man need have nothing whatever to do with it. Now, it simply was not possible for both these claims to be valid. Only one of them could be right, and I saw it as my duty, to myself at least, to find out which was the true account and which was the false….Either way, I would discover once and for all whether the Biblical record was worthy of my trust or not. It seemed a little irreverent to treat a book that claimed to be the very Word of God in such a fashion. But if truth has any substance at all, then that Book would surely be able to bear such a test. If Genesis contained any falsehood, error or misleading statement of fact, then a severe testing would reveal it and I would be the first to add my own voice to those of all the other scholars who declared the Book of Genesis to be little more than fable…What I had not expected at the time was the fact that the task was to engage my attention and energies for more than twenty- five years. Nor had I expected the astonishing degree to which Genesis, particularly the tenth and eleventh chapters, was to be vindicated. These chapters are conveniently known to scholars as the Table of Nations, and the sheer breadth and depth of the historical evidence that was available for their study astonished me….Today I can say that the names so far vindicated in the Table of Nations make up over 99% of the list, and I shall make no further comment on that other than to say that no other ancient historical document of purely human authorship could be expected to yield such a level of corroboration as that!” (Bill Cooper, After The Flood: The Early Post-Flood History Of Europe Traced Back To Noah, 80-111 (Kindle Edition, emphasis added): Faithbuilders Publishing & New Wine Press)
Second, notice that there is a difference in the wording of many translations of the Bible in their rendering of Deuteronomy 32:8.
Deuteronomy 32:8 (NKJV)-When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.
Some translations say that God divided the nations according to “the sons of God,” while some say according to the number of “the children of Israel.” There are different theories as to why this manuscript difference exists. Some believe that it was an unintentional scribal error, and others that it was done deliberately by an overzealous scribe who did not like the rendering “sons of God.”
Regardless as to the reason for the textual variance, the original must must reference “according to the number of the sons of God” for several reasons.
The nation of Israel did not yet exist at the time of the Tower of Babel, so the text couldn’t be saying that God divided the nations according to the number of the sons of Israel.
“When God divided the nations—the punishment at Babel when the languages were confused—he distributed them among “the sons of God.” Some Bible translations have “sons of Israel” instead of “sons of God.” But Israel didn’t exist at the time of the Tower of Babel. God only called Abraham and began the nation of Israel after Babel (Gen. 12). “Sons of Israel” can’t be right. “Sons of God” is also what the Dead Sea Scrolls say, the oldest manuscripts of the Bible. The ESV has it right. Deuteronomy 4: 19-20 is the opposite side of that coin. That passage has God allotting these other gods to the nations he dispersed at Babel. These two passages associated with the rebellion at Babel, are the Old Testament’s explanation of why the other nations worship other gods—it’s the result of a divine punishment from the God of Israel. What this means is that the tower of Babel event is akin to what’s described in Romans 1, where Paul tells us that God gave humankind over to its own rebellion. Because the nations would not obey him, God basically gave humanity up to lesser gods. God gave them what they wanted—other gods to follow. The result was self-destruction and idolatry.” (Michael Heiser, The 60 Second Scholar: 100 Insights That Illumine the Bible, 64-65 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic)
This translation is also confirmed by the Greek Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 32:8 (Brenton’s LXX)-When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.
Third, this means that at the time of Babel, God allowed fallen angels to be worshipped by the nations of rebellious mankind.
Deuteronomy 32:8 (GNB)-The Most High assigned nations their lands; he determined where peoples should live. He assigned to each nation a heavenly being,
Deuteronomy 32:8 (NLT)-When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.
Several ancient Jewish documents confirm this same truth. Writing of both this passage in Deuteronomy and also Psalm 82, Godawa documents:
“When we look at the ancient Jewish understanding of Psalm 82, we see the gods as divine beings, not human. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, an ancient Jewish document labeled 11QMelchizedek reveals that they understood the gods of Psalm 82 to be satanic spirits to whom God allotted the nations. 11QMelchizedek 2.10-16 As for that which he said, How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah (Psalms 82: 2), its interpretation concerns Satan and the spirits of his lot who rebelled by turning away from the precepts of God to… And Melchizedek will avenge the vengeance of the judgements of God… and he will drag them from the hand of Satan and from the hand of all the spirits of his lot. And all the ‘gods of Justice’ will come to his aid to attend to the destruction of Satan.[ 4] Now, there were certainly a variety of theological viewpoints in Judaism, but this text does illustrate the dominant divine interpretation of that ancient context. Here is another text from a well-known noncanonical Jewish text that interprets the Sons of God in Deuteronomy 32: 8-10 as also being angels or territorial spirits spoken of in Psalm 82. Jubilees 15: 31-32 [There are] many nations and many people, and they all belong to him, but over all of them he caused spirits to rule so that they might lead them astray from following him. But over Israel he did not cause any angel or spirit to rule because he alone is their ruler and he will protect them. This passage from Jubilees is actually an interpretation of Deuteronomy 32: 8-10 that I will explore in the next chapter. But the point here is that the Sons of God in Deuteronomy were considered to be the same divine spirits who ruled over and judged the nations in Psalm 82. They were decidedly not human judges.” (Brian Godawa, When Watchers Ruled the Nations: Pagan Gods at War with Israel’s God and the Spiritual World of the Bible (Chronicles of the Watchers), 25-26 (Kindle Edition): Warrior Poet Publishing)
The creation of the different nations was implemented by God in order to honor sinful mankind’s decision to embrace wickedness. Yet even in this, God continued to work towards His good plan of bringing the Savior into the world to bring mankind together with each other and with Him again. He did this by preparing the Jewish bloodline through whom the Messiah would come into the world:
Deuteronomy 32:9-For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
Through His Word, God continues to call sinful humanity (and rebellious angels) to repentance before the Day of Judgment.
Deuteronomy 32:43 (ESV)-Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”
Deuteronomy 32:43 (Brenton’s LXX)-Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.
The chaos that we continue to see in the world among the nations is not limited to human politicians and activities. There is a very real spiritual element to all of these events. The Lord’s kingdom (the church) is at war with the evil powers of darkness working through the nations of men (Ephesians 6:10-18), and this spiritual warfare is manifested in civil unrest. We continue to preach the Gospel, to stand against wickedness, and to stand for God’s Word, even as we pray for human leaders and authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:1-5).
God created the nations.
What can we do to share His Word wherever we find ourselves?
How can we combat the plague of racism that consumes so many?
Lord, thank You for Your grace in making the nations of mankind. Help us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace so that we can share Your Word with every person. Amen.