INGRATITUDE
Ingratitude
Text: Deuteronomy 32:6
Setting the Scene
The Israelites were camped on the plains of Moab, just east of the Jordan River, preparing to enter the Promised Land. Moses, nearing the end of his life, knew he would not enter because of his disobedience in striking the rock twice. Yet before he departed, he desired to leave Israel with a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
He gave them the Book of the Law as their guide for living and now speaks to the entire nation. What follows is the Song of Moses — a poetic and powerful reminder of God’s goodness through every season. (See Deuteronomy 31:19, 22, 30).
This “song” was both a reflection and a warning — a recounting of Israel’s journey and a call to gratitude. The lyrics of this song stretch from Deuteronomy 32:1–43 and end on a victorious note (v. 43), declaring the triumph and faithfulness of God.
But before that triumphant ending, Moses exposes a deep problem: Israel’s ingratitude.
Our focus verse, Deuteronomy 32:6, captures that rebuke and reminds us of what we must guard against today.
Sermon Outline
1. The Rebuke for Ingratitude
“Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise?” — Deut. 32:6a
The word requite means “to repay, return, or respond.” Moses is essentially saying, “Is this how you repay the Lord?”
It echoes the words of Jesus after healing the ten lepers:
“Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” — Luke 17:17
Israel’s sin was not just rebellion — it was ingratitude.
God had given them water from the rock, manna from Heaven, freedom from Egypt, and victory over their enemies. Yet they still complained.
Moses, sensing the burden of their attitude, called them “foolish and unwise.” (Deut. 31:27).
And just like Israel, we too must ask: How are we repaying the Lord?
Our lives should reflect gratitude, not forgetfulness.
2. The Relationship — “Is not He thy Father that hath bought thee?”
When first reading this verse, one might think it says “brought thee,” which would be true — God did bring them out of Egypt. But Moses says “bought thee.”
That word changes everything.
It points to redemption — to a price paid for freedom.
Israel could not free themselves from Pharaoh; God used a mediator, Moses, to purchase their deliverance.
Likewise, we were enslaved by sin and could not free ourselves.
But God sent a Mediator — Jesus Christ — whose blood was the payment for our redemption.
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” — 1 Corinthians 6:20
The loving Father bought back His children.
We should live every day mindful of that price and grateful for the redemption that is ours through Christ.
3. The Reasoning — “Hath He not made thee, and established thee?”
Israel had endured centuries of bondage under the Egyptians, the Moabites, the Midianites, the Philistines, the Babylonians, and more.
Even through persecution — ancient and modern — God’s hand remained on His people.
Moses reminds them that the same God who formed them would sustain them.
“Hath God cast away His people? God forbid.” — Romans 11:1
“It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.” — Psalm 100:3
God had a purpose even in their pain.
And the same is true for us — we may face storms, fires, and battles, but we still belong to God. He is the One who made us, bought us, and established us.
In Closing: The Remedy for Ingratitude
The answer is found in the very next verse (v.7):
“Remember the days of old…”
To be thankful, we must be mindful.
We must remember what God has done, listen to the stories of faith from those before us, and never forget the goodness of our God.
May we be a people who, unlike Israel, live lives marked by gratitude — always returning to say,
“Thank You, Lord.”
