Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals
Tuesday July 14 2026
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Deuteronomy 32:7-9 (CEV)-Think about past generations. Ask your parents or any of your elders. They will tell you. 8 that God Most High gave land to every nation. He assigned a guardian angel to each of them, 9 but the LORD himself takes care of Israel.
Someone recently wrote me an email requesting information about the Bible teaching regarding “angels” and “gods.” Specifically, it was asked if the Bible teaches that angels (non-human beings created by God) are in some way “gods” over the nations. It is an excellent topic, and worthy of consideration.
Let’s study.
The Divine Council
The Bible teaches that God had a delegation of angels that He placed in a position of authority over the Earth for the purpose of guiding and teaching humanity (Psalm 89:5, 7; 1 Kings 22:19-22; 2 Chronicles 18:18-22). These beings are known as Watchers (Daniel 4:17). They are referred to in extra-biblical literature as well.
For example:
Jubilees 4:15-And in the second week of the tenth jubilee Mahalalel took unto him to wife Dînâh, the daughter of Barâkî’êl the daughter of his father’s brother, and she bare him a son in the third week in the sixth year, and he called his name Jared; for in his days the angels of the Lord descended on the earth, those who are named the Watchers, that they should instruct the children of men, and that they should do judgment and uprightness on the earth.
At some point in time, these Watcher angels rebelled against God (Psalm 82). Some of them rebelled in fathering the Nephilim/giants (Genesis 6:1-4), and others rebelled later at the time of the Tower of Babel when they allowed and encouraged humanity to begin worshiping them as Divine (Genesis 10-11). This is the background of the statement in Deuteronomy 4:19-20 and 32:8-9 that God divided the nations “according to the number of the sons of God” (i.e., the angels). Drawing especially on Deuteronomy 32, Heiser provides a great deal of information regarding this Divine council and rebellion from both the Bible and extra-biblical sources.
There are several indications in the apocryphal book of Wisdom of Ben Sira (or Book of Sirach; included in the LXX) that the Deuteronomy 32 worldview was part of Jewish theology. The seventeenth chapter describes humanity in general as God’s creation (Sir 17:1–7) and then transitions to the Jew, with whom God entered into a covenant relationship and gave his laws (Sir 17:12–14). Whether Jew or gentile, Ben Sira (Sir 17:15–16)4 describes God’s clear knowledge of human acts and thoughts and the divine retribution to be accorded to all men and women as they deserve. The Lord knows human “ways” because “they cannot be hidden from his eyes.”5 Then, in verse 17 we read, “He [God] appointed a leader for each nation, and Israel is the portion of the Lord” (LES). The word translated “leader” is a participial form of the lemma hēgeomai, “to be in a supervisory capacity, lead, guide.”6 In this particular passage and elsewhere in the LXX (e.g., Deut 5:23; Josh 13:21; 2 Sam 6:21; 1 Kgs 16:16; Ezek 43:7) the term clearly denotes “high officials” or someone “of princely authority.”7 Hannah comments of Sirach 17:17, “This parallels exactly the original text of Deuteronomy 32:8–9.”8…Philo of Alexandria is also in line with this text of Deuteronomy 32:8–9, writing that God “set boundaries of nations according to the number of the angels of God; and the portion of the Lord became his people, Jacob, the lot of his inheritance, Israel.”10 The Second Temple book of Jubilees makes certain statements in its retelling of Old Testament stories that collectively reflect the Deuteronomy 32 worldview…The key is verse 32. God did not allow “any angel or spirit” to rule over Israel—a clear reference to the Deuteronomy 32 worldview…The Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85–90), a highly symbolic retelling of the history of Israel, also reflects the Deuteronomy 32 worldview.…The seemingly secure identification in the Animal Apocalypse provides a conceptual link with an important element of the demonology of the Dead Sea Scrolls.…Belial, along with Mastema, is a name used for the original divine rebel, Satan of the New Testament.2…Consequently, the sect at Qumran viewed the nations of the world as under the dominion of supernatural entities, themselves under the authority of Belial/ Satan. The War Scroll clearly has divine beings—dark supernatural powers—in charge of Israel’s foes. The picture that emerges, while not as explicit as other Second Temple texts, is nonetheless consistent with the Deuteronomy 32 worldview. The Deuteronomy 32 worldview, extending as it does from the third divine rebellion of the Old Testament, completes our survey of the Second Temple Jewish theology of the powers of darkness. As we proceed to the New Testament, it will be evident that New Testament writers were informed and influenced by Second Temple Jewish thinking about evil spirits in rebellion against God and hostile to humanity. (Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness, 159-169 (Kindle Edition): Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press)
The nations of the world therefore are under the dominion of fallen angels who masquerade as gods.
Worship Him, All You Gods
One of the clearest passages documenting these facts is from the Book of Psalms.
Psalm 97:7-Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.
The “gods” are called upon the worship God.
Why are these gods?
Look at how this passage is rendered in the Greek Old Testament.
Psalm 97:7 (Brenton’s LXX)-Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels.
The “gods” are “angels” who have rebelled against God, and are called upon here to repent and serve Him. What’s more, the Hebrew of the passage suggests that these gods/angels once served Him! Please consider how one interesting Bible translations brings out this truth.
Psalm 97:7 (TPT)-Shame covers all who boast in other gods, for they worship idols. For all the supernatural powers once worshiped the true and living God.
The gods of the nations are fallen angels. Mankind rejected the one true God, and He allowed humanity to serve these beings. Will we learn the lesson that these “gods” have refused, and serve the one true Lord?
Father, give us wisdom to serve You. We pray for our neighbors and for the nations of the world. Open their eyes to see their need to follow You. Amen.