DEUTERONOMY 8 COMMENTARY

EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Do Not Forget the Lord

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving

you today, so that you may live and increase and

may enter and possess the land the Lord promised

on oath to your ancestors.

GILL, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do,.... It is repeated over and over again, to impress it on their minds, and to show the importance and necessity of it, how greatly it was expected from them, and how much it was incumbent on them:

that ye may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the

Lord sware unto your fathers; for their temporal life, and the mercies and

comforts of it, the multiplication of their offspring, and of their substance, their

entrance into the land of Canaan, possession of it, and continuance in it, all depended

on their obedience to the commands of God; see Deu_19:20.

HENRY, "The charge here given them is the same as before, to keep and do all God's commandments. Their obedience must be, 1. Careful: Observe to do. 2. Universal: To do all the commandments, Deu_8:1. And, 3. From a good principle, with a regard to God as the Lord, and their God, and particularly with a holy fear of him (Deu_8:6), from a reverence of his majesty, a submission to his authority, and a dread of his wrath. To engage them to this obedience, besides the great advantages of it, which he sets before them (that they should live and multiply, and all should be well with them, Deu_8:1), he directs them,

JAMISON, "Deu_8:1-20. An exhortation to obedience.

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live — In all the wise arrangements of our Creator duty has been made inseparably connected with happiness; and the earnest enforcement of the divine law which Moses was making to the Israelites was in order to secure their being a happy (because a moral and religious) people: a course of prosperity is often

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called “life” (Gen_17:18; Pro_3:2).

live, and multiply — This reference to the future increase of their population proves that they were too few to occupy the land fully at first.

CALVIN, "1.All the commandments. Although the first verse might have been

included among the promises, whereby, as we shall hereafter see, the Law was ratified

by Moses, because he here exhorts and incites the Israelites to obedience by proposing

to them the hope of reward; still it appeared to me that I might conveniently insert it

here, since the design of Moses was simply this, to attract them by the sweetness of

the promised inheritance to receive the doctrines of the Law. This sentence, then, may

be justly counted among those whereby their minds were prepared to submit

themselves to God with the gentleness and docility that became them; as though he

had said, because the land of Canaan is now not far from you, its very nearness ought

to encourage you to take upon you God’s yoke more cheerfully; for the same God,

who this day declares to you His law, invites you to the enjoyment of that land, which

He promised with an oath to your fathers. And certainly it is evident from this latter

clause of the verse, that Moses did not simply promise them a reward if they should

keep the law; but rather set before them the previous favor, wherewith God had

gratuitously prevented them, in order that they might, on their part, shew themselves

grateful for it Moses calls the commandments his, not (as we have already seen)

because he had invented them himself, but because he faithfully handed them down

from the dictation of God’s own mouth. And this we may also more fully gather from

the following verse, wherein he recounts the mercies of the time past, and at the same

time calls to their recollection by how many proofs God had instructed them, to form

and accustom them to obedience. In the first place, he bids them remember generally

the dealings of God, which they had seen for forty years, and then descends to

particulars, viz., that God had proved them by afflictions, “to know what was in their

heart;” for thus may the expressions be paraphrased, “to humble thee, and to prove

thee, to know what was in thine heart;” in which words he admonishes them, that they

were painfully tried by many troubles and difficulties not without very good reason,

viz., because they had need of such trial. Yet, at the same time, he indirectly reproves

their obstinacy, which was then detected; since otherwise, if all things had gone

prosperously with them, it would have been easy for them to pretend great fear of

God, though, as was actually discovered, it did not really exist.

COFFMAN, "This chapter recounts God's care of Israel during the wilderness

wanderings as a warning for Israel not to forget God after they have come into the

wealth and prosperity of Canaan. How necessary is such a warning, and how many

there are who need it, and how few there seem to be who heed it! Any minister of the

gospel could supply dozens or scores of examples of persons, both men and women,

who, while they were poor, even receiving help from the congregation in some cases,

living in cheap or modest houses, and hard-pressed to make a living, were faithful to

the Lord, attended worship regularly, and in many instances were trusted with some

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responsibility in the church (such as the office of elder, or deacon, or teacher of a

class), but who, as soon as prosperity came, wealth was inherited, or business success

or promotions brought affluence or even wealth, forsook religion of every name,

bought two Cadillacs and a yacht and went to hell in all directions!

It was this writer's privilege to minister for a large church in Houston, Texas, during

the years of 1938-1951. Those were boom years! World War II with its high wages in

the war industries, making it possible for many people to earn more money in four or

five days than they had previously earned in a month, supplied the occasion for many

people to forsake God and go their own way.

The chapter has two divisions:

(1) A recital of many of the events of the deliverance and the forty years' wanderings

for the purpose of persuading Israel to be unwavering in their loyalty and obedience to

God (Deuteronomy 8:1-17), and

(2) The warning that if they are not faithful to God, they will certainly be destroyed

and cast out of Canaan as were the nations Israel was about to thrust out. "The focal

point of this chapter is Deuteronomy 8:17. with its picture of a future Israel at ease in

Canaan, basking in self-congratulation."[1]

The design of the previous verses is to remind Israel of their need of God and the

necessity for depending upon God always and not relying upon themselves.

Keil's chapter heading here is: "Review of the Guidance of God, and their Humiliation

in the Desert, as a Warning against High-mindedness and Forgetfulness of God."[2]

We cannot progress very far in Deuteronomy without becoming aware of the

tremendous amount of repetition contained in it, and, "These may seem unnecessary

until we realize that, in spite of them, the people strayed away from God. Some truths

are so important, and human memories are so weak, that they need to be stated over

and over again."[3] It must be remembered in this connection that one of the great

features of the teachings of the Master was the extensive REPETITION. All of the

parables of the kingdom are repetitions in their major feature, and what some of the

scholars call "doublets" are nothing at all except examples of how Jesus returned

again and again to the same thought, repeating his teachings in slightly variable form.

There were two sermons: (1) one on the mount, and (2) the other on the plain," so

much alike that the thoughtless sometimes think of them as "variations" of the same

sermon. The same is true of the two accounts of the Lord's prayer.

"All the commandment which I commanded thee this day shall ye observe to do, that

ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto

your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led

thee these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble thee, to prove thee, to

know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not.

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And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which

thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that

man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of

Jehovah doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot

swell, these forty years. And thou shalt consider in thy heart, as a man chasteneth his

son, so Jehovah thy God chasteneth thee."

The teaching of this paragraph is that God deliberately brought hardships upon the

people in order to teach them to rely upon the Lord. Such things as hunger and thirst

were used to challenge the people and to discipline them and to train them to look to

God for the solution of all their problems. This is exactly the teaching of Hebrews

12:5-11. (The student interested in the subject of "The Lord's Chastening" will find

additional material under those verses in our N.T. series of commentaries, Vol. 10.)

The purpose of this chastening was beneficent toward man, "That men, humbled so as

to see their own weakness, chastised out of all self-conceit by affliction, are taught to

submit to God, to hear and obey Him, and in grateful acknowledgment of his grace

and mercy, yield themselves lovingly to serve Him."[4]

These verses cast a brilliant illumination upon all the misfortunes and hardships of

life. They are not merely adversities; they are opportunities; and, "They are all

examples of God's providence."[5]

Harrison was impressed with the choice of the events related in Deuteronomy,

especially some of those in this chapter, saying, "The way in which these incidents are

described, and their correspondence with those events most likely to impress Moses

himself, furnish striking evidence of authenticity."[6]

"Man shall not live by bread only ..." (Deuteronomy 8:3). This, of course, was quoted

by the Son of God himself in his encounter with the prince of evil. The truth here is a

many-faceted thing - true, no matter how one regards it. Physical food is not enough;

the spiritual dimension is absolutely necessary for any kind of an abundant life.

Chaplain (Major) Branham of the U.S. Army was pastor of a small Christian church in

Missouri, where the pay was very low. He entered the chaplaincy, and one of his old

elders asked him why he did so. He replied, "Man shall not live by bread alone!" We

doubt, of course, that anything like that is meant here.

In Jesus' quotation of this place, what did he mean by it? It appears to us that Keil was

correct in his analysis of this. "Jesus was not saying to Satan that the Messiah lives not

by material bread only but by doing God's will. Jesus was saying, I leave it to God to

care for my life; and God is able to sustain life in extraordinary ways."[7] It was

indeed by extraordinary means that God preserved the life of Jesus in this situation.

An angel came and ministered unto him. The lesson taught here is that, "It is not

nature than nourishes man, but the Creator nourishes man through nature."[8] Another

statement of the same view is this: "Jesus means to say, `I leave it with God to care for

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the sustenance of my life, and I will not arbitrarily, and for selfish ends help myself by

a miracle.'"[9]

"The raiment waxed not old upon thee ..." Here we encounter radically different views

on the part of faithful scholars, and of course they cannot both be correct. Despite this,

we do not have the key for any dogmatic solution. Adam Clarke thought that this

meant, merely, that God so abundantly cared for Israel in the wilderness that they

never had to wear old and tattered garments. He pointed out that they had artisans of

the highest quality, as attested by the tabernacle. They knew how to weave. They had

thousands of sheep for wool. They had plenty of time to make their own clothes and

plenty of material with which to do it. The meaning therefore is, "That God so amply

provided for them all the necessities of life, that they were never obliged to wear

tattered garments."[10] An objection to this view is that God does not here say merely

that "Israel did not have to wear tattered garments," but that, "their raiment waxed not

old!"

"The other view is that, "The strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (See

also Deuteronomy 29:5) indicate a special or miraculous interposition of their loving

Guardian in preserving them amid the wear and tear of their nomadic life in the

desert."[11] Luther, Calvin, and Kline also took this view. However, many recent able

and dependable scholars support the other view that, "The reference here is not literal,

but poetical and rhetorical."[12] Oberst took a middle of the road view, writing:

"While we need not overlook the natural supplies, or the presence of human agency in

part, it is clear that these natural supplies (both the manna and the clothing) were

supplemented by some special and miraculous exercise of divine power."[13]

Many of the ancient writers, Justin Martyr in particular, and the Jewish rabbis

magnified this miracle tremendously, maintaining, not only that their clothes did not

wear out, but that, "As the younger generation grew up, their clothes also grew upon

their backs, like the shells of snails."[14] Based upon the truth revealed in the Bible

that God never performed any unnecessary miracles, we favor the view of

Dummelow; but, of course, the literalists could be correct.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:1. That ye may live — Comfortably and prosperously, for

life, in the Scripture phrase, signifies more than bare life, namely, happiness and

prosperity, Genesis 17:18; 1 Samuel 25:6; Leviticus 25:36; 1 Thessalonians 3:8. On

the other hand, afflictions and calamities are called death, Exodus 10:17, and 2

Corinthians 11:23.

CONSTABLE, "Verses 1-6

God humbled the Israelites in the sense that He sought to teach them to have a

realistic awareness of their dependence on Himself for all their needs. This is true

humility. God's provision of manna to eat and clothing to wear should have taught the

people that they were dependent on His provision for all their needs, not just food and

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clothing.

What proceeds from God's mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3) does not refer to the spoken

revelations of God exclusively but, more comprehensively, to all that comes from God

to man. [Note: See Gerhard von Rad, Deuteronomy, p. 72; Raymond Van Leeuwen,

"What Comes out of God's Mouth: Theological Wordplay in Deuteronomy 8,"

Catholic Biblical Quarterly 47 (January 1985):53-57; and Miller, p. 116.]

"The third means of divine self-disclosure in the context of the Deuteronomic

covenant [in addition to historical event and theophany] was by word. It is important

to note, however, that in the ancient Near East and in the Old Testament there is no

essential distinction between act and word, for the act is produced by the word and the

word is never without effective purpose. It is dynamic, entelic, purposeful, creative,

powerful (cf. Genesis 1:3, etc.). It does not exist (as in Greek philosophy, for

example) as a theoretical or neutral abstraction. In terms of revelation, and especially

in Deuteronomy, it is necessary to see the powerful word as a covenant instrument;

the word of the Sovereign commands and communicates, but it also effects,

empowers, and creates." [Note: Merrill, "A Theology . . .," p. 64.]

The contrast intended is not between physical bread and the special revelation of God

in Scripture. It is more generally between what man provides for himself and what

God provides for him. God was warning the Israelites against excessive self-reliance

(cf. Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).

"Just as the Genesis narratives used God's act of providing clothing for Adam and Eve

to demonstrate his care for humankind after they were cast out of the Garden (Genesis

3:21), so God's care for Israel in the wilderness is pictured here in his providing for

their clothing (Deuteronomy 8:4). Moreover, the same picture of God as a loving

father, which permeates the early chapters of Genesis ..., is recalled again here: 'As a

man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you' (Deuteronomy 8:5;

cf. Deuteronomy 32:6)." [Note: Sailhamer, p. 441.]

Verses 1-20

Warning against pride and forgetfulness of God ch. 8

"Two important lessons from the past are now referred to. First, the experience of

God's care in the wilderness period, when the people of Israel were unable to help

themselves, taught them the lesson of humility through the Lord's providential

discipline. The memory of that experience should keep them from pride in their own

achievements amid the security and prosperity of the new land (Deuteronomy

8:1-20)." [Note: Thompson, p. 134.]

The Israelites were not only in danger of compromising with the Canaanites (ch. 7).

They were also in danger of becoming too self-reliant when they entered the land (ch.

8). Note the double themes of remembering and forgetting, and the wilderness and the

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Promised Land in this chapter. They lead to the warning in Deuteronomy 8:19-20.

HAWKER, "The subject of Moses' Sermon is continued through this chapter. The

man of GOD makes use of some of the most persuasive arguments to enforce an

observance of the holy precepts he had given to Israel.

Deuteronomy 8:1

Nothing can be more important to consider, both in a legal and in a gospel sense, than

what Moses here mentions; that all GOD'S commands are alike to be regarded, and

not with a partial attention. The apostle hath settled the vast consequence of this in a

single verse, when he says, Whoever keepeth the whole law, but yet offendeth in one

point, is guilty of all. James 2:10.

TRAPP, "Deuteronomy 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day

shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land

which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

Ver. 1. All the commandments.] "All" is but a little word, but of large extent. There

are magnalia legis , and minutula legis; Look to both the greater and the lesser things

of the law. [Matthew 23:23]

LANGE 1-9, "EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. [It is idle, of course, to speculate as to the process by which this result was secured,

as it would be to ask how Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes. But while we need

not overlook the natural supplies, nor exclude human agency in part, as that agency

was used in collecting and preparing the manna; it is clear that these natural supplies

were supplemented by some special and miraculous exercise of the divine power.—A.

G.]. Deuteronomy 8:5. And consider, as and remember, in Deuteronomy 8:2. The

recollection of the journey through the wilderness should serve to bring Israel to the

consideration which that leading had in view, hence the comparison, ( Exodus 4:22)

of a man and his son, as Deuteronomy 1:31, and chasteneth (Schroeder instructeth) as

in Deuteronomy 4:36. Comp. the same. To give such knowledge God is continually

teaching. And this instruction is very fitting here, where Moses calls attention to

obedience. Qעמ־ְלָבֶב. Comp. Deuteronomy 4:39). Deuteronomy 8:6. Announces the

practical end ( Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:24). To walk in his ways, in

opposition to Deuteronomy 4:3; Deuteronomy 6:14, thus to follow Him in the way in

which He leads His people, and has pointed out in His law, which is equivalent to

walking in His commandments, i.e., to do them, to live according to them,

Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 19:9; Deuteronomy 26:17.

2. Deuteronomy 8:7-10. Over against the wilderness with its miraculous leading,

Canaan now enters as the goal of this leading, in a comprehensive and gorgeous

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description; the extraordinary there, becomes here nearly the ordinary, because

belonging to the character of the land. Whoever there has, to him shall be given, that

he may have abundantly. So much greater is the obligation to obedience. [This

description of the land is peculiarly appropriate on the supposition that Moses actually

described it, just as the people stood upon its borders, and with a view to encourage

them to faithfulness and obedience. It would have been comparatively aimless if the

book came from a later author, and out of entirely different circumstances.—A. G.].

Deuteronomy 8:7. ( Deuteronomy 3:25; Deuteronomy 4:21). ְתֹהֹמת usually the waves

of the sea, as ְתהֹום the sea, but here the masses of water below the earth, which here

and there find issue through the surface. We think of the valley streams, as the Arnon,

the Jabbok, sq, but especially of the Jordan, with its seas, its different sources in

Lebanon and Hermon, “fed by the snows and rains upon its lofty summit, and grotto

basins, through its icy treasure chambers and caverns, kept in its course through the

whole year, while nearly all the other Syrian streams sink away through the dry

season.” Thus abundance of water. Then fruitfulness, as also Tacitus, Ammian, and

others (Winer, II, p188), affirm. Wheat in abundance ( 1 Kings 5:11; Ezekiel 27:17)

found even now in considerable measures. Barley for the cattle, especially for the

horses, but used also for the poorer classes of the people, also largely raised. Vines,

the cultivation of which constituted a main branch of agriculture, to which the land

and climate are favorable. [The vine is still cultivated in Palestine in those parts in

which there is a considerable population. See Stanley, S. and P., and Robinson’sBibl.

Res.—A. G.]. Vines and fig-trees used proverbially for the peaceful condition in

Palestine. The pomegranates, partly wild, partly in gardens, of brilliant color, beautiful

form, fruit, fleshy, juicy, and refreshing. ַזִית ֶׁשֶמןthe olive of oil (the olive tree which

yields oil) in distinction from the wild olive (ֵעץ ֶׁשֶמן). The olive of Palestine was

specially prized. Honey, the favorite food still in Eastern lands, used instead of the

unknown sugar. Deuteronomy 8:9. A special application of such fruitfulness, with a

reference to Genesis 3:19, so that a characteristic feature of the lost paradise cleaves to

the land. ְּכִמְסֵּכנֻת from ָסַכן to humble oneself, to be poor. It is as much as if he said, in

which thou shalt not have to stoop to toil, and to pour out the sweat of thy brow in

order to eat thy bread. But more generally, as, God is sufficient to Israel instead of the

gods of the heathen, so His land affords all that is necessary, so that the people need

not to enter into commerce with other people from any want or necessity, and may

avoid dangerous alliances with them. Hence also the iron and the brass (copper) the

indispensable metals are alluded to. Not only are the warm springs at Tiberias

ferruginous, and the soil at Hasbeiya, strongly impregnated with iron, but iron stones

are found upon Lebanon, and iron strata are supposed to exist between Jerusalem and

Jericho ( Ezekiel 27:19). We are to think also of the ferruginous basalt in North

Canaan, especially in the East of Jordan, and also in the land of the Amorites. Did

Israel engage in mining, or did they neglect it? [See the passage in Job 28:1-11.—A.

G.]. Traces of former copper works are found on Lebanon. Deuteronomy 8:10 gives

the result of the description of the land, which could not be deferred. It must be so—

cannot be otherwise. The Jewish tradition of grace at meals, and indeed after meals,

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founded upon this passage is too narrow and special an explanation. In this respect

Christ introduces the thanks and blessing before the meal, Matthew 14:19; Matthew

15:36; Matthew 26:26.

PETT, "Introductory.

Part 1 of the commentary contained the first speech of Moses which proclaimed the

recent history of Israel under the hand of Yahweh, demonstrating why they had reason

to be grateful to Him, and finishing with a reminder of how gloriously and fearsomely

the covenant had been given and an exhortation to keep the covenant requirements

and remember Who had given them. From Deuteronomy 4:44 to Deuteronomy 29:1

this is followed by the central renewal of the covenant in Moses’ second speech,

commencing with a renewed description of the giving of the covenant (Deuteronomy

5), followed by the basic principles lying behind the covenant (chapters 5-11), more

detailed regulations (chapters 12-26), the requirement that the covenant be recorded in

writing at Shechem (where Abraham first built an altar when entering the land and

received his first theophany in the land) as confirmed by all the elders (Deuteronomy

27:1-8), the acknowledgement of it by the priesthood along with Moses as witnesses

to it (Deuteronomy 27:9-10), and the applying to it of curses and blessings (chapters

Deuteronomy 27:11 to Deuteronomy 29:1).

This section of the commentary will cover chapters 5-11, but these chapters must be

seen as part of the greater whole to Deuteronomy 29:1, as incorporated in the whole

book.

The Covenant Stipulations - the Basic Underlying Principles (chapters Deuteronomy

4:45 to Deuteronomy 11:32).

This introductory section begins the second section of the book which consists mainly

of a proclamation of general basic principles related to the fulfilment of the covenant

(chapters 5-11). This is then followed by a detailed review of the statutes and

ordinances which have been spoken of previously, but with special reference to their

applicability to the people and mainly ignoring priestly activity (chapters 12-26). It is

‘popular’ Law. In this second section Moses once again makes clear the demands that

Yahweh is making on His people as a response to what He has done for them. But he

will begin it by repeating, with minor alterations, the covenant made at Horeb, at

Mount Sinai. Thus he declares that covenant in chapter 5 almost word for word,

although slightly revised in order to bring out new emphases. This is then followed

chapter by chapter by the requirements that Yahweh is laying on them as a response to

His covenant love. In 6-11 he first deals with the basic principles involved, and then

in chapters 12-26 moves on to the specific detailed requirements. This is a pattern

typical of ancient treaty covenants.

Central to all the chapters are the ideas of how they must obey His commandment, His

statutes and His ordinances that He might bless them in all they do (Deuteronomy 5:1;

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Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 5:31-33; Deuteronomy 6:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:6-8;

Deuteronomy 6:17-18; Deuteronomy 6:24-25; Deuteronomy 7:11-12; Deuteronomy

8:1; Deuteronomy 8:6; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 10:13; Deuteronomy 11:1;

Deuteronomy 11:8; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 11:27;

Deuteronomy 11:32); of how the reason that they are being blessed is not for their

own sakes, but because of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy

6:10; Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 8:1;

Deuteronomy 8:18; Deuteronomy 9:5; Deuteronomy 9:27; Deuteronomy 10:15;

Deuteronomy 11:9); of how they must remember Yahweh their God Who has mightily

delivered them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:6; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy

6:12; Deuteronomy 6:21-23; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:15; Deuteronomy

7:18; Deuteronomy 8:14; Deuteronomy 9:26); of how He is bringing them into a good

and prosperous land where they will enjoy great blessings (Deuteronomy 6:10-11;

Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 7:13-16; Deuteronomy 8:7-10; Deuteronomy

8:12-13; Deuteronomy 11:10-12; Deuteronomy 11:14-15), and of how they must then

beware of turning to false gods and false religion once they enter the land, and must

rather totally destroy them (Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Deuteronomy 6:14-15; Deuteronomy

7:4-5; Deuteronomy 7:25-26; Deuteronomy 8:19; Deuteronomy 9:12; Deuteronomy

9:16; Deuteronomy 11:16; Deuteronomy 11:28).

These are the general emphases, but each chapter also has a particular emphasis.

· Deuteronomy 6 stresses their need to love Yahweh, their covenant Overlord,

with all their beings (Deuteronomy 6:5), to fear Him (Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy

6:13; Deuteronomy 6:24), and to teach their children His instruction, and warns them

that when they are prospering in the land they must not forget what He has done for

them. Their Overlord is calling His subjects to love and obedience.

· Deuteronomy 7 confirms Yahweh’s elective covenant love for them

(Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Deuteronomy 7:13) as His holy people, chosen and treasured

(Deuteronomy 7:6), and promises them that because of that love He will bless them

wonderfully, delivering the promised land into their hands. Here He reveals why they

should love Him and respond to Him, because He has first loved them, and chosen

them to be the recipients of His love with all its great benefits.

· Deuteronomy 8 reminds them of how they must remember and not forget the

past (Deuteronomy 8:2; Deuteronomy 8:5; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 8:14;

Deuteronomy 8:18), especially how He has looked after them in the wilderness, with

the promise that He is bringing them to a good and prosperous land, and that once He

has done so they must beware of self-glorification. Here the details of His watch over

them are laid out demonstrating the practicality of His love.

· Deuteronomy 9 exhorts them on this basis to go forward and cross the Jordan

knowing that Yahweh goes before them, while reminding them that their success will

not be because of their own righteousness, a fact which he then demonstrates from

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their past history, reminding them how right from the very beginning they had broken

God’s covenant that He had made with them. Here He emphasises how gracious He

has been to them even though they had not been fully faithful to His covenant. While

they do not deserve His goodness, He is pouring it on them anyway.

· Deuteronomy 10 stresses that God then graciously renewed that covenant

which they had broken so quickly, and goes on to describe the greatness and

uniqueness of Yahweh their covenant God and Overlord. They must recognise how

good He has been to His erring subjects and take note of the fullness of His glory, lest

they again break His covenant with them.

· Deuteronomy 11 urges them to learn from the past and go forward on the basis

of it, repeats the promises and warnings of the previous chapters, constrains them to

remember His words, and bear them about with them and teach them to their children,

and promises the good things to come, and the certainty of their possession of the land

because Yahweh is with them. It finally concludes the section with the reminder of the

blessings and cursings, which will be solemnly applied on Mounts Gerizim and Ebal,

which are by the oaks of Moreh, that is, at Shechem, and says that which of these will

come on them will depend on whether they faithfully respond to His covenant or not.

This conclusion prepares the way for Deuteronomy 27, although meanwhile being

first of all preceded by the detailed stipulations of chapters 12-26.

So throughout these chapters the covenant is constantly stressed, a covenant which is

the result of His love for their fathers and for them and is their guarantee of the future

as long as their response to it is full and complete.

Chapter 8 They Must Remember That Yahweh Is Their Provider and Observe His

Instruction And Not Forget His Commandments.

In the previous chapters Moses has constantly reminded them of how Yahweh

delivered them from Egypt and from bondage (see especially the details in

Deuteronomy 7:19, compare Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy

6:21-23), now he calls on them to remember how He had also delivered them in the

wilderness (compare Deuteronomy 2:7) and the lessons that they learned there. For he

has begun to be aware of the danger that when they are comfortably settled in the land,

in complete contrast to the wilderness experience, and all their wars were over, they

might easily forget Yahweh and settle into the former ways of the land. (‘Thou is used

all the way through apart from the first and last verses, in each of which both thou and

ye are used).

We should note the parallels between this chapter and Deuteronomy 32:10-18 where

the same themes are in mind. Some of the actual language of both passages, as well as

the ideas, were also used by Hosea in Hosea 13:4-8, e.g. ‘from Egypt’, ‘satisfied’,

‘hearts lifted up’, ‘forgetting’. Hosea is full of echoes of Deuteronomy.

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Verses 1-3

Chapter 8 They Must Remember That Yahweh Is Their Provider and Observe His

Instruction And Not Forget His Commandments.

In the previous chapters Moses has constantly reminded them of how Yahweh

delivered them from Egypt and from bondage (see especially the details in

Deuteronomy 7:19, compare Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy

6:21-23), now he calls on them to remember how He had also delivered them in the

wilderness (compare Deuteronomy 2:7) and the lessons that they learned there. For he

has begun to be aware of the danger that when they are comfortably settled in the land,

in complete contrast to the wilderness experience, and all their wars were over, they

might easily forget Yahweh and settle into the former ways of the land. (‘Thou is used

all the way through apart from the first and last verses, in each of which both thou and

ye are used).

We should note the parallels between this chapter and Deuteronomy 32:10-18 where

the same themes are in mind. Some of the actual language of both passages, as well as

the ideas, were also used by Hosea in Hosea 13:4-8, e.g. ‘from Egypt’, ‘satisfied’,

‘hearts lifted up’, ‘forgetting’. Hosea is full of echoes of Deuteronomy.

Analysis in the words of Moses:

a All the commandment which I command you this day shall you observe to do,

that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which Yahweh swore

to your fathers (Deuteronomy 8:1).

b You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these

forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, to prove you, to know what

was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments, or not.

c And He did humble you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna,

which you knew not, nor did you fathers know, that he might make you know that

man does not live by bread only, but by every thing (or ‘word’) that proceeds out of

the mouth of Yahweh does man live (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

c Your clothes did not grow old on you, nor did your foot swell, these forty

years (Deuteronomy 8:4).

b And you shall consider in your heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so

Yahweh your God chastens you (Deuteronomy 8:5).

a And you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in His

ways, and to fear him (Deuteronomy 8:6).

Note that in ‘a’ They are commanded to observe to do all Yahweh’s commandment,

and in the parallel they are to keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, to walk

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in His ways, and to fear him. In ‘b’ Yahweh had led them in the wilderness in order to

prove them and in the parallel He will chasten them as sons. In ‘c’ He humbled them

and fed them with manna, and in the parallel He watched over their clothing and their

ability to go on trekking.

Deuteronomy 8:1

‘All the commandment which I command you (thee) this day shall you (ye) observe to

do, that you (ye) may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which

Yahweh swore to your (your) fathers.’

The problem with our chapter divisions is that because of them we can disconnect

verses from each other. This verse is to be seen as continuing on from the last, as well

as looking forward. Thus it may be seen as including the injunction to avoid graven

images and not to take them into their houses, as well as being a general command to

observe His other commandments. And this is so that they might live and not die, and

so that they might multiply their families, and as they did so, expand and possess the

land which Yahweh swore to their fathers. This last emphasis is continually repeated.

All was based on the promises to the patriarchs, and therefore was unfailingly sure of

performance.

“That you may live.” Constantly before him was the fact that their fathers had

perished in the wilderness, excluded from the land. They had died because they were

disobedient to Yahweh. If these who now listen to Him wished to live and not die they

must now ensure that they were obedient. And it is not just a matter of life, but of

having a good life, a life of abounding and flourishing and possessing the land. All

these were dependent on obedience to Yahweh’s overall commandment as revealed in

His statutes and ordinances.

For those who would enjoy fullness of life must listen to God’s requirement

(‘commandment’) as He speaks to them through His word. Only in this way will they

come into possession of what He has for His own.

PULPIT, "That they might be induced the more faithfully to observe all the

commandments which had been enjoined upon them so as to go on and prosper, they

are called to remember the experiences of the forty years in the wilderness, when God

guided them and disciplined them for their good. He humbled them that he might test

the state of their heart and affections towards him, using the distress and privations to

which they were subjected as means of bringing out what was in them, and of leading

them to feel their entire dependence on him for help, sustenance, and guidance. Not

only by commands difficult to be obeyed laid on men, and by mighty works done in

their view, does God prove men (cf. Genesis 22:1, etc.; Exodus 15:25; Exodus 20:20);

but also by afflictions and calamities ( 2:22; 3:4; Psalms 17:3; Psalms 81:7, etc.), as

well as by benefits (Exodus 16:4). Humbled so as to see his own weakness, chastised

out of all self-conceit by affliction, man is brought to submit to God, to hear and obey

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him; and along with this the experience of God's goodness tends to draw men, in

grateful acknowledgment of his mercy and bounty, to yield themselves to him and

sincerely and lovingly to serve him (cf. Romans 2:4).

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:1-6

Life's meaning discerned by the retrospect of it.

The remark has not infrequently been made that incidents closely connected cannot be

rightly understood till the time has come for them to be reviewed in their entirety as

matters of history. What is true of events generally, applies in all its force to the wonders

included in the rescue and wanderings of the people of Israel. And that which may be said of

them, holds good, in this respect, of the life-story of God's children now. Two words would

sum up the pith of their experience—"redemption," "training." Redeemed first, trained

afterwards. Redeemed, that they might be trained; trained, that they might become worthy

of the redemption. Both the redemption and the training had in Israel's case a depth of

meaning of which the people knew little at the time, but which Israel's God intended from

the first. Afterwards, their varied experiences, when reviewed as a piece of history, became

matter for grateful record and adoring praise. The paragraph before us now is "the aged

lawgiver reviewing the experiences of Israel in their wanderings." Four lines of meditation

open up—

BRUCE OBERST, "7. The Threat From Within (8:1—11:21)

a. THE DANGER OF PROSPERITY (8:1-20)

All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye

observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess

the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shaJt re-

member all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led thee these forty

years in the wilderness, that he might humble thee, to prove thee, to

know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his command-

ments or not, 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and

fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers

know; that he might make thee know that man does not live by bread

only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah

doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did

thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 And thou shah consider in thy

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heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so Jehovah thy God chasteneth

thee. 6 And thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God,

to walk in his ways, and to fear him, 7 For Jehovah thy God bringeth

thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and

springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and

barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees

and honey; 9 a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness,

thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and

out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper. 10 And thou shalt eat and

be full, and thou shalt bless Jehovah thy God for the good land which

he hath given thee. 11 Beware lest thou forget Jehovah thy God, in

not keeping his commandments, and his ordinances, and his statutes,

which I command thee this day: 12 lest, when thou hast eaten and

art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 and when

thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multi-

plied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 then thy heart be lifted

up, and thou forget Jehovah thy God, who brought thee forth out of

the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led thee

through the great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents

and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought

thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed thee in the wilder-

ness with manna, which thy fathers knew not; that he might humble

thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end:

17 and lest thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my

hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember Jehovah

thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; that he

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may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as at this

day. 19 And it shall be, if thou shalt forget Jehovah thy God, and walk

after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against

you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations that Jehovah

maketh to perish before you, so shall ye perish; because ye would not

harken unto the voice of Jehovah your God.

K&D, "In addition to the danger of being drawn aside to transgress the covenant, by sparing the Canaanites and their idols out of pusillanimous compassion and false tolerance, the Israelites would be especially in danger, after their settlement in Canaan, of falling into pride and forgetfulness of God, when enjoying the abundant productions of that land. To guard against this danger, Moses set before them how the Lord had sought to lead and train them to obedience by temptations and humiliations during their journey through the desert. In order that his purpose in doing this might be clearly seen, he commenced (Deu_8:1) with the renewed admonition to keep the whole law which he commanded them that day, that they might live and multiply and attain to the possession of the promised land (cf. Deu_4:1; Deu_6:3).

BI 1-2, "Remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee.

Remembering and forgetting

(with Php_3:13):—Thou shalt remember, and thou shalt forget. We need a good memory and a good forgettery.

I. First, then, the past; we are to remember it. The old lawgiver sought to make the nation’s great history sacramental. Much might well be forgotten. The old rebellions, the old murmurings, their lapses from loyalty, and the heavy, hard work they had made for their great spiritual leader—they had better break with much of this unsavoury record. But they must remember the lessons of history. Unfortunate is the man or the nation without the memories of great providences, that has never known the discipline of heaven. We are never to forget the past: the fact that we are the product of the past, that the ground on which we stand is made soil; that if you sink your pick into it you cut into the layer of forty or fifty centuries; that all our sowing is upon the prepared ground and top dressing contributed by all the older periods. God has been working and good men have been building at all the substructures that are the foundations on which we start the work we have in hand. Providence is not the mintage of yesterday, and God has not been waiting for us to appear on the scene before He set His plough in the furrow. We had better not be too ready to quit with the past. Foundations have been made for us; we are ourselves the creations of the past, and most of the instruments with which we work are contributions from the past. We may easily exaggerate our abilities and resources, especially our originality. We are a little inflated just now with our physical resources. The greatest moulders of men, the greatest teachers of the world are not any of them above ground, when we come to think of it. The mightiest forces that reach forth their transforming energies to mould human life come to us from sources back of all contemporary history. For our greatest literature, for the most truly constructive, forces for shaping history, and

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for our religion we must go to the past. The history of the great peoples of the world is a veritable mine of wealth if we could better afford to throw all our gold into the sea than to lose our past and the past of the divinely led nations among whom God has been so visibly working. We had better remember all the way the Lord hath led us,—remember it because it has made us what we are, and because God’s footprints are visible upon it. God has been here before us; has been forehanded with us; has wrought at the basis of all our individual and national life.

II. The first word is remember, the second is forget. We are to remember the past and we are to forget it. The made soil on which we sow is an inheritance from the past, but we are to add a new layer of soil on which others are to sow. Our best use of the past, Phillips Brooks tells us, is to get a great future out of it. Many people and many nations overwork their past, give themselves in excess to retrospection, build the sepulchres of the fathers, and give themselves to criticism of their own age and time. They behold God and nature through older eyes alone, forgetting the individual relation of each personal soul. “Why,” asks Emerson, “should we not enjoy our original relation to the universe and demand our own works, laws, and worship? The past is for us, but the sole terms on which it can become ours are its subordination to the present.” And so one way of forgetting the past and leaving the things that are behind is to go and do better things. Good precedents are good, but we ought to improve on them. We ought to swing clear of the mistakes of predecessors, and do a better work than they did. We need in the interests of personal growth to forget many things which we insist on loading ourselves with. It is very human to blunder, but it is a Divine thing in imperfect people not to repeat blunders. Past sins too, if repented of, are good things to forget. And old sorrows we had better leave with the dead yesterdays: the tomorrow of hope is already kindling in the east. Even old successes had better be left with the past, if we are making them the limit of responsibility and the end of duty. The future should be reserved in all eases for constructive work: for new undertakings, for larger tasks, for better fidelities. Learn new things; do new things every week you live. Our life stagnates when poised on the older standards of duty or achievement. (S. H. Howe, D. D.)

Looking backward

I. The divinely governed life. “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness.” Now, it is not difficult for us to believe in the Divine government when we look up into the midnight sky. Ten thousand times ten thousand stars moving in their orbits, and pursuing from age to age their march of light, compel us to believe that this is a divinely governed cosmos. It is also easy to believe in the government of God when we look upon this world in which we live. This planet is evidently a rational and ordered sphere. The form of the argument for design may change, but the conviction of design persists in the consciousness of mankind. They feel that at the back of earth and sea is an Architect building with a plan; an Artist working out a distinct ideal and purpose; a Dramatist fitting perfectly each act of the drama. Looking on the beautiful world, it is easy to believe this, it is almost impossible to disbelieve it. Again, it is not difficult to believe in the Divine government when you consider the history of the human race. It is as difficult to resist the idea of order, progress, purpose in contemplating the course of human history as it is to resist that idea in surveying nature. There is a doctrine known as the doctrine of purposelessness, a doctrine that maintains the inconsequence and irrationality of nature and history, but it has found few defenders. And, once more, it is not difficult to believe in a Divine government when we mark the career of extraordinary men. When we consider Cyrus and Caesar, St. Paul and

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Luther, it is easy to believe in the divinity that shapes men’s ends. The real difficulty of believing in a supernatural order arises when we begin to think of a Divine government ordering the individual lives of such obscure and mediocre beings as we are. Any unbelief here is fatal indeed. We must believe that the same infinite knowledge and power which shape the destinies of orbs, races, and heroes, shape the life history of the lowliest man and woman on the face of the earth. What did our Lord teach us on this very matter? “If God so clothe the grass of the field, shall He not much more clothe you?” And certainly the science of the day helps us to the same conclusion. The world is built upon the atom; the microbe in many ways teaches the grandeur of insignificance. We may be very obscure and ordinary people, but it is our joy to remember that we are certainly embraced by the government of God, and that He ever seeks to lead us and guide us as a shepherd guides his sheep. And have we not many of us a very vivid consciousness of this overshadowing Providence? Do you say, “I am the architect of my own fortune”? If you are, you are the architect of a precious jerry building. If your life is really rich and successful, ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. And if God has blessed us marvellously, has He not also wonderfully kept us amid the temptations and perils of the pilgrimage? The man who congratulates himself upon his character and standing, and imputes all to his own strength, and caution, and skill, is strangely blind and forgetful. What would you think if an ocean liner were to flatter itself because it had found its way from New York to Liverpool? “How cautiously I crept through that fog; how skilfully I kept clear of those icebergs; how cleverly I piloted myself past those sandbanks; what a wide berth I gave those rocks; how delicately I threaded my way along the Mersey!” Forgetting all the time the captain on the bridge. We must not forget the Captain on the bridge, the Captain of our salvation. How wonderfully God has disappointed our fears and misgivings! We have often looked forward with solicitude and even anguish to impending, threatening trials, and yet God has brought us safely through. God has been with us through all the years, filling us with good things, delivering us in the evil day, scattering our fears, bringing us onward to the appointed rest.

II. The Divine purpose in our life. “To humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or no.” The moral idea is the grand end to which God governs the race, the nation, and governs us. God seeks to bring men to the knowledge of Himself, to purify them from false love and lusts, to teach them obedience, to make them fit for their great and holy inheritance. The Egyptian historian, the Greek historian, the Roman historian simply gave a series of grand pictures of kings, cities, marches, battles won and lost, and ended with such pictures; but the Jewish lawgivers and prophets grasped the fact of the moral character and aim of the Divine government. The aim of God’s government is not the material enrichment of men. The great symbols of His final purpose are not L.S.D. He does not rule the world to create rich nations or individuals. He has not led you for forty years that you might make a big pile, and get at length an embroidered shroud. And the final idea of God is not intellectual. He is not satisfied with genius, scholarship, taste. Some seem to think that the ultimate purpose of the governing Power of the universe is to produce a sensual race with a magnificent environment of palaces and pictures, like Victor Hugo’s devil fish in the enchanted cave. The great end of God’s government is stated in the text. For forty years God disciplined Israel in the wilderness, that they might pass from being a nation of coarse slaves into a nation of saints, losing their sensuality and wilfulness, being weaned from idols, growing into righteousness and spirituality; and it is precisely for the same great end that God disciplines us today. He anticipates, disposes, adjusts, rules, and overrules, so that we may taste His love, keep His law, reflect His beauty, and be prepared to see His face. How far has this great end been answered in us? God has greatly blessed us, humbled us; what is the result? How do we bear the moral test? Some of us are in

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many worldly respects far worse off than we were forty years ago. Life is a wonderful process for spoiling dreams and frustrating hopes, and some of you feel that your life has not been the success you expected, that you have been sorely disappointed, that life ends in frustration, if not in a general breakdown. Are you at last humble, spiritual, godly, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life? Then glorify God with all your ransomed powers. Blessed humiliation! You are no failure. You are a splendid, Divine, eternal success. (W. L. Watkinson.)

Looking backward

Memory is said to be sometimes quickened to an unusual activity at the end of life. The dying, and especially the drowning, are said to have set before them in swift panorama view the varied experiences of the life which is hurrying to a close. “Son, remember”—is the thrilling admonition—“that thou, in thy lifetime, receivedst thy good things.” It is in a more merciful and hopeful way that we are called upon to exercise our memory today. While we still live and the result of our life may be influenced, we are required to pass it in review. Occasionally circumstances arise which seem to set us upon this duty in an altogether special way. You pass along a road where you have not been for fifteen or twenty years. You see a face that you have not seen since you were a child, or you meet a man that was your friend in youth. Or perhaps it is some particular crisis in life, or the return of some birthday, that sets the past in review. Life is here regarded as a discipline, and we have set before us first of all—

I. The agent of this discipline. “The Lord thy God.” Think of the multitude of influences to which these Israelites were exposed in their great migration. Moses to lead them, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to mislead them, Aaron to do sometimes the one and sometimes the other; the Red Sea to bar their way at the beginning of their journey, and the Jordan at the end; famine and pestilence, quails and manna; Caleb and Joshua to encourage, the unfaithful spies to discourage, the Egyptians to drive them, Moabites, Amorites, and the rest to harass and hinder them. Yet as they look back they are taught to see One Hand at work, and that the hand of the Lord their God. The great lesson which this old Hebrew history has to teach us is the clear recognition of God in everything. There is no lesson, surely, which our strained and worried modern life more urgently requires than this. If our lives, and lives dearer to us than our own, are to be the sport of every malign influence, and every wilful or foolish person; if we are at the mercy of all those varied calamities and deaths which ride upon the breeze and lurk in the dust and lie in wait at every point, we may well be driven to distraction.

II. The sphere of this discipline. “In the wilderness.” The place in which the discipline was conducted was not without its bearing on the result. It was a place in which the influence of things seen was as weak almost as it could be upon the earth. If you wish to teach a child a specially important lesson you will take him into some quiet room, where he shall not be interrupted, and where in the room itself there shall be as little as possible to distract attention. Such a school room was this desert place, where God took the nation to Himself, and taught them the great lessons in regard to His nature and character which, through them, in after ages have been taught to the world. Our life, as a whole, is not a wilderness; it is rather a garden, which ever tends to become richer and more fruitful as generation after generation toils upon it. Yet there is in many of our lives what may be termed a wilderness experience—a time of affliction, bereavement, disappointment, perplexity; in which God is doing for us in a briefer period what He did for the Israelites during this long forty years. If God does give us a taste of the wilderness life, let us remember that He

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is not doing it without a purpose.

III. The definite term of this discipline. “These forty years.” The Israelites were not to be on trial forever. At the end of forty years a result had been arrived at and ascertained which would not now be materially altered. There is a loose idea, only too common nowadays, that probation is to be extended indefinitely into the future. People allow themselves to think that if a man does not come right at first he is to be kept on with till he does come right, so that the drunkard, the Pharisee, and the miser, though they grow worse and worse, and pass out of this life drunken, pharisaic, or miserly, are yet by some unexplained process in the indefinite future to become saints. Now, such an idea not only sets itself squarely against the main body of Scripture teaching, but altogether fails to commend itself to common sense. Indeed, a wide observation will lead us to this, that even within this life character tends to final permanence, so that forty years, for example, do not pass without leaving a mark, and setting character into a form. Professor Drummond has said that a man cannot alter his collar after he is forty, much less his character.

IV. The purpose of this discipline “To humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or no.” It was to humble them, that is, to bring them by means of privation and distress to feel their need of His help, and their dependence upon Him. To prove them, to put them, that is, in such positions as would drive them to show what was in them. Times come to us also when we are obliged to speak out, and to take our stand, and to do distinctly either right or wrong. Young people at the beginning commonly regard life mainly or chiefly as a sphere or opportunity of enjoyment. And we must not be unsympathetic. It is natural, and perhaps unavoidable, that they should take this view at first. This aspect of life, however, very soon turns out to be utterly unsatisfactory. Then, after the thought of enjoyment there often comes with earnest young people the higher and better thought of achievement. They say: I will accomplish something; I will make a mark; I will get to the top of the tree. But the top of the tree is so hard to reach, so few can reach it, those who do reach it have to pay such a heavy price, and find it, after all, such a barren and comfortless elevation, that this view of life frequently ends in disappointment too. Then it is that the Divine view of life comes to our rescue. Enjoyment is not left out of the account. It comes in, not as the object of life, but as the divinely given accompaniment of service. Achievement also finds its proper place. The faithful servant shall have the “Well done.” But above the thought either of enjoyment or achievement there rises the thought of discipline. In forming our estimate of a man we ask, What has he done? God asks, What has he become? There is no subject on which greater mistakes are made than in the matter of getting on in the world. We all want to get on, and for our children to get on, but few have the right idea of what getting on really is. A man thinks he is getting on when his business prospers, and everything turns to gold in his hands. Not necessarily. He may be losing ground all that time. No! When he can stand in the presence of temptation without yielding to it; when he can bear humiliation and disappointment without murmuring; when he can see the unscrupulous competitor go in front of him, and yet refuse to be unscrupulous himself, and let the best bargain he ever saw in his life go past him, rather than secure it by doing or saying that which is unworthy; when he can toil all day and accomplish very little, and go home at night and neither scold the wife nor be angry with the children, that’s when he is getting on. When we get into such a position that our word is always listened to with respect and deference, and “when we ope our lips no dog durst bark,” we think we are getting on. No! When we can bear hard and cruel speech, and not resent or retaliate; when we can give the soft answer that turneth away wrath, or even be reviled and not revile again, that’s when we are getting on. A woman thinks she is getting on when she is

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moving into a bigger house, when her drawing room is splendid and crowded, and she a gay and brilliant queen in the midst of it. But it is quite possible that she may be suffering loss at such a time as that. No! When she can move into a smaller house, and make every corner of it radiant with her smile; when she can work in narrowed circumstances without becoming soured, or meet affliction and distress and bear it like a heroine, that is when she’s getting on. (Sidney Pitt.)

The power of memory

I. The agency of memory and its attendant faculty recollection in the work of spiritual advancement.

1. Among the faculties with which God has beneficently endowed man, memory ranks with the most important. It is a gallery lined with the pictures of past events, and with scenes on which we have gazed—a gallery sometimes vocal with sounds that fill the heart with gladness, or pierce it with keenest pain. It is memory that makes the record to which conscience points when it speaks in tones of menace. It is in memory that there is stored up the treasures knowledge has patiently amassed, and it is with memory we take counsel when we would investigate, or must decide.

(1) If the record is so perfect, how necessary to avoid sin! One of the greatest blessings a man can possess is an unspotted memory. How many of us are humbled at the record of our memory!

(2) The indestructibility suggests one pain of perdition. He who passes into hell with a record of sin, and of opportunities wasted, will carry with him his own chamber of torture. There is an attendant faculty called recollection. The curator at a museum or library searches for the object you want. So recollection.

2. Illustrate the influence on spiritual work. These are not merely intellectual faculties. These have a moral work to do. It may be illustrated in the aid given to convince Joseph’s brethren (Gen_42:21). It ever presents to us the teachings of God’s dealings with us. To lead to avoid past errors, and to show that the purpose was to do us good at our latter end.

II. The Israelite who thus remembered would perceive that God’s purpose had been to humble.

III. To prove thee, to know what was in thine heart. Not to show God, but to show us our faults. The great gun is taken to a proof house, and tried with the great charge, and if some crack is revealed men say it was well it did not burst and spread dismay at some crisis of the fight. The anchor and chain is tested link by link, to see if any flaw should be revealed. If it had gone untested, how great the peril! (J. R. Hargreaves.)

The advantages of a devout review of the Divine dispensations

I. Explain the solemn charge.

1. The object of remembrance is extensive: the way—all the way which the Lord our God has led us; that is, the whole tenor of the Divine dispensations toward us—their nature, means, seasons, relatives, tendencies, and actual effects.

2. It supposes that this exercise, interesting and beneficial as it is, we are prone to

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neglect

II. enforce obedience to the charge.

1. An enlightened and devout retrospect of the dispensations of God to you will present you with many impressive displays of His glory.

2. This devout retrospection will supply us with many affecting displays of our own corruption.

3. This remembrance will supply the saints with pleasing discoveries of the sanctified tendencies of their souls.

4. This remembrance will confirm our faith in the Scriptures as the Word of God, and improve all our practical views both of things seen and unseen. (James Stark.)

Remembrance of God’s dealings

I. On the duty of remembering the dealings of God towards us. Look back to the earliest period of your history—the time and place of your birth—the varied circumstances of your education—the business or the profession in which you have been engaged—the measure of prosperity or adversity you have experienced—the various connections and engagements you have formed—the sicknesses, accidents, and dangers you have encountered, and the merciful deliverances which you have received;—all these come under the general idea of the dealings of God with you, which it becomes you to remember. But this review of the providential dispensations of Almighty God should lead us to contemplate also that grace and mercy with which we have been favoured. Ever let us remember that we were not born in Egyptian darkness, or consigned from our birth to a waste, howling wilderness. We were born in a highly favoured land, brought by Christian parents and pious friends to the house of God; early baptized in the Saviour’s name; accustomed to worship God in His house. And has not God graciously vouchsafed to meet with and bless us in His house, and under those ordinances which through His mercy have been administered among us?

II. The means to be adopted in order to remember the Divine dealings towards us. We are prone to forget the God of our mercies, to lose sight of His dispensations, to sink into carelessness and neglect, to regard passing events as matters of course, not calling for any special recollection or acknowledgment. Now, to guard against this forgetful disposition it becomes us ofttimes to stir up ourselves, and all with whom we are connected, to record and remember God’s mercies; and especially to improve those times and seasons which He hath set apart for this purpose. And while we carefully observe seasons which are especially set apart in commemoration of the Divine dispensations, we should also diligently improve the ordinances which are appointed for the same important end.

III. The end which this remembrance of the Divine dispensations is calculated to produce:—Namely, “to humble us, to prove us, to show what is in our hearts.” When we observe the conduct of Israel in the wilderness we are compelled to feel how foolish, perverse, and ungrateful that people were; but when we review our own conduct, must we not too often pronounce the same sentence upon ourselves? The remembrance, therefore, of the dealings of God with us should deeply humble us under a sense of our unprofitableness and ingratitude. When duly considered, it will show us what has been in our hearts, how foolish, how vain, how deceitful they are, and how often our own conduct has been inconsistent with our profession, and what

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need we therefore have of pardon. It will teach us the fallacy of many of those excuses which we have made for the neglect of duty, and evince that God has been merciful and gracious to us all our journey through. This remembrance of God’s dealings with us is especially calculated to bring us afresh, as sinners, to our gracious and merciful Saviour. (T. Webster, B. D.)

A protecting providence

This is emphatically a day of remembrance. Parted families meet, and recount the course of providence since they were last together. The monuments of Divine love are crowded so closely together that we are prone to pass them by unnoticed. The experience of all of us is so much alike that we cease to marvel at it.

I. In helping you in the performance of this duty, I would first ask you to reflect on the amount of happiness which you as an assembly represent. There is probably not one of you to whom, in the sight of God, this is not a happy day; not one whose glad do not outnumber his regretful thoughts. How many sources of happiness flow for us! In a thousand ways must an incessant providence watch, guard, and guide, avert peril, and bestow aid, in each of our households, with every new day, to make health the rule, disease and death the rare exception,—joy the current, grief the transient ripple on its surface. I have spoken of common blessings. Have we not each special mercies which we would own with devout gratitude,—mercies adapted to our peculiar wants, as distinctly marked, so to speak, with our names, as keepsakes from a friend might be? How often have we received the very favours which we most needed, and dared not anticipate, sent in at the only moment and in the only mode in which they could have been availing! In this connection it is well for us to consider how little we can do for ourselves. We are too prone to feel as if our own industry, energy, and forethought could accomplish much. But think how many sources of joy must all flow together, how many departments of nature and of being must all be brought into harmony, in order for us to pass a single hour in comfort.

II. What are the duties to which this review calls us? Does it not make the gratitude of the most thankful seem cold? What but unceasing praise can worthily respond to this incessant flow of mercy? And yet, do not some of us live without thanksgiving? Oh, that every soul might feel the love in which it is embosomed, and might send heavenward the blended anthem of all its powers and affections, “Bless the Lord, and forget not all His benefits!” In these mercies, hear we not also the voice of religious exhortation, “My son, give Me thy heart”? (A. P. Peabody.)

The common levels of life

The forty years’ wanderings! What remains of them? A list of unknown names, no more. The dust of time has settled on the stations; and the events, big at the time with interests to millions, are without a note in history. What weary years of plodding marches through a dark, unheavenly country; what dreads and dangers, what wants and distresses, what keen agonies and fierce complaints, that oblivious silence covers! They are all there, days of fighting, nights of weeping, years of trudging. They seemed at the moment as if they were burning an indelible mark deep into life records; but they are already behind us, dim in the distance, a softening veil has fallen over the whole pilgrimage; a broad sense of pain conquered, shame endured, duty done; the consciousness that we have come out of the wanderings richer, braver, stronger, more earnest, but sadder, than when we entered the desert, is all that is left to us. In order that we may better understand the method of God in ordering our

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wilderness marches let us consider—

I. The reason of “the wanderings.” Why is so large a portion of our years spent under the yoke of undistinguished duties, leaving no record but “the wanderings” behind? Briefly, because a few critical experiences do not make a character; a few impassioned, enthusiastic moments do not make a life. The inevitable falling off of the common hours and experiences seems to me to be the great teaching of this passage of Israel’s history. It is a broad fact in the history of every life; in a measure, of every day’s life, for the great cycles repeat themselves in little, as the organs of the body are present potentially in every part. But these narratives gather up the scattered incidents of our moral life into one grand incident, and show us with a large dramatic point and emphasis what we are daily doing under the eye of the great Leader, which makes these long, dry, unnoted wanderings inevitable; what it is which compels Him to impose what I have called the yoke of undistinguished duty, and to lead us up and down in the wilderness, that we may, if we will yield ourselves to His hand, work the sublime lessons, which we cannot learn and practise in a moment, into the common daily texture of life, that is, of eternity.

II. The purpose of the wanderings. Briefly, again, to work godly principles of action into the common texture of our daily lives. To make it a matter of perpetual, quiet choice and habit to square every action by the rule of the mind of God.

III. The “wanderings,” in view of their eternal results. They, obscure and unprofitable as they may seem are the builders for eternity. The quiet, undistinguished years decide the matter for the moments when the election is finally and openly made. It takes years to give a form and bent to a character. Temperament we are born with, character we have to make; and that not in the grand moments, when the eyes of men or of angels are visibly upon us, but in the daily quiet paths of pilgrimage, when the work is being done within in secret, which will be revealed in the daylight of eternity. Habits, like paths, are the result of constant actions. It is the multitude of daily footsteps which go to and fro which shapes them. Let it light up your daily wanderings to know that there—in the quiet bracing of the soul to uncongenial duty, the patient bearing of unwelcome burdens, the loving acceptance of unlovely companionship—and not on the grand occasions, you are making your eternal future. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)

The journey of life

I. Life is a journey. “All the way.”

1. Intricate. Perplexities and difficulties in every stage and turn.

2. Eventful. Changes in every step. All is shifting.

3. Unretraceable.

4. Perilous. Poisonous streams, noxious herbs, venomous serpents.

5. Solemn. Leads body to grave and spirit to heaven or hell.

II. Life’s journey has a guide. “The Lord thy God led thee.”

1. The guide thoroughly understands the way.

2. The guide has resources equal to all possible emergencies.

III. Life’s journey can never be forgotten. “Thou shalt remember.”

1. Some memory of it is a matter of necessity.

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2. A right memory is a matter of obligation.

Remember it so as to awaken contrition for past sins, gratitude for past mercies, resolutions for improved conduct. (Homilist.)

Human life

I. A Divine superintendence of human life.

1. The fact of this superintendence. “The way of man is not in himself.”

2. The purpose of this superintendence. Moral discipline.

II. A symbolic representation of human life. Morally, we are all in a wilderness, intricate, perilous, privational. It is only as we get the true manna from heaven that we can live spiritually in the wilderness of our present life.

III. A solemn obligation of human life. “Remember.”

1. Man does remember the past. Cannot help it; linked to it by a necessity of his nature.

2. Man does not always remember God in the past. This is the duty here commanded—to see God in the past, to see Him in all, in the tempest and the calm, the darkness and the sunshine.

IV. An eternal necessity of human life. Bread is not more necessary to support material life than the Word of God to sustain spiritual. The soul can only live as it receives communications from the Great Father of spirits. (Homilist.)

The Christian called to review the dealings of God with him

I. The way in which we are led.

1. The way of providence.

2. The way of grace.

II. The end for which we are led in this way.

1. “To humble thee.” Consider the vast importance of this in order to our obtaining, retaining, and increasing in grace (Mat_5:3-4; Isa_57:15; 1Pe_5:5-6; Jas_4:6; Jas_4:10).

2. “To prove thee.” God tries the genuineness of our repentance when He permits temptations to assault us, and suffers sin to wear a pleasing dress. Of our faith, when difficulties seem to arise in the way of His fulfilling His declarations and promises. Of our trust in Him when dangers, wants, enemies, distresses, assault us. Of our resignation to His will, in reproach and affliction, and in the death of those we love. Of our patience, in long-continued pain, or in a succession of calamities. Of our contentment with our lot in poverty. Of our meekness, gentleness, and forgiving spirit amidst provocations and injuries. Of our long suffering amidst the follies and sins of those round about us. Of our love to mankind, and to our enemies, amidst the hatred and ill-will of others. Of our love to God, when the world courts us, and we must of necessity abandon one or the other. Of our obedience when difficult duties are enjoined, and we are called to deny ourselves and take up our cross. Of our hope of everlasting life, when both the wind of temptation and the tide of our corruption are strongly against us.

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3. “To know what was in thy heart.” God, who searches the heart and knows what is in man, infallibly knows what is in thine heart; but thou must know thyself, and discover to others what is in the heart.

4. “Whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or no.” Whether thou wouldest be brought to love Him with all thy heart, as thou art commanded; to serve Him with all thy strength; to make His will thy rule in all thy actions; to make His glory thy end, and not thy own honour, or interest, or pleasure. (J. Benson.)

The way of the past

I. The way of providence.

1. This we have experienced nationally.

2. Socially.

3. Personally.

II. The way of privilege.

1. We have possessed the Word of God.

2. All have been welcome to the house of God.

3. As Christians we have enjoyed fellowship with the people of God.

III. The way of experience.

1. Each of us has had his share of conflict.

2. To each has come deliverance in times of perplexity.

3. Even in the midst of trial we have, through faith in Christ, realised a measure of peace.

4. To every believer there has been vouchsafed spiritual joy.

Application: The past should thus be remembered

(1) with humility;

(2) with gratitude;

(3) with confidence. (Lay Preacher.)

Remembrance of past trials

I. The duty of remembrance. The world likes to forget. There is so much that is self-humiliating in the past, so much that is disagreeable, that men would like to get it out of their thoughts. But not so the Christian. He is taught that it is his duty to bear in mind all the incidents of his past. It is an important duty. The way has been rough and varied, but it has been fraught with momentous issues. Have all the varied experiences been given us in order that they might at once pass from our ken? Some forget from indifference; they never can remember. Go through what they may, they never learn experience. Some forget from loose habits of mind; from long indolence. Others forget because they want to avoid the pain of remembrance. But none of them realise that remembrance is an important duty, an absolute command of God. It is important in worldly things, for it does much to form our human character. But it is

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still more important in spiritual things, for it does still more to form our spiritual character.

II. The profit to be derived. Our past lives have been directed for two ends—

1. To humble us. How insignificant we appear to ourselves in the light of the past! How our plans have been thwarted, our ambition damped, our desires crushed! Where is our pride at the end of the journey of life?

2. To prove us. There is much alloy in the best of our services, much sin even in holy things.

III. The comfort to be imparted. At first sight it seems that no affliction for the present seemeth light. It is always painful. Nevertheless it worketh out an abundant weight of glory. Persecutors mean evil, but God causes it to be good. Consider—

1. The future good more than counterbalances the present evil. When the rod is removed the purified soul will rejoice in the eternal presence of God.

2. Trials by the way are proofs of Divine love. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth. God sees better and further than we do. (Preacher’s Analyst.)

To bring to remembrance

I. Why we are to remember the beginning. It was almost the first business of Moses, in giving this long address which we have in Deuteronomy, to show that the Israelites, for want of remembering all the way the Lord had led them, lost the promised land. Let us, then, take a three-fold view of the beginning, as applicable to us spiritually.

1. What is the first thing that we shall call the beginning? That which the people of God as a general rule come to last, and that which is almost everywhere despised. The beginning was a manifestation of the pure sovereignty of God. In Exo_11:1-10, the Lord said that He would put a difference—as the margin reads it, a redemption—between the Egyptians and Israel; referring to the paschal lamb. Now, how did the Lord begin with you? Why, by making a difference, not only between you and others, but by making us something very different from what we had been before.

2. Then the second thing in the beginning was that beautiful circumstance as a type of the Saviour. “When I see the blood I will pass by the house, and the sword shall not come near to hurt you. Oh, let us remember that the original way of escape was by Jesus Christ; if we were left of the sword, it was by the blood of the Lamb.

3. Then the third thing in the beginning was the victory which was wrought. Look at the victory the Lord gave to the Israelites; see how He divided the sea. God did in that case what none but God could do. Now apply this closer home. Who but the God-man Mediator could have divided a greater sea? Who but the God-man Mediator could bring in such a victory as Jesus Christ hath brought in? Who but Jesus Christ could penally bear our sins?

II. Why we are to remember the present. How much wilderness experience the people of God have! what solitude! “Like an owl of the desert,” “like a sparrow alone upon the house top”; and “that He will hear the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer”; and “they wandered in a solitary way, and found no city to dwell in.” I dare say some good Christians think that ministers have not much of this wilderness experience; but I can tell you this, if they have not, they will not be of

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much use to the people. They may pretend to weep with the people, but they cannot feel as they would if they had these experiences. The doctor may be very sympathising over the dying patient, but the doctor cannot feel what the parent feels, the doctor cannot feel what near and dear relatives feel. The apostle saith, “We have ten thousand instructors, but not many fathers.” For a minister, therefore, to be of that sympathising nature that he shall strengthen file diseased, heal the sick, bring again that which is driven away, he must from time to time know what this wilderness experience is; and then he will think when he comes into the pulpit, and say to himself, I am a poor, dark, helpless creature, no more fit to preach the Gospel than to create a world; and thus the man is humbled down like a little child, and the Lord knows that is just the time for Him to come; so in the Lord steps, the man’s heart is warmed, his soul is enlarged, Satan flies off, and the man is astounded how it is he is so strong; and one thought comes, and another; and the man that one half his time perhaps is little more than a stammerer, all at once becomes eloquent, and pours forth torrents of thoughts, and blessing after blessing, until the people lose their troubles and their sorrows, and he loses his.

III. How we are to look at the future. With confidence in Him who has been so gracious to us up to the present. (J. Wells.)

The retrospect

I. The call to remembrance. If knowledge is important, memory is important in precisely the same degree; for knowledge is nothing unless it be applied, and it cannot be applied unless it be remembered. But there are many who resemble the workmen in the days of Haggai, who received wages to put them into a bag of holes. And therefore says the apostle to the Hebrews, “Give the more earnest heed to the things you have heard, lest at any time you should let them slip”; for we are now considering memory not in reference to the scholar, or the man of business, but with regard to religion; and it is remarkable that the whole of religion is expressed by the word, “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” One thing, however, is worthy of consideration—that in all these instances the remembrance is to be considered, not as a speculation, but as experimental and practical. The sacred winters never regard remembrance as an end, but as an instrument; to call forth such feelings, and to produce such actions as will correspond to the things we are required to remember. As they consider knowledge without practice to be no better than ignorance, so they consider remembrance without influence and efficiency as no better than forgetfulness.

II. The subject to be reviewed.

1. The place—“the wilderness.”

2. Their conductor—“the Lord thy God.” God guides the people with His eye, He leads them by His word and His Spirit and His providence. He is a very present help to them in every time of trouble, and He will never leave them nor forsake them till they have entered the promised land.

3. The passages—“all the way.” Not that everything in their journey was equally important and interesting; this could not be; but all had been under the appointment and discipline of God, and all would be rendered profitable.

4. The period—“these forty years.” (W. Jay.)

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The advantages of a frequent retrospect of life

I. The way which we are here called on to remember, is, “all the way which the Lord our God has led us”; the whole course of His dispensations towards us from the day of our birth to the present hour. Even the most minute occurrences in our history have had some influence on our condition and character; they are affecting us now, and will continue to affect us through an endless eternity. But while all the events of our life ought to be preserved in our memories, those events ought especially to be treasured up there which are more immediately connected with the way that is leading us to heaven.

1. And among these the means by which we were first brought into this way should hold a chief place.

2. We are called on to remember also the afflictions with which we have been visited since we have been walking in the path of life.

3. Neither must our mercies be forgotten in the retrospect of our lives.

4. The sins we have committed in the midst of our afflictions and blessings must also be often retraced; not merely viewed in a mass, but, like our mercies, contemplated one by one with all their aggravations.

II. The remembrance of these things, however, in order to be beneficial to us, must be accompanied with a lively conviction of the overruling providence of God in all that has happened to us, and as lively a sense of His close connection with us. The text points out to us the ends which God had in view in afflicting the Jews, and it consequently affords us the means of ascertaining the reasons of His diversified dispensations towards ourselves.

1. They are intended to humble us. All is humility in that kingdom where God dwells. Here, in this fallen world, the meanest sinner lifts up himself against Him; but there the loftiest archangels cast down their crowns before His footstool. Before we can enter that glorious world we also must learn to abase ourselves.

2. The various changes in our condition have been designed also to prove us.

3. They have a tendency to teach us the insufficiency of all worldly things to make us happy, and the all-sufficiency of God to bless us.

III. These, then, are the immediate purposes for which the Lord has led us through so many trials and mercies in our way to heaven. There are, however, other ends which they have been designed to answer; and that these may be accomplished He commands us to look back on the course in which we have walked, and has connected with the retrospect many spiritual benefits.

1. A review of the past is calculated to confirm our faith in the Bible. Our lives are practical illustrations of this blessed book. Indeed the whole world and all that is passing therein is one continued commentary on it, and confirmation of its truth.

2. A retrospect of the past has a tendency also to increase our knowledge of ourselves.

3. The remembrance enjoined in the text is calculated also to strengthen our confidence in God. It brings before our mind the help we have received in our difficulties, the supplies in our wants, the consolations in our troubles; and reasoning from the past to the future, we are naturally led to infer that He who never has forsaken us never will forsake us; that the goodness and mercy which have followed us all the days of our life will follow us still; that no vicissitudes in our condition, no tribulation, no distress, no persecution, no peril, “shall be able

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to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (C. Bradley, M. A.)

The lesson of memory

I. What we should be mainly occupied with as we look back. Memory, like all other faculties, may either help or hinder us. As is the man, so will be his remembrance. The tastes which rule his present will determine the things that he likes best to think about in the past. There are many ways of going wrong in our retrospect. Some of us, for instance, prefer to think with pleasure about things that ought never to have been done, and to give a wicked immortality to thoughts that ought never to have had a being. Such a use of the great faculty of memory is like the folly of the Egyptians who embalmed cats and vermin. Then there are some of us who abuse memory just as much by picking out, with perverse ingenuity, every black bit that lies in the distance behind us, all the disappointments, all the losses, all the pains, all the sorrows. And there are some of us who, in like manner, spoil all the good that we could get out of a wise retrospect by only looking back in such a fashion as to feed a sentimental melancholy, which is, perhaps, the most profitless of all the ways of looking backwards. Now here are the two points in this verse of my text which would put all these blunders and all others right, telling us what we should chiefly think about when we look back. “Thou shalt remember all the way by which the Lord thy God hath led thee.” Let memory work under the distinct recognition of Divine guidance in every part of the past. That is the first condition of making the retrospect blessed. Another purpose for which the whole panorama of life is made to pass before us, and for which all the gymnastics of life exercise us, is that we may be made submissive to His great will, and may keep His commandments.

II. And now turn to the other consideration which may help to make remembrance a good, namely, the issues to which our retrospect must tend if it is to be anything more than sentimental recollections.

1. Remember and be thankful. If it be the case that the main fact about things is their power to mould persons and to make character, then there follows, very dearly, that all things, that come within the sweep of our memory may equally attribute to our highest good.

2. Remember, and let the memory lead to contrition.

3. Let us remember in order that from the retrospect we may get practical wisdom.

4. The last thing that I would say is, Let us remember that we may hope. The forward look and the backward look are really but the exercise of the same faculty in two different directions. Memory does not always imply hope; we remember sometimes because we do not hope, and try to gather round ourselves the vanished past because we know it never can be a present or a future. But when we are occupied with an unchanging Friend, whose love is inexhaustible, and whose arm is unwearied, it is good logic to say, “It has been, therefore it shall be.” (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

A call to remembrance

When Charles I was executed, January 30, 1649, the last word he was heard to utter was “Remember.” Memory is a power that may be vivid to the last moment on earth;

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it may echo its terrors in hell, or carry its blessed lessons and reviews to the heavenly world. It is a mighty faculty of the human mind. It is meant to be useful as a storehouse of information and a granary of knowledge. Again, it is intended to remind us of the lessons gathered by experience and observation. These lessons may have been dearly learnt, but may be all the more precious as they serve to correct our pride, and to reveal our sinfulness and weakness.

I. Mark the stages of Israel’s journey.

1. Border of Red Sea.

2. March.

3. Elim.

4. Wilderness of sin.

5. Rephidim.

6. At foot of Mount Sinai.

II. Mark the suggestiveness of that journey to us. It is a parable of the journey taken by God’s children by faith in Jesus Christ.

1. They also leave the slavery and sin of Egypt.

2. They too must go forward in the way of repentance and faith, in discharge of Christian duty, in cultivation of Christian graces, and in the path Providence and grace has ordained.

3. They often drink the bitter waters of sorrow and trial; but these waters are sweetened by Christ.

4. They drink of the waters of Elim, where they find joy and refreshment.

5. They also have to learn lessons of Divine care and Divine trust.

6. What rich supplies of the water of life flow around the camp of the spiritual Israel.

7. Where Israel encamps before Sinai, it reminds us that the law written on tables of stone is by the covenant of grace written on the tables of our hearts, and we are to remember those commandments of Jehovah that are a rule of life for all time, even the Ten Commandments.

III. Great facts Israel would remember.

1. Surely Israel remembered they had a glorious Guide.

2. Surely they would remember their full supplies. No good thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly.

3. Israel would remember with sorrow their sins, and so must we.

4. They were to remember their rebukes and chastisements.

5. They were to remember their conflicts.

6. Surely they would remember the devious way they took.

7. Surely Israel might say, Mercy has ever been mingled with judgment.

8. Would not Israel remember all the way in the light of the glorious end then in view?

IV. The purpose to be served by the way that Israel journeyed.

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1. To humble the people.

2. To prove the heart.

3. To lead to God and heaven. (F. A. Warmington.)

Divine leading

I. The way in which the Lord led His people.

1. A way not chosen by themselves. Grace—freely bestowed (Joh_5:16).

2. A trying way. Walking by faith, not sight (1Pe_1:7).

3. A mysterious way.

(1) To the unregenerate world, who know nothing of the secret dealings of God with the quickened soul.

(2) To the Christian. How dark sometimes!

4. A discouraging way (Num_21:4-5). So the Christian is often discouraged. He wants to feel that he is going on spiritually; but he feels, more and more, his own helplessness. Some days he has most cheering and delightful thoughts of God; on others he feels bereft of faith, love, joy, hope, comfort, and every spiritual gift.

5. A way of tribulation (Joh_16:33).

6. A way in which God went before them (Exo_13:21-22). He is with every one of His people every moment, to keep them by His Almighty power, in the way of grace.

II. The place in which the Lord led His people His people into the wilderness.

1. To humble. In order that He may magnify Christ in them.

2. To prove. That He may convince them of their own weakness.

3. That He may know what is in his heart—its secret corruptions, etc. (J. J. Eastmead.)

Human life a pilgrimage

I. The wandering of the Israelites through the wilderness to Canaan is a lively image and representation of a Christian’s passage through this world to heaven.

1. The passage of the Israelites through the wilderness was a very unsettled state; so is ours through this world. If we do not continually wander about from place to place as the Israelites did, yet we are far from having any fixed and constant abode. The perpetual alterations we see about us, either in our friends, our neighbours, or ourselves, our persons, tempers, estates, families, or circumstances, and in short, the vast change which the compass of a few years makes in almost everything around us, is sufficient to convince us that we are in no settled condition here.

2. The travel of the Israelites through the wilderness was a troublesome and dangerous state. Now, here is another fit emblem of a Christian’s pilgrimage through this world which to him is not only a barren but a hostile land. From the very nature of things, and the circumstances of his present state, he meets with many inconveniences and sufferings, and from the malice of his enemies more.

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Setting aside the natural evils which he bears in common with others, sickness, pains, crosses, disappointments, personal and family afflictions, he is exposed to many spiritual evils and dangers as a Christian which create him no small concern; particularly frequent instigations to sin, from a depraved nature, from an ensnaring and delusive world, and from a wily and watchful enemy going about indefatigably seeking whom he may devour.

3. In the wilderness through which the Israelites travelled to Canaan, there were many by-paths or devious tracts by which they might be in danger of going astray. And how much this resembles a Christian’s walk through this world is very apparent.

4. Notwithstanding all the by-paths and windings in the wilderness, the Israelites had an infallible Guide to lead them in the way they should go.

5. Though the Israelites travelled forty years in the wilderness, yet they were all that while not far from the promised land. We have here another circumstance of similitude to a Christian’s state in this world. If he be in the right way to heaven, he is never far from it; he lives on the borders of it. A very little and unexpected incident may let him suddenly into the eternal world, which should every day therefore be in his thoughts.

6. The reason why the children of Israel wandered so long in the wilderness before they reached the promised land is given us in the text. Now, whether it be not sometimes by way of punishment that God is pleased to detain some of his people from their state of rest and happiness for a long time, as He did the Israelites from the land of Canaan, I will not take upon me to say. But without all doubt, this world is a state of trial and temptation to them all; in which they are detained the longer that they may be more fit for and more ardently desirous of the heavenly Canaan when they are well wearied with the labours and difficulties of this their earthly pilgrimage. And there are three graces which the trials of life are very proper to cultivate, and to the exercise of which the Israelites were more especially called during their passage through the wilderness. And they are faith, hope, and patience: all proper to a state of suffering and mutually subservient to each other. Faith keeps its eye on God in all we suffer; looks beyond the agency of second causes; views the direction of the Divine band and adores it. Patience, under the influence of faith, submits to the hand of God in all. And hope, enlivened by faith and confirmed by patience, looks beyond all to that future and better state of things where we shall meet with an unspeakable recompence for all we can go through to obtain it.

7. In order to keep up the faith, patience, and hope of the Israelites, full and frequent descriptions were given them of the goodness of that land to which they were travelling. Nor are our faith and patience and hope without the like supports in respect to the heavenly Canaan. Oh, what great and glorious things are told us of the city of the living God, the metropolis of the universal King!

8. When the Israelites were come to the end of their pilgrimage, before they could enter the promised land, they were obliged to pass over the river Jordan which separated the wilderness from Canaan. Here lay their greatest difficulty at the very end of their journey. Now to apply this part of the history to the Christian’s life and pilgrimage. The last enemy he is to overcome is death. And as it is the last, so to some Christians it is the most terrible of all their trials; and all their faith and hope and patience is little enough to support them under it. But there is no arriving at the heavenly Canaan without first passing through the fatal Jordan. And as the Israelites by the long and frequent exercise of their faith and hope and trust in God were better prepared for this last difficulty of passing over

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Jordan, so the more these graces are wrought into a lively habit, the more composed will the soul be under the apprehensions of approaching death.

I shall now conclude this with a few reflections:

1. Let these thoughts, then, be improved to abate our desires after the pleasures of the present life and excite them after those of a better.

2. What reason have we to be thankful that we have so sure a Guide through this dangerous desert! The Israelites themselves had not one more safe.

3. Though our state and condition in this world be much the same as that of the Israelites was in the wilderness, let us however take care that our temper and disposition be not the same. They are set up as our warning, not as our pattern.

4. Whilst we are in this wilderness let us keep the heavenly Canaan always in our eye. The frequent thoughts of it will speed our progress towards it, quicken our preparations for it, and be a sovereign support under all the trials we may meet with in our way to it; will soften our sorrows, and reconcile us to all our earthly disappointments. And indeed, what is there which a man need call a disappointment whose heaven is secure? (John Mason, M. A.)

The way to improve past providences

I. I am to specify some of those providential dispensations which we ought in a more especial manner to recollect and consider. And this review ought to be universal. We should not willingly let pass any of the ways and dispensations of Providence towards us without a serious remark. But as we cannot remember them all, we should take the more care to retain the impression of those that are more remarkable, as a testimony of our dutiful acknowledgment of God and our dependence upon Him in all our ways.

1. Then we should often call to mind God’s afflicting and humbling providences. Have we been afflicted in our bodies? let us remember how it was with us in our low estate; what thoughts we then had of our souls and another world; what serious impressions were made upon our minds which we should endeavour to renew and retain. Again, have we been afflicted in our spirits? By sore temptations, grievous dejections, severe conflicts with sin and Satan, little hopes, great fears, dreadful doubts, and terrifying apprehensions concerning the state of our souls, and what is like to become of them hereafter. These kinds of troubles ought by no means to be forgotten. And when they are remembered, our proper inquiry is, How we got rid of them? For there is a very wrong and dangerous way of getting rid of such spiritual concern of mind. If stupidity and indolence, neglect or worldly-mindedness, carnal security or prevailing vanity, have contributed to overbear and drown those convictions, and banish that serious thoughtfulness and religious sorrow we once had, our state is really worse than it was then; and we have more reason now to be concerned than we had before. Again, have we been afflicted in our family or friends by the death of some, or the sickness and distress of others, let us not soon forget these kinds of afflictions when they are past. It is possible we may know very well from what immediate cause they flowed, yet let us not overlook the sovereign hand of God therein. And if they have in any degree been owing to some neglect or fault in us, they should especially be remembered, to humble us and make us more wise and cautious for the future.

2. We should likewise remember the merciful providences of God towards us. For

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instance, our temporal mercies should be frequently remembered—the health, the peace, the prosperity, and the worldly advantages we enjoy above so many others. Again, our spiritual mercies and religious advantages should be thankfully recorded by us, and especially that invaluable one of a good and pious education. Again, family mercies should be often remembered by us—family health, peace and prosperity, the comfort of relations, the blessing of children, especially if they be found walking in the way of truth. And so should public mercies; especially the signal interpositions of Providence in preserving us from our enemies and restoring to us the blessings of national prosperity and peace.

II. Let us now consider in what manner the past providences of God are to be recollected and considered by us.

1. We should review them very intently and seriously, call to mind as many particulars as we can, reflect upon them, dwell upon the reflection till the heart be deeply impressed with it.

2. We should review past providences with thankfulness (Eph_5:20). What! are we to give thanks for afflictions, pains, and crosses; for those humbling providences under which we mourn? Yes; there is no providence, though ever so adverse, in which a Christian may not see much of the Divine goodness, and for which, upon the whole, he will not see abundant cause to be thankful. He hath reason to be thankful that his afflictions are not greater; that when some of his comforts are gone he hath so many others left; that some honey is thrown into his bitter cup; that there is such a mixture of mercy with judgment; that his supports are so seasonable and effectual; that under these strokes he can eye the Father’s hand and look upon them as the effect of His love, for He chasteneth every son He loves. But especially are kind favourable providences to be gratefully recorded. It is not to be supposed but that every one of us may call to mind many a merciful providence which has contributed greatly to the comfort of our lives, and laid the foundation of our present happiness and future hopes.

3. Our remembrance of the past providences of God should be improved for the confirmation of our hope and trust in Him. By what God hath done for us we see what He is able to do. Our experience, then, should support our hope, and past mercies establish our trust in God for future.

4. When we call to mind the past ways of God towards us, we should seriously reconsider in what manner we behaved under them and what good we have gained from them. Every providence hath a voice, some a very loud one calling us in a more especial manner to practise some particular duty, or forsake some particular sin. Have merciful providences made us more active, diligent, and steadfast in the service of God? and together with greater power given us a better heart to do good? Again, what effect have providential afflictions had upon us? And all afflictions are to be deemed such excepting those that are the genuine effects of our own sin and folly. Have they humbled us? mortified our worldly-mindedness? checked our false ambition? or subdued any secret lust that before too much prevailed? Have they fixed our hope and dependence on God? and made us think more seriously of death and another world? and, in a word, been the means of making us more circumspect and better Christians?

III. I am now to lay before you some of those considerations that are most proper to induce us hereunto.

1. The express command of God should be a sovereign motive to this duty.

2. The duty recommended in the text is necessary as subservient to the great end for which such providences are intended—namely, to do us good in the latter end.

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So that if we seldom or superficially reflect upon them, we frustrate the chief design of them, and lose the benefit intended thereby.

3. This is a very pleasant as well as useful employment of the mind; and a very happy way of filling up those leisure minutes which, through the vagrancy and dissipation of thought, do so frequently run to waste.

4. Such a serious reflection on past providences may be of use to direct us in our future conduct.

5. The shortness and uncertainty of life makes this duty more especially necessary. What is past we know, what is to come we know not. For anything that we know, by far the most important periods and occurrences of life may be past with us. If the hand of Providence therein hath not yet been properly attended to and improved by us, it is high time it were. (John Mason, M. A.)

Remember the way

I. What it was that God did.

1. God kept the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness ten times longer than would be necessary for a man’s passing through it. We hasten because we are impatient, distrustful, and uncertain. “He that believeth shall not make haste.” We do not believe, and therefore we are in a hurry. We see only brief time before us as our day in which to work. God does not hasten, for eternity is before Him as His working day, and He has no misgiving about accomplishing His purposes: for He saith to Himself and of Himself continually, “I am that I am”—“I am the Almighty God.” The great question with our God is not our getting through so much of our course as quickly as possible, but our so passing through it as that all things shall work together for our good. A man is in a hurry to secure a certain object and to get to a certain position; and God hedges his way with thorns and there he stops, and a voice from heaven saith to him, “Be still,” and he is obliged to “be still.”

2. God exposed the people to much difficulty and hardship, but He did not suffer them to sink under their troubles. They were long kept back from Canaan, but God did not forsake His people. The glory, the pillar of cloud and fire, and every Divine ordinance were as so many tokens and symbols of His presence.

II. What did God mean by dealing thus with the people? God has a meaning in everything. You know one great design embraces our whole life, from the beginning to the end; and then a still larger design takes in the lives of all living things: so that God is not only dealing with me in His dispensations toward me, but He is dealing with all His creatures in dealing with me. There is an end to which everything that happens is subjected. What did God mean by dealing as He did with the people before us?

1. He treated them in this way to humble them. They thought of themselves more highly than they ought to think. They had been accustomed, some of them, to stand by Him as though they were on a level with Him, and to ask Him what He did this for, and what He did that for—not, mark, as an obedient and trustful child, but as a rebel would inquire of some ruler against whom he had risen up. Well, the people had been accustomed in this way to ask God, “Why?” and God brought them down from this. And we say that this is a sublime spiritual spectacle, a man injuring himself by pride, and God lowering that man’s estimate of himself. There is something sublime in this—in the great God occupying

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Himself with one of us men, having our abasement for His object, and so ordering all things as that our pride shall be laid low.

2. God dealt with the people thus to show them what material they were made of. He knew them, but they did not know themselves, and He would have them know themselves. Is the eye evil? Is the ear deaf? Is the tongue fired by hell? Is the neck an iron sinew? Is the heart stone? God knew: they did not—and He dealt with them as He did to show them what they were.

3. God dealt thus with them to show them further what He could do. “That He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.”

4. God’s end in His dealings with Israel was instruction and correction, and all the spiritual advantages to be derived from that instruction and correction.

III. What God requires in respect of this instruction and correction. What a mighty effect upon life memory has! It adds the past to the present. Now among the several moral and religious advantages of memory is your being spared the toil of learning the same lesson over and over again. (S. Martin, D. D.)

The duty, benefits, and blessings of remembering God’s commandments

I. The duty of remembrance. “Thou shalt remember,” etc. Here we have the same form as in the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have none other God but Me”; “thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath,” etc. It is, therefore, a positive duty, an obligation insisted on, to remember God’s dealings with us and those before us. But now what is the general course of the world about this important duty? Altogether opposed to it. Some persons we see and know never do remember. Go through what they will, suffer what they may, they never learn experience, or what is called common sense. They continue the same thoughtless, headstrong, violent people they ever were. They never remember. Some there be, however, whose habit of mind is so loose from long indolence, that they really find it difficult so to do; others because it is painful—the thoughts of past years have so much pain in them. There are the false steps that we wilfully made, the neglected opportunities of both doing and getting good, old instances of influence abused, courses of sin persevered in, misgivings of conscience disregarded. To look back on all these is contrary to that peace which we strive to say to ourselves when there is no peace. Instead of meditating and examining themselves, and praying for God’s grace to become altered characters, these men shut out all such reasonings as far as they can, and go on with self-willed eagerness in their old plans: sometimes, if driven from them, they go on only in other courses of the same character, and these, too, with their old eagerness. But if this duty of remembrance is important in a worldly point of view, as it regards our mutual relations on earth, it is of far greater consequence in heavenly things. It is possible to get through our earthly career, though never happily, without remembering; but heaven, the city of our God, we never shall attain unless we do remember all the way the Lord our God hath led us. We must remember Him in our ways, bear in our minds our old sins, and what led us into them. Thence we shall think of what befell us in consequence; and, calmly weighing these over in our minds, we shall pray to God for grace in the future, and will avoid those occasions of sin which previously tried us.

II. In remembering all the way which we have been led, we shall find it highly profitable; because each of our lives is so directed, sooner or later, for two ends—to humble us, and to prove us whether we will serve God or no.

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1. Here we see, first, that all events are ordered for our humiliation. Is it not so? Have you had no remarkable turns in your lives, when, yourself or your friends intending one thing, another has come to pass? Have you had no answers to prayer, when, in your helplessness or agony, you besought God and He hearkened? Look back to your youth; how He controlled your self-wickedness, overruled your ignorance, directed your forwardness. It may be, He answered your prayers and punished your inventions; or that what you were so eager for and prayed to obtain so earnestly, as thinking it would without fail make you happy, He refused, and you now find greatly to your comfort. You must bear these in mind; they were so ordained to humble you. We hear men say of their troubles that they are humbling; how they will try in consequence to remove them, to fling themselves out of them. They are thwarted: this causes irritation; it shows them a glimpse of what they really are, poor and weak, blind and naked, and humbles them. God sends these troubles for this purpose—to humble you. Let no Christian therefore try, for it is a vain work, to shake them off; God sends them to humble him. Let the prayer of this man rather be, Let me be humbled. God exalteth the humble, but casteth away the proud.

2. But in discussing this branch of our subject we have another end also laid open to us; this is to prove us. Christ, by Malachi, says, that His coming will have the same effect on the world as the fire of the refiner on silver. And as all the multiplied complications of our chequered lives are ordered to fit us for Christ’s kingdom, we may well suppose they are calculated to produce this same effect—that of refining or proving. We are told that God will do this in several passages: “I will refine them as silver is refined: the Lord your God proveth you.” Now there is so much alloy, even in our best services, that all this is necessary.

III. Do these things seem hard? Listen to the great comfort to be derived from our subject. It is all—if you turn to verse 16—to do thee good at the latter end. It is true, enemies mean mischief; false friends wish confusion of face: but, as Joseph said to his brethren who had sold him, and instrumentally had brought on him the miseries he suffered in Egypt, “Ye meant it for evil; but lo, God hath brought it to good,” so with Christians; the different tribulations and unevenness on their road, are the spurs which should quicken their pace to Jerusalem above, the mother of us all. (J. D. Day, M. A.)

Past recollections

I. Those words were addressed by God Himself to the Israelites. God has a right to call on each one of us to remember His guidance. Observe—

II. These words were spoken to a people, the great majority of whom were ungodly, wicked people. God has been leading them. They do not think so.

III. In calling us to remember, God has the most important practical purposes to answer. There is a moral purpose to every man’s life.

1. Humility.

2. Experience.

3. Freedom.

IV. There are many things we ought to remember. Infancy. Childhood. Opportunities of receiving truth. Trifling with religious impressions.

V. There must come a time when we shall be obliged to remember.

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VI. Remembrance now will save us from all this. VII. The first effort to remember will be owned and blessed by a gracious Saviour. “I will arise,” etc. (W. G. Barrett, M. A.)

A New Year’s meditation

I. Let us emphasise the all, for on that word the emphasis of the sentence truly lies. Survey one part, and then not only the whole, but even that particular portion will inevitably be misunderstood. Take it all together. The very principle of it implies a wholeness, a continuity of purpose, which can only be fully comprehended in the result. It is a way somewhither. No way explains itself at every step. And believe that a Being of unerring wisdom laid the plan of your life course, the nature and conditions of your journey, and the certainty that that was the straightest way to your home. Believe that a Father’s wise and loving eye has surveyed the whole of it; and that not a quagmire, not a perilous passage, not a torrent, not a mountain gorge, not a steep, rocky path, not a bare, sandy plain, has been ordained that could have been spared. Thou shalt consider all the way. Consider—

1. That it is a way. That the character of the path is to be estimated not by the present difficulty or danger, but by the importance of the end. God says to you, as you would say to every traveller along a difficult path, “Look up; leave caring for the track at thy feet; look on to the end that is already in sight.” Full little cares the weary pilgrim for the roughness of the path or its peril; his heart strains on—Rome, Jerusalem, will reward it all. Is the end worth the toil? That is always the one question.

2. Consider the infinite variety of the way, the many rich elements and influences which it combines to educate your life. A dead and dreary monotony is no part of the plan of God in the education of His sons. If you want to see vast monotones, broad sand tracks, boundless plains, go to Asia and Africa, the continents of slaves and tyrants. If you want to see rich variety, hill and valley, tableland and plain, lakes, rivers, inland seas, and broken coastlines, come to Europe, the home of civilisation, the continent of freeborn and free-living men. And manifold in beauty, in variety, in alternations of scenes and experiences, is this wilderness way by which God is leading His sons. The valley, remember, is part of the mountain. If you will have the height of the one with its exhilaration, you must have the depth of the other with its depression. It is the memory of the depths that makes the heights so grand and inspiring.

II. Thou shalt consider the beauty of the way. I believe the wilderness to have been only less beautiful than Canaan. In many points, if not more beautiful, more striking and grand. It was a bright contrast to the dismal monotony and fatness of Egypt. And through the forty years’ journey that people had spread round them all the pomp and splendour of Nature, her grandest aspects, her most winning, witching smiles: “And thou shalt consider all the way by which the Lord thy God hath led thee.” Lift up thine eyes and take in all the beauty and goodness of the world. “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works, how beautiful; in wisdom and in goodness hast Thou made them all.” We none of us take half joy enough, the joy we have a right to take, in the goodly world which our God hath built. Poor we may be and struggling, and all the higher interests and joys of life, art, literature, music, may be tasted but rarely, and in drops. But the Great Artist has taken thought for the poor. He wills that their joys shall not be Song of Solomon. The beauty, the glory, which art at its highest faintly adumbrates, is theirs in profusion Thou shalt consider the good world through which the Lord thy God hath led thee.

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III. Thou shalt consider the bread of the wilderness (Exo_16:11-15). This miracle of the manna is a very wonderful miracle, repeated every day before our eyes. The God who made the manna their food makes bread of corn your food. It is good sometimes to get behind all the apparatus of laws which hide the hand of the living God from us, and take our daily bread, our daily breath, as the sparrows and the lilies take their food and their beauty, direct from the hand of our Father in heaven.

IV. Thou shalt remember the perils of the wilderness. It is distinctly by a perilous path God leads us, that we may see as well as dimly guess at our dependence, and ascribe our deliverances to the hand from which they spring. Life is one long peril. Physiologists say that if we could but see the delicate tissues which are strained almost to bursting by every motion, every breath, we should be afraid to stir a step or draw a breath lest we should rupture the frail vessels and perish. “Strange that a harp of thousand strings should keep in tune so long.” But it does keep in tune; it is in full tune this day. Remember the perils of the way. Remember the moments of sickness and agony, when death seemed to stand over you. There are deadlier perils than death around us each moment, perils which threaten the second death. Temptations of no common strain. Some of you, by a wonderful chain of providential agencies, have been delivered from positions which you felt to be full of peril, in which, had you continued, you must have fallen; but the net was broken and you have escaped. Thou shalt remember the sins of the wilderness.

VI. Thou shalt remember the chastisements of the way, and consider “that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.”

VII. Thou shalt remember the Elims of the way, the sunny spots, the living verdure, the murmuring fountains, the rustling, shadowing palms, where not seldom you have been permitted to lie down and rest. The wilderness had nooks as fertile, as beautiful as Canaan. Earth has joys, though rare, pure and deep as the joys of heaven. We are ever moaning over our sorrows. We take our mercies as a thing of course. “The people came down to Elim, where were springs and palms.” I do not catch the notes of a song of praise. Remember the way and count the Elims by which it has been gladdened, the moments of rapture in which the full heart, swollen almost to bursting, has murmured out its thanksgiving, and realised that “it is a blessed thing to be.”

VIII. Thou shalt consider the end of the way. Forget that, and it is all a mystery. “Be patient, brethren, and see the end of the Lord” (7-11). “The Lord doth bring thee in.” Every sorrow, toil, pain, chastisement He sends is to bring thee in with joy, with glory; to make thee rich for eternity. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)

Retrospect exhilarating

The face which the sculptor chisels or the artist paints as looking backwards is usually expressive of the extreme of sadness. Yet the recollection of the past which such a countenance suggests need not be full of gloom. There is a retrospect which only adds to the keenness of enjoyment. A few years ago a party crossed the backbone of Europe by one of the most picturesque of the passes that cleave the Alps. It was a steep pathway. Reflected by the rocky walls, the sun flung into his glances a heat like a tropic day. But at last they reached the summit. Before descending the other side they stopped and looked back upon the way they had already climbed. Winding far below, the difficult road was mapped out upon the shaggy slope. There were the cliffs they had scaled, the precipices along the edge of which their path had led, the dizzy chasms spanned by bridges seemingly as fragile as that the spider builds. And to stand upon that breezy elevation, to look back on such a pathway, and to know that

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over such obstacles they had triumphantly gained the very summit, was to drink the wine-cup of mental exhilaration. So do men generally look back from the summit of success. Such a retrospect is the ripest sheaf in the harvest of life. (Bishop Cheney.)

Memory a scribe

Aristotle calls it the scribe of the soul. (T. Watson.)

God’s leading

However quiet your life may have been, I am sure there, has been much in it that has tenderly illustrated the Lord’s providence, the Lord’s deliverance, the Lord’s upholding and sustaining you. You have been, perhaps, in poverty, and just when the barrel of meal was empty, then were you supplied. You have gone, perhaps, through fire and water, but in it all God’s help has been very wonderful. Perhaps you are like the Welsh woman, who said that the Ebenezers which she had set up at the places where God had helped her were so thick that they made a wall from the very spot she began with Christ to that she had then reached. Is it so with you? Then tell how God has led you, fed you, and brought you out of all your troubles. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

To humble thee and to prove thee.

The stages of probation

I. There has ever been a struggle between good and evil proceeding in the world—a struggle in which some have arrayed themselves on one side, some on another.

II. Again, the world grows in experience, increases its stores of knowledge, and its power over matter.

III. But now to come to a more definite illustration of the truth, that the individual is but the species in miniature. Ever since the creation of man, God has been proving His rational creatures by various dispensations.

1. Man, when ejected from Paradise, had a certain limited degree of light and help.

2. Man was next put under the restraints of human law—the warrant for the whole compass of human law being contained in that sentence, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” This was a new help, a new light. Did man recover himself under it from the ruins of the fall? Alas, no! Consider that one saying to Abraham, “The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” It shows that mighty nations had sprung up upon the earth’s surface who were forgetful of God, and among whom stalked oppression and lust, such as called down vengeance from heaven.

3. So a law was henceforth to be revealed from heaven, and to be made plain upon tables of stone, so that he who ran might read it. Surely when it was so explicit, when it had so manifestly the attestation of heaven, man’s evil propensities would not dare to break through its restraints. But the third dispensation failed, as the two preceding ones had done.

4. Subsequently the precepts of the law were expanded and spiritualised by the prophets, those inspired preachers raised up in orderly succession to bear their

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testimony for God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Still, man was unreclaimed: walked, as ever, in the way of his heart, and in the sight of his eyes. The servants who were sent to receive of the fruits of the vineyard were sent away empty, beaten, stoned, slain.

5. A pause, during which the voice of prophecy was hushed, and then full of augury and hope, the new dispensation, with its covenant of pardoning mercy and sanctifying grace, broke upon a world, which had as yet been stricken down and foiled in its every conflict with evil. A revealed Saviour, joining, in His mysterious Person, man with God—this was the new Light. A revealed forgiveness through His blood, of every transgression—this was the new encouragement. A revealed Sanctifier, who should take up His abode in the abyss of the human will, and there meet evil in its earliest germ—this was the new strength. In the long-suffering of God this dispensation is still running its course. (Dean Goulburn.)

Divine providence a moral discipline

I. Let us regard the text as indicating an enlarged experiment upon human nature, and illustrating the morality of Divine providence. The moral ends of providence are manifested—

1. In overruling the curse pronounced at the fall of man. Affliction, pain, and all the various ills that flesh is heir to are the means of bringing men to their right mind, of showing them the vanity of earthly things, and of maturing moral virtues and Christian graces. How few would regard their spiritual destitution but for this discipline! Even death itself is made a moral blessing. Its terrors lead men to seek Christ and a preparation for heaven; its uncertainty induces watchfulness.

2. There is a moral lesson in the present usual consequences of vice and virtue. The vices which are most injurious to society being poverty and shame, the virtues which are most conducive to the welfare of society are most favourable to the temporal welfare of individuals. Filthiness of the flesh usually has its fit punishment in the diseases of the flesh; filthiness of the spirit, its appropriate penal visitation in the disappointments and vexations of the spirit. The largest amount of temporal misery may be traced to idleness, indecision, improvidence, and transgression. And neglects from inconsiderateness, not looking about us to see what we have to do, are often attended with consequences altogether as dreadful, as from any active misbehaviour from the most extravagant passion. The consequences tread upon the heels of the fault; and indeed, vice generally becomes its own punishment.

3. Observe, also, the encouragements which providence furnishes to seek pardon at the hand of God. We are sinners, and have forfeited every blessing and enjoyment but such things as are essential to us as accountable beings—necessary to endow us with that responsibility in which the law of God contemplates us. Nevertheless, God continues to us innumerable forfeited blessings; and the continued bestowment, notwithstanding that they are abused, and converted into occasions of unthankfulness, or weapons of rebellion, marks a forbearance admirably calculated to “lead men to repentance.”

II. The particular ends of God’s providential dispensations towards the Church.

1. Since humility is the proper counter working of the fall, the first design named by Moses is “to humble thee.”

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2. A second great object of the discipline of providence over the Church is here specified: “To prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or no.” Not that the principles and fluctuating feelings of the heart are not fully known to God, but that we know not our own hearts. It belongs essentially to probation that we should be proved. Something must ever be left as a test of the loyalty of the heart. Every day offers a test to some part of our character. Some duty is required which is painful or disadvantageous to our temporal interests; or we are placed in such circumstances that our precise duty is involved in considerable obscurity, and requires patient thought and a conscientious balancing of reasons and scrutiny of motives. Thus God proves what value we set on acts of disobedience as such, and shows us that our virtue is to be estimated by the amount of temptation and the difficulties of obedience. (F. A. West.)

The blessing of temptation

It is the privilege of God’s people “that all things work together for their good.” St. Paul, when speaking of this, speaks of it as a certain and well-known truth. He does not say, “We know that all things are good”; but, “that all things work together for good.” Pain and sickness, poverty, contempt, provocations, wrongs and injustice, these are evils to the believer as much as to the unbeliever. But though evil in themselves, they work together for his good; like the storms and tempests, the cold frosts and piercing winds—they are often as necessary and useful to the harvest as the warm dews and gentle sunshine. It was so with God’s Israel of old. The words of the text show us this. It may seem strange to the carnal ear to affirm that temptation may be a great blessing; and even the believer, when hardly tried, may scarcely think it can be so; yet it is certainly true that temptation is a source of blessing to the real Christian. And thus, through the goodness and mercy of Almighty God, even Satan himself is made an instrument of good to His believing people.

1. We will consider how God proves us, and what we are to understand by this part of our subject. We at once see that by proving us the Lord must mean, not the finding out what we are, but the showing it. Man’s heart is not like a boxed mainspring of a watch, all but wound up from God’s sight, as it is from ours, and of which only a part of the chain, a few links now and then, may be seen moving across and over it, as the chain works round; but there is no covering over the mainspring of our hearts to God’s eye: glass is transparent, and hearts are glass to God. When God is said to have led His people “forty years in the wilderness, to prove them and know what was in their heart,” it was to show them and others what was in their heart, and not to know and find out for Himself. During these forty years He suffered them to pass through a variety of trials and temptations, all calculated to prove and show which among them would keep His commandments and which would not. So is it still with the professing Church of Christ. We must be proved as Israel was; for only they that are proved shall enter the heavenly rest. And temptations alone can prove us. Our honesty is proved when we were tempted to be dishonest, and through God’s grace resisted the temptation. Our truth is proved when we might have gained by untruth, and yet were enabled to overcome the temptation. Our chastity is proved when the allurements to sinful lusts were thrown in our way, and we shrank from the snare. Our trust in God is proved when we were in want or difficulties. But further, “They also help to make known what is in our hearts.” When God’s grace first comes into the Christian’s soul it is as when the windows of some old ruined house, long shut up in dust and neglect, are opened, the light is let in upon the

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rooms. It is as when those who have undertaken thoroughly to repair it, take up the floor, and take down the skirtings, and examine the timbers, and lay bare the drains. No one could have thought, even from the outward appearance, that such a mass of rotten timber, such a heap of dust and filth, and so many vermin, could have got together. And it is not till the work of repairing begins in our hearts that we begin to know anything of their real condition. While there is no light of God’s Spirit shining in us, we know nothing of our inward corruptions. We are like persons long used to the close, foul, and unhealthy air of some sick room; it, is not till we have left it, and felt the freshness and sweetness of the air of heaven, that we know what the other was. We cannot know what our heart is till we know what is in our heart; and we cannot know what is in our heart till that which is in is drawn out; and temptation alone can draw it out. It is temptation which shows us what is in our hearts—that brings out in various ways the miserable pride and self-conceit, the hypocrisy and dissimulation, the vain self-confidence, the impurity and uncleanness, the fear of man’s shame and love of man’s praise, the envy and jealousy, and all those other evil tempers and dispositions which are in every soul of man by nature, but which man only learns to know and feel by grace; and the great object of all the various trials and circumstances through which the believer is made to pass, as Israel through the wilderness, is “to show him what is in his heart.”

II. The effect of all this is “to humble him.” The self-righteous sinner is always a proud man: he has, indeed, nothing to be proud of, and everything to be ashamed of; but because he is blind to his sins and faults, blind to the real character of his heart, and ignorant of himself, he is proud, Now, no proud man ever came to Christ—no man that thinks himself righteous ever came to Christ. He may call himself a miserable sinner; but he does not feel or really believe what he says. The Christian wishes to be humble; but he is not what he wishes to be. He wishes “to learn of Him who is meek and lowly of heart,” and he is a learner in Christ’s school; but he is often humbled for his want of humility. Still, the growing experience of his heart is humbling him: he is becoming daily better acquainted with himself, and likes himself every day less and less. He once thought that, excepting a few faults (and those very few and very excusable and natural), there dwelt in him many good things. Now he can say, even from what he already knows, “that in him” (that is, in his flesh) “there dwelleth no good thing.” (W. W. Champneys, M. A.)

The moral discipline of man

I. It is a humbling work. To bring the soul down from all its proud conceits, vain imaginations, and ambitious aims, and to inspire it with the profoundest sense of its own moral unworthiness.

II. It is a self revealing work. “The evil principle sleeps in the spirit as the evil monster in the placid waters of the Nile; and it is only the hot sun, or the sweep of the fierce tempest, that can draw or drive it forth in its malignant manifestations.”

III. It is a divine work God alone is the true moral schoolmaster; He alone can effectually discipline the soul.

1. By the dispensation of events.

2. By the realities of the Gospel.

3. By His influence on conscience.

IV. It is a slow work. Goodness is not an impression, an act, or even a habit; it is a

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character, and characters are of slow growth. It is a growth, and requires cultivation—planting, nourishing, and seasonal changes. (Homilist.)

God “proves” His children

The suffering you see around you hurts God more than it hurts you, or the man upon whom it fails. But He hates things that most men think little of, and will send any suffering upon them rather than have men continue indifferent to them. Men may say, “We don’t want suffering: we don’t want to be good.” But God says, “I know My own obligations, and you shall not be contemptible wretches if there be any resource in the Godhead.” The God who strikes is the God whose Son wept over Jerusalem. (George Macdonald.)

The discipline of life

A touching story was told of a young man whose mother and father died, leaving him in the care of a guardian. He was put to work at a trade, and worked faithfully for years. When he was eighteen a companion said to him, “Why do you work so hard? Your father was rich, worth $500,000 and your guardian is keeping the money.” The young man then began to entertain hard feelings towards his guardian, and stopped calling upon him. But he kept on working. The day before he was twenty-one he was invited to take tea with his guardian and his wife. Just before supper his guardian called him aside and said to him, “Before your father died he asked me to be your guardian, and to withhold from you a knowledge of his circumstances. He wished you to learn a trade and to earn your own subsistence. I was only to assist you when you were in real need. He wished you to acquire industrious habits.” The young man was broken down. He wanted to explain. But the guardian would not permit it; no explanation or forgiveness was needed. So we are to pass through the discipline of life patiently, faithfully, industriously, until we enter into the inheritance above.

That He might humble thee.—

Afflictive dispensations of providence

I. The afflictive dispensations of providence are intended to humble believers by teaching them absolute and constant dependence on God for everything that they enjoy.

II. The afflictive dispensations of providence are intended to prove the sincerity and to increase the strength of religion in the heart of the godly. ‘Tis the battle that tries the soldier, and the storm the pilot. How would it appear that Christians can be not only patient, but cheerful in poverty, in disgrace, and temptations, and persecutions, if it were not often their lot to meet with these? He that formed the heart knows it to be deceitful, and He that gives grace knows the weakness and strength of it exactly. The Word of God speaks to men; therefore it speaks the language of men. “Now,” said the Lord to Abraham, “I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.” In the wisdom of God, believers are thus put in possession of an undeniable evidence of their own sincerity, and which goes further to assure them of their final salvation than a thousand inward feelings, which are often the effect of imagination alone. It is of importance, besides, to observe that every such trial is a means not only of proving the reality of their religious principles, but of confirming and increasing them. It is with the mind as with the body. Exercise and exertion increase its vigour and strength.

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III. Consider the ultimate desire and effect of all these dispensations. “To do thee good at thy latter end.” When entered into heaven, their knowledge will be enlarged and perfected; and what is at present concealed from them will burst on their view as a necessary part of the discipline of grace in conducting and completing their everlasting salvation. They will then perceive that by poverty they were guarded from the dangers to which wealth would have exposed them, or that the meanness of their station preserved them from the snares of ambition, or that sickness was the means of correcting their tendency to the pursuit of sensual pleasures and worldly joys. Penetrating into the counsels of the Lord, they will see the mercy even of His heaviest judgments, and the wisdom of His most unsearchable ways. At present they may be in heaviness through many tribulations, but the trial of their faith being much more precious than that of gold which perisheth, though it be tried with fire, shall be found to praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (D. Dickinson, D. D.)

The design of affliction

There is a two-fold design of chastening. The first is self-revelation, “to know what was in thine heart.” Some things can only be got at by fire. There are depths in our consciousness that nothing can sound but pain, anguish, bitterness, sorrow. And these are not all bad; sometimes pain works its way down to our better nature, touches into gracious activity our noblest impulses, and evokes from our heretofore dumb lips the noblest prayer. Sometimes we see further through our tears than through our laughter. Many a man owes all that he knows about himself, in its reality and in its best suggestiveness, not to prosperity, but to adversity; not to light, but to darkness. The angel of trouble has spoken to him, in whispers that have found their way into the inmost hearing of the heart. The next design of affliction given in this quotation is “whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or no.” Obedience is the purpose which God has in view. There can be no grand life until we have learned to obey. It is good for a man to have to obey. It is a continual lesson, a daily discipline. He gathers from it a true consciousness of his own capacity and his own strength, and he begins to ask questions of the most serious intent. From the beginning God’s purpose was that we should obey. You cannot obey in any good and useful sense the spirit of evil. You only get good from the exercise of obedience when that exercise goes against your own will and chastens it into gracious submission. Self-revelation and filial obedience—these are part of God’s design in sending afflictions upon us. Take another explanation: “I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day. Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?” Sometimes God’s withdrawments evolve from the heart, conscious of His absence the most poignant and eager prayers. He says, “I will go away that they may miss Me.” He says, “I will withdraw and cause the walls of their security to tremble and the roof of their defence to let the storm pour down through it, in order that they may begin to ask great questions.” He will not have us fretting the mind with little inquiries and petty interrogations. He will force us to vital questionings: “Are not these things come upon us because our God is not among us?” Why deal with symptoms and not with real diseases? Take another answer: “They shall bear the punishment of their iniquity . . . that the house of Israel may no more go astray from Me.” Punishment—meant to bring men home again. That is God’s weapon, and you cannot steal it. You do wrong, and the scorpion stings you. You cannot bribe the scorpion, or tame it, or please it. Do what you will, it is a scorpion still. You say you will eat and drink abundantly, and grow your joys in your body, and the blood saith, “No!” And every bone says, “No!” And the head and the heart say,

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“No! we are God’s, and not in us shall you grow any joy that is not of the nature of His own purpose and will.” The bones, the joints, the sinews, the nerves, the whole scheme of the physical constitution of man, all fight for God. What is God’s purpose in this? To bring you home again, and nothing else. Take another statement of the cause and purpose of God in this matter of afflicting men: “I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant,. . .there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.” There, again, is the internal mystery. It is not the heart that needs must be revealed. You cannot argue with a man who is running down to hell with the consent of all his powers. Argue with him! Your argument and eloquence would be thrown away upon him. You must so show the evil of his doings as to work in the man self-loathing. You may show him pictures of evil, and he will gaze upon them—nay, he will buy them and hang them up in his rooms at home and point them out to his friends as works of vigour and power and wondrous artistic skill. He will not regard them as mirrors reflecting his own image. The work must be done in his soul He must so see evil as to hate himself—self-disgust is the beginning of penitence and amendment. We all have affliction. Yours seems to be greater than mine; mine may seem to be greater than yours. But let us know that there cannot be any affliction in our life without its being under God’s control, and He will not suffer us to be tried above that we are able to bear, and with every trial He will make a way of escape. He does not willingly grieve the children of men. He is pruning us, cutting us, nursing us, purifying us by divers processes to the end that He may set us in His heavens—princes that shall go out no more forever. Let us next consider how variously, as to spirit and interpretation, affliction may be received at the hands of God. By “affliction” do not narrowly understand mere bodily, suffering, but trial of every kind, yea, the whole burden and discipline of life. We must go to history for our illustration, and, turning to history for my first illustration, I find that the discipline of life may be received impenitently. Hear these words in solemn and decisive proof: “If ye will not be reformed by Me by these things, but will walk contrary unto Me, then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.” I warn you, God will not give way—God cannot give way. The one thing God can do is to multiply your affliction seven times, and to cover up the arch of the sky with a night denser than has yet blackened the firmament. Turning to history again, I find that affliction may be received self-approvingly or self-excusingly, and so may fail of its benign purpose. The proof is in these words: “In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction Thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely His anger shall turn from me.” The correction has been administered, but has not been received. It has been misunderstood. It has been taken in hardness. It has been resented as an injustice. It has been treated as if it came from an enemy, and not from a friend. The deadly sophism of your innocence must be rooted out before you can be cured. The Pharisee must be destroyed before the man can be saved. Will you understand that? Turning again to history for illustration and argument, I find that affliction may be received self-deceivingly. The proof is in these words: “They have not cried unto Me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds.” Heart crying is one thing, and mere howling is another. Men come to us with sad stories of distress, and they make long moans about pain and fear, about poverty and uselessness. They use the words which penitents might use, but not in a contrite spirit. It is the flesh that complains; it is not the spirit that repents. When a bad man complains of his head, is he complaining of his sin? Is he not only waiting till he can gather himself together again that he may renew the contest against heaven, and endeavour to find on earth a root that was never planted there? One more point there is which I dare scarcely touch. How few know that the passage is in the Bible. It is a passage that proves that affliction may be

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received, in the fourth place, despairingly. Are there in any poems made by men such words as these? Tell me if any poet dare write such words: “They gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” “My soul, come not thou into their secret.” Some man wrote these words who had seen hell. Do not trifle with the idea of future punishment. Whatever it be, it is the last answer of Omnipotence to rebellious man. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This is not a question to be argued. When logician and speculist have accomplished their task there remains the unexplained word—hell! How are we receiving our afflictions? “Come now, let us reason together.” Ephraim of old was described as a “bullock unaccustomed to the yoke.” In some countries the bullock is used for ploughing and for drawing vehicles. The poor ox is yoked, and, being unaccustomed to the yoke, it chafes under it. Its great shoulders protest against the violation of liberty. By and by the bullock becomes accustomed to the treatment, and submits itself to the service to losses. It is not natural that we should do so; but, seeing that we have incurred them, we must receive them at God’s hand, and become accustomed to the discipline, and eventually submit ourselves to the service of God, which is the true liberty. (J. Parker, D. D.)

Development and discipline

The point of comparison brought to view in the text is between God’s treatment of the Israelites in the wilderness and His treatment of His peculiar people—or, if you please, of all mankind—in this world of probation.

I. We have here God’s providential treatment of men in this world set forth as a process of discovery. “God led them forty years in the wilderness, to prove them, and to know what was in their heart.” Under God’s providential economy earthly and practical life is but practical development. Man’s business on this sublunary platform is to work out his hidden character in the face of the universe—to make manifest his secret thoughts even in forms of materialism. The fashion of the man’s garments, the furniture of his dwelling, the pictures he hangs upon his walls, the volumes he places in his library, the places of his favourite recreation, the style of men with whom be delights to associate; yea, his very bearing as he mingles with men and walks in the market place—are all but the visible expression of the quality of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And this practical manifestation of character in life is with a great Divine purpose. In the case of the Israelites it was to show who, of the wanderers in the Exodus, were proper men to go over to Canaan; and in our case it is to show who, of these dwellers upon earth, are becoming meet for the heavenly inheritance. Not that God needs to learn this, but that He would have His universe know that He is just when He judges and clear when He condemns. And this, this is life! The development in actual forms of the hidden things of the spirit! This making known to a universe what there is in the heart! Oh, then, how awfully solemn a thing it is to live—just to live!

II. And it brings us to consider this other providential design—a process of discipline. “The Lord God led them forty years in the wilderness to humble them.’ Here, by a common scriptural figure, the great grace of humility is put metonymically for all the distinguishing graces of Christian character. And the meaning is, that God led them about in the wilderness as in a state of pupilage and preparation for the civil and ecclesiastical immunities of Canaan. And in illustrating this thought we only ask you to observe how earthly trials and affliction are the finest means of sanctification. You perceive at once, in the case of the Israelites, that if God had allowed them to pitch a permanent encampment in some fair oasis of the desert, then, instead of becoming more humble, they would have waxed worse and worse in arrogance and

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carnality. And it needed the burning sun, and the hot sand, and the fiery serpents, and the constant assaults of the fierce men of Amalek and Moab to humble them before God, and make them meet for a citizenship in the theocracy of Canaan. And so of Christians on earth—a moment’s consideration will show you how afflictions are, after all, the finest discipline of sanctification. Yes, yes, it is thus God sanctifies—He takes away the earthly, that the heart may rise to the heavenly; He tears the bark from its mortal moorings, that it may launch forth toward the eternal haven; He stirs up the nest of the slumberous eagle, that, with exulting pinion, it may soar to the sun! (C. Wadsworth.)

God’s training of men

This is the lesson of our lives. This is God’s training, not only for the Jews, but for us. We read these verses to teach us that God’s ways with man do not change; that His fatherly hand is over us, as well as over the people of Israel; that their blessings are our blessings, their dangers are our dangers; that, as St. Paul says, all these things are written for our example.

I. “He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger.” How true to life that is! How often there comes to a man, at his setting out in life, a time which humbles him, when his fine plans fail him, and he has to go through a time of want and struggle! His very want and struggles and anxiety may be God’s help to him. If he be earnest and honest, patient and God-fearing, he prospers—God brings him through; God holds him up, strengthens and refreshes him, and so the man learns that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

II. There is another danger which awaits us, as it awaited those old Jews—the danger of prosperity in old age. It is easy for a man who has fought the battle with the world, and conquered more or less, to say in his heart, as Moses feared that those old Jews would say, “My might and the power of my wit hath gotten me this wealth,” and to forget the Lord his God, who guided him and trained him through all the struggles and storms of early life, and so to become vainly confident, worldly and hard-hearted, undevoted and ungodly, even though he may keep himself respectable enough, and fall into no open sin.

III. Old age itself is a most wholesome and blessed medicine for the soul of man. Anything is good which humbles us, makes us feel our own ignorance, weakness, nothingness, and cast ourselves on that God in whom we live, and move, and have our being, and on the mercy of that Saviour who died for us on the Cross, and on that Spirit of God from whose holy inspiration alone all good desires and good actions come. (C. Kingsley, M. A.)

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all

the way in the wilderness these forty years, to

humble and test you in order to know what was in

your heart, whether or not you would keep his

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commands.

CLAEKE, "Thou shalt remember all the way - The various dealings of God with you; the dangers and difficulties to which ye were exposed, and from which God delivered you; together with the various miracles which he wrought for you, and his longsuffering towards you.

GILL, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,.... For this was now the fortieth year of their coming out of Egypt into the wilderness, into which they quickly came after their departure from thence, and had been in one wilderness or another ever since, in which God went before them in a pillar of cloud and fire, and directed their way; and now they are called upon to remember all the occurrences in the way, what favours and mercies had been bestowed upon them, what provisions had been made for them, what enemies they had been delivered from or overcome, as well as what afflictions and chastisements had attended them: and so the people of God should call to mind how they were brought to see their wilderness state and condition by nature; how they were brought out of it, and stopped in their career of sin, and turned from their evil ways, and led to Christ; what gracious promises have been made to them; what light has been afforded them; what communion they have had with God; what pleasure in his ordinances; what food they have been fed with; what temptations have befallen them, and how delivered out of them; and what afflictions have been laid upon them, and how supported under them, and freed from them:

to humble thee; under the mighty hand of God, to bring down the pride of their hearts and hide it from them; to lay them low in their own eyes, and clothe them with humility, that the Lord alone might be exalted: and

to prove thee; whether they would be obedient to his laws, or how they would behave towards him both in prosperity and adversity, and to try their graces, their faith and patience, fear and love:

to know what was in thine heart; that is, to make it known to themselves and others; for God knew all that was in it, the wickedness of it, the unbelief, rebellion, and frowardness of it, and needed not any ways and means to get into the knowledge of it; see 2Ch_32:31,

whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no; which they had in such a solemn manner promised to do; Deu_5:27.

HENRY, "I. To look back upon the wilderness through which God had now brought them: Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, Deu_8:2. Now that they had come of age, and were entering upon their inheritance, they must be reminded of the discipline they

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had been under during their minority and the method God had taken to train them up for himself. The wilderness was the school in which they had been for forty years boarded and taught, under tutors and governors; and this was a time to bring it all to remembrance. The occurrences of these last forty years were very memorable and well worthy to be remembered, very useful and profitable to be remembered, as yielding a complication of arguments for obedience; and they were recorded on purpose that they might be remembered. As the feast of the passover was a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt, so was the feast of tabernacles of their passage through the wilderness. Note, It is very good for us to remember all the ways both of God's providence and grace, by which he has led us hitherto through this wilderness, that we may be prevailed with cheerfully to serve him and trust in him. Here let us set up our Ebenezer.

JAMISON 2-3, "thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness — The recapitulation of all their checkered experience during that long period was designed to awaken lively impressions of the goodness of God. First, Moses showed them the object of their protracted wanderings and varied hardships. These were trials of their obedience as well as chastisements for sin. Indeed, the discovery of their infidelity, inconstancy, and their rebellions and perverseness which this varied discipline brought to light, was of eminently practical use to the Israelites themselves, as it has been to the church in all subsequent ages. Next, he enlarged on the goodness of God to them, while reduced to the last extremities of despair, in the miraculous provision which, without anxiety or labor, was made for their daily support (see on Exo_16:4). Possessing no nutritious properties inherent in it, this contributed to their sustenance, as indeed all food does (Mat_4:4) solely through the ordinance and blessing of God. This remark is applicable to the means of spiritual as well as natural life.

K&D, “Deu_8:2

To this end they were to remember the forty years' guidance through the wilderness (Deu_1:31; Deu_2:7), by which God desired to humble them, and to prove the state of their heart and their obedience. Humiliation was the way to prove

their attitude towards God. ִעָ�ה, to humble, i.e., to bring them by means of distress

and privations to feel their need of help and their dependence upon God. ִנָ�ה, to

prove, by placing them in such positions in life as would drive them to reveal what was in their heart, viz., whether they believed in the omnipotence, love, and righteousness of God, or not.

WHEDON, "2. Remember all the way — That forty years’ wandering through the

great and terrible wilderness was to be the dark background against which the divine

leadings could be seen: in deliverance from the pursuing Egyptians; in miraculous

provision for their bodily wants, as when bread came down from heaven; also when

the smitten rock sent forth refreshing draughts.

ELLICOTT, "THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE EXODUS.

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(2) And thou shalt remember.—The whole of the remainder of this exhortation, to the

end of Deuteronomy 10, is chiefly taken up with this topic. Israel must remember (1)

the leading of Jehovah, and (2) their own rebellious perversity in the journey through

the wilderness. The same recollection is made the occasion for a separate note of

praise in Psalms 136:16 : “To him which led his people through the wilderness; for his

mercy endureth for ever.”

The way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years.—Not so much the literal

journey, but “the way:” i.e., the manner. The details of the actual journey are of course

included, but only as incidents of “the way.” In the Acts of the Apostles the Christian

life is in several passages called “the way.” In all these things the Israelites were types

of us.

To humble thee, and to prove thee.—The way in itself is described as “three days’

journey into the wilderness,” so far as the leading to Sinai is concerned (Exodus 3:18),

and “eleven days’ journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea” (Deuteronomy 1:2). It was

in the power of Jehovah to bring Israel from Egypt to Canaan, had He so willed it,

without delay, in a very little time. And just so with “the way” of salvation. There is

no intrinsic or necessary impossibility in the immediate turning of mankind, or of any

individual, from darkness to light. And this change might be followed by immediate

removal from “this present evil world” into the place which Christ has gone before to

prepare for us. But manifestly the formation of human character by probation and

training would vanish in such a process as this. There could be no well-tried and

deliberate purpose to serve our Creator and Redeemer in any of us—or, at least, no

proof of our deliberate preference for His service—under such circumstances. Nor,

again, could there be that humility which arises only out of self-knowledge. The

transitory nature of all mere human resolutions and impressions for good demonstrates

to the man who knows himself, better than anything else could do, the power and

patience of his Redeemer, and the moral cost of his redemption. This human

transitoriness and feebleness is strikingly illustrated by the story of the Exodus.

To know what was in thine heart.—“To know” is not simply that He might know

(“Hell and destruction are before the Lord; how much more then the hearts of the

children of men! “), but that the knowledge may arise—to determine, disclose,

discover. So in 2 Chronicles 32:31 : “God left him (Hezekiah) to try him, to know all

that was in his heart.” What God Himself knows by omniscience He sometimes brings

to light by evidence for the sake of His creatures. (Comp. Ephesians 3:10 : “To the

intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known

by (by means of) the church the manifold wisdom of God.”)

HAWKER, "Sweet precept! Oh! that the blessed Remembrancer of CHRIST JESUS,

even GOD the HOLY GHOST, may graciously do this precious office, both in the

Writer's and the Reader's heart, and bring continually to our forgetful minds the tokens

of divine love, which have been manifested towards us through all our wilderness

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state!

PULPIT, "God's dealings with the Israelites were disciplinary. Both by the afflictions

and privations to which they were subjected, and by the provision they received anti

the protection afforded to them, God sought to bring them into and keep them in a

right state of mind towards him—a state of humble dependence, submissive

obedience, and hopeful trust. But that this effect should be produced, it was needful

that they should mark and remember all his ways towards them.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:2. Thou shalt remember — Call to mind and meditate

upon the wisdom and goodness of God toward thee, and the power exerted on thy

behalf. All the way which the Lord led thee — All the events which befell thee in the

way, the miraculous protections, deliverances, provisions, instructions, which God

gave thee; and withal, the severe punishments of thy disobedience. To know what was

in thy heart — That thou mightest discover thyself, and manifest to others, the

infidelity, inconstancy, hypocrisy, and perverseness which lay hid in thy heart; the

discovery and manifestation whereof God saw would be of peculiar use, both to them

and to his church in all succeeding ages. It is well for us, likewise, to remember all the

ways both of God’s providence and grace, by which he has hitherto led, and still leads

us through the wilderness, that we may trust in him, and cheerfully serve him.

COKE, "Ver. 2. To know what was in thine heart— Man's life is a state of probation.

The wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness afford us a lively

resemblance of the human pilgrimage through this world. God, who knows the hearts

of all men, needs not to be informed how they are disposed towards him. The

expression here, to know what was in thine heart, must therefore be understood after

the manner of men; and the meaning is, that God did as men usually do when they

want to try any one's sincerity; i.e. he laid opportunities in their way of giving

unexceptionable proof of their integrity; a discovery, which, though of no signification

with respect to God, was yet very useful to themselves, and instructive to others.

Nothing tries the heart so much as adversity, and perhaps nothing is so useful to it. It

is finely said by Seneca, "If you have not been an unhappy man, I am sure you are so:

if you have travelled the stage of life without the opportunity of encountering an

adversary, nobody can know what your strength is; no, not even yourself."

TRAPP, "Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the

LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and]

to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his

commandments, or no.

Ver. 2. To know what was,] i.e., To discover and make known to thyself and

others. (a) When fire is put to green wood, there comes out abundance of watery

stuff that before appeared not. When the pond is empty, the mud, filth, and

toads come to light. The snow drift covers many a muckhill; so doth prosperity

many a rotten heart. It is easy to wade in a warm bath; and every bird can sing

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in a sunshine day, &c. Hard weather tries what health, afflictions try what sap

we have, what solidity. Withered leaves soon fall off in windy weather; rotten

boughs quickly break with heavy weights, &c.

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:2-3

‘And you shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty

years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to prove you, to know what was in

your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. And he did humble

you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, nor

did you fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread

only, but by every thing (or ‘word’) that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh does

man live.’

Obedience to Yahweh’s commandments would be helped by remembering their time

in the wilderness, so as they moved on they were to keep in mind the wilderness

experience. In seeking to observe His commandment it was important that they

remember all the way in which Yahweh their God had led them in the forty years in

the wilderness. They needed to learn its lessons. How He had done this in such a way

as to humble them and bring home to them how they were in fact constantly failing.

How He had done it in order to test out their hearts, to see if in spite of all they would

continue to keep His commandments. How He had done this in order that they might

recognise that whatever they received, it would be from His mouth. It would be as a

result of His promises and His provision. For God’s testings always have a purpose,

even though they might appear bitter at the time. He had tested them because He had

wanted to know what was really in their hearts and had wanted them to look to Him,

and when necessary He had chastened them (Deuteronomy 8:5).

Let them then remember how they had previously been on the very verge of the

promised land, and how it had resulted in forty years in the wilderness. That had been

a huge disappointment. But they should also remember that in His graciousness He

had not totally finished with them then because of their failure. He had stood by them.

He had put them on probation, ready for the achieving of maturity of the next

generation, so that His purposes for them might still go forward. And He had sought

to bring home to them important lessons.

Indeed in their whole experience in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, even before

His judgment on them because of their failure to enter the land, He had been humbling

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them. From the beginning He had allowed them to hunger. And then He had fed them,

not with bread, but with something that neither they nor their fathers had previously

known, the manna, something for which they had had to depend on Him day by day.

They had had to forget what they had done in the past and look to Him for their

provision. They had had to depend daily on what He had promised to give them, what

came ‘from His mouth’. And He had done this in order that they might recognise that

life is not dependent only on bread. They had to learn that bread is not everything. His

purpose was that they might learn that they must receive their provision from His

mouth. They must recognise that all that they had came from Him and resulted from

His promises.

He had wanted them to recognise that it is what Yahweh says and what Yahweh

commands and what Yahweh promises that is the basis of life, so that they might

recognise that obedience to Him is all. His aim was that they learn the vital lesson of

hearing God and trusting Him in all circumstances.

When the manna had been first provided it was said at the time that it would be a test

of their willingness to obey Him (Exodus 16:4). The test lay in the fact that it was to

be a daily provision, so that they were not to hoard it but to wait for it each day from

Yahweh’s hand. They had constantly to look to Him and to trust Him. So were they to

learn the lesson of the wilderness and now wait each day on God in the same way.

There have been a number of suggestions as to what the Manna consisted of. The

sweet juice of the Tarfa which exudes from the tree and forms small white grains has

been suggested, but the quantity required is against this, as are the other descriptions.

The same applies to the honeydew excretions on tamarisk twigs produced by certain

plant lice and scale insects which at night drop from the trees onto the ground where

they remain until the heat of the sun brings out the ants which remove them. In favour

is the fact that the Arabic word for plant lice is ‘man’, equivalent to the Hebrew for

Manna. But these are seasonal and do not fit all the criteria. We are not told whether

the Manna was seasonal or not, although many consider it was permanent in all

seasons.

More pertinently examples have also been cited of an unidentified white substance

which one morning covered a fairly large area of ground in Natal and was eaten by the

natives, and also of falls of whitish, odourless, tasteless matter in Southern Algeria

which, at a time of unusual weather conditions, covered tents and vegetation each

morning. While not being the same as the Manna, or lasting over so long a period,

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these do indicate the kind of natural phenomena which God may have used to bring

about His miracle, for it was clearly a time of extremely unusual weather conditions as

demonstrated by the plagues of Egypt. But we must remember that the Manna lasted

for forty years (Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:12), did not arrive on the seventh day, and

continued from the Wilderness of Sin to the entry into Canaan in all manner of

environments. It was God arranged.

NISBET, "‘ALL THE WAY’

‘These forty years.’

Deuteronomy 8:2

This is the lesson of our lives. This is God’s training, not only for the Jews, but for us.

We read these verses to teach us that God’s ways with man do not change; that His

fatherly hand is over us, as well as over the people of Israel; that their blessings are

our blessings, their dangers are our dangers; that, as St. Paul says, all these things are

written for our example.

I. ‘He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger.’—How true to life that is; how often

there comes to a man, at his setting out in life, a time which humbles him, when his

fine plans fail him, and he has to go through a time of want and struggle. His very

want and struggles and anxiety may be God’s help to him. If he be earnest and honest,

patient and God-fearing, he prospers; God brings him through. God holds him up,

strengthens and refreshes him, and so the man learns that man doth not live by bread

alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

II. There is another danger which awaits us, as it awaited those old Jews: the danger of

prosperity in old age. It is easy for a man who has fought the battle with the world,

and conquered more or less, to say in his heart, as Moses feared that those old Jews

would say,’ My might and the power of my wit hath gotten me this wealth,’ and to

forget the Lord his God, who guided him and trained him through all the struggles and

storms of early life, and so to become vainly confident, worldly, and hard-hearted,

undevoted and ungodly, even though he may keep himself respectable enough, and

fall into no open sin.

III. Old age itself is a most wholesome and blessed medicine for the soul of man.—

Anything is good which humbles us, makes us feel our own ignorance, weakness,

nothingness, and cast ourselves on that God in whom we live, and move, and have our

being, and on the mercy of that Saviour who died for us on the Cross, and on that

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Spirit of God from whose holy inspiration alone all good desires and good actions

come.

—Canon Kingsley.

Illustration

(1) ‘Historically these years are almost a blank. The Israelites made a prolonged stay

at Kadesh (Deuteronomy 1:45). Then journeying first of all towards the Red Sea

(Deuteronomy 2:1), they moved about from place to place in the great Wilderness of

Wandering as circumstances demanded. A list of their encampments during this

period of detention is given in Numbers 33:16-36, but scarcely one of the places

mentioned can be located with certainty. The years thus spent were years of strict

discipline but not of exceptional privation (Deuteronomy 8:4). Through the necessity

of defending themselves against hostile tribes the youthful generation learned to face

danger and hopefully to await the future.’

(2) ‘If you have thus travelled in the way, there will be many uses of the memory. You

will know more of God at the conclusion of your journey than you did at the

commencement. You will behold both the goodness and the severity of God: the

severity which punishes sin wherever it is to be found; the goodness which itself

provides a Substitute and finds a Saviour.’

(3) ‘The religious temperament of the Lancashire people came out strongly, and was

well illustrated, by an incident which happened towards the close of the cotton famine.

The mills in one village had been stopped for months, and the first waggon-load of

cotton which arrived before they recommenced seemed to the people like the olive

branch, “newly plucked off,” which told of the abating waters of the Deluge. The

waggon was met by the women, who hysterically laughed and cried, and hugged the

cotton-balls as if they were dear old friends, and then ended by singing that grand old

hymn—a great favourite with Lancashire people—“Praise God, from whom all

blessings flow.”’

(4) ‘The last word of Charles I. to Juxon when he laid his head on the block at

Whitehall (whatever he meant by it), was “Remember.” That may be said to be

Moses’ parting word, again and again repeated, to his people. They were to remember

from what they had come, through what experiences they had passed, what God had

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been to them, and done for them. The want and the supply, the danger and the

deliverance, the terror and the triumph, were all, if they could read them rightly, a

revelation of God to them, and there was to be a constant recollection of these things,

as a means of preserving and deepening in them the sense of dependence upon Him.’

PULPIT, "I. THERE ARE MANY LESSONS WHICH GOD'S CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN.

1. "To humble thee" (Deuteronomy 8:2), i.e. to bring them to feel their dependence on God.

This, indeed, seems such an obvious truth, that men ought not to need to be taught it. But

we must remember that, before we are redeemed, our training for eternity has never begun

at all, and that when redemption is with us a realized fact, we then present ourselves to God

only in the rough, relying on his love to make us what we should be. And one of the lessons

we have thoroughly to learn is that "without Christ we can do nothing."

2. "To prove thee" (Deuteronomy 8:2). A double proof is indicated.

There is no subject on which the young convert is so ignorant as—himself; and he never can

become what a Christian should be till he sees his own conceit. He must become a sadder

man ere he can be a wiser one.

3. "That he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone." It has been

remarked that, as Moses in this clause refers to the manna, the meaning is:

Doubtless this is true. But it is not the whole truth, nor do we deem it the truth here

intended. We know that with these words our Savior repelled one assault of the tempter.

This being so, we are set somewhat on a different track for their interpretation (cf. Matthew

4:3, Matthew 4:4). Our Savior's reply is, in effect, "Man has a double life, not only that of

the body, but also that of the spirit; you ask me to nourish the lower at the expense of the

higher—to get food for the body by a negation of the self-sacrifice for which I came. It is not

bread alone which sustains the man. He has a higher self, which lives on higher food, and I

cannot pamper the lower at the cost of the prostration of the higher." Now, with such light

thrown on the passage by our Lord, we are led to regard the words of Moses as referring

not only to the supply of food, but rather to the entire discipline in the wilderness, as

intended by God to bring out to the people the reality and worth of the nobler part of man.

Our God cares more for growth of soul than for comfort of body. His aim is not only to find

us food, but to train us for himself. Nor was it that they only might learn these lessons, but

that others in after time might see on what rough and raw material the Great Educator will

condescend to work, and with what care he will work upon it.

II. GOD ADOPTS VARIED METHODS OF TEACHING THESE NEEDED LESSONS. The clauses in

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the paragraph indicate these.

1. There was "the way" by which they were led. It was not given to Israel to choose it. It was

not the shortest way. It was "the right" way annointed by God.

2 The method of sending supplies: "Day by day the manna fell." They were thus taught to

live by the day.

3. The disappointments they met: "These forty years." If they had been told, when they set

out from Egypt, that so long a period intervened between them and Canaan, they would

scarcely have set out. And if God were to unveil to us the incidents of coming years, we

could not bear the sight.

4. The wants they felt: "He suffered thee to hunger." God sometimes lets his people feel

how completely they are shut up to him.

5. Yet there were constant proofs of thoughtful care (Deuteronomy 8:4). We do not

understand any miracle involved here, still less so odd a one as the rabbis suggested, that

the children's clothes grew upon their backs; The meaning of Moses surely is, "God so

provided for their wants that they needed not to wear tattered garments, nor to injure their

feet by walking without shoes or sandals."

MACLAREN, “THE LESSON OF MEMORY

The strand of our lives usually slips away smoothly enough, but days such as this, the last Sunday in a year, are like the knots on a sailor’s log, which, as they pass through his fingers, tell him how fast it is being paid out from the reel, and how far it has run off.

They suggest a momentary consciousness of the swift passage of life, and naturally lead us to a glance backwards and forwards, both of which occupations ought to be very good for us. The dead flat upon which some of us live may be taken as an emblem of the low present in which most of us are content to pass our lives, affording nowhere a distant view, and never enabling us to see more than a street’s length ahead of us. It is a good thing to get up upon some little elevation and take a wider view, backwards and forwards.

And so now I venture to let the season preach to us, and to confine myself simply to suggesting for you one or two very plain and obvious thoughts which may help to make our retrospect wise and useful. And there are two main considerations which I wish to submit. The first is -what we ought to be chiefly occupied with as we look back; and secondly, what the issue of such a retrospect ought to be.

I. With what we should be mainly occupied as we look back. Memory, like all other faculties, may either help us or hinder us. As is the man, so will be his remembrance. The tastes which rule his present will determine the things that he likes best to think about in the past. There are many ways of going wrong in our retrospects. Some of us, for instance, prefer to think with pleasure about things that ought never to have been done, and to give a wicked immortality to thoughts that ought never to have had a being. Some men’s tastes and inclinations are so vitiated and corrupted that they

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find a joy in living their badnesses over again. Some of us, looking back on the days that are gone, select by instinctive preference for remembrance, the vanities and frivolities and trifles which were the main things in them whilst they lasted. Such a use of the great faculty of memory is like the folly of the Egyptians who embalmed cats and vermin. Do not let us be of those, who have in their memories nothing but rubbish, or something worse, who let down the drag-net into the depths of the past and bring it up full only of mud and foulnesses, and of ugly monsters that never ought to have been dragged into the daylight.

Then there are some of us who abuse memory just as much by picking out, with perverse ingenuity, every black bit that lies in the distance behind us, all the disappointments, all the losses, all the pains, all the sorrows. Some men look back and say, with Jacob in one of his moods, ‘Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life!’ Yes! and the same man, when he was in a better spirit, said, and a great deal more truly, ‘The God that fed me all my life long, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil.’ Do not paint like Rembrandt, even if you do not paint like Turner. Do not dip your brush only in the blackness, even if you cannot always dip it in molten sunshine.

And there are some of us who, in like manner, spoil all the good that we could get out of a wise retrospect, by only looking back in such a fashion as to feed a sentimental melancholy, which is, perhaps, the most profitless of all the ways of looking backwards.

Now here are the two points, in this verse of my text, which would put all these blunders and all others right, telling us what we should chiefly think about when we look back, and from what point of view the retrospect of the past must be taken in order that it should be salutary. ‘Thou shalt remember all the way by which the Lord thy God hath led thee.’ Let memory work under the distinct recognition of divine guidance in every part of the past. That is the first condition of making the retrospect blessed. ‘To humble thee and to prove thee, and to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no’; let us look back with a clear recognition of the fact that the use of life is to test, and reveal, and to make, character. This world, and all its outward engagements, duties, and occupations, is but a scaffolding, on which the builders may stand to rear the true temple, and when the building is reared you may do what you like with the scaffolding. So we have to look back on life from this point of view, that its joys and sorrows, its ups and downs, its work and repose, the vicissitudes and sometimes contrariety of its circumstances and conditions, are all for the purpose of making us, and of making plain to ourselves, what we are. ‘To humble thee,’ that is, to knock the self-confidence out of us, and to bring us to say: ‘I am nothing and Thou art everything; I myself am a poor weak rag of a creature that needs Thy hand to stiffen me, or I shall not be able to resist or to do.’ That is one main lesson that life is meant to teach us. Whoever has learnt to say by reason of the battering and shocks of time, by reason of sorrows and failures, by reason of joys, too, and fruition,-’Lord, I come to Thee as depending upon Thee for everything,’ has wrung its supreme good out of life, and has fulfilled the purpose of the Father, who has led us all these years, to humble us into the wholesome diffidence that says: ‘Not in myself, but in Thee are all my strength and my hope.’

I need not do more than remind you of the other cognate purposes which are suggested here. Life is meant, not only to bring us to humble self-distrust, as a step towards devout dependence on God, but also to reveal us to ourselves; for we only know what we are by reflecting on what we have done, and the only path by which self-knowledge can be attained is the path of observant recollection of our conduct in

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daily life.

Another purpose for which the whole panorama of life is made to pass before us, and for which all the gymnastic of life exercises us, is that we may be made submissive to the great Will, and may keep His commandments.

These thoughts should be with us in our retrospect, and then our retrospect will be blessed: First, we are to look back and see God’s guidance everywhere, and second, we are to judge of the things that we remember by their tendency to make character, to make us humble, to reveal us to ourselves, and to knit us in glad obedience to our Father God.

II. And now turn to the other consideration which may help to make remembrance a good, viz., the issues to which our retrospect must tend, if it is to be anything more than sentimental recollection.

First, let me say: Remember and be thankful. If what I have been saying as to the standard by which events are to be tried be true; if it be the case that the main fact about things is their power to mould persons and to make character, then there follows, very plainly and clearly, that all things that come within the sweep of our memory may equally contribute to our highest good.

Good does not mean pleasure. Bright-being may not always be well-being, and the highest good has a very much nobler meaning than comfort and satisfaction. And so, realising the fact that the best of things is that they shall make us like God, then we can turn to the past and judge it wisely, because then we shall see that all the diversity, and even the opposition, of circumstances and events, may co-operate towards the same end. Suppose two wheels in a great machine, one turns from right to left and the other from left to right, but they fit into one another, and they both produce one final result of motion. So the moments in my life which I call blessings and gladness, and the moments in my life which I call sorrows and tortures, may work into each other, and they will do so if I take hold of them rightly, and use them as they ought to be used. They will tend to the highest good whether they be light or dark; even as night with its darkness and its dews has its ministration and mission of mercy for the wearied eye no less than day with its brilliancy and sunshine; even as the summer and the winter are equally needful, and equally good for the crop. So in our lives it is good for us, sometimes, that we be brought into the dark places; it is good for us sometimes that the leaves be stripped from the trees, and the ground be bound with frost.

And so for both kinds of weather, dear brethren, we have to remember and be thankful. It is a hard lesson, I know, for some of us. There may be some listening to me whose memory goes back to this dying year as the year that has held the sorest sorrow of their lives; to whom it has brought some loss that has made earth dark. And it seems hard to tell quivering lips to be thankful, and to bid a man be grateful though his eyes fill with tears as he looks back on such a past. But yet it is true that it is good for us to be drawn, or to be driven, to Him; it is good for us to have to tread even a lonely path if it makes us lean more on the arm of our Beloved. It is good for us to have places made empty if, as in the year when Israel’s King died, we shall thereby have our eyes purged to behold the Lord sitting on the Royal Seat.

‘Take it on trust a little while,

Thou soon shalt read the mystery right,

In the full sunshine of His smile.’

And for the present let us try to remember that He dwelleth in the darkness as in the light, and that we are to be thankful for the things that help us to be near Him, and

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not only for the things that make us outwardly glad. So I venture to say even to those of you who may be struggling with sad remembrances, remember and be thankful.

I have no doubt there are many of us who have to look back, if not upon a year desolated by some blow that never can be repaired, yet upon a year in which failing resources and declining business, or diminished health, or broken spirits, or a multitude of minute but most disturbing cares and sorrows, do make it hard to recognise the loving Hand in all that comes. Yet to such, too, I would say: ‘All things work together for good,’ therefore all things are to be embraced in the thankfulness of our retrospect.

The second and simple practical suggestion that I make is this: Remember, and let the memory lead to contrition. Perhaps I am speaking to some men or women for whom this dying year holds the memory of some great lapse from goodness; some young man who for the first time has been tempted to sensuous sin; some man who may have been led into slippery places in regard to business integrity. I draw a ‘bow at a venture’ when I speak of such things-perhaps some one is listening to me who would give a great deal if he or she could forget a certain past moment of this dying year, which makes their cheeks hot yet whilst they think of it. To such I say: Remember, go close into the presence of the black thing, and get the consciousness of it driven into your heart; for such remembrance is the first step to deliverance from the load, and to your passing, emancipated from the bitterness, into the year that lies before you.

But even if there are none of us to whom such remarks would specially apply, let us summon up to ourselves the memories of these bygone days. In all the three hundred and sixty-five of them, my friend, how many moments stand out distinct before you as moments of high communion with God? How many times can you remember of devout consecration to Him? How many, when-as visitors to the Riviera reckon the number of days in the season in which, far across the water, they have seen Corsica-you can remember this year to have beheld, faint and far away, ‘the mountains that are round about’ the ‘Jerusalem that is above’? How many moments do you remember of consecration and service, of devotion to your God and your fellows? Oh! what a miserable, low-lying stretch of God-forgetting monotony our lives look when we are looking back at them in the mass. One film of mist is scarcely perceptible, but when you get a mile of it you can tell what it is-oppressive darkness. One drop of muddy water does not show its pollution, but when you have a pitcherful of it you can see how thick it is. And so a day or an hour looked back upon may not reveal the true godlessness of the average life, but if you will take the twelvemonth and think about it, and ask yourself a question or two about it, I think you will feel that the only attitude for any of us in looking back across a stretch of such brown barren moorland is that of penitent prayer for forgiveness and for cleansing.

But I dare say that some of you say: ‘Oh! I look back and I do not feel anything of that kind of regret that you describe; I have done my duty, and nobody can blame me. I am quite comfortable in my retrospect. Of course there have been imperfections; we are all human, and these need not trouble a man.’ Let me ask you, dear brother, one question: Do you believe that the law of a man’s life is, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself’? Do you believe that that is what you ought to do? Have you done it? If you have not, let me beseech you not to go out of this year, across the artificial and imaginary boundary that separates you from the next, with the old guilt upon your back, but go to Jesus Christ, and ask Him to forgive you, and then you may pass into the coming twelvemonth without the intolerable burden of unremembered, unconfessed, and therefore unforgiven, sin.

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The next point that I would suggest is this: Let us remember in order that from the retrospect we may gain practical wisdom. It is astonishing what unteachable, untamable creatures men are. They learn wisdom about all the little matters of daily life by experience, but they do not seem to do so about the higher. Even a sparrow comes to understand a scarecrow after a time or two, and any rat in a hole will learn the trick of a trap. But you can trick men over and over again with the same inducement, and, even whilst the hook is sticking in their jaws, the same bait will tempt them once more. That is very largely the case because they do not observe and remember what has happened to them in bygone days.

There are two things that any man, who will bring his reason and common-sense to bear upon the honest estimate and retrospect of the facts of his life, may be fully convinced of. These are, first, his own weakness. One main use of a wise retrospect is to teach us where we are weakest. What an absurd thing it would be if the inhabitants of a Dutch village were to let the sea come in at the same gap in the same dyke a dozen times! What an absurd thing it would be if a city were captured over and over again by assaults at the same point, and did not strengthen its defences there! But that is exactly what you do; and all the while, if you would only think about your own past lives wisely and reasonably, and like men with brains in your heads, you might find out where it was that you were most open to attack; what it was in your character that most needed strengthening, what it was wherein the devil caught you most quickly, and might so build yourselves up in the most defenceless points.

Do not look back for sentimental melancholy; do not look back with unavailing regrets; do not look back to torment yourselves with useless self-accusation; but look back to see how good God has been, and look back to see where you are weak, and pile the wall, higher there, and so learn practical wisdom from retrospect.

Another phase of the practical wisdom which memory should give is deliverance from the illusions of sense and time. Remember how little the world has ever done for you in bygone days. Why should you let it befool you once again? If it has proved itself a liar when it has tempted you with gilded offers that came to nothing, and with beauty that was no more solid than the ‘Easter-eggs’ that you buy in the shops-painted sugar with nothing inside-why should you believe it when it comes to you once more? Why not say: ‘Ah! once burnt, twice shy! You have tried that trick on me before, and I have found it out!’ Let the retrospect teach us how hollow life is without God, and so let it draw us near to Him.

The last thing that I would say is: ‘Let us remember that we may hope. It is the prerogative of Christian remembrance, that it merges into Christian hope. The forward look and the backward look are really but the exercise of the same faculty in two different directions. Memory does not always imply hope, we remember sometimes because we do not hope, and try to gather round ourselves the vanished past because we know it never again can be a present or a future. But when we are occupied with an unchanging Friend, whose love is inexhaustible, and whose arm is unwearied, it is good logic to say: ‘It has been, therefore it shall be.’

With regard to this fleeting life, it is a delusion to say ‘to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant’; but with regard to the life of the soul that lives in God, that is true, and true for ever. The past is a specimen of the future. The future for the man who lives in Christ is but the prolongation, and the heightening into superlative excellence and beauty, of all that is good in the past and in the present. As the radiance of some rising sun may cast its bright beams into the opposite sky, even so the glowing past behind us flings its purples and its golds and its scarlets on to the else dim curtain of the future.

Remember that you may hope. A paradox, but a paradox that is a truth in the case of

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Christians whose memory is of a God that has loved and blessed them whose hope is in a God that changes never; whose memory is charged with ‘every good and perfect gift that came down from the Father of Lights,’ whose hope is in that same Father, ‘with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.’ So on every stone of remembrance, every Ebenezer on which is graved: ‘Hitherto hath the Lord helped us,’ we can mount a telescope-if I may so say-that will look into the furthest glories of the heavens, and be sure that the past will be magnified and perpetuated in the future. Our prayer may legitimately be; ‘Thou hast been my help, leave me not, neither forsake me!’ And His answer will be: ‘I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’ Remember that you may hope, and hope because you remember.

SBC, “I. The remembrance of the way. There will be (1) the remembrance of favour, and by consequence of joy. (2) There will be the remembrance of sin, and by consequence of sin the remembrance of sorrow.

II. Notice the purposes of Divine providence in the journey. (1) The first purpose is to induce humility. (2) The second purpose is to prove us. (3) The third purpose is to know what is in our heart.

III. If you have thus travelled in the way, there will be many uses of the memory. You will know more of God at the conclusion of your journey than you did at the commencement. You will behold both the goodness and the severity of God: the severity which punishes sin wherever it is to be found; the goodness which itself provides a Substitute and finds a Saviour.

W. Morley Punshon, Three Popular Discourses, No. 1.

Deuteronomy 8:2

The intention of "the way in the wilderness" is twofold: humiliation and probation.

I. All things are humbling. A much shorter period than forty years will be enough to make every one feel the deep humiliation of life, (1) It is a very humbling thing to receive kindness. (2) There are very humbling sorrows: sickness and bereavement; nothing can be more humiliating than these. (3) Sin is the great abaser. Failure is marked upon a thousand things. No thought is more humbling to the Christian man than the remembrance of his sins.

II. With humiliation is probation. "To humble thee, and to prove thee." It was God’s plan when He made this world to make it a probationary world. Probation is God’s putting a man to the test to see whether He loves Him, and how much he loves Him. That which is a temptation on the part of Satan for the malevolence with which he uses it is a probation on God’s part for the love wherewith He permits it. God always proves His child, and the more He gives him, the more He proves him. Whenever He bestows a grace, He puts that grace to the test.

J. Vaughan, Sermons, 14th series, p. 156.

(1) Emphasise the word all, for on that word the emphasis of the sentence truly lies.

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(2) Consider that it is a way. The character of the path is to be estimated, not by present difficulty or danger, but by the importance of the end. (3) Consider the infinite variety of the way. (4) Consider the beauty of the way. (5) Consider the bread of the wilderness. The miracle of the manna is repeated every day before our eyes. (6) Remember the perils of the wilderness. (7) Remember the sins of the wilderness. (8) Remember the chastisements of the wilderness. (9) Remember the Elims of the way. (10) Consider the end of the way.

J. Baldwin Brown, Contemporary Pulpit, vol. vi., p. 371.

There are two main considerations suggested by this passage.

I. What we should be chiefly occupied with as we look back. (1) Let memory work under the distinct recognition of Divine guidance in every part of the past. (2) We are to judge of the things that we remember by their tendency to make character, to make us humble, to reveal us to ourselves, and to knit us in glad obedience to our Father God.

II. Turn now to the other consideration which may help to make remembrance a good, viz., the issues to which our retrospect must tend if it is to be anything more than sentimental recollection. (1) Let us remember and be thankful. (2) Let us remember and let the memory lead to contrition. (3) Let us remember in order that from the retrospect we may get practical wisdom. (4) Let us remember that we may hope.

A. Maclaren, A Year’s Ministry, 1st series, p. 151.

References: Deu_8:2.—Congregationalist, vol. vii., p. 530; T. Binney, Weighhouse Chapel Sermons, 1st series, p. 13; T. Kelly, Pulpit Trees, p. 309.

Deuteronomy 8:2-4

I. The text shows us what God did with Israel. (1) He sent them back to wander in the desert through forty years, sent them back from entering the land which He eventually intended to give them. We see only brief time before us as our day in which to work. God does not hasten, for eternity is before Him as His working day. (2) God exposed His people to much difficulty and hardship, but He did not suffer them to sink under their troubles. They were long kept from Canaan, but God did not forsake His people.

II. What did God mean by dealing thus with Israel? (1) He treated them in this way to humble them. (2) He dealt with them thus to show them what material they were made of. (3) He wished to show them further what He could do. (4) His end in His dealings with Israel was instruction and correction, and all the spiritual advantages to be derived from it.

III. Notice what God requires in respect of that instruction and correction. "Thou shalt remember." What a mighty effect memory has upon life! Through the power of memory man finds in the past and present one continuous life. Remember the way the Lord hath led thee. Every man has a way to himself, and every man of God sees God choosing that way, and leading him in that way.

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S. Martin, The Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 4th series, No. ix.

Deuteronomy 8:2-5

This is the lesson of our lives. This is God’s training, not only for the Jews, but for us. We read these verses to teach us that God’s ways with man do not change; that His fatherly hand is over us, as well as over the people of Israel; that their blessings are our blessings, their dangers are our dangers; that, as St. Paul says, all these things are written for our example.

I. "He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger." How true to life that is; how often there comes to a man, at his setting out in life, a time which humbles him, when his fine plans fail him, and he has to go through a time of want and struggle. His very want, and struggles, and anxiety may be God’s help to him. If he be earnest and honest, patient and God-fearing, he prospers; God brings him through. God holds him up, strengthens and refreshes him, and so the man learns that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

II. There is another danger which awaits us, as it awaited those old Jews: the danger of prosperity in old age. It is easy for a man who has fought the battle with the world, and conquered more or less, to say in his heart, as Moses feared that those old Jews would say, "My might and the power of my wit hath gotten me this wealth," and to forget the Lord his God, who guided him and trained him through all the struggles and storms of early life, and so to become vainly confident, worldly and hard-hearted, undevoted and ungodly, even though he may keep himself respectable enough, and fall into no open sin.

III. Old age itself is a most wholesome and blessed medicine for the soul of man. Anything is good which humbles us, makes us feel our own ignorance, weakness, nothingness, and cast ourselves on that God in whom we live, and move, and have our being, and on the mercy of that Saviour who died for us on the Cross, and on that Spirit of God from whose holy inspiration alone all good desires and good actions come.

C. Kingsley, Discipline, and Other Sermons, p. 40.

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then

feeding you with manna, which neither you nor

your ancestors had known, to teach you that man

does not live on bread alone but on every word that

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comes from the mouth of the Lord.

BARNES, "But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord - literally, “every outgoing of the mouth of the Lord.” Compare Deu_29:5-6. The term “word” is inserted by the King James Version after the Septuagint, which is followed by Matthew and Luke (see the marginal references). On the means of subsistence available to the people during the wandering, see Num_20:1 note. The lesson was taught, that it is not nature which nourishes man, but God the Creator by and through nature: and generally that God is not tied to the particular channels (“bread only,” i. e. the ordinary means of earthly sustenance) through which He is usually pleased to work.

CLARKE, "He - suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee - God never permits any tribulation to befall his followers, which he does not design to turn to their advantage. When he permits us to hunger, it is that his mercy may be the more observable in providing us with the necessaries of life. Privations, in the way of providence, are the forerunners of mercy and goodness abundant.

GILL, "And he humbled thee,.... Or afflicted thee with want of bread:

and suffered thee to hunger; that there might be an opportunity of showing his mercy, and exerting his power:

and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; a sort of food they had never seen before, and when they saw it, knew not what it was, but asked, what is it? Exo_16:15. Thus the Lord humbles his people by his Spirit and grace, and brings them to see themselves to be in want, and creates in them desires after spiritual food, and feeds them with Christ the hidden manna, whose person, office, and grace, they were before ignorant of:

that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only; which is the stay and staff of life, and which strengthens man's heart, and is the main support of it, being the ordinary and usual food man lives upon, and is put for all the rest:

but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live: not so much by the food he eats as by the blessing of God upon it, and who can make one sort of food as effectual for such a purpose as another; for every creature of God is good being received with thankfulness, and sanctified by the word and prayer; and particularly he could and did make such light food as manna was to answer all the purposes of solid bread for the space of forty years in the wilderness; the Targum of Jonathan is,"but by all which is created by the Word of the Lord is the life of man;''which seems to agree with 1Ti_4:3,4 for the meaning is not that the Israelites in the wilderness, and when come into the land of Canaan, should not live by

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corporeal food only, but by obedience to the commands of God, by means of which they should continue under his protection, which was indeed their case; nor that man does not live in his body only by bread, but in his soul also by the word of God, and the doctrines of it, which is certainly true; spiritual men live a spiritual life on Christ, the Word of God, and bread of life, and on the Gospel and the truths of it, the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus, and are nourished up with the words of faith and sound doctrine, by means of which their spiritual life is supported and maintained; but this is not what is here intended.

HENRY 3-4, "1. They must remember the straits they were sometimes brought into, (1.) For the mortifying of their pride; it was to humble them, that they might not be exalted above measure with the abundance of miracles that were wrought in their favor, and that they might not be secure, and confident of being in Canaan immediately. (2.) For the manifesting of their perverseness: to prove them, that they and others might know (for God himself perfectly knew it before) all that was in their heart, and might see that God chose them not for any thing in them that might recommend them to his favour, for their whole carriage was untoward and provoking. Many commandments God gave them which there would have been no occasion for if they had not been led through the wilderness, as those relating to the manna (Exo_16:28); and God thereby tried them, as our first parents were tried by the trees of the garden, whether they would keep God's commandments or not. Or God thereby proved them whether they would trust his promises, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, and, in dependence on his promises, obey his precepts.

2. They must remember the supplies which were always granted them.

(1.) God himself took particular care of their food, raiment, and health; and what would they have more? [1.] They had manna for food (Deu_8:3): God suffered them to hunger, and the fed them with manna, that the extremity of their want might make the supply the more acceptable, and God's goodness to them therein the more remarkable. God often brings his people low, that he may have the honour of helping them. And thus the manna of heavenly comforts is given to those that hunger and thirst after righteousness, Mat_5:6. To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. It is said of the manna that it was a sort of food which neither they nor their fathers knew. And again, Deu_8:16. If they knew there was such a thing that fell sometimes with the dew in those countries, as some think they did, yet it was never known to fall in such vast quantities, so constantly, and at all seasons of the year, so long, and only about a certain place. These things were altogether miraculous, and without precedent; the Lord created a new thing for their supply. And hereby he taught them the man liveth not by bread alone. Though God has appointed bread for the strengthening of man's heart, and that is ordinarily made the staff of life, yet God can, when he pleases, command support and nourishment without it, and make something else, very unlikely, to answer the intention as well. We might live upon air if it were sanctified for that use by the word of God; for the means God ordinarily uses he is not tied to, but can perform his kind purposes to his people without them. Our Saviour quotes this scripture in answer to that temptation of Satan, Command that these stones be made bread. “What need of that?” says Christ; “my heavenly Father can keep me alive without bread,” Mat_4:3, Mat_4:4. Let none of God's children distrust their Father, nor take any sinful indirect course for the supply of their own necessities; some way or other, God will provide for them in the way of duty and honest diligence, and verily they shall be fed. It may be applied spiritually; the word of God, as it is the revelation of God's will and grace duly received and entertained by faith, is the food of the soul, the life which is supported by that is the

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life of the man, and not only that life which is supported by bread. The manna typified Christ, the bread of life. He is the Word of God; by him we live. The Lord evermore give us that bread which endures to eternal life, and let us not be put off with the meat that perisheth! [2.] The same clothes served them from Egypt to Canaan, at least the generality of them. Though they had no change of raiment, yet it was always new, and waxed not old upon them, Deu_8:4. This was a standing miracle, and the greater if, as the Jews say, they grew with them, so as to be always fit for them. But it is plain that they brought out of Egypt bundles of clothes on their shoulders (Exo_12:34), which they might barter with each other as there was occasion; and these, with what they wore, sufficed till they came into a country where they could furnish themselves with new clothes.

(2.) By the method God took of providing food and raiment for them [1.] He humbled them. It was a mortification to them to be tied for forty years together to the same meat, without any varieties, and to the same clothes, in the same fashion. Thus he taught them that the good things he designed for them were figures of better things, and that the happiness of man consists not in being clothed in purple or fine linen, and in faring sumptuously every day, but in being taken into covenant and communion with God, and in learning his righteous judgements. God's law, which was given to Israel in the wilderness, must be to them instead of food and raiment. [2.] He proved them, whether they could trust him to provide for them when means and second causes failed. Thus he taught them to live in a dependence upon Providence, and not to perplex themselves with care what they should eat and drink,and wherewithal they should be clothed. Christ would have his disciples learn the same lesson (Mat_6:25), and took a like method to teach it to them, when he sent them out without purse or scrip, and yet took care that they lacked nothing, Luk_22:35. [3.] God took care of their health and ease. Though they travelled on foot in a dry country, the way rough and untrodden, yet their feet swelled not. God preserved them from taking hurt by the inconveniences of their journey; and mercies of this kind we ought to acknowledge. Note, Those that follow God's conduct are not only safe but easy. Our feet swell not while we keep in the way of duty; it is the way of transgression that is hard, Pro_13:15. God had promised to keep the feet of his saints, 1Sa_2:9.

K&D, “Deu_8:3

The humiliation in the desert consisted not merely in the fact that God let the people hunger, i.e., be in want of bread and their ordinary food, but also in the fact that He fed them with manna, which was unknown to them and their fathers (cf. Exo_16:16.). Feeding with manna is called a humiliation, inasmuch as God intended to show to the people through this food, which had previously been altogether unknown to them, that man does not live by bread alone, that the power to sustain life does not rest upon bread only (Isa_38:16; Gen_27:40), or belong simply to it, but to all that goeth forth out of the mouth of Jehovah. That which “proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah” is not the word of the law, as the Rabbins suppose, but, as the

word ּל (all, every) shows, “the word” generally, the revealed will of God to preserve

the life of man in whatever way (Schultz): hence all means designed and appointed by the Lord for the sustenance of life. In this sense Christ quotes these words in reply to the tempter (Mat_4:4), not to say to him, The Messiah lives not by (material) bread only, but by the fulfilment of the will of God (Usteri, Ullmann), or by trusting in the sustaining word of God (Olshausen); but that He left it to God to care for the sustenance of His life, as God could sustain His life in extraordinary ways, even without the common supplies of food, by the power of His almighty word and will.

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HAWKER, "Reader! search and see whether these marks are in your experience. Are

you indeed humbled under a sense of your own need and JESUS' fullness? Hath the

LORD caused you to hunger spiritually (for this is the sweet sense of the passage

interpreted upon gospel terms) and hath a gracious GOD indeed fed you with that

blessed food which neither you, nor your fathers after the flesh, nor any of the sons of

Adam, ever knew naturally; even JESUS the living bread, which, as he himself hath

explained it, is the real manna which our FATHER, and not Moses, gave his people in

the wilderness? And have you been sensibly and fully brought to this conclusion, that

the life of the soul is JESUS? See John 6:32.

WHEDON, "3. He humbled thee,… and fed thee with manna — Comp. Exodus

16:16. Jehovah had shown them their dependence on him, and then in their extremity

he provides an abundant supply for their bodily wants.

By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of The Lord — More literally

rendered, on every utterance of the mouth of Jehovah. In this verse the word bread is

employed to include all the ordinary provision for sustaining human life. When Jesus

quotes this passage in reply to the tempter (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4) he means to say

that life can be sustained by extraordinary means. God can employ other means and

methods. Life can be sustained by other provision. The Saviour, as he sat by Jacob’s

well, said to his disciples, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” John 4:32.

CALVIN, "3.And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger. Inasmuch as they

were sometimes made to suffer hunger in the wilderness, he proves the advantage of

this discipline, because they thus learnt that the human race does not live by bread and

wine alone, but by the secret power of God. For though all confess that it is through

God’s goodness that the earth is fruitful, still their senses are so tied to the meat and

drink, that they rise no higher, and do not acknowledge God as their Father and

nourisher, but rather bind Him down to the outward means to which they are attached,

as if His hand, of itself, and without instruments, could not effect or supply anything.

Their perception, therefore, that the fruits of the earth are produced by God, is but a

cold notion, which speedily vanishes, and does not cling to their memory. The power

of God, as well as His goodness, is indeed abundantly manifested in the use of His

creatures, which we naturally enjoy; but the depravity of the human mind causes that

the testimonies of it act like a veil to obscure that bright light. Besides, the majority of

mankind think of God as if banished afar off, and dwelling in inactivity as if He had

resigned His office in heaven and earth; and hence it arises, that trusting in their

present abundance, they implore not His favor, nay, that they pass it by as needless;

and, when deprived of their accustomed supplies, they altogether despair, as if God’s

hand alone were insufficient for their succor. Since, then, men do not sufficiently

profit by the guidance and instruction of nature, but rather are blinded in their view of

God’s works, it was desirable that in this miracle (of the manna) a standing and

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manifest proof should be given, that men do not only live upon God’s bounty, when

they eat bread and drink wine, but even when all supplies fail them. Although there be

some harshness in the words, yet the sense is clear, that men’s life consists not in their

food, but that God’s inspiration suffices for their nourishment. And we must

remember, that the eternal life of the soul is not here referred to, but that we are

simply and solely taught that although bread and wine fail, our bodies may be

sustained and invigorated by God’s will alone. Let it then be regarded as settled, that

this is improperly, however acutely, referred to the spiritual life, and a relation

imagined in its doctrine to faith; as if the grace, which is offered in the promises, and

received by faith, gave life to our souls; since it is simply stated, that the animating

principle (vigor), which is diffused by the spirit of God for sustenance, proceeds out

of His mouth. In Psalms 104:30, there is an exact repetition of what was before said

here by Moses, “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the

face of the earth.” The word translated “not only,” seems to have been expressly

added, lest, if Moses had altogether excluded the bread which is destined for our food,

he should not do justice to God. Thus, then, does he guard his words, as much as to

say, that although bread sustains man’s life, still this support would be too weak,

unless the hidden power of God occupied the first place; and that this intrinsic virtue,

as it is called, which He of Himself inspires, would suffice, even although all other

aids should fail. And this doctrine, first of all, arouses us to gratitude, referring to God

Himself whatever by His creatures He supplies to us for the nourishment and

preservation of our lives, whilst it teaches us that although all the instruments of this

world should fail, still we may hope for life from Himself alone. There is no ordinary

wisdom in recollecting both these points. Christ admirably applied this passage to its

true and genuine practical use; for when the devil would persuade him to command

the stones to be made bread for the satisfaction of His hunger, He answered, “Man

shall not live by bread alone,” etc., (Matthew 4:4,) as if he had said, There is in God’s

hands another remedy, for even although He supply not food, He is still able to keep

men in life by His will alone. But I touch upon this the more briefly, because I have

more fully treated it in my Commentaries on “the Harmony of the Gospels.” (257)

With the same object he adds, that their raiment was not worn out in so long a time,

and that their shoes remained whole; viz., that they might be fully convinced, that

whatever concerns the preservation of human life and man’s daily wants is so entirely

in God’s hands, that not only its enjoyment, but even its continuance and being,

depend upon His blessing.

ELLICOTT, "(3) And he . . . suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee.—A process

naturally humbling. He might easily have fed them without “suffering them to

hunger.” But He did not give them the manna until the sixteenth day of the second

month of the journey (see Exodus 16:1; Exodus 16:6-7); and for one whole month

they were left to their own resources. When it appeared that the people had no means

of providing sustenance during their journey, “they saw the glory of the Lord” in the

way in which He fed them; and for thirty-nine years and eleven months “He withheld

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not His manna from their mouth.”

Manna, which thou knewest not.—Its very name (but see Note on Exodus 16:15)

commemorates the fact “unto this day.” All the natural things which have been called

manna (and Dr. Cunningham Geikie, in “Hours with the Bible,” has described several)

do not afford the least explanation of the bread which God gave Israel to eat.

That man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the

mouth of the Lord.—Not here alone, but throughout the Law, as in the Gospel, we are

taught that life is to do the will of God. Our Saviour called that “My meat.” What the

visible means of subsistence may be is a secondary matter. Man’s life is to do the will

of God: “My commandments, which, if a man do, he shall even live in them.” “He

that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

But the special interest of these words arises from our Lord’s use of them in the hour

of temptation. He also was led forty days (each day for a year of the Exodus) in the

wilderness, living upon the word of God. At the end of that time it was proposed to

Him to create bread for Himself. But He had learnt the lesson which Israel was to

learn; and so, even when God suffered Him to hunger, He still refused to live by His

own word. He preferred that of His Father. “And the angels came and ministered unto

Him.” It is noticeable that all our Lord’s answers to the tempter are taken from this

exhortation upon the Decalogue in Deuteronomy 6-10.

PULPIT, "God humbled the Israelites by leaving them to suffer hunger from the want

of food, and then supplying them with food in a miraculous manner. They were thus

taught that their life depended wholly on God, who could, by his own creative power,

without any of the ordinary means, provide for the sustaining of their life. And fed

thee with manna (cf. Exodus 16:15). It is in vain to seek to identify this with any

natural product. It was something entirely new to the Israelites—a thing which neither

they nor their fathers knew; truly bread from heaven, and which got from them the

name of manna or man, because, in their wondering ignorance, they knew not what to

call it, and so they said one to another, Man hoo? ( ָמן הּוא), What is it? and

thenceforward called it man. That he might make thee know, etc. "Bread," which the

Jews regarded as "the staff of life," stands here, as in other places, for food generally;

and the lesson taught the Israelites was that not in one way or by. one kind of means

alone could life be sustained, but in the absence of these God could, by his own fiat,

provide for the sustenance of his children. Every word—literally, all, everything

whatever—that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, i.e. all means which God has

by his word provided, or by his word can provide, for the sustenance of life. So our

Lord cites this passage in replying to the tempter, who had suggested that if he was the

Son of God he might relieve himself from the pangs of hunger by commanding the

stones which lay around to become bread. Our Lord's reply to this is virtually." I have

this power, and could use it, but I will not; for this would imply impatience and

distrust of God, who has engaged to sustain the life of his servants, and who can, by

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the mere word of his mouth, by his creative will, provide in an extraordinary way for

the sustenance of life when the ordinary means of life are wanting." "Jesus means to

say, ' I leave it with God to care for the sustaining of my life, and I will not arbitrarily

and for selfish ends help myself by a miracle'" (De Wette, note on Matthew 4:4; see

also Meyer on the place).

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:3. By every word of the Lord doth man live — By every,

or any thing which God appoints and blesses for this end, how unlikely soever it may

seem to be for the support and nourishment of the human frame. For it is not the

creature, without God, that is sufficient for the support of life; it is only his command

and blessing that makes it sufficient. We ought not, therefore, to fix our dependance,

as we are prone to do, on natural causes, but to remember that we depend, absolutely,

entirely, and immediately, on him for life and all things.

BRUCE OBERST, "THAT HE MIGHT MAKE THEE KNOW THAT MAN DOTH NOT LIVE

BY BREAD ONLY, BUT BY EVERY THING THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE

MOUTH OF JEHOVAH doth MAN LIVE (v. 3) — For forty years Israel

had wandered in one of the bleakest, driest, most foreboding deserts

known to man (Geographers often think of the Sinai Peninsula and

the Arabian desert as an extension of the Sahara Desert). They were

being "schooled" — shown the absolute necessity of heeding and obeying

THE WORD OF GOD/ (v. 2).

What kept Israel alive during this period? How did this great

horde of people survive all the rigors of desert life? What kept their

bodies from being just so many bleached bones drying in the desert

sun?

Verse three gives the divine answer. Every move Israel made

needed the definite direction and commandment of God! With the

movement of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, Israel

moved. "At the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and at the

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commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of

Jehovah, at the commandment of Jehovah by Moses" (Num. 9:23),

And so it was that in every way they were dependent on God's di-

rection and help: When to attack an enemy, or when to go around

him (as in the case of Edom we have just studied). Practically all

their food was miraculously supplied from God — and at times their

water. Because God decreed it, their raiment or shoes did not wear

out nor did their feet swell (v. 4, Cf. 29:5). Again and again God

helped them — again and again he chastised them. And what was the

purpose of all this? That they might know, and know of a certainty,

that a man's life is absolutely and totally dependent upon the will of

God and the word of God! Oh how God hoped that his children would

come to have a sense of utter and complete dependence upon him —

and trust him for everything! He hoped they would realize, and think,

"If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that" (Jas. 4:15).

It was, of course, a temptation for them to be primarily con-

cerned with their stomachs (Num. 11:4-6; 18-20). But they should

have learned more than this! They should have learned that all of God's

words, instructions, and dealings with them were designed to be

heeded. He gives no unnecessary commands — his dealings are all for

a purpose.

BI 3-6, “He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna.

The pilgrims’ grateful recollections

I. Let us pass in review the favours of the lord, taking what He did for Israel as being typical of what He has done for us.

1. The first blessing mentioned is that of humbling: “And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger.” Not very highly esteemed among men will this favour be; and at first, perhaps, it may be regarded by ourselves as being rather a

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judgment, one of the terrible things in righteousness, than a great favour from the Most High. But rightly judged, this is one of the most admirable proofs of the Lord’s loving kindness, that He does not leave His people in their natural pride and obstinacy, but by acts of grace brings them to their right minds. Note in the text, that the humbling was produce by hunger. What makes a man so humble as to be thoroughly in want? Oh, happy season when He stripped me of what I thought my glory, but which were filthy rags!

2. Notice, in the second place, the Divine feeding. We shall now see ourselves mirrored in the case of Israel as in a glass. “He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee.” How sweetly that follows: “suffered thee to hunger and fed thee”; the light close on the heels of the darkness. “Blessed are ye that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for ye shall be filled.” That “and” in the text is like a diamond rivet, none can ever take it out or break it. “He suffered thee to hunger and fed thee.” He who suffers thee to hunger will be sure to feed thee yet upon the bountiful provisions of His grace. Be of good cheer, poor mourning soul.

3. The third favour mentioned is the remarkable raiment. “Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee.” Though subject to the ordinary wear and tear incidental to travelling, their garments still continued to be as good at the end of forty years as they were when first they left the land of Egypt. I believe that to be what the text means. Anyhow, spiritually, it is the case with us. You cannot point me to a stale promise in all God’s book, neither can you find me a worn-out doctrine. In the way of perseverance we have been maintained and preserved. Personally I admire the grace which has kept me in my course, though assailed by many fierce temptations and exposed to great perils in my position.

4. The next blessing for which we ought to be grateful is that sustained personal strength. Our spiritual vigour has still. Your foot has not swelled in the way of perseverance. Neither have you been lamed in the way of service. Perhaps you have been called to do much work for Christ, yet you have not grown tired of it, though sometimes tired in it; still, you have kept to your labour, and found help in it. So, too, your foot has not swollen in the way of faith. Such little faith you bad at first that you might well have thought it would all die out by now. But it has not been so. God has not quenched the smoking flax, nor broken the bruised reed. In addition to all this, your foot has not swollen in the way of fellowship. You have walked with God, and you have not grown weary of the holy intercourse. Moreover, your foot has not swollen in the way of joy. You were happy young men in Christ Jesus, and you are happy fathers now. The novelty has not worn off, or rather one novelty has been succeeded by another, fresh discoveries have broken out upon you, and Jesus is still to you the dew of youth. He who walks with God shall never weary, though through all eternity he continues the hallowed march. For all this we give to God our thanks yet again.

5. Notice the memorable blessing of chastisement. “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart.” That unswollen foot, and that unworn garment, you need not so much value as this, for this you are specially bidden to consider, your deepest thoughts are to be given to it, and, consequently, your highest praises. “Consider in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.” I am sure I have derived more real benefit and permanent strength and growth in grace, and every precious thing, from the furnace of affliction, than I have ever derived from prosperity.

II. The inference from all this. All this humbling, feeding, clothing, strengthening, chastening, what of it all? Why this—“therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him.” Take the model of the

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text.

1. Let your obedience be universal. Keep the commandments of the Lord, walk in His ways.

2. Let your obedience be entire. In nothing be rebellious.

3. Let that obedience be careful. Doth not the text say, “Keep the commandments,” and doth not the first verse say, “Ye shall observe to do”? Keep it as though you kept a treasure, carefully putting your heart as a garrison round it. Observe it as they do who have some difficult art, and who watch each order of the teacher, and trace each different part of the process with observant eye, lest they fail in their art by missing any one little thing. Keep and observe. Be careful in your life. Be scrupulous. You serve a jealous God, be jealous of yourself.

4. Let your obedience be practical. The text says, “Walk in His ways.” Carry your service of God into your daily life, into all the minutiae and details of it. Whereas others walk up and down in the name of their God, and boast themselves in the idols wherein they trust, walk you in the name of Jehovah, and glory always to avow that you are a disciple of Jesus.

5. Let your obedience spring from principle, for the text says, “Walk in His ways, and fear Him.” Seek to have a sense of His presence, such as holy spirits have in heaven who view Him face to face. Remember He is everywhere; you are never absent from that eye. Tremble, therefore, before Him with that sacred trembling which is consistent with holy faith. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Man doth not live by bread only.

True life

What is the life for which we seek and hope? Mere existence? No. But conscious happiness—a large preponderance of success over disappointment, and joy over sorrow. This is what all desire; but they seek it in different ways. Our text suggests two theories of life;—the one, the living by bread alone; the other, by obedience, duty, and love, by angels food, by the manna that comes down from heaven.

I. Man doth not live by bread only. Yet multitudes think thus to live—by things outward and earthly, by the accumulation of material, perishable objects of enjoyment, or of wealth, which can represent and command them all. Can wealth sustain or comfort the bereaved husband or father? When the strong ties of natural affection are sundered, is it a solace to know that they had been gilded and jewelled? If they were not strengthened and sanctified by Christian communion, by the fellowship of heaven-seeking souls—if the only common interests have been sordid, then has the prosperity enjoyed together left the survivor only the heavier burden of remembrances not again to be realised, and of joys forever fled.

II. What, then, are the elements of this higher life? Since man, spiritually speaking, cannot live by bread only, by what is he to live?

1. First by faith—faith in an all-seeing Father, whose sceptre ruleth over all, and who, if our hearts are His, will cause all things outward to work together for our good—faith in a Redeemer, who has loved us and given Himself for us as our Saviour from sin, and our Guide to duty and heaven.

2. Again, man, by the appointment of God, is to live by hope—by the hope of heaven, which alone can anchor the soul amidst the fitful fortunes of our earthly

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pilgrimage.

3. By God’s appointment, we are also to nourish our souls by charity, by sympathy with our brethren, by bearing their burdens and helping their joys. There can be no life worth living without brotherly love—without a ready heart and hand for the needy, the suffering, and the erring.

4. Finally our true life must he connected with, and flow from, the testimony of a good conscience, which, if merited, no outward condition can suppress or pervert.

III. Such are the heaven-appointed means of life and growth within the reach of all of us. It is these that our Saviour proffers to us. They were His peace and joy. They are the fountain still flowing at the foot of His Cross. Other streams there are, sparkling, attractive, rolling over golden sands and beneath a brilliant sky; yet there is a voice in their murmur, ever saying,—“He that drinks of us shall thirst again, and thirst as often as he comes to draw.” But from the mountain of the beatitudes, and again from the olive shade of Gethsemane, and from the darkness and agony of Calvary, I hear the voice,—“If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink, and the water that I will give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.” (A. P. Peabody.)

The food of man

If this be true, what a strange comment on it is the world around us at this hour! Turn to what class of our countrymen you like, and in every variety of expression upon their countenance you will see written deep their conviction, in every changeful accent of their voices you will hear uttered their practical belief, that they can live by bread alone. It is for bread—using “bread” in the largest sense as meaning all material things—that men toil, and exhaust their finest energies. And as statesmen, and philosophers, and priests behold these things, each comes forward with his gospel for mankind.

I. First, we have the “gospel of education.” Let us take care that each child learns the elementary principles of knowledge, and we may hope that the coming generation shall have a higher idea of national and of social life. Well, certainly the very last persons in England to depreciate the blessings of secular instruction are the clergy. But let not educational enthusiasts think because they have provided partially against material deterioration that they have discovered a moral cure. It may change the form of crime; it will not touch the root from which it springs.

II. We have then from others the message of the philosophers. “Let us eat of this tree, and live forever.” Now, while we gladly acknowledge all the past successes of science and of philosophy, and while we thankfully receive every new discovery as a further revelation of the wisdom and the love of the Creator, we say this is not the bread of life for sorrowing, sinning humanity. This is no gospel for all mankind. Clad in the purple of her pride, and the white linen of her fine-spun theories, philosophy’s few cultured friends may fare sumptuously every day in her high hall of state; but humanity, like Lazarus, with hunger in its soul, and its body covered with festering sores of sin, lies helpless at her gate.

III. The more experience I have, the more deeply I am persuaded that the power to accomplish it is the preaching of a personal crucified christ. That—the incarnate Word of God—is still and ever the bread by which nations and men must live. It was not a new science, it was not an advanced thought, it was not an improved philosophy, it was not a merely exalted morality, it was not the idyllic life of a

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Galilean peasant, that men preached in the early days, in the purple dawn of Christianity, and by the preaching of it shook the Empire and revolutionised the world. And it is not by any such means, or by anything which appeals exclusively to the intellect; nay, not even by a vague “accommodating theology” with no doctrinal articulation—which, polype-like, floats on the tides of human thought, rising as they rise, falling as they fall—that men and nations can be saved now. It is as of old—by the preaching of the Word, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. “I am the Bread of Life,” said Christ. (T. T. Shore, M. A.)

The staff of life

I. We are to consider what our peril is. In one word, it is the peril of an over-mastering materialism. Look on England today, the England that speaks to us through Liverpool and Manchester, through Cabinet and Parliament, her stout hand not upon her heart but upon her pocket, cold towards us, sneeringly indifferent to the triumph of law, order, and right, anxious only about the cargoes of cotton, which are to feed her whirling spindles. Tell us, ye British statesmen, tell us, ye sordid sons of heroic sires, are Constitutions only parchment? Are nations only herds of farmers, artisans, and traders? Is chartered freedom only sounding rhetoric? Is duty only a name? Is honour dead? And is there nothing for us, in this nineteenth century, but to delve and spin and trade, to clutch and hoard, to eat and drink, and bloat and rot and die, and make no sign?

II. What our deliverance must be. Deliverance is what we want; not mere respite, lifting the agony from our spirits to lay it over upon our children; deliverance, complete and final. What avails it in a raging fever, rapidly nearing its crisis, that we comfort ourselves with cooling drinks, while the disease is striking boldly at our vitals? It is written in God’s Word, and written in all the history of the race: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Such is the Divine regimen for the nations. They live, if they live at all, by no felicity of position, soil, or climate, by no abundance of material good, but by the living word of the living God. Work we must, and shall, and should. And work will bring us wealth. And wealth will bring us power. What then? Need wealth be idolised, or spent upon our lusts? Need power he vaunted and abused? If so, we perish, as Tyre and Sidon perished; perish, as Carthage perished; perish, as, according to the Indian legend, the last of our gigantic mastodons perished, smitten down by the thunderbolt of the Great Spirit. Thank God, it need not be so. Nor is it our task to lay our feeble, ineffectual finger upon this vast revolving wheel, which carries the whole machinery of our earthly life, and bid it pause. It is not our task to slay this giant of our material prosperity, and stretch his huge corpse out across the continent. Ours is the far grander task of teaching the giant wisdom, and subduing his earth-born energies to Him who has told us that “Man shall not live by bread alone.” How, then, shall men and nations live? “By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”; so reads our text. The Hebrews in the desert had no need of bread; they were fed with manna from the skies. But our Lord proved that there was no need even of manna. It was enough for Him, as the Son of Man, that He had faith in God. On this He feasted, while He fasted, the forty days. It was God’s commandment, which He obeyed in fasting, and this commandment, thus obeyed in faith, was the bread He ate. The commandments of God, then, are the bread of life for the nations. If a Christian people, then we must be loyal to our calling, baptising our unexampled material prosperity into the name of Christ, and dedicating our wealth, with a wise and eager generosity, to Christian uses. (R. D. Hitchcock, D. D.)

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Bread for the hungry

I. Let us, that we may get the meaning of this text with regard to providence, reflect upon the children of Israel in the wilderness. God has proved by miracle, that although He chooses to act usually according to certain rules, and nourish the body with bread and with meat, yet He is not tied to rules, but is absolute King and Master, and can do as He wills; and even in the subtle processes by which food is digested and assimilated to the flesh and blood, and bone and sinew, He can work without the means of ordinary chemistries. He can dissolve without alembics, and fuse without crucibles. But you say, “Ah! but that cannot concern us, for He never works miracles now.” Ay, but I reply, it is most marvellous for God to be able to do a miraculous thing without a miracle. I have seen many miracles, which were not miracles, but yet all the more miraculous. The poor have lacked bread; stones were not turned into bread for them, but they had their bread as much by miracle as if rocks had crumbled into food. We have seen the poor merchant reduced to distress, and he said, “Now I cannot see any hope for me. God must rend His heavens, and put His hand through the very windows to deliver me.” No heavens were rent, but the deliverance came. Now, the Lord can this day without a miracle work such a miracle that we shall have all our wants supplied, for “man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” You have heard the story of the martyr who was condemned to die. The judge said railingly: “You will be in prison. I shall make you no allowance for food, and what can your God do for you? How can He feed you?” “Why,” said the poor prisoner, “if He wills it, He can feed me from your table”: and it was so, though unknown to his cruel judge; for until his day of burning came, the wife of the judge, touched with sympathy, always secreted food and fed him abundantly even from the persecutor’s board.

II. The spiritual bearing of the text. Man shall not live by bread alone; that does but nourish the mere coarse fabric of clay; he lives by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God—that nourishes the immortal spirit; that sustains the heavenly flame which God has put there by the work of regeneration and conversion.

1. The text speaks of a hunger and of its consequences. Very many of you understand what this hunger means. There was a time when the world suited us well enough. But suddenly God put a new life into us; we knew not how. The first evidence we had of that life was that we began to hunger; we were not satisfied; we were unhappy. The soul was conscious of sin, and hungered for pardon; conscious of guilt, and hungered for purity; conscious of absence from God, and hungered and thirsted after His presence.

(1) Now, speaking of that hunger, you know that it was a most painful thing when first we knew it. It was so painful to some of us that we could not rest. We wanted Christ.

(2) Then that hunger, moreover, was utterly insatiable—nothing could stop it. Friends said, “You must take worldly amusement.” The legalist said, “You must perform such and such duties”; it was like attempting to fill a soul with bubbles. Still our hunger cried, “Give, give, give us something more substantial, more Divine than this.”

(3) Next, this hunger is impetuous. Sometimes it will come at inconvenient seasons. Henry Smith—an old preacher at St. Paul’s Cross, preaching upon the text: “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby”—observes, “When hunger assails infants, they neither regard leisure, nor necessity, nor willingness of their mothers, but all excuses and

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business set apart, so soon as they cry for food they must be fed.” So it is with a man who has begun to feel the need of Christ.

2. Notice, the heavenly bread and its surprising excellency. This bread, you see, is the Word of God. Now, the Word is given to us first here in the Bible, as it is written; it is given to us, secondly, from the lips of God’s own chosen and appointed ambassadors. He that despises either of these two, will soon find himself growing lean in spirit. But now, why is it that we need this food at all? I answer first, we need it to sustain the life which we have received. As life spiritual depends upon God to give it, so upon God to sustain it. Only He who makes us Christians can keep us so. We need this Divine food not only to keep us barely alive, but to make us grow. Besides, this food is necessary to strengthen us when we have grown up. How can we wonder that a man is weak if he does not eat? It is no wonder if Christians find themselves weak in prayer, weak in suffering, weak in action, weak in faith, and weak in love, if they neglect to feed upon the Word of God. Moreover, we need to have spiritual food also for our joy as well as for our strength. How often do you see a man sad and troubled, who, if he had sufficient sustenance, would soon have sparkling eyes and a shining face! Many Christians, I do not doubt, are very low and miserable because they do not feed upon the Word. Are you starving your souls? If so, there is no wonder that your joys are dead, and hang their heads like withered things. I trust many of us know what it is to feed to the full upon the Word of God. And do you not bear me witness that it is rich food?

3. A great privilege involving a consequent duty. We have been made to eat manna, as angels’ food which we did not know. It was far above our carnal judgments, yet they who feared the Lord said it was like wafers made with honey. Israel found it to be very sweet, and indeed it is said by the Rabbis that the manna had such a peculiarity about it, that it was always the flavour that a man wished it to be, and I think it is very much so with Gospel preaching; if a man chooses it to be disagreeable to him, it will be; but if he desires it to be sweet to him, it will be; he will be sure to be fed if he wants to be fed. For so is it with the precious Book; very much of its flavour is in our own mouths, and when our mouths are out of taste, we think the Bible has lost its savour. It is often your ears that are to blame, not the preacher; do not be so quick to blame him, but be a little more rapid in examining yourself. “Neither did our fathers know.” By nature, however much we may respect them, they are no better than ourselves, and they knew nothing about this subtle, mysterious, munificent way by which God supplies the needs of the souls of His people. Well now, if God has given us such food as this, I think the least thing we can do is to go and gather it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The true life of man

This passage is composed of two propositions, a negative and an affirmative. The verb is the same in both, and therefore can only have one and the same meaning in both propositions. The first taken literally is an obvious truism. The second, taken literally, is unintelligible. That man cannot live by bread alone is patent to all. At least two more substances are needful for existence, namely, air and water. Nor can air, water, and bread alone suffice for human life. Man must undergo some exertion in order to derive nourishment from the air, water, and bread, and he needs likewise to sleep and to have shelter or else he will die. As man rises in the scale of being, many more things become necessary to life which a primitive savage never thought of. The second proposition, “Man doth live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth o the Lord,” taken literally, is manifestly unintelligible. We can understand that bread

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eaten and assimilated is one of the many things required to support human life, but in no sense can we understand the process of eating and assimilating to be applied to any words human or Divine. The second proposition is therefore so manifestly figurative that the literal interpretation must be abandoned. And if the second proposition be figurative, so likewise must be the first; for the verb which gives meaning to the second is the same in both. The key to the meaning of the passage lies in the sense given to the verb “live” and to the phrase “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” The author used this term “live” in a very exalted sense. It was much more than mere existence. We all know what kind of torpid, stupid life we mean to describe by the term “to vegetate”; a life of motionless, passionless inactivity—mere existence without exertion, without animation. A higher life than this belongs in common to all animals; but a mere animal life was not, I think, what the author intended when he said “man cannot live by bread alone.” Just as we use the term “vegetate” to express inactivity, so we use the term “animalism” to express a brutish kind of life of which selfish indulgence is the alpha and omega. The life of man is something higher than the life of the beast, and cannot be sustained by the mere supply of animal wants. Taking the word “bread” to embrace typically every possible object needful for animal sustenance, vigour, and enjoyment, man wants for his life much more than bread. Man cannot live by bread alone. If he lives by bread alone, he has either never been a man at all or has ceased to be a man, he is only an animal. And , I venture to say, is one lesson that has to be re-learnt in our own times. Whether things were worse or better in times that are gone, one thing is most obvious now. Many men and women are steeped in the notion that it is only by bread that man can live and by nothing else—that is to say that their whole lives depend upon the constant and adequate supply of those things which go to furnish animal health, animal strength, animal spirits, and general animal enjoyment; that this earthly bread is all they ever want, or all that they need ever seek; that when these things are provided, the rest of everything can go to the wall, and the kingdom of God along with it. Too often parents by precept or example instill this animalism into the minds of their children, impressing it upon them by word and deed that their first and last duty in life is to get all they can; or else they tacitly acquiesce in their children’s downward tendency and take no pains to eradicate their selfishness or to cultivate within them higher pursuits. It takes little from the sadness of this outlook to know that in a very large measure the state of society in which we live is very much to blame for much of this concentration on earthly good. On the one hand competition and the struggle for existence has made it very hard for some people to live at all, and on the other hand luxurious habits have not only grown in number but have gradually taken their place in the category of the necessaries of life. The wisdom of the Stoic which commended the restraint of desire as a means of conferring happiness is now all but forgotten; and parents and children together seem to act as if the attainment of desired objects was the whole secret of happiness, and the multiplication of gratified wishes led only to satisfaction. It is a wonder they do not see that the more we have the more we want; it is feeding the disease of longing to gratify wish after wish; and I must add it is cruelty to the young to let them grow up with the idea that the true happiness of mail’s life consists in getting all we want and having our own way. If the course of Divine Providence with Israel be any guide to parents in the training of their children—and I think it is entitled to that place by those words, “Thou shalt remember in thine heart that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee”—we may well lay to heart that to deny our children some longed for pleasure, to submit them to mild privations and to disappoint them in the execution of their will is to be following a Divine example which seeks the truer, higher, and more enduring happiness of His children by the temporary infliction of some needful chastisement. But no parent can do this with

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judgment or moderation, or can conduct the process of disappointing his children’s wishes properly unless he has learnt for himself the lesson, “Man cannot live by bread alone,” unless he knows by experience that his life in its truest sense “does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth,” but that his troubles and cares have been part of his most valuable treasure, and that his life has been enriched more often by what he has lost than by what he has gained. And this brings us to consider what is meant by the assertion of the text that “man doth live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” This phrase becomes intelligible to us the moment we understand what is meant by the term “live.” The truest and highest life of man is not mere existence, nor the fullest enjoyment of his physical nature, but the highest exercise of his noblest functions as a moral and spiritual being, as a member of the great brotherhood of mankind, as a child of God. From such an elevation, the wants and cares of this lower life lose much of their overwhelming importance. Gains and losses are less felt as changes in the atmospheric pressure upon the soul. Daily bread is no longer regarded as the sum total of aspiration, as the sustenance of a heaven-born spirit. In the devout language of Job, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Now to live such a life we must not be content with bread, or with the most ample supply of all our physical wants, but we can only live it by the word of God, i.e. by following the higher law of our being, by seeking for and finding all possible truth, by acting in harmony with the known laws of Nature and with the known laws of human nature which are moral and spiritual as well as physical. If we but endeavour to have God in all our thoughts, to set God always before us, then our life will be a human life, and not the life of the vegetable or the life of the beast that perisheth. Why, even for the perfection of our lower life—the purely physical—we must attain to the knowledge of God’s good laws, and follow them faithfully, or else the bread of life will fail to nourish us; all its thousand embellishments will destroy and not promote our happiness. How much more, then, must we seek, in active obedience to His good laws, that perfection of moral and spiritual health in which alone the highest life of man consists! It still holds good that “he that seeketh his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life the same shall find it.” Paradoxical as it may sound, the law of self-denial for the well-being and comfort of others is the only condition in which our own well-being and comfort are attainable, or when attained can be made enduring. (C. Voysey, M. A.)

Spiritual food

A few years ago died, at one of the missionary stations of India, a native called Brindelbund. He had spent sixty or seventy years in the service of Satan. Talking to his Hindoo brethren, he would say, “And whom do you need but Him whom I have found?” He would take his wallet of books, and travel two or three hundred miles to distribute them; and this he did for fourteen or fifteen years. Mrs. Chamberlain, in his last days, would go to his, bedside, and say, “Brindelbund, shall I get you some tea? Can you eat bread?” He would lay his hand on the New Testament: “Sister, this is my tea—this is my bread; man was not made to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How valuable the Gospel, which can thus give happiness to a man who had spent the greater part of his life in the slavery of idolatry!

Feeding on the Word

In her autobiography the late Frances Ridley Havergal says that after giving up her soul to the Saviour, “For the first time my Bible was sweet to me, and the first passage which I distinctly remember reading in a new and glad light was the fourteenth and following chapters of St. John’s Gospel. I read them feeling how

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wondrously loving and tender they were, and that now I too might share in their beauty and comfort.” In this statement we have the secret of that lady’s symmetrical piety and eminent usefulness. As she began her spiritual life by feeding it on the Divine Word, so she continued. She made it her daily bread. By reading it constantly, by meditating upon it, by implicitly believing it, by praying for light upon it, and by claiming its promises as her own, she learned to see and to know God, and to possess in very large measure that “eternal life” which consists in knowing Him. Hers was, therefore, a Scriptural piety. Her faith pushed its roots deep into God’s Word. And whoever wishes to be truly and actively pious, must, like her, nourish his heart with Scripture truth, since no Christian ever did, or ever can, attain deep piety who does not learn to sip sweetness from God’s words as bees suck honey from the flowers of the field.

Spiritual assimilation

In a town in Japan I once wanted to hold a meeting in the hotel, but only two fishermen came. I entered into conversation about Christ and His salvation with them instead of preaching. I told them that all men were descended from one pair, the present difference in the appearance of the people in separate countries being caused by the climate, food, and water. One of the men replied, “I understand it is just the same with fish; if they feed on green seaweed they become green themselves.” It is the same with Christians, if they read and meditate upon the Word of God, they will become like God. If they follow the world and feed upon its pleasures, then they will become like the world, and no one will see the difference between them and those who, without disguise, are on the way to perdition. (R. Davison.)

Living by bread alone

What is it, therefore, to live by bread alone? Let us contemplate the present age. Behold a workman of the fields always looking down upon his plough, and who never gives himself time to look up towards the heaven whence fertility descends; behold a workman of the town for whom all days are alike, and who quits his trade only for pleasure, or what he believes to be such; behold a man who has dividends, and who lulls himself to sleep in a selfish indolence, whence he awakes only twice a year to receive them; behold an employe, that is to say a man who during his life gives six days to writings of which he is weary and the seventh to amusements of which he will become weary also; behold a wealthy man, and when one asks what is his occupation, he has only one, that of administering his fortune, and, if possible, augmenting it; and those savants who deal only in science, searching unceasingly into the truth of facts, and forgetting the voice which said: “I am the truth”; and those artists who pursue the beautiful whilst forgetting the supreme beauty; and those literary men, who seek the sublime, whilst forgetting that religion is the chief sublime; and those magistrates, who only judge or administer; and those potentates of the earth, who only skim and rule . . . All those men are, perhaps, good and honourable, incapable of staining their reputation, of dishonouring themselves . . . But they live by bread only; the earthly life rules them, carries them away, preoccupies them, to the point of leading them to egotism and indifference; they are so mindful of themselves that they forget God; of the world, that they forget heaven; of life, that they forget death and immortality; they take so much care of themselves that they take none of their neighbour; and as to their family, they dream of its advancement. They live in a manner most honourable, doubtless; but they live by bread only . . . only, and this is their folly and transgression. (Athanase Coquerel.)

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As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.—

The afflictions of god’s people

I. The afflictions of God’s people—however complicated, however prolonged, of whatever materials they may be made—proceed from the purest benignity of our Heavenly Father. Suffering does not come from God at all. I know that He overrules it, and that He makes up, if I may so speak, of the briars and thorns which so plentifully grow in this wilderness a hedge by which His children are kept in and restrained. But He did not cause your sufferings. If man had continued in his primeval state of innocence, there would have been no aching heart. But suffering is to be considered as destructive or as corrective. Now, where it is destructive, it is an expression of displeasure. We know that punishment ultimately inflicted will be destructive; but, remember, afflictions may be considered also as corrective. Then they issue from love. Following up the beautiful idea of the text—that of parental discipline—I say they proceed from a solicitude to improve the child, to correct many vices, to form the character of the child as perfectly as it can be formed. Now, remember, that the love of your Heavenly Father regulates all this.

II. Your afflictions are brought about by Divine wisdom—no chance, no accident. God cannot explain Himself to you, but before Him everything is arranged in the most exquisite order, in the most luminous combination. Not an atom floats without His permission; the hairs of your head are all numbered.

III. All afflictions will issue in your highest good. Yon must take God’s word; “All things work together for good to them that love God.” This is the secret—“to them that love God.” God loves you—you love God; what is the consequence? God is employing His attributes for you; God is taking care that there shall be nothing hostile, however inexplicable may be the circumstances of your life. They shall work for your good—perhaps not for your gratification. The physician’s prescriptions do not work for the pleasure of the party; the probing instrument of the surgeon gives the patient pain, but it is all for good. God is not absent from you; He is present. This is a consolatory thought: your Father never leaves you for a moment; He is educating you for Himself. (T. Lessey.)

On the purposes of God in chastening man

I. The way in which God tried the Israelites in the wilderness was this: he was perpetually exposing them to difficulties and dangers, which were calculated to try the strength of their faith and trust in Him.

II. What, then, were the designs which God had in view in thus bringing the Israelites into these difficulties, and in thus correcting them?

1. The first was that they might know themselves, to know their hearts, whether they would keep His commandments or no.

2. But the second point, in which it was the intention of God to instruct the Israelites, and in them all mankind, was their absolute dependence upon Himself. He fed them with manna, which neither they nor their fathers had known, in order that He might make them know that men do not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord do men live. More important knowledge than this of the providence of God cannot be learned by men. While we thus practically know the power and presence of God, we shall feel the dispositions which that knowledge ought to inspire; we shall watch over our

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conduct with a filial dread of offending Him; we shall place an unbounded confidence in His wisdom to direct, His power to strengthen, His providence to defend, His goodness to bless us.

III. Having thus taken a view of the purposes of God toward the Israelites in the desert, it remains that we consider for whose instruction these designs were accomplished.

1. In the first place, He makes use of afflictions and trials to prove you, as He did the Israelites of old. These trials you have doubtless felt, but have you seen the hand of God in them?

2. What, then, is His aim? It is to teach thee to know thyself and Him. To know thyself. You will tell me, perhaps, you do not know yourself sufficiently; you will acknowledge you are a weak, sinful Creature. To say this from theory only is a very different thing from saying it from experience. Self-knowledge is not soon taught. You cannot acquire it merely by reading books, or by meditating on it in your study; it must be the result of long and painful observation of your own heart.

3. But God designs also to teach you to know Him. You are amazed at the stupidity of the Israelites; they had so many proofs of the presence of God! And have not you as many? (J. Venn, M. A.)

Divine correction

Divine correction may be considered—

I. As the means of religious improvement.

1. Affliction is a restraint from evil, without which we should frequently fall the victim of our folly and impetuosity.

2. Affliction is an excitement to duty.

3. Affliction is a needful ordeal.

4. Affliction is a seasonable monitor.

II. As the discipline of paternal regard. A father corrects his children—

1. With reluctance. Tries everything else first.

2. With wisdom.

3. With tenderness.

4. With design. For our good.

III. As the subject of filial attention. How awful is it when affliction is useless, when correction hardens, when medicine poisons! Beware of this—“Consider in thine heart,” etc.

1. Acknowledge His hand. Trace your afflictions to their proper cause.

2. Submit to His authority. Submission is the perfection of Christianity—the submission not of apathy, but sensibility. Shall a scholar murmur against the discipline of wisdom and goodness?

3. Improve His design. This must be known to be improved. You cannot know each particular design, but you may the grand and ultimate one. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.)

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Design of God’s chastisements

This is the manner of God’s proceedings—to send good after evil, as He made light after darkness; to turn justice into mercy, as tie turned water into wine; for as the beasts must be killed before they could be sacrificed, so men must be killed before they can be sacrificed—that is, the knife of correction must prune and dress them, and lop off their rotten twigs before they can bring forth fruit; these are the cords which bind the ram unto the altar, lest when he is brought thither he should run from thence again; this is the chariot which carrieth our thoughts to heaven, as it did Nebuchadnezzar’s. This is the hammer which squareth the rough stones till they be plain and smooth and fit for the temple. (H. Smith.)

God’s chastening

A bystander in the market place of a country town saw a group of boys quarrelling and fighting. In a few moments he observed a man from a side street cross the place, enter the group, bring out one boy, and severely rebuke him. The bystander pondered, his thoughts shaping themselves thus: That is a father, selecting his own boy, plucking him from the evil out of fatherly love, and dealing with him in such a manner as to make him fear a repetition of the conduct. “We are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world.” This is the paternal motive. (Mrs. Umpleby.)

Chastisement a proof of love

I had a teacher, when I was a boy, who used to love me and let me off easy in my lessons, and I thought he was splendid. I had another teacher who, out of school and out of doors, was almost like a brother and a father to me, but who was very rigid with me in the mathematical room—and with me especially; and when I once complained to him that he did not treat any other boy as he did me, he said, “No, I do not, for I do not love any other boy as much as I do you.” He brought the screw down on me tremendously, but it was the only thing that carried me through mathematics. At last he developed in me an energy and an enterprise in that direction that led to results that I never should have achieved under any other culture than that. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth . . . But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons,” saith the Word of the Lord. (H. W. Beecher.)

God the best Ruler

Man would have God go according to his mind in chastening and afflicting him. He would have God correct him only in such a kind, in such a manner and measure as he would choose. He saith in his heart: “If God would correct me in this or that, I could bear it, but I do not like to be corrected in the present way.” One saith: “If God would smite me in my estate, I could bear it, but not in my body”; another saith: “If God would smite me with sickness, I could bear it, but not my children”; or, “If God would afflict me only in such a degree, I could submit, but my heart can hardly submit to so great a measure of affliction.” Thus we would have it according to our minds as to the measure of the continuance of our afflictions. We would be corrected for so many

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days, but months and years of trouble are not according to our mind. Man would have God govern not only himself, but the whole world, according to his mind; man hath much of this in him. Luther wrote to Melanchthon when he was so exceedingly troubled at the providence of God in this world: “Our brother Philip is to be admonished that he would forbear governing the world.” We can hardly let God alone to rule that world which Himself alone hath made. (J. Caryl.)

Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God.—

Incitements to the Divine service

Time and again Israel was called to remember that God’s goodness to them was designed to lead to more faithful service. They were to beware lest forgetfulness of this and a life of self-indulgence should lead to their undoing. In chap. 28, the terrible results of ingratitude and disobedience were set before them. See, especially in verses 63, 64 of that chapter, a graphic picture in general outline of the state of the Jewish race for the past eighteen hundred years. For those who have no time or inclination to study the history of the race, the graphic description of their position in Scott’s Ivanhoe and the historical notes appended to that work, will give a clear conception of their miserable condition. The passage teaches us that when men have received blessing from God it is fitting for them to render Him a willing service, and that ingratitude here means destruction.

I. The reasonableness of rendering a grateful service to God.

1. This was clearly evident in the case of Israel. God rightly demands as the Creator obedience and service from all men. Surely, then, from a people so highly favoured as Israel! Delivered from slavery; given a noble system of laws; brought under the direct rule of Jehovah in the theocracy; and given in promise “a land flowing with milk and honey.” They were highly favoured, and in gratitude should have consecrated themselves to the Divine service.

2. If they had reasons for thankfulness, etc., we have greater reasons. Contrast the state of our native land since the time when Columba, Cuthbert, Austin of Canterbury, etc., began their apostolic labours among its tribes with our present preeminence among the nations.

3. As individual subjects of this empire we have great reason to offer to God a grateful service. How blessed our lot compared with that of many peoples whose manner of life and customs have been portrayed by a Livingstone, Stanley, J.G. Paten, and others! Contrast the state of less highly favoured peoples with our own individual lives,” under righteous government, religious liberty, even-handed justice, etc. There are many reasons why we should render to God gratitude, praise, and willing, joyful service.

II. The folly of the sin of ingratitude toward God.

1. What we are to beware of is the danger that whilst we enjoy the gifts, the gracious Giver should be forgotten—of spending all our time and energy on the acquisition of God’s gifts to be used for our own pleasure rather than in seeking the Divine glory.

2. Into this sin the Israelites fell once and again in the course of their history. Even after the stern lesson of the Babylonian exile they fell into this sin (Hag_1:1-15, etc.). In our Lord’s time this sin was aggravated by hypocrisy. The formal religionists drew near to God with outward devotion, but their hearts were far from Him. The self-pleasing, worldly agriculturist of the parable was, it may be

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surmised, a typical figure (Luk_12:15-21).

3. There is too much of this spirit in our own time. Among all classes there is a feverish grasping after riches and pleasure; there is a striving after wealth, not that those who strive may become better men and women, and be better enabled to serve God, but that they may have more of ease, of passing pleasures. Possessions gained and received without thankful gratitude to God and more earnest effort in His service turn to dust and ashes in the using.

4. This results from the failure of men to desire first and receive God’s best gifts in Jesus Christ.

III. The effect of either spirit on national and individual life.

1. When a nation rests on God in its government and institutions, and shows grateful loyalty to Him, that nation will grow in righteousness and strengths, and become a power for good in the world.

2. To the individual who serves Him in grateful love He will give His richest blessings. Material gifts may sometimes be withheld as not for their good; but joyful assurance of His presence will be given to them, and of the certainty of His promises.

3. Far otherwise will it be with those who forget God. Israel’s history tells how the curse has fallen (Isa_1:8). God-forgetfulness led to hardness of heart, spiritual pride, and the invocation on themselves of the awful sentence, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

4. Are there not many among us who fall into the same error—who reap luxuriant fields, who amass enormous gains without any thought of gratitude to God, or any effort in His service? Such love of money—of the possessions of this life—“is a root of all evil,” leading to the hardening of the heart and the materialising of the life.

5. The Divine rule is the only safe one: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, etc. “Through Israel’s failure to render God a grateful service they failed to carry out the Divine commission confided to them as a nation, i.e. to make God’s name, etc., known (Psa_67:1-7.). Does our thankful gratitude to God lead us to do so? (Wm. Frank Scott.)

4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did

not swell during these forty years.

BARNES, "They had clothes, it would seem, in abundance (compare Exo_12:34-35) at the beginning of the 40 years; and during those years they had many sheep and oxen, and so must have had much material for clothing always at command. No doubt also they carried on a traffic in these, as in other commodities, with the Moabites and the nomadic tribes of the desert. Such ordinary supplies must not be shut out of consideration, even if they were on occasions supplemented by

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extraordinary providences of God, as was undoubtedly the case with their food.

CLAEKE, "Thy raiment waxed not old, etc. - The plain meaning of this much-tortured text appears to me to be this: “God so amply provided for them all the necessaries of life, that they never were obliged to wear tattered garments, nor were their feet injured for lack of shoes or sandals.” If they had carvers, engravers, silversmiths, and jewelers among them, as plainly appears from the account we have of the tabernacle and its utensils, is it to be wondered at if they also had habit and sandal makers, etc., etc., as we are certain they had weavers, embroiderers, and such like? And the traffic which we may suppose they carried on with the Moabites, or with travelling hordes of Arabians, doubtless supplied them with the materials; though, as they had abundance of sheep and neat cattle, they must have had much of the materials within themselves. It is generally supposed that God, by a miracle, preserved their clothes from wearing out: but if this sense be admitted, it will require, not one miracle, but a chain of the most successive and astonishing miracles ever wrought, to account for the thing; for as there were not less than 600,000 males born in the wilderness, it would imply, that the clothes of the infant grew up with the increase of his body to manhood, which would require a miracle to be continually wrought on every thread, and on every particle of matter of which that thread was composed. And this is not all; it would imply that the clothes of the parent became miraculously lessened to fit the body of the child, with whose growth they were again to stretch and grow, etc. No such miraculous interference was necessary.

GILL, "Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, &c. They wanted not clothes all the forty years they were in the wilderness; which some account for by the rising generation being supplied with the clothes of those that died in the wilderness, and with the spoils they took from Amalek, Exo_17:1 and others, as Aben Ezra observes, remark that they brought much clothes with them out of Egypt, which no doubt they did; see Exo_12:35 and he adds, as worthy of notice, that the manna they lived upon did not produce sweat, which is prejudicial to clothes; but be it so, that they were sufficiently provided with clothes, it must be miraculous that these clothes they wore should not wax old. This, in a spiritual sense, may denote the righteousness of Christ, which is often compared to raiment, the property of which is, that it never waxes old, wears out, or decays; it is an everlasting righteousness, and will never be abolished, but will answer for the saints in a time to come; see Isa_51:6 neither did thy foot swell these forty years; or puff up like paste, as Jarchi explains it, which is often the case in long journeys; the Septuagint version is, "did not become callous"; a callousness or hardness is frequently produced by travelling; in Deu_29:5 it is explained of the shoes on their feet not waxing old; so Ben Melech, and the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and the Syriac and Arabic versions here, "thy feet were not naked", were not without shoes; these were no more wore out by travel than their clothes upon their backs, and this was equally as miraculous: the Gibeonites, pretending to come from a far country, and to have travelled much and long, put on old garments and old shoes, to make it probable and plausible, Jos_9:5. This may be an emblem of the perseverance of the saints in faith and holiness: shoes upon the feet denote a Gospel conversation, which is very beautiful, Son_7:1 the feet of saints being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; which, as shoes to the feet, guides and directs the Christian walk, strengthens and makes fit for walking, keeps tight and preserves from slipping and falling, and protects from what is harmful, accompanied by the power and grace of God.

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HENRY, " By the method God took of providing food and raiment for them [1.] He humbled them. It was a mortification to them to be tied for forty years together to the same meat, without any varieties, and to the same clothes, in the same fashion. Thus he taught them that the good things he designed for them were figures of better things, and that the happiness of man consists not in being clothed in purple or fine linen, and in faring sumptuously every day, but in being taken into covenant and communion with God, and in learning his righteous judgements. God's law, which was given to Israel in the wilderness, must be to them instead of food and raiment. [2.] He proved them, whether they could trust him to provide for them when means and second causes failed. Thus he taught them to live in a dependence upon Providence, and not to perplex themselves with care what they should eat and drink,and wherewithal they should be clothed. Christ would have his disciples learn the same lesson (Mat_6:25), and took a like method to teach it to them, when he sent them out without purse or scrip, and yet took care that they lacked nothing, Luk_22:35. [3.] God took care of their health and ease. Though they travelled on foot in a dry country, the way rough and untrodden, yet their feet swelled not. God preserved them from taking hurt by the inconveniences of their journey; and mercies of this kind we ought to acknowledge. Note, Those that follow God's conduct are not only safe but easy. Our feet swell not while we keep in the way of duty; it is the way of transgression that is hard, Pro_13:15. God had promised to keep the feet of his saints, 1Sa_2:9.

JAMISON, "Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years — What a striking miracle was this! No doubt the Israelites might have brought from Egypt more clothes than they wore at their outset; they might also have obtained supplies of various articles of food and raiment in barter with the neighboring tribes for the fleeces and skins of their sheep and goats; and in furnishing them with such opportunities the care of Providence appeared. But the strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (see also Deu_29:5) indicate a special or miraculous interposition of their loving Guardian in preserving them amid the wear and tear of their nomadic life in the desert. Thirdly, Moses expatiated on the goodness of the promised land.

ELLICOTT, "(4) Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee.—The Jewish commentators

say that it grew with their growth, from childhood to manhood. We cannot say that

anything miraculous is certainly intended, though it is not impossible. It may mean

that God in His providence directed them to clothe themselves in a manner suitable to

their journey and their mode of life, just as He taught them how to make and clothe

His own tabernacle with various fabrics and coverings of skin. This tabernacle, which

was God’s dwelling, was (like the Temple) a figure of man. (Comp. Ezekiel 16:10 : “I

clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin.”)

Neither did thy foot swell.—Just as those who were to die in the wilderness could not

live, so those who were to enter Canaan were preserved in health through the journey

thither. It seems allowable to point out the spiritual interpretation of the passage also.

If “the way” that God leads any of His children through this present evil world should

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seem long, and should entail constant need of renewal and cleansing in His sight, He

provides us with “raiment that waxes not old,” in the everlasting righteousness of His

Son, and also in the good works which He prepares for us to walk in—that “fine linen

which is the righteousness of saints.” He also says of those that wait on the Lord that

they shall “walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

PULPIT, "As the manna furnished by God's creative power saved them from hunger,

so by God's providence and care their raiment was marvelously kept from decay, and

they had not to go barefoot from their sandals being worn out. Waxed not old upon

thee; literally, did not fall away, waste away from upon thee. This cannot mean that

such was the abundant supply of raiment to the Israelites in the Arabian desert, that

there was no need for them to wear garments rent and tattered from long use, as they

had large flocks and herds whence a sufficient supply of wool and leather could be

obtained, and there were among them skilled artificers, by whom these could be made

into articles of clothing (Rosenmüller, J. D. Michaelis, etc.). For, as Knobel observes,

"This were something too insignificant beside the miraculous manna; and besides, this

does not lie in the expression, which rather intimates that the clothes upon them were

not worn out nor fell from them in rags, because God gave them a marvelous

durability." At the same time, there is no reason to suppose that the Israelites did not

make use of such supplies as were within their reach for purposes of clothing, any

more than that they lived only on manna during the forty years of their wandering.

Still less need we resort to such fanciful suppositions as that the garments of the

Israelitish children expanded as they grew up, like the shells of snails—which is the

notion of some of the Jewish rabbins, and adopted by some of the Christian Fathers.

Neither did thy foot swell. The verb here is found in only one other passage

(Nehemiah 9:21), where this passage is repeated; and the meaning is doubtful. The

LXX. render here by ἐτυλώθησαν, became callous; but in Nehemiah the rendering

they give is διερράγησαν, were torn, the object torn being, according to the Cod. Vat;

πόδες abbey, their feet, according to the Cod. Alex; τὰ ὑποδήματα affray, their

sandals. In Deuteronomy 29:5, the shoe or sandal is specially mentioned in the same

connection as here. The verb, however, cannot mean tear or torn, neither does it mean

swell; the idea involved is rather that of softening, or , melting or flowing; and the

meaning here seems to be, "Thy foot did not get into a bruised and wounded state"—

which would have been the case had their sandals not been preserved from breaking

or being worn out.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee — The common

interpretation of these words is, that, by a constant miracle, their clothes did not so

much as decay, nor their foot swell, or, as some render it, grow callous, by so long

travelling in hot and stony places. But Le Clerc thinks “it is hardly to be imagined that

Moses, whose principal intention was to record the miracles which God wrought for

the Israelites in the wilderness, should have mentioned this so transiently, and, as it

were, by the by, if it really had been wrought to that extent, especially as it would have

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been one of the greatest of them. For there must indeed have been as many miracles

wrought as there were persons in the camp, and that not only once, but daily, and for

the space of forty years. And if we add to this, that their clothes grew in proportion to

their stature, as in that case they must have done, unless they had more coats than one

apiece, a greater miracle can hardly be conceived. He observes further, that God is

never wont to work miracles unless they be quite necessary; yet here is one of the

greatest miracles without any necessity at all. For, as the Israelites had flocks of sheep

and goats in the wilderness, and certainly were not ignorant of the art of weaving, as

appears from the curious work of the tabernacle, and as nothing hindered them from

trafficking with their Arabian neighbours, it is evident they might have been supplied

with clothes in the common way, either by making or purchasing them. This being the

case, is it not as reasonable to believe that God would have fed the Israelites with

manna, after their settlement in Canaan, as that he would have preserved their clothes

from decay, during their abode in the wilderness, when there was no necessity for

their being thus clothed by a miracle?” He therefore explains Moses’s words thus: Thy

raiment waxed not old — That is, “Providence has been so liberal in supplying your

wants in this desert land, that you have never been under the necessity of letting your

clothes grow old upon your backs, but have always been supplied with new before the

old were worn out. Nor did your feet swell — Namely, for want of shoes to defend

them.” Agreeably to this interpretation, in Deuteronomy 29:5, instead of Thy foot did

not swell, it is, Thy shoe did not wax old upon thy feet; that is, “You were not

reduced, through poverty, to wear shoes till they were grown so old and torn that they

could not defend your feet against tumours, and other inconveniences, arising from

heat and rugged ways.” This interpretation, it must be observed, is not peculiar to Le

Clerc; Spanheim, Burman, Bynæus, Budæus, Calmet, and many others have adopted

it.

COKE, "Ver. 4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, &c.— See Deuteronomy 29:5

and Nehemiah 9:21. Houbigant renders this, tuae vestes non sunt attritae; thy

garments are not worn out, which is preferable to waxed old. With respect to this

matter, we observe, first, that some interpreters, not content to take the words of

Moses in the letter, very much aggrandize the miracle. 1st, The Jewish rabbis tell you,

that their clothes not only were preserved from decay, and their feet from swelling and

growing callous, but that their shoes and clothes still enlarged as their bodies grew

bigger: with a thousand other particulars, too ridiculous to be mentioned. 2nd, The

greater number of critics, ancient and modern, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Osiander,

Bonfrere, Grotius, Marck, Ainsworth, Patrick, &c. take the words of Moses literally:

they find here a double miracle, and, in consequence, a double proof of the paternal

care of Providence over the Israelites in the uncultivated desarts of Arabia. The grand

reason which supports this opinion is, that the preservation of the raiment of the

Israelites is put upon a par with the sending of manna, which was certainly

miraculous; and Moses speaks in the same manner, both of the one and of the other.

Houbigant very strongly urges this reason, and defends this interpretation, opposing

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himself particularly to the opinion of Le Clerc, which is, 3rdly, as follows. He thinks it

is hardly to be imagined, that Moses, whose intention it was to record the miracles

which God wrought for the Israelites in the wilderness, should have mentioned this so

transiently, and, as it were, by the bye, especially when it appears to have been one of

the greatest of them; for there must have been as many miracles wrought as there were

persons in the camp. He observes further, that God never uses to work miracles,

unless they are quite necessary; yet here is one of the greatest miracles without any

necessity at all: for, since it appears from Numb. ch. 7 and 8 that the Israelites had

flocks of sheep and goats in the wilderness, and were not ignorant of the art of

weaving, and as nothing hindered them from trafficking with their Arabian

neighbours, it is evident that they might have been supplied with clothes in the regular

way, either by making or purchasing them: from all which he concludes, that the

words are to be thus understood; thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, i.e.

"Providence has been so liberal in supplying your wants in this desart land, that you

have never been necessitated, through poverty, to let your clothes grow old upon your

backs, but have always been furnished with new, before the old were worn out."

Neither did thy feet swell; i.e. for want of shoes to defend them. Agreeable to this

interpretation, instead of thy foot did not swell, we read in chap. Deuteronomy 29:5

thy shoe did not wax old upon thy foot; i.e. "you were not reduced, through poverty, to

wear shoes till they were grown so old and torn, that they could not defend your feet

against tumors, and other inconveniences arising from heat, and rugged ways." They

who consider the high eastern manner of expression, will more easily approve this

interpretation of Le Clerc, which, indeed, is not peculiar to him; Spanheim, Burman,

Bynaeus, Budaeus, Calmet, and many others have espoused it.

WHEDON, "4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee — Literally, did not fall from

thee. Some of the Jewish interpreters, and some Christian commentators, have held

that by supernatural means provision was made for the durability of the clothing of the

Israelites during the forty years’ wandering. But there seems to be no necessity for

resorting to miraculous provision in this matter. Abundant resources were at their

command. They had flocks and herds. There must have been many skilful workmen

among them, as is seen in the description of the building and adorning of the

tabernacle.

Neither did thy foot swell — The Septuagint has ουκ ελυλωθησαν, did not become

hard or callous. The Hebrew might be rendered either “to swell up” or “to blister.”

The meaning of the verse is, there was no lack of clothing for the body nor of covering

for the feet, all through the long and toilsome journey.

HAWKER, "Was not this a standing miracle, that the garments of the Israelites should

not wear out during forty years? There were no shops for supply in the wilderness.

The people brought with them indeed what clothes they had; but these could not have

remained, had not GOD so miraculously made them last. Exodus 12:34. But will not

the Reader call to mind, in this place, JESUS' care for his people, when he sent them

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out without purse, or scrip, or shoes, and they lacked nothing? Luke 22:35.

TRAPP, 'Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot

swell, these forty years.

Ver. 4. Thy raiment weaved not old.] It was not the worse for wearing, but grew as

their bodies did, as some are of opinion. They needed not to trouble themselves with

those anxious thoughts of heathens, what they should eat, drink, or put on. Never was

prince served and supplied in such state as these Israelites were.

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:2-3

‘And you shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty

years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to prove you, to know what was in

your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. And he did humble

you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, nor

did you fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread

only, but by every thing (or ‘word’) that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh does

man live.’

Obedience to Yahweh’s commandments would be helped by remembering their time

in the wilderness, so as they moved on they were to keep in mind the wilderness

experience. In seeking to observe His commandment it was important that they

remember all the way in which Yahweh their God had led them in the forty years in

the wilderness. They needed to learn its lessons. How He had done this in such a way

as to humble them and bring home to them how they were in fact constantly failing.

How He had done it in order to test out their hearts, to see if in spite of all they would

continue to keep His commandments. How He had done this in order that they might

recognise that whatever they received, it would be from His mouth. It would be as a

result of His promises and His provision. For God’s testings always have a purpose,

even though they might appear bitter at the time. He had tested them because He had

wanted to know what was really in their hearts and had wanted them to look to Him,

and when necessary He had chastened them (Deuteronomy 8:5).

Let them then remember how they had previously been on the very verge of the

promised land, and how it had resulted in forty years in the wilderness. That had been

a huge disappointment. But they should also remember that in His graciousness He

had not totally finished with them then because of their failure. He had stood by them.

He had put them on probation, ready for the achieving of maturity of the next

generation, so that His purposes for them might still go forward. And He had sought

to bring home to them important lessons.

Indeed in their whole experience in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, even before

His judgment on them because of their failure to enter the land, He had been humbling

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them. From the beginning He had allowed them to hunger. And then He had fed them,

not with bread, but with something that neither they nor their fathers had previously

known, the manna, something for which they had had to depend on Him day by day.

They had had to forget what they had done in the past and look to Him for their

provision. They had had to depend daily on what He had promised to give them, what

came ‘from His mouth’. And He had done this in order that they might recognise that

life is not dependent only on bread. They had to learn that bread is not everything. His

purpose was that they might learn that they must receive their provision from His

mouth. They must recognise that all that they had came from Him and resulted from

His promises.

He had wanted them to recognise that it is what Yahweh says and what Yahweh

commands and what Yahweh promises that is the basis of life, so that they might

recognise that obedience to Him is all. His aim was that they learn the vital lesson of

hearing God and trusting Him in all circumstances.

When the manna had been first provided it was said at the time that it would be a test

of their willingness to obey Him (Exodus 16:4). The test lay in the fact that it was to

be a daily provision, so that they were not to hoard it but to wait for it each day from

Yahweh’s hand. They had constantly to look to Him and to trust Him. So were they to

learn the lesson of the wilderness and now wait each day on God in the same way.

There have been a number of suggestions as to what the Manna consisted of. The

sweet juice of the Tarfa which exudes from the tree and forms small white grains has

been suggested, but the quantity required is against this, as are the other descriptions.

The same applies to the honeydew excretions on tamarisk twigs produced by certain

plant lice and scale insects which at night drop from the trees onto the ground where

they remain until the heat of the sun brings out the ants which remove them. In favour

is the fact that the Arabic word for plant lice is ‘man’, equivalent to the Hebrew for

Manna. But these are seasonal and do not fit all the criteria. We are not told whether

the Manna was seasonal or not, although many consider it was permanent in all

seasons.

More pertinently examples have also been cited of an unidentified white substance

which one morning covered a fairly large area of ground in Natal and was eaten by the

natives, and also of falls of whitish, odourless, tasteless matter in Southern Algeria

which, at a time of unusual weather conditions, covered tents and vegetation each

morning. While not being the same as the Manna, or lasting over so long a period,

these do indicate the kind of natural phenomena which God may have used to bring

about His miracle, for it was clearly a time of extremely unusual weather conditions as

demonstrated by the plagues of Egypt. But we must remember that the Manna lasted

for forty years (Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:12), did not arrive on the seventh day, and

continued from the Wilderness of Sin to the entry into Canaan in all manner of

environments. It was God arranged.

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K&D, “Deu_8:4

As the Lord provided for their nourishment, so did He also in a marvellous way for the clothing of His people during these forty years. “Thy garment did not fall of thee

through age, and thy foot did not swell.” ָלה�ָ with ִמן, to fall off from age. ֵצק�ָ only

occurs again in Neh_9:21, where this passage is repeated. The meaning is doubtful.

The word is certainly connected with ֵצק�ָ (dough), and probably signifies to become

soft or to swell, although ֵצק�ָ is�also�used�for�unleavened�dough.�The�Septuagint�rendering�

here�isפץכש́טחףבם�ʆו, to get hard skin; on the other hand, in Neh_9:21, we find the

rendering 1ποδήµατα α9τ:ν ου' διε?@άγησαν, “their sandals were not worn out,” from

the parallel passage in Deu_29:5. These words affirm something more than “clothes and shoes never failed you,” inasmuch as ye always had wool, hides, leather, and other kinds of material in sufficient quantities for clothes and shoes, as not only J. D. Michaelis and others suppose, but Calmet, and even Kurtz. Knobel is quite correct in observing, that “this would be altogether too trivial a matter by the side of the miraculous supply of manna, and moreover that it is not involved in the expression itself, which rather affirms that their clothes did not wear out upon them, or fall in tatters from their backs, because God gave them a miraculous durability” (Luther, Calvin, Baumgarten, Schultz, etc.). At the same time, there is no necessity to follow some of the Rabbins and Justin Martyr (dial. c. Tryph. c. 131), who so magnify the miracle of divine providence, as to maintain not only that the clothes of the Israelites did not get old, but that as the younger generation grew up their clothes also grew upon their backs, like the shells of snails. Nor is it necessary to shut out the different natural resources which the people had at their command for providing clothes and sandals, any more than the gift of manna precluded the use of such ordinary provisions as they were able to procure.

5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines

his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

GILL, "Thou shalt also consider in thine heart,.... Frequently think of, and meditate upon, revolve in their thoughts, well weigh in their minds, and take into thorough and deliberate consideration in their hearts; it being a matter of great moment and importance to them for their peace and comfort and the glory of God, namely, what follows:

that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee; that they stood in the same relation to God as a son to a father, and therefore happy and honourable; that all their afflictions came from God, were appointed, sent, directed, and overruled by him for his own glory and their good; that these were the chastenings and corrections of a father, and were not done in wrath, but in love, and therefore should be patiently endured; and it became them to consider well from

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what hand they came, and in what manner, and for what ends and purposes, how they ought to, “ behave under them, and what they should do, as follows.

HENRY 5-6, "3. They must also remember the rebukes they had been under, Deu_8:5. During these years of their education they had been kept under a strict discipline, and not without need. As a man chasteneth his son, for his good, and because he loves him, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. God is a loving tender Father to all his children, yet when there is occasion they shall feel the smart of the rod. Israel did so: they were chastened that they might not be condemned, chastened with the rod of men. Not as a man wounds and slays his enemies whose destruction he aims at, but as a man chastens his son whose happiness and welfare he designs: so did their God chasten them; he chastened and taught them, Psa_94:12. This they must consider in their heart, that is, they must own it from their own experience that God had corrected them with a fatherly love, for which they must return to him a filial reverence and compliance. Because God has chastened thee as a father, therefore (Deu_8:6) thou shalt keep his commandments. This use we should make of all our afflictions; by them let us be engaged and quickened to our duty. Thus they are directed to look back upon the wilderness.

K&D, “Deu_8:5

In this way Jehovah humbled and tempted His people, that they might learn in their heart, i.e., convince themselves by experience, that their God was educating

them as a father does his son. ִיַ�ר, to admonish, chasten, educate; like παιδεύειν. “It

includes everything belonging to a proper education” (Calvin).

CALVIN, "5.Thou shalt also consider in thine heart. He concludes that in the constant

tenor of God’s acts, from the time the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, His

paternal care for their instruction might be recognised For the word (258) ,יסר yasar, is

taken by some in too restricted a sense for “to chastise,” whereas it comprehends the

whole process of a proper education; as if he had said, that unless they were hereafter

submissive, and disposed to be dutiful, they would be something more than

intractable, since they had been duly taught and kept under the best discipline, and that

God had omitted nothing which could be required from the father of a family. Hence

it follows, that long ago, and by much instruction, they were accustomed to embrace

the teaching of the Law, just as it becomes children to be obedient to their father’s

voice. And this he explains more clearly in the next verse; again concluding, that

therefore they were to observe the Law, and to walk in the commandments of God.

Whereon also we may shortly observe, that the fear of God, as I have already stated

elsewhere, is the foundation of due obedience to the Law. The passage which I have

interwoven from Deuteronomy 11:0 may also be counted among the promises, for

God allures in it His people to obedience by the hope of His blessing; and since the

possession of the land, which was then in sight, is set before them, the words appeared

to me to fit in not badly here; because God had no other intention in this eulogium of

it, but to prepare the minds of the people for keeping the Law.

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ELLICOTT, "(5) As a man chasteneth his son.—This is the foundation of many

similar sayings in Holy Scripture: Proverbs 13:24, “He seeketh chastening for him,”

i.e., seeks it early. All our ideas of training necessarily imply time; it cannot be done

in a moment. But the main point of the illustration is to prove God’s love. “Whom the

Lord loveth, He chasteneth;” else, why should He be at the pains to chasten at all?

WHEDON, "5. As a man chasteneth his son — The word which in our version is

rendered chasteneth is also used in the sense of instruct, educate. In Deuteronomy

4:36, it is translated instruct. This discipline of the wilderness was designed to educate

the people. It was to teach them obedience and trust in Him who was guiding them

and providing for them. It was training them to become a holy and peculiar people

whose God is Jehovah.

PULPIT, "Thus God educated, disciplined, and trained his people as a father does his

child. Chasteneth. The idea is not so much that of punishment or chastisement,

properly so called, as that of severe discipline and training. God made them feel his

hand upon them, but ever for their good; the end of the discipline to which they were

subjected was that they might keep his commandments and walk in his ways, so as to

enjoy his favor (cf. Hebrews 12:5, etc.).

PETT, "Furthermore when they are tested, as they were then and will be, they must

consider in their hearts that just as a man chastens his children for their good, so does

Yahweh chasten them, His children. Here again He emphasises that He is to them as a

father. Remembering the lesson of God’s provision of the manna when all seemed

hopeless, and the chastening that a good father always gives to his children, they

should then be enabled to walk into the future with confidence, even in the face of

adversities.

This is the second clear indication in Deuteronomy that they are His sons and

daughters. Previously He had been pictured as like a father carrying His son on His

shoulders through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:31). Now He is like a father

chastening them for their good. In all this His fatherly care is revealed to His son, His

firstborn (Exodus 4:22). He was depicting Himself as their Father (compare

Deuteronomy 14:1 where he says ‘you are the sons of Yahweh your God’).

PULPIT, "6. There was also chastening (Deuteronomy 8:5). This word includes not only

correction but all that belongs to the training of a child (cf. Hebrews 12:7; 2 Samuel 7:14;

Psalms 89:32; Job 7:17, Job 7:18; Proverbs 3:11, Proverbs 3:12; Revelation 3:19).

III. THERE IS A REASON INDICATED HERE WHY GOD TAKES SO MUCH PAINS TO TEACH THESE

LESSONS. Deuteronomy 8:5, "As a man chasteneth his son." We might well ask, Why should

the Great Supreme do so much to educate into shape such raw and rough natures as ours?

That he should do so at all is, per se, far harder to believe than any apparent variation of the

ordinary course of physical nature. The reason is found in the words, "Ye are sons." Israel

was God's son, even his firstborn. Believers are the adopted children of God; hence the

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greatness of their destiny, and the earnestness of their Leader in training them for it. It may

be said, indeed, by an unbeliever, "I have all these changes in life, but they are not training

me," etc. No, because the one condition is wanting under which all these come to be a

training—sonship. This order is never reversed—rescued, then educated. If men have not

known the first, they cannot understand the second.

IV. IF GOD CARES SO MUCH TO TRAIN, WE SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHAT HIS

TRAINING MEANS. (Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 8:5.) Let us understand what a high

moral and spiritual aim God has in the culture of this life of ours! The life of a man is not a

mere material something, on a physical basis; it is the expression of a plan of God. Then let

us be as anxious to be rightly educated for eternity, as God is so to educate us. Never let us

allow the lower ends of life to master the higher (Deuteronomy 8:6). Ever let us keep the

end of life in view. For eternity we are meant, and for eternity we should live. Some have

life largely in retrospect, even now. Do they not see that the past is explained by the

present? Even so the present will be explained by the future (John 13:7). Let them rejoice

that they have a Father who guides by the way which he sees to be right, and not "according

to their mind." Some have life before them.

1. Let it be the supreme desire to let life become what God wants it to be—a continuous

advance in preparation for heaven. This is of more consequence than all the ease and

comfort in the world.

2. Recognize and praise the kindness of God in giving men these chequered experiences of

life, if they do but educate for higher service. Don't let us wonder if we cannot understand

God's ways at the time. We shall in the end.

3. If we want God to train us for glory—first, we must come out of Egypt. The education

cannot begin in the land of bondage,—we must first be the Lard's free men; then, let us

leave the way and method of the culture entirely to God. If he were to let us choose the

way, what mistakes we should make! Our faith in God even in youth should be such as to

lead us to say, "Father, my supreme desire is to grow like thee, and to live with thee. I know

not by what paths I need to be led, nor through what discipline I need to be brought, to

bring about this end. I leave all in thy gracious hands, desiring that thine infinite wisdom and

love should order all things for me. Here I am. Take me as I am, all guilty and defiled. Make

me what I should be; and if by thy grace I am ripened for and led to Canaan, then will I sing,

'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, to him which sitteth upon the throne, and to the

Lamb, forever and ever!'"

6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God,

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walking in obedience to him and revering him.

GILL, "Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God,.... Not only because they are the commands of God, and of a covenant God and Father, which are reasons sufficient for the observance of them; but because the Lord had dealt so bountifully with them, in providing food and raiment for them in the wilderness, which always continued with them; and because, when he afflicted them, it was a fatherly chastisement, with great tenderness and compassion, and for their good; all which laid them under obligations to keep the commands of God, whatsoever he had enjoined them, whether of the moral, ceremonial, or judicial kind:

to walk in his ways, and to fear him; to walk in the ways he directed, to be under an awe of his majesty, a fear of offending him, and a reverential affection for him, such as children have to a father.

HENRY, "Because God has chastened thee as a father, therefore (Deu_8:6) thou shalt keep his commandments. This use we should make of all our afflictions; by them let us be engaged and quickened to our duty. Thus they are directed to look back upon the wilderness.

COFFMAN, "The picture here is that of an agricultural Paradise loaded with every

good and delightful thing. There is hardly any use to comment on the various products

mentioned here, since most of them have been the staples of human consumption for

ages. One surprising entry is "pomegranates," but Clarke explained this on the basis

that the fruit "is very valuable in the Middle East, especially for its aid in making

cooling drinks, much as we use lemons."[15]

"Copper ..." (Deuteronomy 8:9). In the old versions, this is rendered brass. "Brass was

the old name for copper; the alloy known as brass "was unknown in that time."[16]

The Bible has no account of Jews working mines in Canaan, but, "The writer of the

Book of Job was acquainted with mining operations, and gives a graphic description

of the process in Deuteronomy 28."[17]

"Thou shalt eat and be full ..." (Deuteronomy 8:10). This description of the anticipated

life for Israel in the promised land makes it clear enough, as Cousins said, "That

negative puritanism had no place in the Biblical view of the righteous life."[18]

7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a

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good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep

springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;

BARNES 7-9, "See Exo_3:8 note, and the contrast expressed in Deu_11:10-11, between Palestine and Egypt.

The physical characteristics and advantages of a country like Palestine must have been quite strange to Israel at the time Moses was speaking: compare Deu_3:25 note. To have praised the fertility and excellence of the promised land at an earlier period would have increased the murmurings and impatience of the people at being detained in the wilderness: whereas now it encouraged them to encounter with more cheerfulness the opposition that they would meet from the inhabitants of Canaan.

GILL, "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land,.... The land of Canaan, abounding with good things after enumerated, a land flowing with milk and honey, having in it plenty of everything both for convenience and delight; which is another reason why they were under obligations to serve the Lord, to walk in his ways and keep his commandments:

a land of brooks of water; rivers and torrents, such as Jordan, Jabbok, Kishon, Kidron, Cherith, and others:

of fountains; as Siloam, Gihon, Etam, the baths of Tiberias, and others:

and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; deep waters, caverns, wells, and lakes, which had their rise from such places, of which there were many. With this agrees the account of it by our countrymen, Mr. Sandys (g), as it was in the beginning of the last century; that it was adorned with beautiful mountains and luxurious valleys, the rocks producing excellent waters, and no part empty of delight or profit.

HENRY, "II. He directs them to look forward to Canaan, into which God was now bringing them. Look which way we will, both our reviews and our prospects will furnish us with arguments for obedience. Observe,

1. The land which they were now going to take possession of is here described to be a very good land, having every thing in it that was desirable, Deu_8:7-9. (1.) It was well-watered, like Eden, the garden of the Lord. It was a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, which contributed to the fruitfulness of the soil. Perhaps there was a greater plenty of water there now than in Abraham's time, the Canaanites having found and digged wells; so that Israel reaped the fruit of their industry as well as of God's bounty. (2.) The ground produced great plenty of all good things, not only for the necessary support, but for the convenience and comfort of human life. In their fathers' land they had bread enough; it was corn land, a land of wheat and barley, where, with the common care and labour of the husbandman, they might eat bread without scarceness. It was a fruitful land, that was never turned into barrenness but for the iniquity of those that dwelt therein. They had not only water enough to quench their thirst, but vines, the fruit whereof was ordained to make glad the heart. And, if they were desirous of dainties, they needed not to send to far countries for

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them, when their own was so well stocked with fig-trees, and pomegranates, olives of the best kind, and honey, or date-trees, as some think it should be read. (3.) Even the bowels of its earth were very rich, though it should seem that silver and gold they had none; of these the princes of Sheba should bring presents (Psa_72:10, Psa_72:15); yet they had plenty of those more serviceable metals, iron and brass. Iron-stone and mines of brass were found in their hills. See Job_28:2.

2. These things are mentioned, (1.) To show the great difference between that wilderness through which God had led them and the good land into which he was bringing them. Note, Those that bear the inconveniences of an afflicted state with patience and submission, are humbled by them and prove well under them, are best prepared for better circumstances. (2.) To show what obligations they lay under to keep God's commandments, both in gratitude for his favours to them and from a regard to their own interest, that the favours might be continued. The only way to keep possession of this good land would be to keep in the way of their duty. (3.) To show what a figure it was of good things to come. Whatever others saw, it is probable that Moses in it saw a type of the better country: The gospel church is the New Testament Canaan, watered with the Spirit in his gifts and graces, planted with the trees of righteousness, bearing the fruits of righteousness. Heaven is the good land, in which there is nothing wanting, and where there is a fulness of joy.

JAMISON, "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land — All accounts, ancient and modern, concur in bearing testimony to the natural beauty and fertility of Palestine, and its great capabilities if properly cultivated.

a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills — These characteristic features are mentioned first, as they would be most striking; and all travelers describe how delightful and cheerful it is, after passing through the barren and thirsty desert, to be among running brooks and swelling hills and verdant valleys. It is observable that water is mentioned as the chief source of its ancient fertility.

CALVIN, "7.For the Lord thy God. We may shortly sum up the words and the matter.

He almost sets before their eyes a habitation full of wealth and various advantages, in

order that they there may worship God more cheerfully, and study to repay by their

gratitude so signal a benefit. In chapter 8 he commends the goodness of the land,

because it is watered by the streams which flow through its valleys and mountains,

and because it produces all kinds of fruits to supply them with nourishment; and not

only so, but because it contains also mines of iron and brass. In chapter 11 he

expresses the same thing more plainly and in greater detail, by the addition of a

comparison with the land of Egypt; the fruitfulness of which, although it is marvellous

from the yearly inundation of the Nile, and is renowned as an extraordinary miracle,

yet requires much labor and cultivation, since it is irrigated by means of drains by the

hand and industry of men. But the land of Canaan depends on God’s blessing, and

waits for the rain from heaven. Moreover Moses extols in glowing words the peculiar

privilege of the land, saying, that it is ever looked upon by God, in order that, on their

part, the Israelites might attentively, and constantly also, look to Him. For this is the

force of the words, “always, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the

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year;” as if he had said, that they would be ungrateful to God, unless they constantly

and zealously directed their regards to Him, since He never ceased daily to look on

them. It is true, indeed, that there is no corner of the earth which does not experience

God’s blessing, witness the fact that the Nile fertilizes the whole of Egypt; but,

because that only happens once a year, and since its waters are conducted hither and

thither by drains artificially made by man, Moses, therefore, not improperly makes it

the ground of his exhortation that they should constantly give themselves to

meditation on the Law; for not only at a particular season of the year, but almost at

every moment, their necessity would compel them to ask for God’s aid, when they

saw that the land was ever requiring from Him the remedy of its dryness. The question

however arises, how Moses could declare in such magnificent terms the richness of

the land of Canaan, when now-a-days it is scarcely counted among those that are

fertile; and thus (262) the ungodly wantonly deride him, since all whom business or

any other cause have taken there contradict his encomiums. Yet I do not doubt that it

was always distinguished by the abundance of its various fruits, as we shall presently

see in its proper place, where its fertility was proved by the bunch of grapes; but, at

the same time, it is to be observed that its abundance was increased in a new and

unwonted manner by the arrival of the people, that God might shew that He had

blessed that country above all others for the liberal supply of His children. As long,

therefore, as that land was granted as the inheritance of the race of Abraham, it was

remarkable for that fertility which God had promised by Moses. But now, so far from

wondering that it is to a great extent desert and barren, we ought rather to be surprised

that some small vestiges of its ancient fruitfulness exist; since what God Himself had

so often threatened against it must needs be fulfilled. The barrenness, therefore, of the

land as it now appears, instead of derogating from the testimony of Moses, rather

gives ocular demonstration of the judgment of God, which, as we shall see elsewhere,

was denounced against it. In sum, as God for His people’s sake still further enriched a

land already fruitful, so, for the punishment of the sins of this same people, He sowed

it with salt, that it might afford a sad spectacle of His curse.

ELLICOTT, "(7) For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land.—The

description in this and the following verses is most attractive; but it is a long time

since any one has seen Palestine in that condition. Its desolation, no less than its

beauty, is a proof of the truth of the Divine word.

Of fountains and depths that spring out.—Rather, that go forth in the valley and on the

hill. The watercourse down the mountain-side, and the deep lake or still pool below,

are both described here.

HAWKER, "Verses 7-9

There was a striking contrast to Israel, considered only in a natural sense, between the

land of Canaan and the wilderness. But take it in a gospel sense, and how is the

description heightened! The law was a shadow of good things to come: And therefore

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the goodly land, to which JESUS brings his people, is a land not simply of brooks of

water, but there is a river proceeding out of the throne of GOD and the LAMB, the

streams thereof make glad the city of our GOD. It is watered with the gifts and graces

of the SPIRIT. It hath the bread of life, which is JESUS. And it hath all the fruits of

JESUS'S righteousness, which the delicious pomegranates and other fruits of Canaan

represented. And all the ordinances of the gospel church, like the bowels of the earth,

bring forth what is far more precious than gold that perisheth.

CONSTABLE, "Verses 7-20

Moses applied the lesson to Israel's future in this section. When the people settled in

the land and experienced God's blessing of material wealth, they would face

temptation to think they were responsible for it rather than God (Deuteronomy 8:17).

The prophylactic to this spiritual delusion was to remember what God had taught

them in the past. It had been He, not themselves, that had been responsible for their

prosperity. [Note: See Eugene H. Merrill, "Remembering: A Central Theme in

Biblical Worship," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43:1 (March

2000):27-36.]

"'To remember' means literally to re-member the body, to bring the separated parts of

the community of truth back together, to reunite the whole. The opposite of re-

member is not forget, but dis-member." [Note: A. J. Heschel, Man Is Not Alone, p.

61.]

As God's people move toward the realization of the inheritance that He has promised

us, we need to remember His faithful provision in the past. If we do not remember, we

may turn aside and stop following Him faithfully in the present. Failure to remember

and follow faithfully will result in God's punishment in the future (cf. 1 Corinthians

3:12-15).

"Always remember to forget

The troubles that passed your way,

But never forget to remember

The blessings that come each day." [Note: Anonymous.]

This section has great application value for Christians who enjoy material prosperity.

God clearly revealed the essence of pride and humility here as well as the way to

maintain a realistic outlook on material blessings.

WHEDON, "7, 8. A good land — In these verses Moses contrasts the sterility of the

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almost waterless desert with the fertility of the land they are soon to possess. They are

to have a land of brooks and fountains. At Banias, the Caesarea Philippi of the New

Testament, are rivulets so deep and so abundant in supply of water that they form one

of the chief sources of the Jordan. This river, extending from the northern boundary to

the Dead Sea, with the lakes through which it flows — Merom and Gennesaret —

forms one of the most marked features of the land. “Beautiful springs, characteristic of

the whole valley of the Jordan, are unusually numerous and copious along the western

shore of the lake,” (Gennesaret.) — STANLEY, Sinai and Palestine, p. 374.

Vines — Palestine was noted for the products of the vineyard. Comparatively little

wine is now made, as the Mohammedans are forbidden to use it. But the vine is still

extensively cultivated in the southern part of Palestine. The traveler sees many fruitful

vineyards in the neighbourhood of Hebron.

9. Out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass — Instead of brass the translation should

read copper. In Lebanon on the north, and in the mountains of Edom on the southeast,

there were mines of copper. On the east of the Jordan are ancient worked-out iron

mines. Comp. Delitzsch on Job, vol. ii, p. 91. The Jews apparently did not engage in

mining to any extent.

PETT, "Verses 7-10

Yahweh Purposes To Make Wonderful Provision For Them (Deuteronomy 8:7-10).

In these verses we have a glowing picture of all the good things which Yahweh has

ahead for His covenant people.

Analysis in the words of Moses:

a For Yahweh your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of wadis of

water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills (Deuteronomy 8:7).

b A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land

of olive-trees and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarceness. You

shall not lack anything in it (Deuteronomy 8:8-9 a).

b A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper, and

you shall eat and be full (Deuteronomy 8:9-10 a).

a And you will bless Yahweh your God for the good land which He has given

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you (Deuteronomy 8:10 b)

Note that in ‘a’ Yahweh their God is bringing them into a good land, and in the

parallel they will bless Yahweh their God for the good land which He has given them.

In ‘b’ it is a land in which they will eat bread without scarceness and not lack anything

and in the parallel it is a land in which they will eat and be full. The idea is

presumably that the iron and copper will make them wealthy and thus able to buy even

more food.

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:7-9

‘For Yahweh your God is bringing you into a good land,

A land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs,

Flowing forth in valleys and hills,

A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates;

A land of olive-trees and honey;

A land in which you will eat bread without scarceness,

You shall not lack anything in it,

A land whose stones are iron,

And out of whose hills you may dig copper.’

For God’s intentions were good. Let them recognise what kind of a land it is that

Yahweh is leading them into. It is in complete contrast with the wilderness that they

have known for so long. It is a good land. It is a land of wadis (streams produced by

plenteous rain) of water, made full by refreshing rain, a land of gushers and springs

flowing forth in its valleys and hills, it is a land of wheat and barley, and vines, and fig

trees and pomegranates. It is a land of olive tress and honey. It is a land of bread

without shortage, so that they will lack nothing in it.

Moreover it is a land ‘whose stones are iron’. This indicates a plentiful supply of

meteorites from which men had always been able to obtain useful iron. To come

across a meteorite was considered a boon. Metorites were always seen as one of God’s

special gifts. They came from heaven to provide, with their fused iron content, a

useful material to men. And from the hills of the land they will be able to dig copper.

Copper mining had been know for over a thousand years before this time, being well

attested elsewhere. So every provision is there. They will go short of nothing, and they

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will have valuable metals to trade..

Water was the thing above all others that ancient man gloried in for it was the very

basis of life. It was essential both for drinking and for growing food. Agricultural

abundance was also necessary, for it provided full bellies for all. And recent

excavations in the Arabah have revealed copper mines and smelting equipment there,

while surveys have demonstrated the abundance of veins of copper ores in the hills.

These were necessary for the provision of everyday utensils. Such a description of the

assets of a land were often included in covenants to demonstrate how good the

suzerain was being to his subjects.

But this was not a time when iron was in regular use in most places. The ‘land whose

stones are iron’ must therefore probably have in mind meteorites which had landed

and which were seen as a special treasure to man, for from the most ancient times they

could provide easily usable iron for men to make use of (Genesis 4:22). The way it is

described confirms this. It came ‘from stones’.

Alternately it may have been a way of stressing the amazing goodness of the land. Iron

was a rare material whose secrets were mainly only known to the Hittites, and which

everyone dreamed of being able to possess. The idea in Moses’ mind may have been

that the land would be so good that they would even find iron there in such a form that

they did not need the secrets of the Hittites, and thus they would be independent of the

Hittites, which in those days would be like finding large supplies of oil would be for

many countries today. In the event, of course, as God knew, iron was there, but they

would only be able to benefit from it for themselves when they did learn the secrets of

producing and working iron, although they could still have traded the iron ore.

This may be another example of a poem or song which was popular in the camp to

keep their spirits up, taken up and used by Moses as they chanted it along with his

speech (compare Deuteronomy 6:11).

PULPIT, 'Deuteronomy 8:7, Deuteronomy 8:8

Brooks of water, running streams, mountain torrents, and watercourses in the narrow

valleys or wadys; fountains, perennial springs; depths, "the fathomless pools from

which such streams as the Abana (now Barada), near Damascus, spring up full-grown

rivers, almost as broad at their sources as at their mouths", or this may include also the

inland seas or lakes, such as the sea of Galileo and Lake Haleh. Palestine is in the

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present day, on the whole, well supplied with water, though the distribution is very

unequal, many parts being almost wholly destitute of supply, except from what may

be collected from rain in tanks or cisterns; and there is no reason to suppose it was

different in the ancient times. As compared, however, with the desert to which the

Israelites had been so long accustomed, and even with Egypt from which they had

escaped, the country on which they were about to enter was well watered.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:7-10

The duty of thankfulness for the bounty of God in nature.

The people of Israel were being led by the Lord their God to a land beautiful, luxuriant,

fruitful. (For an account of the productions of Palestine, of the fertility of its soil, and of the

treasures hidden in its hills, see works by Kitto, Stanley, Wilson, Thomson, and others; as

well as Bible dictionaries and Cyclopedias, under the several headings.) Evidently, at the

time Moses uttered the words before us, the people had not reached that land; though they

were expecting shortly to do so. In view thereof, Moses bids them (Deuteronomy 8:10)

bless the Lord their God for the good land he had given them. Hence our subject: "the duty

of recognizing the hand of God in the bounties of nature, and of thankfulness for the use of

them."

I. THERE IS A MARVELLOUS ADAPTATION IN EXTERNAL NATURE TO THE CONSTITUTION AND

WARTS OF MAN. (Each of the varied terms used in Deuteronomy 8:7-9 will afford vast scope

for the expansion of this thought. And the wider the range of knowledge, the greater delight

will such expansion afford to one who longs to make others see the variety of the Divine

goodness.) What a vast and prolonged preparation must there have been to fit this world

for the use of those who should hereafter dwell upon it! And then, when all is ready, man,

the crown of God's earthly creation, comes last upon the scene, with "all things put under

his feet."

BI 7-9, “The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land.

The land of promise

We will first take the central picture which is presented to us, and we shall then notice the neighbouring thoughts held up to us. “The Lord bringeth thee into a good land.” These words were uttered, as you know, to a number of people who had never seen anything but the wilderness. They had not an actual knowledge, but they had only heard by description, by their fathers’ memory lingering upon what they had once enjoyed, and talking of them to their children. And their children had grown up in the desert and wondered what those nations could be of which they had heard their fathers speak. These words would seem to be a description which was intended to convey a contrast between Egypt and the land of promise. The feeling that lingered still upon their minds as to what Egypt was would render the contrast stronger still in their own minds. “The land whither thou goest in to possess it is not as the land of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed and wateredst it with thy foot. But the land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys, and is watered by the rain from heaven.” Some think this is a figure of speech intended to represent human labour, that the country had to be watered by labour, physical

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exertion; others seem to think it may be literal, and intended to apply to the way either in which by mechanism or by the use of the foot the water was raised to an elevation; or as, perhaps, very likely, afterwards it was spread abroad over the land in little streams; a man could just walk from place to place and with his foot let it out into different streams. In the land of promise, instead of there being any process of human labour, or any contrivances of the kind—“The land to which ye go,” said the prophet, “shall be watered by the rain from heaven.” It shall come down upon it like a gift from God. For in Egypt there was no rain—and in the wilderness nothing but sand, nothing but desert. There is also the suggestion, you know, of green hills. Egypt was very flat, but this was a land of hills and valleys, of valleys and hills. “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees”—the staff of life, all that is necessary for support. And what is given for enjoyment—luxury? “A land of oil olive, and honey. A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness.” They had been living on manna, and their souls loathed this light bread. They were to have bread without scarcity—“Thou shalt not lack anything in it. A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.” This was a fine picture set before these people—setting forth the love of God to them, His Divine purposes, His Fatherly protection, and exciting them to devotion to His will. The surrounding words also suggest a grand idea. The idea is that of obedience, at all times and under all circumstances. In the desert, in the city, whatever be your circumstances or your needs, God’s law is to be recognised. He is lord over all. God hath made the earth, and placed man upon it, and hath given him everything richly to enjoy. And so he presents a picture of discipline with the enjoyment of abundance. There is the suggestion of preparatory discipline, in order that a man may be fitted for the right appreciation and right use of these sources of physical enjoyment. God gives you all things richly to enjoy, and you may enjoy them; but there can be nothing in the present world and in the present condition of our nature—there can be nothing without peril and moral danger. There is danger in the desert surrounded by sterility and want; and there is danger in abundance, surrounded with wheat and barley and vines and olives, and all these luxuries. God had led them through scenes of preparatory discipline; He had given them a taste of sorrow; He had disciplined their souls by labour and by want; He had tested them that it might be seen what was in their hearts. There was moral danger and peril. The great truth which the whole discipline was intended to impress upon their souls was this, that man does not live by bread alone. Of far more importance is the attainment of the higher and diviner life than to attend merely to the physical life. It is better to die through absolute starvation and want than to supply those wants by anything which would be a violation of the Divine law. And there is set forth the warning—warning them of the danger and the peril which they had to encounter—“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments and His statutes, which I command thee this day,” under the circumstances in which thou art placed, surrounded by abundance, “Lest when thou hast eaten and art full,” etc. How prone is man to forget God, and then to sink into worldliness! Oh, what a fall is there! The Great Being excluded from his thoughts, and the poor inflated heart filled with its own image, and the man thinking about himself. Forgetting God, who had done everything in him and for him, then looking upon God’s gifts and their very magnitude and number, hiding God, concealing the Giver, and man tempted to say, “My own power and my skill have gotten me all this.” In a certain sense you exercise skill, but God gave you the power. It is through Him everything is done. Thus our religion in all things takes us from ourselves and throws us back upon God. Then comes the last thought of all, which is the prophetic denunciation, “It shall be if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” God loved your fathers, and loves you, and He selected you for a great mission, has told you

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what to do in the world, He sets before you the course you are to pursue; but if the heart be not with Him, if you forget Him and disobey Him, ye shall likewise perish, in spite of God’s love to your fathers and His love to you and your children—ye shall utterly perish; He will find others to do the work, that will not stand still. I merely throw out these few thoughts to guide you. There are principles embodied here of a general and universal application to individuals and nations. In the reading of the Bible you have the law of Divine government set forth. You not only hear God saying to an individual or to a nation, “At a particular time so and so shall be,” but in consequence of having the whole, history of the other nations spread out before you, you can see the actual workings out of the law in history, and character, and fortunes of the individual or nation. Now, if you read the Bible so, then I take it there are great moral principles in this chapter, which it would be very easy to dwell upon in relation to individuals and nations; it is God’s way in the education of most of us. Men sometimes have a great deal to bear in their youth. We have seen men go through very severe self-denial, hard work and little enjoyment, harsh words and disappointment. Oh, the youthful heart, and the heart of early manhood—how very often does God school it, and set it a tremendously hard lesson! It is to discipline it. And how very often do we see this very process succeeding, producing submission, peace, industry, integrity—these are the virtues which spring out of discipline and suffering, and they have their reward. Then there comes the fruit of the reward: in the middle life of the man you may see, in consequence of the preparatory discipline, the fruit of it springing up—the man surrounded with riches and affluence and possessions, and you see him in the land, which is not like the land of Egypt, the land of his youth, where he had to labour and suffer; no, he has his wheat and his barley and vines and olive oil and pomegranates, and all things about him like the good land. Then comes the rest. Then we shall see what is in the man. Ay, and how very often do we see that man forget the rock out of which he was hewn, and the pit from which he was digged—the discipline and the ways through which God led him, ay, and the lesson, the very lesson which he learned. When he was little in his own eyes, and had little of the appliances of luxury about him, he had his mind filled with what was Divine. And now he has fallen upon the lap of earth, and it is very pleasant to the flesh to lie down and enjoy; the wings of his spirit are clipped, and he has fallen down into the mire; the man becomes sensual and worldly, his heavenly aspirations have departed, he has forgotten God, and is filled with worldliness. Sometimes God comes down upon such a man and blasts him. He was like a bay tree, and in a moment he is not. We look, and behold he cannot be found. Or he may live on and on, but he shall not be what he was; he is doing nothing for God or man; all his Divine aspirations are dead, and he dies, and his name is forgotten. Nobody has anything to remember of him, but perhaps the few to whom his property comes, which comes with a curse rather than a blessing. But in the other case, where the individual remembers the discipline, the lesson, and the hard history through which he passed when he was rising up and struggling nobly with circumstances, and then when his position changes the man’s inward and better life keeps up, and all things are kept in their proper subordination, and used for God. When men hear of his prosperity they bless and thank God; his righteousness endureth forever, and his name is held in everlasting remembrance; he has the blessings in relation to this world and that which is to come, and he dies amid the benedictions of his children and the blessings of society. These principles have to do with you. Are there young men here who sometimes think their lot is hard, and perhaps it is; their lot may be very hard; they may be placed in circumstances and pressed by duties that may be hard to bear; but still, it may be and it is God, it is God teaching you, it is God disciplining yon, and if you will accept this teaching Chat is the great secret—accept it, take it lovingly, and then half the difficulty is gone. If affliction or toil through God’s providence should

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come upon you, accept it cheerfully, and then only half the burden falls upon you. It is only half what it was as soon as you lovingly accept it and say, “I take it, and will make the best of it; I will by Thy strength, bear it like a man.” And so now, if there are many young men here who have to endure a great many hardships, look up to your Father and bear it bravely; seek for God’s strength, and depend upon it that this very hardness and the discipline through which you are passing now is a sort of wilderness, a desert which will lead you to the good land. Only, take care to remember the lesson that you are learning now; in whatever circumstances you may hereafter be placed do not forget God. (T. Binney.)

K&D, “The Israelites were to continue mindful of this paternal discipline on the part of their God, when the Lord should bring them into the good land of Canaan. This land Moses describes in Deu_8:8, Deu_8:9, in contrast with the dry unfruitful desert, as a well-watered and very fruitful land, which yielded abundance of support

to its inhabitants; a land of water-brooks, fountains, and floods (הּומּותKְ, see Gen_1:2),

which had their source (took their rise) in valleys and on mountains; a land of wheat and barley, of the vine, fig, and pomegranate, and full of oil and honey (see at Exo_3:8); lastly, a land “in which thou shalt not eat (support thyself) in scarcity, and shalt not be in want of anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose mountains thou hewest brass.” The stones are iron, i.e., ferruginous. This statement is confirmed by modern travellers, although the Israelites did not carry on mining, and do not appear to have obtained either iron or brass from their own land. The iron and brass of which David collected such quantities for the building of the temple (1Ch_22:3, 1Ch_22:14), he procured from Betach and Berotai (2Sa_8:8), or Tibchatand Kun (1Ch_18:8), towns of Hadadezer, that is to say, from Syria. According to Eze_27:19, however, the Danites brought iron-work to the market of Tyre. Not only do the springs near Tiberias contain iron (v. Schubert, R. iii. p. 239), whilst the soil at Hasbeya and the springs in the neighbourhood are also strongly impregnated with iron (Burckhardt, Syrien, p. 83), but in the southern mountains as well there are probably strata of iron between Jerusalem and Jericho (Russegger, R. iii. p. 250). But Lebanon especially abounds in iron-stone; iron mines and smelting furnaces being found there in many places (Volney, Travels; Burckhardt, p. 73; Seetzen, i. pp. 145, 187ff., 237ff.). The basalt also, which occurs in great masses in northern Canaan by the side of the limestone, from the plain of Jezreel onwards (Robinson, iii. p. 313), and is very predominant in Bashan, is a ferruginous stone. Traces of extinct copper-works are also found upon Lebanon (Volney, Travels; Ritter's Erdkunde, xvii. p. 1063).

8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees,

pomegranates, olive oil and honey;

BARNES, "Deu_8:8

Vines - The abundance of wine in Syria and Palestine is dwelt upon in the

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Egyptian records of the campaigns of Thotmosis III. Only a little wine is produced in Egypt itself. The production of wine has in later times gradually ceased in Palestine (circa 1880’s).

CLARKE, "A land of wheat, etc. - On the subject of this verse I shall introduce the following remarks, which I find in Mr. Harmer’s Observations on the Fertility of the Land of Judea, vol. iii., p. 243.

“Hasselquist tells us that he ate olives at Joppa (upon his first arrival in the Holy Land) which were said to grow on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem; and that, independently of their oiliness, they were of the best kind he had tasted in the Levant. As olives are frequently eaten in their repasts, the delicacy of this fruit in Judea ought not to be forgotten; and the oil that is gotten from these trees much less, because still more often made use of. In the progress of his journey he found several fine vales, abounding with olive trees. He saw also olive trees in Galilee; but none farther, he says, than the mountain where it is supposed our Lord preached his sermon.

“The fig trees in the neighborhood of Joppa, Hasselquist goes on to inform us, were as beautiful as any he had seen in the Levant.

“The reason why pomegranates are distinctly mentioned, in this description of the productions of the land of promise, may be their great usefulness in forming cooling drinks, for they are used among the Asiatics nearly in the same way that we use lemons; see vol. ii., 145.

“Honey is used in large quantities in these countries; and Egypt was celebrated for the assiduous care with which the people there managed their bees. Maillet’s account of it is very amusing. ‘There are,’ says he, ‘abundance of bees in that country; and a singular manner of feeding them, introduced by the Egyptians of ancient times, still continues there. Towards the end of October, when the Nile, upon its decrease, gives the peasants an opportunity of sowing the lands, sainfoin is one of the first things sown, and one of the most profitable. As the Upper Egypt is hotter than the Lower, and the inundation there goes sooner off the lands, the sainfoin appears there first. The knowledge they have of this causes them to send their bee-hives from all parts of Egypt, that the bees may enjoy, as soon as may be, the richness of the flowers, which grow in this part of the country sooner than in any other district of the kingdom. The hives, upon their arrival at the farther end of Egypt, are placed one upon another in the form of pyramids, in boats prepared for their reception, after having been numbered by the people who place them in the boats. The bees feed in the fields there for some days; afterwards, when it is believed they have nearly collected the honey and wax, which were to be found for two or three leagues round, they cause the boats to go down the stream, two or three leagues lower, and leave them there, in like manner, such a proportion of time as they think to be necessary for the gathering up the riches of that canton. At length, about the beginning of February, after having gone the whole length of Egypt, they arrive at the sea, from whence they are conducted, each of them, to their usual place of abode; for they take care to set down exactly, in a register, each district from whence the hives were carried in the beginning of the season, their number and the names of the persons that sent them, as well as the number of the boats, where they are ranged according to the places they are brought from. What is astonishing in this affair is, that with the greatest fidelity of memory that can be imagined, each bee finds its own hive, and never makes any mistake. That which is still more amazing to me is, that the Egyptians of old should be so attentive to all the advantages deducible from the situation of their country; that after having observed that all things came to maturity sooner in Upper

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Egypt, and much later in Lower, which made a difference of above six weeks between the two extremities of their country, they thought of collecting the wax and the honey so as to lose none of them, and hit upon this ingenious method of making the bees do it successively, according to the blossoming of the flowers, and the arrangement of nature.’”

If this solicitude were as ancient as the dwelling of Israel in Egypt, they must have been anxious to know whether honey, about which they took such care in Egypt, was plentiful in the land of promise; and they must have been pleased to have been assured it was. It continues to be produced there in large quantities: Hasselquist, in the progress of his journey from Acra to Nazareth, tells us that he found “great numbers of bees, bred thereabouts, to the great advantage of the inhabitants.” He adds, “they make their bee-hives, with little trouble, of clay, four feet long, and half a foot in diameter, as in Egypt. They lay ten or twelve of them, one on another, on the bare ground, and build over every ten a little roof.” Mr. Maundrell, observing also many bees in the Holy Land, takes notice that by their means the most barren places in other respects of that country become useful, perceiving in many places of the great salt plain near Jericho a smell of honey and wax as strong as if he had been in an apiary.

By Hasselquist’s account it appears, that the present inhabitants of Palestine are not strangers to the use of hives. They are constructed of very different materials from ours, but just the same with the Egyptian hives. They seem to be an ancient contrivance; and indeed so simple an invention must be supposed to be as old as the days of Moses, when arts, as appears from his writings, of a much more elevated nature were known in Egypt. I cannot then well persuade myself to adopt the opinion of some of the learned, that those words of Moses, in Deu_32:13, He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil cut of the flinty rock, are to be understood of his causing Israel to dwell in a country where sometimes they might find honey-comb in holes of the rock. It is very possible that in that hot country these insects, when not taken due care of, may get into hollow places of the rocks, and form combs there, as they sometimes construct them in ours in hollow trees, though I do not remember to have met with any traveler that has made such an observation. But would this have been mentioned with so much triumph by Moses in this place? The quantities of honey produced after this manner could be but small, compared with what would be collected in hives properly managed; when found, it must often cost a great deal of pains to get the honey out of these little cavities in the hard stone, and much the greatest part must be absolutely lost to the inhabitants. The interpretation is the more strange, because when it is said in the next clause, “and oil out of the flinty rock,” it is evidently meant that they should have oil produced in abundance by olive trees growing on flinty rocks; and consequently, the sucking honey out of the rock should only mean their enjoying great quantities of honey, produced by bees that collected it from flowers growing among the rocks: the rocky mountains of this country, it is well known, produce an abundance of aromatic plants proper for the purpose. Nor does Asaph, in the close of the eighty-first Psalm, speak, I apprehend, of honey found in cavities of rocks; nor yet is he there describing it as collected from the odoriferous plants that grow in the rocky hills of those countries, if the reading of our present Hebrew copies be right: but the prophet tells Israel that, had they been obedient, God would have fed them with the fat of wheat, and with the rock of honey would he have satisfied them, that is, with the most delicious wheat, and with the richest, most invigorating honey, in large quantities, both for eating and making agreeable drink. Its reviving, strengthening quality appears in the story of Jonathan, Saul’s son, 1Sa_14:27; as the using the term rock to signify strength, etc., appears in a multitude of places. The rock of a sword, Psa_89:43, for the edge of the sword, in which its energy lies, is, perhaps, as strange an expression to western ears.

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I shall have occasion to speak of the excellence of the grapes of Judea in a succeeding chapter; I may therefore be excused from pursuing the farther examination of the productions of this country, upon giving my reader a remark of Dr. Shaw’s to this purpose, that it is impossible for pulse, wheat, or grain of any kind, to be richer or better tasted than what is sold at Jerusalem. Only it may not be amiss

to add, with respect to this country’s being well watered, that the depth, תהם tehom,

spoken of in this passage, seems to mean reservoirs of water filled by the rains of

winter, and of great use to make their lands fertile; as the second word תעלתיה

tealotheiha seems to mean wells, or some such sort of conveniences, supplied by

springs, and the first word; נהרתיה naharotheiha rivers or running streams, whether

carrying a larger or smaller body of water. What an important part of this pleasing description, especially in the ears of those that had wandered near forty years in a most dry and parched wilderness! I will only add, without entering into particulars, that the present face of the country answers this description.

GILL, "A land of wheat and barley,.... There were two harvests in it, one a barley harvest, which began at the passover, and the other a wheat harvest, which began at Pentecost: instances of the great plenty of these might be observed in the vast quantities consumed in the times of Solomon, in his household, and in the yearly distribution he made to Hiram, 1Ki_4:22, yea, there was such plenty of wheat in this land, that it not only supplied the inhabitants of it, but even furnished other countries with it; with this the merchants of Israel and Judah traded at the market of Tyre, Eze_27:17. According to the Jewish writers, the best fine wheat flour was at Mechumas and Mezonichah, and the next to them was Chephraim, or Ephraim, in the valley (h):

and vines; with which this land abounded everywhere; the places most noted were Lebanon, Eshcol, Engedi, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Sarepta; according to the above writers (i), Cerotim and Hatolim were the first for wine, and the second to them were Beth Rimah and Beth Laban in the mountain, and Caphat Sigmah in the valley; the wine of Sharon is also highly commended by them (k).

and fig trees and pomegranates: according to Josephus (l), the country of Gennesaret furnished with the best grapes and figs for ten months without intermission, and the rest of fruits throughout the whole year. Figs and pomegranates, the spies brought with them when they returned from searching the land, as well as grapes, are a specimen of the fruits of it, Num_13:23.

a land of oil olive; the mount of Olives was famous for olive trees, and had its name from thence; the whole land abounded with them, and though oil was so much in common use with the Jews, they supplied their neighbours with it: see 1Ki_5:11. It was usual also, as we are told, for the ten tribes to send oil into Egypt (m); according to the Jewish doctors, Tekoah was the first place for oil, and the second, Ragab, beyond Jordan (n); very probably the same with Argob, Deu_3:4.

and honey; besides the great quantities of honey produced by bees in this country, there was much of another sort that dropped from trees, called wild honey, the food of John the Baptist in the wilderness, Mat_3:4. Pliny (o) speaks of a sort of honey which he calls "eloeomeli", or oil honey, which is said to flow from the olive trees in

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Syria; but this honey here is generally thought by the Jewish writers to be an honey which was made of the fruit of palm trees, frequent in this country, and especially about Jericho; of which Josephus (p) says, that the palm trees about Jericho, the fatter of them (i.e. of the fruit of them) being pressed, emit a large quantity of honey, scarce exceeded by any; and Maimonides (q) says, that the honey spoken of in the law, particularly in this place, is honey of palm trees, so Ben Melech; and it was not unusual for people of other nations to make honey of the fruit of them. Herodotus (r)reports, that the Babylonians made honey out of palm trees; so the Arabs call honey of palm trees "dibs, dibis, dipso" (s), the same with the word here used; agreeably to which both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the words,"out of whose palm trees honey is made.''

HENRY 7-9, "II. He directs them to look forward to Canaan, into which God was now bringing them. Look which way we will, both our reviews and our prospects will furnish us with arguments for obedience. Observe,

1. The land which they were now going to take possession of is here described to be a very good land, having every thing in it that was desirable, Deu_8:7-9. (1.) It was well-watered, like Eden, the garden of the Lord. It was a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, which contributed to the fruitfulness of the soil. Perhaps there was a greater plenty of water there now than in Abraham's time, the Canaanites having found and digged wells; so that Israel reaped the fruit of their industry as well as of God's bounty. (2.) The ground produced great plenty of all good things, not only for the necessary support, but for the convenience and comfort of human life. In their fathers' land they had bread enough; it was corn land, a land of wheat and barley, where, with the common care and labour of the husbandman, they might eat bread without scarceness. It was a fruitful land, that was never turned into barrenness but for the iniquity of those that dwelt therein. They had not only water enough to quench their thirst, but vines, the fruit whereof was ordained to make glad the heart. And, if they were desirous of dainties, they needed not to send to far countries for them, when their own was so well stocked with fig-trees, and pomegranates, olives of the best kind, and honey, or date-trees, as some think it should be read. (3.) Even the bowels of its earth were very rich, though it should seem that silver and gold they had none; of these the princes of Sheba should bring presents (Psa_72:10, Psa_72:15); yet they had plenty of those more serviceable metals, iron and brass. Iron-stone and mines of brass were found in their hills. See Job_28:2.

2. These things are mentioned, (1.) To show the great difference between that wilderness through which God had led them and the good land into which he was bringing them. Note, Those that bear the inconveniences of an afflicted state with patience and submission, are humbled by them and prove well under them, are best prepared for better circumstances. (2.) To show what obligations they lay under to keep God's commandments, both in gratitude for his favours to them and from a regard to their own interest, that the favours might be continued. The only way to keep possession of this good land would be to keep in the way of their duty. (3.) To show what a figure it was of good things to come. Whatever others saw, it is probable that Moses in it saw a type of the better country: The gospel church is the New Testament Canaan, watered with the Spirit in his gifts and graces, planted with the trees of righteousness, bearing the fruits of righteousness. Heaven is the good land, in which there is nothing wanting, and where there is a fulness of joy.

JAMISON, "A land of wheat, and barley — These cereal fruits were specially

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promised to the Israelites in the event of their faithful allegiance to the covenant of God (Psa_81:16; Psa_147:14). The wheat and barley were so abundant as to yield sixty and often an hundredfold (Gen_26:12; Mat_13:8).

vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates — The limestone rocks and abrupt valleys were entirely covered, as traces of them still show, with plantations of figs, vines, and olive trees. Though in a southern latitude, its mountainous formations tempered the excessive heat, and hence, figs, pomegranates, etc., were produced in Palestine equally with wheat and barley, the produce of northern regions.

honey — The word “honey” is used often in a loose, indeterminate sense, very frequently to signify a syrup of dates or of grapes, which under the name of dibs is much used by all classes, wherever vineyards are found, as a condiment to their food. It resembles thin molasses, but is more pleasant to the taste [Robinson]. This is esteemed a great delicacy in the East, and it was produced abundantly in Palestine.

HOLE, "Deuteronomy 8-15

In the opening verses of chapter 8, Moses confronted the people with certain facts that

have a very distinct voice to us today. In the first place emphasis is laid again upon

"All the commandments," that God had given. There was unity stamped upon the

demands of the law system, just as there is upon the revelation that we have in the

New Testament — the revelation of God in Christ, and of all purposed and established

in Him, as the great expression of grace. Israel had no liberty to pick and choose

amongst the commandments, neither have we today amongst the many instructions

that grace has furnished.

Then again they were to remember, "all the way," in which God had tested them in the

wilderness, to humble them and to reveal what was really in their hearts, and to show

them that their real life was not based on material food but on the spiritual instructions

and food that is found in the word of God. Here in verse Deuteronomy 3:1-29 we have

the words quoted by the Lord Jesus to Satan in the wilderness temptation that He

endured. Israel's wilderness temptations revealed their complete failure, whereas the

temptation of our Lord was permitted in order to reveal His absolute perfection. He

did indeed live by "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord;" in other

words, His life was one of perfect obedience to the Father's will in all things. We are

"elect... through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience... of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter

1:2). We are to obey as He obeyed.

Further they were reminded that while God tested them in the wilderness He

performed a miracle, lasting 40 years on their behalf. We venture to say that no one

else has ever had clothes that lasted for so many years without waxing old and

wearing out. There was of course the chastening of which verse Deuteronomy 5:1-33

speaks, and this may have helped to dull their recognition of the miracle, but even this

chastening came upon them because they were a people brought into relationship with

God. Men chasten their own sons and not others. This is exactly the principle applied-

to ourselves in Hebrews 12:1-29. So the word is, "If ye endure chastening, God

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dealeth with you as sons, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?" We are

further told that though no chastening is a joyful matter, it afterwards yields "the

peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Israel was to

be exercised to keep the commandments, walk in God's ways and fear Him, as verse

Deuteronomy 6:1-25 states, and the more so, since they were to be brought into a land

of much earthly prosperity, while we are brought into a wealth of spiritual blessing.\

In the latter part of this chapter they are warned of the dangers that lie hidden in

prosperity. Then would come the temptation to rest in the luxury, forget God's

goodness to them, and be seduced to seek after false gods. So it came to pass in their

history, as we know. Again we as Christians have to remind ourselves that for us also,

days of outward and worldly prosperity are times of spiritual danger and defeat.

In Deuteronomy 9:1-29 Moses reminds the people of the great strength of the people

then in the land from a military point of view. Many of the men were giants, and their

cities strongly fortified. God being for them, they would have power to destroy them

completely; yet that power would be exerted, not because they were so righteous, but

because the peoples of the land were so wicked. He virtually says to the people - Don't

imagine God will give you the victory because you have deserved it. Then he

proceeded as the rest of this chapter shows to remind the people of their great unbelief

and sin in the making of the golden calf, and their refusal to go up to the land when

the spies came back. All this proved that they had no righteousness in which to stand

before their God.\

What then reimained? Well, there was the promse to Abraham, and confirmed to Isaac

and Jacob, and to this there were no conditions attached, which they had to fulfil. That

remained, and that Moses pleaded before God, as verse Deuteronomy 27:1-26 reveals.

The patriarchal covenant was one of grace, and will be made good in the "new

covenant," predicted in Jeremiah 31:1-40, when the end of God's dealings with Israel

is reached. The basis of that new covenant lies in the death and resurrection of Christ,

and on this basis the Gospel goes forth today, as 2 Corinthians 3:6 shows. It is the

"everlasting covenant," as we see in Hebrews 13:20.

Having uttered this plea, Moses ventured to remind the Lord that He had brought the

people out of Egypt because of the patriarchal covenant, before the law was given at

Sinai. If now, the law having been given, and they having completely failed under it,

they were to be destroyed, the Egyptians and other nations would misunderstand this,

as meaning that God was unable to complete His work, and bring them into the land

He had purposed.

This plea on the part of Moses prevailed, but it did not alter the fact that they were

now under the law, and so Deuteronomy 10:1-22 opens with the reminder of how the

original stones on which the law was written, and which were broken by Moses, were

replaced on his second sojourn on the Mount. This time they were placed in the ark of

shittim wood, as a standing witness to God's holy demands. The appointment of the

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tribe of Levi at that time to their special service, witnessed to the fact that God still

bore with their failure to obey, and to appreciate His kindness on their behalf.

Here again is mentioned what came before us in Deuteronomy 6:5; that which our

Lord called, "the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:38); for to love God

sincerely with heart and soul would carry with it obedience to all the commandments

He gave. Hence that word through the Apostle Paul, "Love is the fulfilling of the law"

(Romans 13:10). What should have moved them was the love that God had shown to

their fathers, and in choosing them to be very specially His people above all others.

How much greater is the love that has been displayed toward us in Christ.

Now in the first place they were, as verse Deuteronomy 16:1-22 says, to "circumcise"

their hearts, as the answer to the love shown to them. We again find the Apostle Paul

alluding to this in Romans 2:28 , Romans 2:29. The rite of circumcision was

established in connection with the patriarchal covenant, as we read in Genesis

17:1-27, though confirmed later in connection with the law. The inveterate tendency

was to observe the outward ceremony and overlook its significance. Israel was to be a

people completely cut off for and to God. Had there been circumcision of "heart,"

there would have been the cutting off of self-love, in the knowledge of the love of

God.

The same tendency to lay much stress on outward, visible ceremony, while

overlooking the inward, spiritual import, is with us today. Take the ordinance of

baptism, for instance. We are not furnished with an exact, detailed description of just

how it was administered, hence the much discussion and argument as to the outward

ceremony. If as much attention had been paid to the spiritual meaning of the

ordinance, as stated in the early verses of Romans 6:1-23, we should have gained far

more profit. Dead and buried with Christ - our old life, as in Adam, judged — and

"newness of life," now to characterise us.

Had Israel circumcised their hearts, a second thing would have marked them. They

would have shown love to the stranger, who might be in their midst. We are to display

the love that has reached us by seeking others with the Gospel of the grace of God.

The whole of Deuteronomy 11:1-32 is taken up with the record of the exhortations

that Moses gave, promising on God's behalf a wealth of earthly blessing as the result

of their obedience, but on the other hand warning them of the curse that would rest on

them if they disobeyed. The land to which they were called was specially dependent

for its fruitfulness upon rain from heaven in its season, which, if withheld by God,

would bring disaster upon them. That they might obey, they are again told to keep all

the commandments continually before them — to teach them, to talk of them, to write

them, as they had previously been instructed. If obedient, God would be with them in

power that none could resist, and every place whereon they trod should be theirs.

But they were equally warned of the curse that would follow disobedience, and that

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when in the land there should be a mountain marked by the curse, as well as one

marked by blessing. How sadly significant it is that the very last word of the Old

Testament is the word, "curse."

Having given this further solemn warning, Deuteronomy 12:1-32 is occupied with

"statutes and judgments" specially relating to their lives when in the land, to which

they were going. It begins with the demand that they should utterly destroy the nations

then in the land, and uproot every trace of their idolatrous practices. The chapter ends

on the same note, inasmuch as idolatrous evil is very infectious, whereas spiritual

good is not. Even in natural things this principle is seen. A good apple placed amongst

rotten ones will not remove any rottenness; whereas a rotten apple placed among good

ones, will soon spread its rottenness. We must never forget that, though as born of

God we have a new nature, yet the old Adamic nature is still in us, and if unjudged it

responds at once to all the evil that confronts it.

So all the high places of these nations, their groves, their pillars, their altars, their

images, were to be destroyed, and their very names eradicated from memory. We may

remember how, when the kingdom was divided, Jeroboam disobeyed this, and the

infection of it persisted through all the kings of the ten tribes, and hastened their

captivity under the kings of Assyria. All this evil then was to go.

But statutes of a more positive nature follow. When in the land, God Himself would

choose a place where His name should be set, and to that place the people were to

bring their sacrifices and offerings. There they could eat before God and rejoice, and

they are specially warned against what had evidently in large measure characterized

them; doing, "every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes." This injunction was

soon forgotten, when for several centuries judges ruled them in the land. The book of

Judges ends on the sad note, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did

that which was right in his own eyes."

Carefully note that what they did was not what they considered wrong, but right, yet it

was not what God had ordered, and hence it was not right, according to Him. How

sadly this same trouble has been manifested in the history of Christendom. A

multitude of things have been done, and introduced into the professed worship and

service of God, because they seemed so right, even to pious people; yet they have

been far removed from the simplicity laid down in the New Testament, and observed

by the early church under the guidance of the apostles.

So, in our chapter, we have laid down not only the instruction as to the place that God

would choose, but also as to how they should bring their offerings, of clean animals,

and while shedding their blood, taking care not to eat of it themselves. This is

repeated twice in this chapter, and they were reminded that "the blood is the life;" and

life comes directly from God; so that when killing an animal they were to pour the

blood forth as water upon the earth. This was blood "as water." It is a remarkable fact

that when the soldier pierced the side of Jesus, "forthwith came there out blood and

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water" (John 19:34). In his epistle the Apostle John reminds us that our Lord came by

blood as well as by water: that is, it not only is the basis of moral and spiritual

cleansing but it paid the penalty of sin in the yielding up of His life's blood. It is just

this latter fact that many in our day are unwilling to admit, but which is of all

importance. Life comes from God, and the blood being the life of all flesh it is sacred

and not to be eaten as a common thing.

It was lightly esteemed among the nations, as the closing verses of the chapter show.

Even their sons and daughters they burned in their fires in honour of their false gods.

Another danger might arise among them, when they got into the land, as mentioned in

the opening verses of Deuteronomy 13:1-18. Moses had been their great prophet,

through whom God had again and again spoken to them. Now one crafty device of the

adversary is to imitate what God does, and so presently there would arise prophets that

were inspired not by God but by him, in the effort to lead the people astray. They were

not to hearken to such a prophet but rather to put him to death.

Similar tactics of the devil have been used against the faith of Christ, as we see for

instance in such a scripture as 1 Corinthians 12:3. In the early Christian assemblies,

when as yet hardly any of the New Testament had been written, there were men of

prophetic gift, who spoke words inspired by the Spirit of God. Men might appear

amongst them who spoke as inspired by some evil spirit; and such were to be detected

and refused. Hence the injunction "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the

other judge" (1 Corinthians 14:29). In 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 had been told not to judge

before the time, when they attempted to assess the value of the different servants of

God; but here we find that the utterances of prophets in the assembly were to be heard

with godly care and judgment, lest things should be said that were not of God. Similar

godly care and judgment is needed today as we listen to what purports to be the

ministry of the word of God. It negatives the idea that there may be men who can so

speak that everything they say must be received without any question.

In the latter part of this chapter the people are warned against a similar danger, but not

from self-styled prophets. There would arise evil men in their midst who would divert

a whole city from the Lord to the worship of false gods with their abominations. Such

evil was to be utterly destroyed from amongst them, if the fact of it was established

beyond all question.

We do well to note carefully the stipulations of verse Deuteronomy 14:1-29. The

judgment was not to be executed until there had been inquiry and search and diligent

asking for facts, so that the evil reported was certain and beyond all dispute. Hasty

action might easily lead to a miscarriage of justice. If in the church of God today

similar diligence and care were exercised, we should be made wise unto salvation

from some difficulties that endanger us.

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14:1-29 stress the fact that Israel as a nation were

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a people specially set apart to God, and therefore to avoid certain common practices

on the one hand, and to be very careful as to what they ate on the other. The avoidance

of the things prohibited would doubtless be for their physical good, and help to mark

them off from other peoples. Many centuries later, when in Christian circles those

from among the Gentiles soon outnumbered those from the Jews, these restrictions

gave rise to the "doubtful disputations," of which Romans 14:1-23 speaks. In that

chapter the Spirit of God does not legislate but leaves every man to be persuaded in

his own mind what he should do. We may profitably transfer the thought to what we

may mentally read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally

on what is impure.

Then the chapter turns from what they should take in as food to what they should give

out as tithes, and how they should present it to the Lord. The tithe was ultimately for

the upkeep of the Levites whose lives were to be given to the service of God, and also

to be used for the poor and needy who would be found amongst them.

Legislation continues through nearly the whole of Deuteronomy 15:1-23 as to how the

poor amongst them were to be considered. Every seventh year was to be a year of

release. The well-to-do Israelite might lend money to his poor neighbour, but anything

not repaid when the seventh year arrived, was to be released and left in the hand of the

poor man. We see therefore that the law demanded a spirit of gracious care for the

poor among the people, though this arrangement did not apply to strangers among

them. Should there be no poor, the rule would lapse, but in verse Deuteronomy

11:1-32 they are plainly told that "the poor shall never cease out of the land." For us

Christians it is equally true that there will always be found amongst us those who are

"weak in the faith," who are but "babes" in Christ; and those strong in the faith must

be careful lest by their "knowledge" they make "the weak brother perish, for whom

Christ died" (1 Corinthians 8:11). The poor and weak must be considered.

In verses 16-18, we have a further reference to the law as to the "Hebrew servant,"

first given in Exodus 21:1-36. It is remarkable that it should again appear here,

connected with those who are "poor," for in it we see something that found perfect

fulfilment in the Lord Jesus. He took "the form of a Servant," and though He was rich

yet for our sakes became poor, as we told in

Corinthians Deuteronomy 8:9. We are again reminded of the piercing of the ear

against the door, and this meant the shedding of blood, though it may only have been a

tiny drop. As it was in Egypt, so it was to be here, blood on the door but this time

signifying the devotion of the One whose blood was shed.

The picture presented to us in this chapter is evidently one of grace, which was to

shine out in the midst of the demands of the law. We may well close our meditation

on these things by observing that if there was to be an exhibition of grace when law

was dominant, how much more should grace characterise all our behaviour today,

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seeing that we "are not under the law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

PULPIT, ""Palestine has been celebrated in all ages for three products: corn, wine,

and oil, which still continue to be its most valuable crops". The principal corn crops

were wheat and barley. The vine was largely and carefully cultivated; the olive

required little cultivation, being almost a spontaneous growth, and forming one of the

most valuable productions of the country; the fig was also indigenous in Palestine, and

still grows there, both wild and cultivated, in abundance; that the pomegranate

(firemen) also was very abundant may be inferred from the number of places named

from this (cf. Joshua 15:32; Joshua 19:7, Joshua 19:13; 20:45, 20:47; 21:13; 1

Chronicles 4:32, etc.). Honey. The word so rendered (d'bash) is used both of the honey

of bees (Le Deuteronomy 2:11; Deuteronomy 32:11; 1 Samuel 14:26, etc.; Ps 81:17;

Proverbs 16:24, etc.), and of the honey of grapes, a syrup obtained by boiling down

the newly expressed juice of the grape to a half or third part of its bulk, and still

known among the Arabs by the name of dibs. In the wilderness, the people had

murmured that they had been brought into an evil place, no place of figs, or of vines,

or of pomegranates; and where there was no water to drink (Numbers 20:5). Moses

here tells them that the land they were about to occupy was not such a place, but one

abounding in all those things of which they had found the wilderness so destitute.

9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you

will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron

and you can dig copper out of the hills.

BARNES, "Deu_8:9

For brass read copper (Gen_4:22 note); and compare the description of mining operations in Job_28:1-11. Mining does not seem to have been extensively carried on by the Jews, though it certainly was by the Canaanite peoples displaced by them. Traces of iron and copper works have been discovered by modern travelers in Lebanon and many parts of the country; e. g., the district of Argob (see Deu_3:4notes) contains iron-stone in abundance.

CLARKE, "A land whose stones are iron - Not only meaning that there were

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iron mines throughout the land, but that the loose stones were strongly impregnated with iron, ores of this metal (the most useful of all the products of the mineral kingdom) being every where in great plenty.

Out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass - As there is no such thing in nature

as a brass mine, the word נחשת nechosheth should be translated copper; of which, by

the addition of the lapis calaminaris, brass is made. See on Exo_25:3 (note).

GILL, "A land wherein thou shall eat bread without scarceness,.... That is, should have plenty of all sorts of provisions, which bread is often put for:

thou shall not lack anything in it; for necessity and convenience, and for delight and pleasure:

a land whose stones are iron; in which were iron mines:

and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass; both which are taken out of the earth and the stones of it, Job_28:2 and were to be found in the land of Canaan, and particularly in the tribe of Asher, as seems from Deu_33:25 and more particularly at Sidon and Sarepta, which were in that tribe; the latter of which seems to have its name from the melting of metals there, and the former is said in Homer (t) to abound with brass.

HENRY, "2. These things are mentioned, (1.) To show the great difference between that wilderness through which God had led them and the good land into which he was bringing them. Note, Those that bear the inconveniences of an afflicted state with patience and submission, are humbled by them and prove well under them, are best prepared for better circumstances. (2.) To show what obligations they lay under to keep God's commandments, both in gratitude for his favours to them and from a regard to their own interest, that the favours might be continued. The only way to keep possession of this good land would be to keep in the way of their duty. (3.) To show what a figure it was of good things to come. Whatever others saw, it is probable that Moses in it saw a type of the better country: The gospel church is the New Testament Canaan, watered with the Spirit in his gifts and graces, planted with the trees of righteousness, bearing the fruits of righteousness. Heaven is the good land, in which there is nothing wanting, and where there is a fulness of joy.

JAMISON, "a land whose stones are iron — The abundance of this metal in Palestine, especially among the mountains of Lebanon, those of Kesraoun, and elsewhere, is attested not only by Josephus, but by Volney, Buckingham, and other travelers.

brass — not the alloy brass, but the ore of copper. Although the mines may now be exhausted or neglected, they yielded plenty of those metals anciently (1Ch_22:3; 1Ch_29:2-7; Isa_60:17).

COKE, "Ver. 9. A land whose stones are iron— i.e. Where the iron mines are as

plentiful as quarries of stone in other places. Out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass;

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i.e. copper, of which brass is made. See chap. Deuteronomy 33:25.

REFLECTIONS.—Repeated injunctions were given to urge their obedience; it was

what God justly expected of them, and they need carefully perform. Two arguments

are here mentioned.

1. What God had done for them in the wilderness. There they had gone through his

gracious discipline, to humble and prove them, whether they would trust in his

providence, and submit to his corrections; and there they had experienced astonishing

interpositions of his mercy and grace to their bodies and souls. Note; (1.) We should

remember often God's past dealings with us in mercy, as an encouragement to trust in

the continuance of his care. (2.) We have need of every affliction which the Lord is

pleased to lay upon us; our hearts are so proud and stubborn, that all is little enough to

bend them. (3.) Trials are the proofs of our faith. God exercises us, that our graces,

like gold in the furnace, may shine the brighter. (4.) God can supply his people in their

deepest distresses. Let us take no indirect courses to relieve ourselves, and then verily

we shall be fed. (5.) The rod of correction is the mark of parental love; instead of

fainting, we should rejoice, when we are chastised of him.

2. What God was about to do for them. Canaan was before them: a land watered with

copious streams, the vallies standing thick with corn, the hills covered with vines and

olives, and every pleasing fruit; where plenty crowned the happy year, and filled their

tables with abundance; whilst mines of precious ore enriched the bowels of the earth,

and opened hidden sources of wealth. Deeply, therefore, they were bound to serve that

master who paid them such abundant wages. How glorious the earthly, but how much

better the heavenly Canaan, watered with the river of life, adorned with the trees of

righteousness, the planting of the Lord; flowing with wine of everlasting consolation,

and rich in treasures that never wax old or decay! May my lot fall in this pleasant

land!, "

TRAPP, "Deuteronomy 8:9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness,

thou shalt not lack any [thing] in it; a land whose stones [are] iron, and out of whose

hills thou mayest dig brass.

Ver. 9. Thou shalt not lack anything in it.] Of the Island of Cyprus it is said, that it

sendeth forth great abundance of commodities to other countries, of whom it craveth

no help again. (a) It was anciently called Macaria, the Blessed. Marcellinus, to show

the fertility of it, saith that Cyprus aboundeth with such plenty of all things, that

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without the help of any other foreign country, it is, of itself, able to build a tall ship

from the keel to the topsail, and so put it to sea, furnished of all things needful. Of

Egypt also it is reported, that it is so fruitful a country, Ut cunctos mortales pascere,

deos ipsos excipere hospitio salva re posse gloriaretur. It was anciently called

publicum orbis horreum, the world’s great barn; as some foreign writers have termed

our country the court of Queen Ceres, the granary of the western world, the Fortunate

Island, the Paradise of Pleasure, and Garden of God. The worst is, that as Aristotle

was wont to tax his Athenians, that whereas they were famous for two things, the best

land, and the best laws, frumentis uterentur, legibus nequaquam, they abused their

plenty, and lived lawlessly; (b) so it may be said of us, that we live in God’s good

land, but not by God’s good laws.

PULPIT, "A land whose stones are iron. Minerals do not abound in Palestine; the hills

are for the most part calcareous; but by the side of the limestone in the north of

Canaan ferruginous basalt appears in largo masses, and on Lebanon ironstone

abounds. Near Tiberius are springs largely impregnated with iron, as are also those at

Has-beija, on the Hermon range, as well as the soil around that place. Traces of

extinct copper works are also to be found on Lebanon (cf. art. 'Metals,' in Kitto and

Smith; Ritter, 'Geography of Palestine,' 1.248). The Israelites, however, do not seem

to have carried on mining operations themselves, but to have been content to obtain

supplies of the useful metals from their neighbors (2 Samuel 8:8; 1 Chronicles 18:8; 1

Chronicles 22:3, 1 Chronicles 22:14).

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise

the Lord your God for the good land he has given

you.

GILL, "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God,.... For as the Lord would furnish them with plenty of food, they might eat of it liberally, provided they did not indulge to intemperance, as everyone may whom God has blessed with a fulness of good things; and this shows that we are to return thanks to God for a plentiful meal, as well as to ask a blessing on it:

for the good land which he hath given thee; which supplied them with such plenty, that they enjoyed full meals every day.

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HENRY 10-11, "Moses, having mentioned the great plenty they would find in the land of Canaan, finds it necessary to caution them against the abuse of that plenty, which was a sin they would be the more prone to new that they came into the vineyard of the Lord, immediately out of a barren desert.

I. He directs them to the duty of a prosperous condition, Deu_8:10. They are allowed to eat even to fulness, not to surfeiting no excess; but let them always remember their benefactor, the founder of their feast, and never fail to give thanks after meat: Then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God. 1. They must take heed of eating or drinking so much as to indispose themselves for this duty of blessing God, rather aiming to serve God therein with so much the more cheerfulness and enlargement. 2. They must not have any fellowship with those that, when they had eaten and were full, blessed false gods, as the Israelites themselves had done in their worship of the golden calf, Exo_32:6. 3. Whatever they had the comfort of God must have the glory of. As our Saviour has taught us to bless before we eat (Mat_14:19, Mat_14:20), so we are here taught to bless after meat. That is our Hosannah - God bless; this is our Hallelujah - Blessed be God. In every thing we must give thanks. From this law the religious Jews took up a laudable usage of blessing God, not only at their solemn meals, but upon other occasions; if they drank a cup of wine they lifted up their hands and said, Blessed be he that created the fruit of the vine to make glad the heart. If they did but smell at a flower, they said, Blessed be he that made this flower sweet. 4. When they gave thanks for the fruits of the land they must give thanks for the fruits of the land itself, which was given them by promise From all our comfortable enjoyments we must take occasion to thank God for our comfortable settlements; and I know not but we of this nation have as much reason as they had to give thanks for a good land.

K&D, “But if the Israelites were to eat there and be satisfied, i.e., to live in the midst of plenty, they were to beware of forgetting their God; that when their prosperity - their possessions, in the form of lofty houses, cattle, gold and silver, and other good things - increased, their heart might not be lifted up, i.e., they might not become proud, and, forgetting their deliverance from Egypt and their miraculous preservation and guidance in the desert, ascribe the property they had acquired to their own strength and the work of their own hands. To keep the people from this danger of forgetting God, which follows so easily from the pride of wealth, Moses once more enumerates in Deu_8:14-16 the manifestations of divine grace, their deliverance from Egypt the slave-house, their being led through the great and terrible desert, whose terrors he depicts by mentioning a series of noxious and even fatal

things, such as snakes, burning snakes (saraph, see at Num 21; 6), scorpions, and the

thirsty land where there was no water. The words from ָנָחׁש, onwards, are attached

rhetorically to what precedes by simple apposition, without any logically connecting particle; though it will not do to overlook entirely the rhetorical form of the

enumeration, and supply the preposition ��ְ before ָנָחׁש and�the�words�which�follow,�to�say�

nothing�of�the�fact�that�it�would�be�quite�out�of�character�before�these�nouns�in�the�singular,�

as�a�whole�people�could�not�go�through�one�serpent,�etc.�In�this�parched�land�the�Lord�

brought�he�people�water�out�of�the�flinty�rock,�the�hardest�stone,�and�fed�them�with�manna,�

to�humble�them�and�tempt�them�(cf.�Deu_8:2),�in�order�(this�was�the�ultimate�intention�of�all�

the�humiliation�and�trial)�“to�do�thee�good�at�thy�latter�end.” The “latter�end” of�any�one�is

126

“the�time�which�follows�some�distinct�point�in�his�life,�particularly�an�important�epoch-

making�point,�and�which�may�be�regarded�as�the�end�by�contrast,�the�time�before�that�epoch�

being�considered�as�the�beginning” (Schultz).�In�this�instance�Moses�refers�to�the�period�of�

their�life�in�Canaan,�in�contrast�with�which�the�period�of�their�sojourn�in�Egypt�and�their�

wandering�in�the�desert�is�recorded�as�the�beginning;�consequently�the�expression�does�not�

relate�to�death�as�the�end�of�life,�as�in�Num_23:10,�although�this�allusion�is�not�to�be�

altogether�excluded,�as�a�blessed�death�is�only�the�completion�of�a�blessed�life.�- Like�all�the�

guidance�of�Israel�by�the�Lord,�what�is�stated�here�is�applicable�to�all�believers.�It�is�through�

humiliations�and�trials�that�the�Lord�leads�His�people�to�blessedness.�Through�the�desert�of�

tribulation,�anxiety,�distress,�and�merciful�interposition,�He�conducts�them�to�Canaan,�into�

the�land�of�rest,�where�they�are�refreshed�and�satisfied�in�the�full�enjoyment�of�the�blessings�

of�His�grace�and�salvation;�but�those�alone�who�continue�humble,�not�attributing�the�good�

fortune�and�prosperity�to�which�they�attain�at�last,�to�their�own�exertion,�strength,�

perseverance,�and�wisdom,�but�gratefully�enjoying�this�good�as�a�gift�of�the�grace�of�God.ַחִיל�

to create property, to prosper in wealth (as in Num_24:18). God gave strength ,ָעָׂשה

for this (Deu_8:18), not because of Israel's merit and worthiness, but to fulfil His promises which He had made on oath to the patriarchs. “As this day,” as was quite evident then, when the establishment of the covenant had already commenced, and Israel had come through the desert to the border of Canaan (see Deu_4:20).

CALVIN, "10.When thou hast eaten and art full. In these words he admonishes them

that they would be too senseless, unless God’s great bounty should attract them to

obedience, since nothing is more unreasonable, than, when we have eaten and are full,

not to acknowledge from whence our food has come. Fitly, then, does Moses require

gratitude from the people, when they shall enjoy both the land promised to them and

an abundance of all good things.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:10. Bless the Lord — Solemnly praise him for thy food;

which is a debt both of gratitude and justice, because it is from his providence and

favour that thou receivest both thy food and refreshment, and strength by it. The more

unworthy and absurd is that too common profaneness of them, who, professing to

believe in God, from whom all their comforts come, grudge to own him at their meals,

either by desiring his blessing before them, or by offering due praise to God after

them.

COKE, "Ver. 10. When thou hast eaten, &c. thou shalt bless the Lord— The Jews

upon these words ground one of their positive precepts, that every one should bless

God at his meals; a precept, not more commendable than reasonable: for what can be

more reasonable than thankfully to acknowledge God, the giver of all good? And what

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time more proper to acknowledge him, than when his bounty has satisfied our hunger,

and quenched our thirst? Upon this laudable and ancient custom, which was not

peculiar to the Jews, but prevailed among almost all the nations of the earth, we refer

the reader to Parker's excellent seventh Occasional Annotation on the place; where, as

well as in Godwin and Lewis's Antiquities, an exact detail of the custom will be

found. We conclude with observing, that the Turks and Chinese are punctual in their

prayers at meals. What a disgrace must it be for Christians to yield to these infidels! to

sit down at their table, and partake of God's blessings, without ever gratefully

acknowledging his goodness, who giveth them all things richly to enjoy!

HAWKER, "Verses 10-20

I bring the whole of these verses into one point of view for shortness sake, and,

because the doctrine of the whole is one and the same; namely, that the LORD'S grace

ought never to be made the occasion of ingratitude. But, in a gospel sense, the precept

riseth to an infinitely higher strain. Whoever would ascribe to human merit what

divine mercy alone hath wrought, is literally robbing GOD. And is not everyone doing

this who joins anything to the finished salvation of the LORD JESUS, arising from his

own supposed attainments? See Paul's pious and humble resolution, Philippians 3:8-9.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:10

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God. "From this place

the Jews have made it a general rule, or, as they call it, an affirmative precept, that every

one bless God at their meals, that is, give him thanks for his benefits; for he blesses us when

he bestows good things on us, and we bless him when we thankfully acknowledge his

goodness therein" (Patrick).

II. ALL THE WEALTH OF EARTH IS A GIFT TO MAN. "The good land which he hath given thee"

(Deuteronomy 8:10). It is but reasonable that we look at the profusion of riches upon and

within the earth as a "gift." "What have we that we have not received?' Where were we

when "the foundations of the earth' were laid? Yet some would have us adopt a "religion of

humanity," as if humanity were to be praised for the physical basis of its own existence! A

Power not in man nor of man hath given us all.

III. THE GIFT COMETH FROM A PERSONAL BEING. "The Lord thy God for the good land which

he hath given thee." The Power from which nature's wealth cometh, is not a blind non-

intelligent force. For man's own intelligence has to be accounted for; and even if impersonal

forces could have wrought out matter, it is axiomatically certain that impersonality could

not produce personality. So far natural religion can go. But our text takes us further.

IV. NATURE'S WEALTH COMETH FROM THE LORD OUR GOD. "Our God." He is not an

"Unknown." We may not set up an altar, ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ. We know him as a redeeming God,

as One who delights to exercise loving-kindness, righteousness, and judgment in the earth.

And since God is revealed to us in Christ, we learn thereby that the long preparations of

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earth have been going on with a view of setting up on it the new creations of redeeming

grace. This is "the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory."

Oh, the boundless meaning of the expression, "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the

world!"

V. ALL THIS SHOULD CALL FORTH SPECIAL THANKFULNESS FROM OUR HEARTS AND LIPS.

"Thou shalt bless," etc. We may go very far beyond the merely personal consideration which

Moses suggests here. We know more clearly, therefore we should praise more intelligently,

devoutly, and warmly. Israel might include some, we should take in all, the following

considerations, to stimulate to intense thankfulness.

1. We were nothing, had nothing, and yet we have all given to us "richly to enjoy."

2. We are sinful, and have forfeited thereby even our natural claim. Yet all is continued to

us, in unwearying kindness and unabated faithfulness.

3. We have not only the actual possessions of earth's wealth, but are put in possession of

the mind and purpose of the Great Framer of all, that ours may be the praise of

understanding hearts.

4. We read that God wills to have on this globe a ransomed people, ours, therefore, may

well be the jubilant praise of redeemed men.

5. We are not here merely to enjoy this world and then to know no other, but to enjoy this

world as a stepping-stone to another. Hence ours should be the triumphant shout of men

with a glorious destiny ahead, and of those who use this world so as to help them to a

better. Finally:

6. The present form of earth is destined to fall away. God will "make all things new" (Psalms

102:26; Hebrews 1:12; 2 Peter 3:13). We for whom this world was made, will then be

rejoicing in God, and will be enraptured to see what ever-advancing forms of beauty "he

hath prepared for them that love him" Thus ours should be the praise of men on whom

even the too oft-repeated dirge, "passing away," leaves no trace of gloom or of regret. If we

are the redeemed of the Lord, our life may be a song of thanksgiving, and our death a shout

of victory!

LANGE, " Deuteronomy 8:10-20. Still how the transition to the warning reminds us

of home and the Christian grace; Lord Jesus, let us never forget Thy love in the

eating! Deuteronomy 8:11. Comp. Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 4:15;

Deuteronomy 4:23; Deuteronomy 6:12. To forget leads to the not keeping. Self-

keeping guards against the forgetting, Deuteronomy 4:1 sq.; Deuteronomy 6:40;

Deuteronomy 5:1; Deuteronomy 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:17; Deuteronomy 7:11;

Deuteronomy 8:1. That thou forget not is the main thought here, hence Deuteronomy

8:12, illustrating practically the thought, resumes after the manner of Deuteronomy

6:10, the particulars completed in the next verse ( Deuteronomy 7:13). Deuteronomy

8:14 shows how the want of self-circumspection finds utterance in self-exaltation,

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which is always with respect to Jehovah, boastfulness. Hence, as a conclusion, the

great deeds of Jehovah are still once more succinctly stated; the exodus from Egypt,

( Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy 6:21 sq.; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:19),

and ( Deuteronomy 8:15) the leading through the wilderness ( Deuteronomy 8:2 sq.)

in the light of which every thought of self-glorying falls away. Comp. Deuteronomy

1:19. The fearfulness is portrayed through the ָנָחׁש ָׂשָרף ( Numbers 21:6). ָׂשָרף

according to its primary sense, that which draws itself together, thus the coiled, rolled

together (hence less easily distinguished and more dangerous) serpents,—those

peculiarly poisonous; and in its secondary meaning (even without the ָּבֵאׁש) burning,

whose bite produced burning inflammation. The Sinaitic peninsula abounds in all

kinds of poisonous creeping animals. The following words are simply a rhetorical

apposition, thrown together, without ִּכ (Keil), and therefore the more striking. ִצָּמאֹון

from ָצֵמא to be dry, to thirst, leads fitly to the most wonderful (out of the flinty,

hardest rock) water supply, to which the fever produced by the bite of the fiery

serpents, even more fitly leads, as also that dryness and thirst were characteristics of

the wilderness, in contrast with Canaan abounding in water ( Deuteronomy 8:7).

Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11. Since the feeding with manna, Deuteronomy 8:16,

refers back to Deuteronomy 8:3, and therefore must be regarded as a humiliation, so

the two-fold (לַמַען) defining the end, appears, at least according to the sense, to be

referred to the entire works of Jehovah mentioned, in any case, to those spoken of in

Deuteronomy 8:15, after Deuteronomy 8:2. These deeds cannot be spoken of as

favors, since the favors or good deeds are fixed at the end of Israel, i.e., not at the end

of life, which is not involved in the connection, but the end of the desert journey. The

favor of the promised land was the end of Israel here addressed; as if he had said the

final act of kindness. [Wordsworth: “The latter end of Israel was not only their

entrance into Canaan, but it extends to the last days in which God comforted the true

Israel of God by the coming of Christ.”—A. G.]. Deuteronomy 8:17 is a parallel

continuation of Deuteronomy 8:14. In thine heart, lifting itself up, growing

presumptuous. Moses traces the emotion to its source, as if he had said, think in

thyself, persuade thyself. This wealth, land, possessions, position, etc. Deuteronomy

8:18. But remember (rather), for that would be to forget. That he may (the end, the

purpose) establish (cause to stand up, preserve entire, fulfil) his covenant

( Deuteronomy 4:31), especially the promise of Canaan ( Genesis 26:3). As it is this

day ( Deuteronomy 2:30; Deuteronomy 4:20). “If the East Jordan region was

conquered, the West Jordan also should be taken” (Knobel) Deuteronomy 4:37 sq. A

solemn testimony closes the warning, as Deuteronomy 4:26. Deuteronomy 8:19;

Deuteronomy 6:10; Deuteronomy 12:14; Deuteronomy 5:9. Deuteronomy 8:20. If ye

place yourselves by the side of the Canaanites in their apostacy, ye shall perish like

them. A counterpart to Deuteronomy 7:12.

BI, “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God.

Prosperity a test

These words occur in Moses’ farewell charge to the Israelites. Moses had long stood

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to his people in the relation of father as well as general, and, like a father, has at the end a good many last words to speak. This whole Book of Deuteronomy is made up of last words; his last will and testament to the Hebrew people. He wanted to clinch the instruction that had been given them already. His anxiety outran his responsibility. He had been their saviour in the past, and now would like to take out a policy of insurance in their behalf for the time to come. And they needed everything in the shape of counsel and insurance that could be given them. They had hardly earned the confidence of their leader. He did not much believe in the Israelites. He did not expect with any confidence that they would bless the Lord when they had eaten and were full. They had hardly been a match for adversity, still less could they be expected to be for prosperity. He had carried them forty years, and been one of them a hundred and twenty. He understood their composition and drift. They were a nation of backsliders. Their history was full of ebb tides. They were not to be trusted. God had kept them worn down into manageableness simply by force of disaster; had always driven them with a curb and a check. Liberty they regularly corrupted into license. The point is reached now, however, where a new experiment is to be tried with them. There are some elements in the case that warrant at least a hope that the experiment will succeed. The wilderness and the manna are now put behind them; in front is the Jordan, and across the Jordan cities and well-watered plains—a land flowing with milk and honey. How will they bear the longer, laxer tether of plenty and prosperity? It, lay in Moses’ thought as a question. It is important to understand that it is God’s desire for His people to load them as heavily with luxuries and gladnesses as they can bear. Evil and suffering are all around us, but it is a part of our faith in the Fatherliness of God to believe that “He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men”; and to say with the Psalmist. “I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” The universe is in the interests of comfort and happiness and joy. It is God’s desire that we should eat and be full. Everything looks to a good time coming. Everything is contrived to bend toward a blessing; God started man in Paradise—as good a Paradise as he could bear, and a good deal better; and all that lies after Paradise is preparation for a Paradise improved. There is no sorrow that has not lodged in it the possible seed kernel of fruition. Faith in the Fatherliness of God involves all this. When we experience vexation and tribulation we must always bethink ourselves of the issue to which in our Christian faith we are sure it is divinely designed to conduct. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him.” The mountain sermon begins with the promise of blessing. A whole octave of blessedness ushers in the Gospel. This is a wholesome reflection for our mind to rest in. That there is sin in the world and suffering we can get along with as soon as we learn to interpret them instrumentally. Suffering is a means of grace, and is education toward a better holiness. It is a singular thing, however, that although gladness is the soul’s destination, and a destination that God is concerned to have us reach, yet the fact of the matter with us is that gladness is itself very apt to impair our capacity for gladness, and to hinder our attainment of it. We are in this respect like a sick man who requires nourishment, but has not the power to digest it, and so is harmed by the very thing he needs. Recognising, as we do, that every good gift is from God, it would certainly seem as though everything we obtained from Him would be a fresh reminder of Him and a new bond to bind us to Him. But we know how it works with children sometimes, whose parents, the more they do for their children the less are they regarded and loved by their children. This was the point of Moses anxiety in our text. This fact of the corrupting power of prosperity is a practical and a serious one. Prosperity is dangerous, dangerous for a man, a family, a country; it makes men indifferent, infidel, atheistic, if not in their creed, at least in their life. The more God gives us, the less, as a rule, we have of God. It is not easy to escape being injured by mercies. It is easy to be ruined by success,

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success is very often failure, and failure success. To our eye God gets eclipsed by His own bestowments. We bless God when we want anything, and congratulate ourselves when we get it. “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God.” It takes considerably more piety to make a man thankful to God for what He has done than prayerfully dependent upon God for what we would like to have Him do. It is for that reason that thanksgiving forms so small an element in our prayers; and one reason, most likely, why our petitions bring us so little that is new, is that our thanksgivings so scantily recognise what is old. It is the tendency of the heart to forget God, and the more sunshiny things are, the more likely is that tendency to become realised. Our thoughts and regards are continually slipping away from Him. Our eyes drop from God to some representation of Him, and we become idolaters; from God to some theories of Him, and we become philosophers; from God to the gifts He confers, and in our fulness we fondle the gift and ignore the Giver. Sunshine is not the only parent of the harvest. Men fell in Paradise. Angels fell in heaven. I do not know that there is any good thing that cannot be given in so great measure as to alienate the recipient from the Giver. The fruits of the Holy Ghost can be produced in us so profusely as to work disaster. You remember how when the Seventy returned from their evangelistic tour they commenced to parade the fact of the submissiveness of the devils unto their word. And the Lord rebuked them, and bade them rejoice rather that their names were written in heaven. We sometimes think it is well and possible for us to have all the grace we are willing to receive. I am not sure of that. I have met people that I thought had more grace given them than they had grace to bear; people that were really so holy as to be conscious of it, Men get puffed up oven by their heavenly enrichments. Any possession or power we may happen to have stimulates self-consciousness, and that alienates us from God. I once heard a professor in one of our popular classical schools make this petition at evening prayers: “O Lord, Thou to whom the darkness is as the light, we commit ourselves unto Thee for the night, praying that Thou wilt care for us in those hours when we cannot so well take care of ourselves. It is so easy to think that we can almost get along alone, and should hardly need to put our trust in God were it not for dark nights, and days that are stormy. It is such facts as these that explain why it is that our lives have sometimes to be made desolate and vacant. Read the entire Book of Judges, and you will find it the continuous repetition of the same sequence of events. When the Israelites had gone across Jordan and tasted the milk and the honey and were full, they stopped blessing God, just as Moses told them not to do, but as he feared all the while they would do. Then the Lord sent in upon them an invasion of Philistines, or of Hivites, or Jebusites, or Moabites, or Midianites, or Ammonites, who ground them, and trampled upon them, and devoured them till they were willing to cry unto the Lord and acknowledge Him again. This gives to us the philosophy of disasters in national life, and explains to us as well the impoverishments and emptinesses that have to be wrought in our individual lives. Men are quite uniformly disposed to be devout when they get into difficult places. Men are like certain kinds of vegetation, which do best in poor soil. I have somewhere met with this illustration: “The Alpine flower does not bear transplanting, and can only thrive, perhaps like some souls, amidst wind and tempest, with only brief summer sunshine and heat.” I do not believe there is any man but what prays when there is nothing else left that he can do. It is a large part of the philosophy of distress that it makes us look up. We ask when we are hungry. When we are empty we are devout. “When He slew them, then they sought Him,” said the Psalmist. “In their affliction they will seek Me early,” wrote Hosea. The prodigal went back to his father when he got down as low as the husks. The bruised flower yields the sweetest perfume, and the finest poetry of the Church has been inspired in seasons of persecution. Horace Bushnell once said: “I have learned more of experimental religion since my little boy died than in all my life

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before.” It was he also who wrote: “Deserts and stone pillows prepare for an open heaven and an angel-crowded ladder.” St. John did not receive his revelations till he was shut up in a little sea-girt Patmos. St. Paul’s most jubilant epistle was written in gaol; as birds sometimes have their cage darkened in order to teach them to sing. I trust that if we have eaten and are filled with the pleasant outward gifts of the Lord, we are able still to live in distinct and hourly recognition of Him from whom they flow, and to walk with Him in relations of reverent but friendly intimacy. We often pray that God would enable us to bear adversity; there is quite as much need of His grace to keep us from falling in seasons of prosperity. (C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.)

Thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land.

Possession and praise

Now that there is no longer need for strenuous effort, Moses fears that, like other conquerors, they will become lax in their morality and luxurious in their habits: that they will forget the help they have received from God, and act as though their own strength or cleverness had secured these blessings.

I. The novelty of new possessions quickly passes away. Persons who suffer misfortune often think they must be happy who escape it. They rejoice at the first removal of such misfortune, but soon become so accustomed to their new freedom as to scarcely give it a thought. The pleasure we derive from new joys seldom lasts longer than the novelty. On the other hand, troubles are ever new.

II. Possessions that cost little personal effort are but lightly valued. It is proverbial that receivers of gifts seldom estimate them at sufficient value; also, that those who have not experienced the toil and self-denial needful in acquiring wealth, squander that for which their fathers laboured long years. There is danger that the greatness of God’s gifts shall be a cause of ingratitude.

III. Prosperity is a severer test of faithfulness than poverty. Then will be the time to see if they can cling to the Lord. Many a man serves God well so long as he is afflicted, but forgets Him when the affliction is removed. There was a saying of the heathen that altars rarely smoke on account of new joys. Solomon found the possession of wealth his greatest trial. Temptations could be resisted in days of strenuous effort and toil which were yielded to in days of ease and prosperity.

IV. God appreciates man’s gratitude. To “bless” is really to praise in worship. Yet the thought underlying the conception is that man can render to God that which will add to His joy. Though He is the ever-blessed God, He cares for the love of His children. His nature is love, and therefore He both gives us blessing and craves our hearts in return. (R. C. Ford, M. A.)

11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your

God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and

his decrees that I am giving you this day.

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GILL, "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God,.... The Father of mercies and fountain of goodness, the author and donor of every good and perfect gift. Plenty is apt to induce a forgetfulness of God, when on the contrary one would think it should keep him in continual remembrance, and engage to daily thankfulness to him:

in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day; gave a repetition of, and in the name of God afresh enjoined them, even laws moral, ceremonial, and judicial, which, when not observed, God is forgotten.

JAMISON 11-20, "Beware that thou forget not the Lord — After mentioning those instances of the divine goodness, Moses founded on them an argument for their future obedience.

CALVIN, "11.Beware that thou forget not (263) We may easily estimable the

necessity of this admonition from the common corruption of human nature, which is

even yet only too general and too influential; for scarcely shall we find one person in a

hundred in whom satiety does not generate headiness. Moses will hereafter speak in

his Song of the rebelliousness of this people, (264)

“The beloved, (Jeshurun,) waxen fat, and grown thick, kicked.” (Deuteronomy 32:15.)

It was needful, then, that a restraint should be put on such refractory beings, nay, that

they should have their wantonness still more tightly repressed in their prosperity. But

we may, and it is well to, extend this doctrine to ourselves also, since prosperity

intoxicates almost all of us, so that we intemperately grow wanton against God, and

forget ourselves and Him. Therefore Moses not only commands the Israelites not to be

ungrateful to God, but warns them to guard themselves (for he uses this word for to

beware) from that impious ingratitude. He immediately after uses this same word for

the keeping of the Law. But this is the sum, that they needed the utmost care and

attention to beware lest forgetfulness of God should steal over them in happy

circumstances, and thus they should shake off His fear, and cast away His yoke, and

indulge themselves in the lusts of their flesh. For he shews that contempt of the Law

would be a token of ingratitude; because it could not be but that they would submit

themselves to God, and keep His Law, if they only reflected that it was to nothing but

His blessing that they owed their prosperity. We have already observed elsewhere that

his designation of the Law by various terms amounts to a commendation of its perfect

doctrine; as much as to say, that no part of right conduct is omitted in it. He also

asserts here (as often elsewhere) the faithfulness of his ministry, lest they should

shufflingly contend that, whilst they refuse the commands of a mortal man, they are

not therefore rebellious against God. He says, then, that their piety will not be

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acceptable to God, unless they keep the Law propounded by Him.

COFFMAN, "The picture here is that of an agricultural Paradise loaded with every

good and delightful thing. There is hardly any use to comment on the various products

mentioned here, since most of them have been the staples of human consumption for

ages. One surprising entry is "pomegranates," but Clarke explained this on the basis

that the fruit "is very valuable in the Middle East, especially for its aid in making

cooling drinks, much as we use lemons."[15]

"Copper ..." (Deuteronomy 8:9). In the old versions, this is rendered brass. "Brass was

the old name for copper; the alloy known as brass "was unknown in that time."[16]

The Bible has no account of Jews working mines in Canaan, but, "The writer of the

Book of Job was acquainted with mining operations, and gives a graphic description

of the process in Deuteronomy 28."[17]

"Thou shalt eat and be full ..." (Deuteronomy 8:10). This description of the anticipated

life for Israel in the promised land makes it clear enough, as Cousins said, "That

negative puritanism had no place in the Biblical view of the righteous life."[18]

ELLICOTT, "(11) Beware that.—From Deuteronomy 8:11 to Deuteronomy 8:18

inclusive is one long sentence in the Hebrew, and may be taken thus: “Take heed to

thyself lest thou forget Jehovah thy God (so that thou keep not, &c.); lest thou eat and

be satisfied (while thou buildest, &c.); and thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget

Jehovah (thy deliverer, thy leader, thy sustainer), and say in thine heart, My power,

&c.; and (take heed) that thou remember Jehovah thy God, that it is He that giveth

thee power to get wealth,” &c. The caution is prophetic, as may be seen by the

following examples:—

“When Rehoboam had . . . strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and

all Israel with him” (2 Chronicles 12:1).

“But when he (Uzziah) was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction” (2

Chronicles 26:16).

“Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart

was lifted up” (2 Chronicles 32:25).

Other instances might easily be added.

WHEDON, "11. Beware that thou forget not the Lord — How earnestly and

persistently the aged lawgiver and leader admonishes his people of the perils of

prosperity! They had been tested and trained by years of toil and self-denial. The

coming years of prosperous enjoyment will still more strongly test their loyalty to

Jehovah.

PETT, "Verses 11-20

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The Warning Lest When They are Blessed They Forget Who Has Blessed Them

(Deuteronomy 8:11-20).

Knowing the hearts of the people Moses now saw fit to gave them a severe warning.

He recognised that there was a danger that when they became prosperous they would

forget Who had given them all these blessings, and would begin rather to commend

themselves. He therefore seeks to prepare for such an eventuality.

Analysis in the words of Moses.

a Beware lest you forget Yahweh your God, in not keeping His commandments,

and His ordinances, and His statutes, which I command you this day (Deuteronomy

8:11).

b Lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and

dwelt in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your

gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied (Deuteronomy 8:12-13). .

c Then your heart is lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought

you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Deuteronomy 8:14 b).

d Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery

serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water (Deuteronomy 8:15 a).

d Who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint, who fed you in the

wilderness with manna, which your fathers knew not; that He might humble you, and

that He might prove you, to do you good at your latter end (Deuteronomy 8:15-16).

c And lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has

obtained for me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17).

b But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is He Who gives you power

to obtain wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers,

as at this day (Deuteronomy 8:18).

a And it shall be, if you forget Yahweh your God, and walk after other gods, and

serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you will surely perish.

As the nations that Yahweh causes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because

you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

Note that in ‘a’ the warning is lest they forget Yahweh their God, and in the parallel

the warning of what will result from doing so is given. In ‘b’ their wealth is

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multiplied, and in the parallel they are warned to remember that it is Yahweh their

God who has given them power to obtain their wealth. In ‘c’ the fear is that their heart

will be lifted up and they forget Yahweh their God, and the parallel fears lest they see

the wealth as self-acquired. In ‘d’ He led them through the terrible and dry wilderness,

and in the parallel He provided food and water.`

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:11

‘Beware lest you forget Yahweh your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his

ordinances, and his statutes, which I command you this day,’

But Moses had led men, and especially these men, for too long not to be aware that

times of plenty could pose a danger so he adds a further warning. They must beware

lest in all their plenty they forget Yahweh. The point was not that men would forget

altogether, for that was unlikely, but that they would forget their covenant

responsibility. Their ‘forgetfulness’ would be revealed by their not keeping His

commandments, and His statutes and His ordinances. We too may still regularly enjoy

our attendance at worship, but the test of the genuineness of our faith is whether we

still remember Him by the way we live our lives in the daily grind.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:11-14

Wealth is apt to engender in the possessor of it a spirit of self-gratulation and pride, and

abundance of good things to induce men to be luxurious, "to trust in uncertain riches," and

to be forgetful of the bounteous hand from which all that they enjoy has come. Against this

the people are hero cautioned and warned.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:11-18

Danger of self-glorification.

The enjoyment of God's mercies, which should be so provocative of thankfulness, may

become a snare, if we are not careful to guard against their misuse. Several of the dangers

to which prosperity makes us liable are dealt with in the Homily referred to above. Here,

there is one specially named, which is perhaps the most common of all, viz. that of

attributing success in life to one's own skill, or wisdom, or might: "And thou say in thine

heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth" (see Ezekiel 28:4,

Ezekiel 28:5; Ezekiel 29:3; Psalms 12:3; 7:2). So strong is the tendency to accredit ourselves

with any gains which may be ours, in a vain, self-glorifying spirit, that we cannot be too

anxious to guard against it, by exposing the sin and evil of it.

I. IT IS UNTRUE. However much care we may have taken to ensure success, whether we gain

our end or no, has been dependent at every moment on a conjunction of circumstances,

which we were as powerless to bring about or to avoid, as to create the tides or arrest the

moon. And even the ability to take care, and to put forth effort, has been a gift. We are

violating the first rudiments of most certain truth, when we take the credit of success in life

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to ourselves.

II. IT IS DISLOYAL. For it is God who gives us the power to get wealth. We owe all we have to

his bounty, and even the very breath we draw, to his unceasing care. The laws on which we

have relied to bring prosperity have been of God's creation. And for a creature to plume

himself on the gifts of the Creator, who can adequately set forth such injustice to high

Heaven?

III. IT IS UNGRATEFUL. For, as if it were not enough that the Most High should have all our

faults to bear with unceasingly—is it not marvelously ungrateful that creatures who would

have long ago been cut down except for the long-suffering of God, should pride themselves

on the abilities which have been in such forbearance continued to them?

IV. IT IS MOST MISCHIEVOUS IN ITS EFFECTS. For it nurses pride, instead of fostering

thankfulness. It genders selfishness, it freezes benevolence, and will surely breed a

covetous, tyrannous, haughty disposition, if not fought against and overcome.

V. IT IS OFFENSIVE IN GOD'S SIGHT, (Proverbs 6:16, Proverbs 6:17; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5.)

God sets himself in array against pride of heart. How can it be otherwise? "What

communion hath light with darkness?" God will dwell with the contrite and humble spirit,

but "the proud he knoweth afar off."

SBC, “In the text we have Moses’ answer to the first great question in politics: What makes a nation prosperous?

To that wise men have always answered, as Moses answered, "Good government is government according to the laws of God." That alone makes a nation prosperous. But the multitude, who are not wise men, give a different answer. They say, "What makes a nation prosperous is its wealth."

I. Moses does not deny that wealth is a good thing. He takes for granted that the Jews will grow very rich, but he warns them that their riches, like all other earthly things, may be a curse or a blessing to them. When riches multiplied, they might forget God, and say, "My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth."

II. God gives power to get wealth in two ways: (1) He gives the raw material; (2) He gives the wit to use it. Moses bade the people remember that they owed all to God. What they had, they had of God’s free gift What they were, they were of God’s free grace. Therefore they were not to boast of themselves, their numbers, their wealth, their armies, their fair and fertile land. They were to make their boast of God, of God’s goodness.

III. If we as a nation go on trusting in ourselves rather than God; if we keep within us the hard, self-sufficient spirit, and boast to ourselves, "My power and the strength of my hands have got me this and that," and, in fact, live under the notion, which too many have, that we could do very well without God’s help if God would let us alone—then we are heaping up ruin and shame for ourselves, and for our children after us. In this sense God is indeed a jealous God, who will not give His honour to another, but will punish those who trust in anything except Himself.

C. Kingsley, Gospel of the Pentateuch, p. 197.

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BI 11-17, “Beware that thou forget not the Lord.

National wealth

Here we have Moses’ answer to the first great question in politics—What makes a nation prosperous? To that wise men have already answered, as Moses answered, “Good government; government according to the laws of God.” But the multitude, who are not wise men, give a different answer. They say, “What makes a nation prosperous is its wealth. If Britain be only rich, then she must be safe and right.”

I. Moses does not deny that wealth is a good thing. He takes for granted that they will grow rich; but he warns them that their riches, like all other earthly things, may be a curse or a blessing to them. Nay, that they are not good in themselves, but mere tools which may be used for good or for evil.

II. And herein he shows his knowledge of the human heart; for it is a certain fact that whenever any nation has prospered, then they have, as Moses warned the Jews, forgotten the Lord their God, and said, “My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.” And it is true, also, that whenever any nation has begun to say that, they have fallen into confusion and misery, and sometimes into utter ruin, till they repented and remembered the Lord their God, and found out that the strength of a nation did not consist in riches, but in virtue. For it is He that giveth the power to get wealth. He gives it in two ways. First, God gives the raw material; secondly, He gives the wit to use it. This, then, was what Moses commanded—to remember that they owed all to God. What they had, they had of God’s free gift. What they were, they were by God’s free grace. Therefore they were not to boast of themselves, their numbers, their wealth, their armies, their fair and fertile land. They were to make their boast of God and of God’s goodness. This they were to remember, because it was true. And this we are to remember, because it is more or less true of us. God has made of us a great nation; God has discovered to us the immense riches of this land. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.

III. You will see that Moses warns them that if they forgot God the lord, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, they would go after other gods. He cannot part the two things. If they forget that God brought them out of Egypt, they will turn to idolatry, and so end in ruin. And so shall we. If we forget that God is the living God, who brought our forefathers into this land, who has revealed to us the wealth of it step by step as we needed it, who is helping and blessing us now, every day, and all the year round—then we shall begin worshipping other gods, worshipping the so-called laws of nature, instead of God who made the laws, and so honouring the creature above the Creator; or else we shall worship the pomps and vanities of this world—pride and power, money and pleasure—and say in our hearts, “These are our only gods which can help us, these must we obey.” Which if we do, this land of England will come to ruin and shame, as surely as did the land of Israel in old time. (C. Kingsley, M. A.)

Forgetful of God

“Forget not.” God hates forgetfulness of His blessings—

1. Because He has commanded that we should not forget them (Deu_4:9).

2. Because forgetfulness is a sign of contempt.

3. It is the peculiarity of singular carelessness.

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4. It springs from unbelief.

5. It is the greatest mark of ingratitude. (Thos. le Blanc.)

Danger of riches

Mr. Cecil had a hearer who, when a young man, had solicited his advice, but who had not for some time had an interview with him. Mr. C—one day went to his house on horseback, being unable to walk, and after his usual salutations, addressed him thus: “I understand you are very dangerously situated.” Here he paused, and his friend replied, “I am not aware of it, sir.” “I thought it was probable you were not, and therefore I have called on you. I hear you are getting rich; take care, for it is the road by which the devil leads thousands to destruction!” This was spoken with such solemnity and earnestness, that it made a deep and lasting impression.

Prosperity and spiritual ruin

A friend recently told me of a beautiful elm in his garden that for centuries had withstood the fury of winter’s storms. On one still summer’s morning, however, he was startled by a crash, followed by the rustling fall of a huge limb. The thing was unaccountable, for not a breath of air was stirring, and the broken branch was perfectly sound. At length the gardener gave the explanation. It was the calm itself that had wrought or occasioned the mischief. All through the tranquil night copious dews had fallen, and every leaf had caught and held as in a closed chalice the copious deposit, whose countless drops bore with an oppressive weight upon the branches until the one in question could no longer endure the strain, Had the slightest breath of air been stirring, so as to disturb the leaves and empty their tiny reservoirs, they would have rained their riches of moisture upon the soil beneath, and the elm would have continued to flourish in unmutilated majesty. Prosperity often accomplishes the spiritual ruin that adversity failed to effect. (J. Halsey.)

God forgotten

A Glasgow minister was sitting on a coach beside the driver on a lonely Highland road, and saw in the distance an old woman, who looked wistfully towards the coach. As it came near her face showed by turns anxiety, hope, and fear, and as the coach passed, the driver, with downcast eyes and sad expression, shook his head, and she returned disappointed to her cottage. Being much affected by what he saw, the minister asked an explanation of the driver. The driver said that for several years she had watched daily for the coach, expecting either to see her son or to receive a letter from him. The son had gone to one of our great cities, and had forgotten the mother who loved him so dearly. But the mother went every day to meet the coach, trusting that one day her son would return to her. Such a tale makes our heart bleed for the parent who was cruelly forsaken, but many forget how badly they are treating their heavenly Father when they forsake Him and refuse to return to Him.

Forgetfulness of God

Among the legends of Hindostan is this:—Rawana, a Brahmin, was offered by his god anything that lie might name. Rawana prayed his god to bestow upon him the government of the world. His god immediately granted his wish. Then he prayed for ten heads with which to see and rule the world. After Rawana had well fortified himself, and was surrounded by riches, honours, and praise, he forgot his god Ixora, and bade all the people worship him, an act which greatly angered the god Ixora, and

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he destroyed Rawana. How true to human nature was the course of Rawana! and how many we find today that have forgotten the God that gave them all they possess! (J. Bibb.)

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness.

The Christian aspect and use of politics

It is a common saying in these days that politics, as the phrase is, “run high,” and are likely to continue to run high for some years to come. And this is perfectly true, so far as the present is concerned, and is likely to prove true in the future also. Great issues have to be fought out. The area, too, over which the interest in politics is felt has been, widened by the spread of education and the extension of political rights. Men’s convictions and affections and prejudices and passions are deeply engaged in the questions of the day. They feel and speak warmly on one side and on the other. And the result is what we see, and perhaps, to a certain extent, suffer from. The Christian ministry would stand self-condemned if it had not a word in season to say at a time like the present. To bring the whole subject to the purest light, which is the light of Christ; to lift our thoughts to the highest point of view; to connect present trials and difficulties with our life as men, and as Christian men, so that they may become no longer injurious to us, but a wholesome discipline—this is the object of the present discourse.

1. A time of political stir and agitation, when great questions are being discussed and settled, is in many ways much better than a time of apathy and stagnation. If it calls out some of the fiercer passions of our nature, it calls out also the nobler qualities. It helps to make the political atmosphere, if more stormy, yet less liable to become venal, corrupt, and impure. A recent traveller in America, an observer of much acuteness, has remarked upon the gravity, the seriousness, the seeming melancholy of the American character. Can it be matter of surprise that it should be so? Could a nation pass through a tremendous crisis like that of the still recent civil war without bearing the mark of it upon its brow for many a long year afterwards? Is it the dream of a visionary or of an enthusiast to hope that the critical times through which our own beloved country is passing may leave a permanent impress for good upon the national character?

2. But this view of the gain which may accrue to all true manliness of character, through the demand at present made upon it, requires to be extended and modified by an additional consideration. We must not forget that what we want is not a heathen, but a Christian manliness. And this involves higher qualities, such as gentleness, considerateness, courtesy, sympathy, as well as the sterner stuff of truth and courage and endurance. England’s great need at the present day is of wise counsels and of gentle hands, to heal the wounds of society, to interpret the various sections and classes to each other, and to unite them together, so that all may seek the common good and feel that they are all members of one commonwealth. Those wounds of society are deep and many. Pauperism, drunkenness, crime, ignorance, vice, misery; who can reflect on these giant evils, these horrible sores, of our social state, without feeling that the triumph of a party is not worth a moment’s thought compared with the removal of such evils and the cure of such diseases?

3. If I were to look for a motto, which I might take it upon me to recommend to all those who are in any way engaged or interested in politics, I should select that noble Christian rule which St. Peter gives us, “Honour all men.” No three words that I know of cut more decisively at the root, whether of the false Toryism which

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delights in patronising and domineering, or of the false Liberalism which hates all that is above itself and longs to pull it down to its own level, but has no wish to raise what is below, and whose ruling spring is not a genuine human sympathy, but pure selfishness and scorn. Yes, “honour all men”; not the few only who are above us, but the many who are below us. The grounds of this noble Christian motto lie deep in the Gospel of Christ. That common human nature, which Christ Himself, the Son of God, has condescended to wear, cannot but be a sacred thing in the eyes of all His followers. But more than this, it stands in such close fundamental connection with Him, and He with it, that in honouring it we are in fact honouring Him.

4. In sober truth and earnest, the responsibility which attaches to every citizen, even the humblest, of our common country at a time like this, is a heavy one, and might well avail to call out all the dignity, honour, and manliness that are in each, though too often, it may be, latent there. Each contributes something by word, by influence, by sympathy, to present tendencies. Each contributes some drop, as it were, to the mighty tide, which is bearing us onwards into the future. Each is therefore helping now to determine what that future shall be; our own future, our children’s future, our country’s future. Act neither from fear nor favour. Act as in the sight of God, looking to Him to purify our motives, to inspire us with wisdom and courage, to make us tolerant, too, and conciliatory, as well as steadfast and resolute. Then we shall be blessed ourselves, and our country will be blessed also.

5. Lastly, let it never be forgotten by us that, come what may, God’s kingdom is over all. (Canon D. J. Vaughan.)

The journey towards the promised land

These words were addressed by Moses to the Israelites when, having at length reached the end of their protracted wanderings through the wilderness, they were on the point of taking possession of the promised land. The veteran leader exhorts his companions in toil and suffering to cast a retrospective glance on the memorable period of their existence which is now drawing to its close, and to consider it as a time of humiliation, of trial, of providential education, necessary to fit them for the possession of Canaan after the thraldom of Egypt. The application of this text is simple: Israel is the people of God. Egypt, that house of bondage, is sin; the slavery of the prince of darkness. Canaan, that promised land, is heaven. The wilderness, the great and howling wilderness through which God leads us, is the world of sin and suffering, in which He leaves us yet awhile. Let us consider these words in relation to our past, present, and future, and endeavour to understand the solemn significance and sublime end of our earthly pilgrimage.

I. The past. The time which immediately followed the rescue of Israel from Egypt was undoubtedly one of the grandest epochs in the history of that people. With one voice they sang that magnificent song, the most ancient and one of the finest monuments of that noblest of all poetry—Hebrew poetry (Exo_15:1-27). But alas! how short-lived was this enthusiasm! Deliverance was followed by protracted trial. Instead of the gates of Canaan open to receive them, the Israelites found only a great and terrible wilderness through which God led them, against their will, towards the ultimate good He had in view for them. Is not this an image of ourselves? Who is there that has not felt similar emotions to those experienced by the Israelites on the morrow of the passage of the Red Sea? On the high road to the promised land, with the foretaste of eternal life in our hearts, in the fervour of our first love, in the outburst of our gratitude, we gladly exclaim with Simeon: “Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in

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peace.” And it is from the very depths of our heart that, as we take our first step towards the fatherland, we renew the engagement of the Israelites of old, and promise that, “All the Lord hath spoken we will do.” But the descent from these sublime heights soon commences. To what may our experience at such times be compared? You have seen, after a dark night, the sun begin its daily course in more than ordinary radiance, the sky is a glowing canopy of gold and purple, the earth revels in floods of light;. . .then, by degrees, this brightness dims; clouds, at first almost imperceptible, thicken and condense in the atmosphere; the sky becomes overcast, and the horizon is dull and cold; the rain begins to fall, thin, uninterrupted, penetrating, and the heart grows heavy and chill. Such, in most cases, is the long day of human life after the transient dawn which announces or precedes conversion, and from the depths of your soul do you not call this a great and terrible wilderness? Have you never murmured or asked yourself the question: “Wherefore this long journey through this barren land?”

II. The present. “The Lord thy God hath led thee.” What memories were these words calculated to awaken in the mind of the Israelites? If God ever manifested the providence of Omnipotence in a striking manner upon earth, it certainly was during the wanderings of His people through the desert. And though the Divine providence that leads us on in our turn be not miraculous, as during the journey of the Hebrews, it is, however, none the less real and marvellous. That which the people of God witnessed by the eye of the body may yet be manifest to the eye of faith. The mercies of former days are pledges of those we are permitted to expect in the present. But wherefore this wilderness? Why not immediate peace, triumph, and glory? Hear the answer of Him whose every act tends to an excellent end: “That He might humble thee, to prove thee.” The purpose of the Lord was to bring the will of His people into subjection, to train them to obedience, to sanctify them in the highest and noblest sense of the word. And everything down to the minutest details was chosen, ordained, calculated with a view to the ultimate result. Thus it is with us. We are placed, here below, in presence of a maturity to be attained; and no fruit can ripen unless it has felt the burning rays of the sun. We are being educated, and there can be no thorough education without stern discipline. We are going towards a promised land, but the path to it lies through a valley of tears. Between this conception, which is that of faith and a blind fatalism, the very thought of which is bewildering, there is no middle course. It is good for us to be tried. If we knew naught of “the sufferings of this present time,” should we know “the weight of glory which shall be revealed to usward” which they are meant to bring forth? Let us beware, however, lest by our folly we add to our measure of affliction, and thus constrain the Lord to humble and chasten us beyond His own purpose.

III. The future. “To do thee good at thy latter end.” The constant end of God is good. Faith reveals to us and the Scriptures declare that “all things work together for good,” etc. Even upon earth, whoever remembers all the way which the Lord his God hath led him, finds at the end of each trial a mature fruit, “the peaceable fruit of righteousness,” to be received ultimately. And what shall it be when the fashion of this world hath passed away, and all the ends of the Lord with a view to the final good of His saints shall be manifested? These forty years of pilgrimage through the wilderness were a sore trial for Israel. But how glorious was the day when at length they reached the end, and obtained the reward of so much toil and suffering! Who, then, remembered the weariness of the road save to praise Jehovah, who had led them to so goodly an inheritance? For us also there shall be a crossing of Jordan and an entrance into the heavenly Canaan, of which the earthly was but a feeble type. We, too, shall have our day of triumph, a day when the sun, which marks the stages of our journey, shall set amid the shadows of a last eventide, to rise again for us radiant and

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cloudless for evermore. God’s purpose is to do us good at our latter end! Forward, then, in peace and hope! Soon all things shall become new! Faith today; sight tomorrow! Weariness now; rest by and by! Here the desert; beyond the promised land! Forward! Excelsior! (Frank Coulin, D. D.)

Scorpions.

The scorpion

Our subject is the scorpion—a dreadful insect which is as full of lessons as it is of venom. The scorpion is in reality a terrible kind of spider, and has the venom claw at the end of its body, not in its jaw. Scorpions do not look unlike lobsters, as we see them collected in a basket on their way to the market. These uncomfortable creatures, the scorpions, manage in some way to secrete themselves in hidden nooks and corners, and one experienced in travelling in the East—where scorpions abound—will be careful where he takes his seat until he has discovered whether there are any scorpions or venomous spiders hidden under the rocks near where he may happen to be. The scorpion has a peculiar venom, some of the larger scorpions being able to make a man very ill, and even to kill him if he should be one subject to inflammation. The scorpions were so much feared by the early Christians and the apostles of our Lord, that we find tie promised them safety from their stings, and the bite of poisonous reptiles. So much, then, for the scorpion. Let us now learn the lessons which this venomous creature teaches us.

I. First of all, we learn from the scorpion—the lesson of the hidden power of venom. Venomous thoughts are thoughts of malice, and spite, and malignity; that is why we always want to kill a viper, or a snake, or a black spider, because we know that it is filled with venom, or poison, or some noxious material, which will give us pain or perhaps cause our death. A venomous writer is one who is malignant and mischievous. A venomous neighbour is one who is spiteful, and has evil designs upon us. We don’t know how it is that we have this evil within us; but it is very evident that in some way venom is within us, just as truly as it is within the poisonous scorpion. Let us beware of this hidden power of venom within us, for the poison as “of asps” is indeed under our lips.

II. The second lesson we learn from the scorpion is—the lesson of the poisoning power of sin. The following illustrates what we mean. In the chemical laboratories of our colleges there are many experiments made which show us the wonderful power of a single drop of poison. A great bottle of colourless water will become a thick and clouded white in an instant by the addition of a single drop of the prepared chemical; and one drop of poison, such as strychnia, will paralyse in an instant a living being, such as the goldfish, turtles, and tadpoles which we see in a vase of water. But none of these poisons is so powerful as the poison of sin (Jas_1:15). I was reading, some time ago, a story which shows us the poisoning power of sin. A man who wished to buy a handsome ring went into a jeweller’s in Paris. The jeweller showed him a very ancient gold ring, remarkably fine, and curious on this account, that on the inside of it were two little lion’s claws. The buyer, while looking at the others, was playing with this. At last he purchased another, and went away. But he had scarcely reached home, when first his hand, then his side, then his whole body became numb and without feeling, as if he had a stroke of palsy; and it grew worse and worse, till the physician, who came in haste, thought him dying. “You must have somehow taken poison,” he said. The sick man protested that he had not. At length someone remembered this ring; and it was then discovered to be what used to be called a death ring, and which was often employed in those wicked Italian States three or four

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hundred years ago. If a man hated another, and desired to murder him, he would present him with one of them. In the inside was a drop of deadly poison, and a very small hole out of which it would not make its way except when squeezed. When the poor man was wearing it, the murderer would come and shake his hand violently, the lion’s claw would give his finger a little scratch, and in a few hours he was a dead man.

III. The third, and last, lesson that we learn from the scorpion is—the lesson of the misery of spitefulness. There is nothing in life so miserable and contemptible as the spirit of spitefulness; that is, the spirit of envy at another’s success. There is something spiteful and venomous about the bite of an insect or reptile: a bite from a mosquito, a spider, or a snake will always make us think of the spitefulness of the creature that has bitten us. (R. Newton, D. D.)

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna.—

The manna which humbled Israel

What was there in God’s gift of manna to humble Israel? We should rather think it placed them in a high and distinguished rank among nations. Whom else did God feed thus? It did exalt Israel; it did point him out and distinguish him far above the Hittites or Jebusites, or even the voluptuous and powerful Egyptians; and yet it humbled him. To humble is not to humiliate; humility is not humiliation. When shall humility be at its height? When tears and sighs and sickness and poverty have brought you down to the very grave? No such thing. When death has paralysed every power of body, and perhaps shaken the mind itself into a wreck? No such thing. When the world sneers and contemns your piety, and calls you the filth and offscouring of all things? No such thing. But look onward! look upward! Who are they falling down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, and casting their crowns at His feet? They are redeemed, and crowned, and glorified spirits; they are the most humble of our race; humility is made perfect, not in sorrows and scoffs, but there, midst harps and crowns and palms and songs. And since the Lord will thus perfect your humility by crowning you and receiving you to heaven, it is no hard matter to suppose that God might give Israel manna “to humble” them. The fact, then, is certain; but how is it brought about? by what process did the manna humble Israel? First of all it did so by the mystery of its dispensation; and thus Moses distinctly calls it “manna which thy fathers knew not.” Neither Abraham nor Isaac nor Jacob had seen such a thing; the oldest Israelite had never eaten such food; it was “manna which thy fathers knew not.” And the Israelites then alive were equally ignorant of its nature; with the manna actually before them it was still a mystery to them. They could not tell how it came, or whence it came, they simply could say they gathered it. And then there was the gathering, equally unaccountable. It was gathered in the morning, yet if any man should grudge his daily labour of collecting it, and his daily recognition of Him who gave it—if any man should try to make one morning’s collection do for two days’ food, behold on the morrow his pot of manna is a pot of corruption, and instead of food he finds worms. And then if any Israelite should dare to forget or to outrage the Sabbath by not collecting a double portion on the sixth day, he finds the ground all bare; the wilderness is arid and fruitless as ever; for bread he finds stones. But how did all this mystery humble them Why, it taught them, and made them feel their own ignorance. Let the Jew take up that “small round thing as small as the hoar frost on the ground,” and let him tell me how it is made or whence it came. Not all the subtle learning of Egypt, which some of them doubtlessly possessed, could teach them this lesson; that grain of food is a puzzle for 603,000 men besides the Levites; the manna tended to humble them. And so with you. True,

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you have no food sent and gathered in a most incomprehensible manner; but every mercy you have which you do not understand takes its place side by side with the manna, and on the self-same principle ought to humble you. How, Christian, wast thou born again?, “The wind bloweth where it listeth,” etc. And what is every step in the believer’s career but a mystery of love—a mystery of grace? “Great is the mystery of godliness” great in the work of redemption by Christ—great in the application of that work by His Spirit—all, all, a great mystery from first to last. And shall we, standing as we do amidst the crowd of deep and awful truths—shall we, feeling in our own hearts that love “which passeth knowledge,” and that power which like a hidden magnet draws us to holiness and God—shall we, surrounded by the “deep things of God”—shall we be aught else than nothing in our own sight? But, again, the gift of manna tended to produce this humbling effect by its greatness. I am not disposed to elevate the importance of the meat which perisheth, or to prove the vastness of God’s gift to Israel by the fact that myriads of lives depended on the regular supply of this food. Neither will I dwell on the abundance in which manna strewed the spot of Israel’s encampment; there was no lack in any tent of Jacob; the patriarch of a large family fared as well as though he had been childless and alone. Want was unknown in that mighty camp; all was plenty. Now this abundance alone would prove the greatness of God’s gift; but we may rest our proof on higher grounds, and assert that whatever the nature of the manna, and whether sparingly or profusely given, the simple fact that God gave it makes it at once a great and unspeakable gift. A present from a great man is esteemed great from the very greatness of the donor. If the King were to give you some token of his regard, let it be trifling as it will—a mere bauble—yet how highly would you prize it! a case of gold is not too precious a casket for it. What, then, must be a gift from God! The greatness therefore of Him who gave Israel manna, and the love which the provision displayed, made it a great gift. But how did its magnitude tend to humble Israel? Why, by calling to Israel’s continual remembrance their own unworthiness, and God’s matchless and free mercy. And, surely the bounty of your Lord affects you in the same way; it must teach you your unworthiness. “The goodness of God leadeth you to repentance;” and thus Paul entreats the Romans, “I beseech you by the mercies of God.” It must be a callous and a dead heart which does not feel its baseness whilst filling itself with new and full supplies of Divine goodness. The son may be hardened by rebuke or by punishment; he may be callous to recollections of past affection and care; but often as he holds out his hand to receive some gift of his pardoning father, that seared conscience speaks, that hard heart breaks, that rebellious arm trembles, and he who could dare a father’s curse shrinks and quails before a father’s gift, his unworthiness pressing on him with a weight he never felt before, and mercy accusing him more powerfully than all the reproaches which lips could utter. And in spirituals you will find there is nothing which impresses the soul with so deep a sense of guilt as a sense of Divine mercy. I may reckon up a long catalogue of your sins; I may tell you of all the guilty deeds you have done since childhood; but if I can, by the grace and power of the Spirit, put into your heart one evidence of Christ’s love for sinners, I have done more towards your conviction of guilt than if I had opened the two tables of law, and tried your every act by the light of judgment. Sins will strike a man low, but God’s mercies will gently lay him lower still. The penitent often sinks deeply and more deeply in the slough of despond; but there is a place where his position is lower still—it is the Cross of Christ; and when we need to learn or teach a lesson of self-renunciation, you may depend upon it the best subject for study is not the magnitude and the multitude of your sins alone, but the magnitude and the multitude of the Lord’s mercies. (D. F. Jarman, M. A.)

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12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when

you build fine houses and settle down,

GILL, "Lest when thou hast eaten and art full,.... Not only once and again, but continually, day after day, being indulged with great plenty:

and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; who for forty years had only dwelt in tents, moving from place to place in the wilderness.

HENRY 12-18, “II. He arms them against the temptations of a prosperous condition, and charges them to stand upon their guard against them: “When thou art settled in goodly houses of thy own building,” Deu_8:12 (for though God gave them houses which they builded not, Deu_6:10, these would not serve them, they must have larger and finer), - “and when thou hast grown rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold (Deu_8:13), as Abraham (Gen_13:2), - when all thou hast is multiplied,” 1. “Then take heed of pride. Beware lest then thy heart be lifted up,” Deu_8:14. When the estate rises, the mind is apt to rise with it, in self-conceit, self-complacency, and self-confidence. Let us therefore strive to keep the spirit low in a high condition; humility is both the ease and the ornament of prosperity. Take heed of saying, so much as in thy heart, that proud word, My power, even the might of my hand, hath gotten me this wealth, Deu_8:17. Note, We must never take the praise of our prosperity to ourselves, nor attribute it to our ingenuity or industry; for bread is not always to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, Ecc_9:11. It is spiritual idolatry thus to sacrifice to our own net, Hab_1:16. 2. “Then take heed of forgetting God.” This follows upon the lifting up on the heart; for it is through the pride of the countenance that the wicked seek not after God, Psa_10:4. Those that admire themselves despise God. (1.) “Forget not thy duty to God.” Deu_8:11. We forget God if we keep not his commandments; we forget his authority over us, and our obligations to him and expectations from him, if we are not obedient to his laws. When men grow rich they are tempted to think religion a needless thing. They are happy without it, think it a thing below them and too hard upon them. Their dignity forbids them to stoop, and their liberty forbids them to serve. But we are basely ungrateful if the better God is to us the worse we are to him. (2.) “Forget not God's former dealings with thee. Thy deliverance out of Egypt, Deu_8:14. The provision he made for thee in the wilderness, that great and terrible wilderness.” They must never forget the impressions which the horror of that wilderness made upon them; see Jer_2:6, where it is called the very shadow of death. There God preserved them from being destroyed by the fiery serpents and scorpions, though sometimes he made use of them for their correction: there he kept them from perishing for want of water, following them with water out of a rock of flint (Deu_8:15), out of which (says bishop Patrick) one would rather have expected fire than water. There he fed them with manna, of which before (Deu_8:3), taking care to keep them alive, that he might do them good at their latter end, Deu_8:16. Note, God reserves the best till the last for his Israel. However he may seem to deal hardly with them by the way, he will not fail to do them good at their latter end. (3.) “Forget not God's hand in thy present

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prosperity, Deu_8:18. Remember it is he that giveth thee wealth; for he giveth thee power to get wealth.” See here how God's giving and our getting are reconciled, and apply it to spiritual wealth. It is our duty to get wisdom, and above all our gettings to get understanding; and yet it is God's grace that gives wisdom, and when we have got it we must not say, It was the might of our hand that got it, but must own it was God that gave us power to get it, and therefore to him we must give the praise and consecrate the use of it. The blessing of the Lord on the hand of the diligent makes rich both for this world and for the other. He giveth thee power to get wealth, not so much to gratify thee, and make thee easy, as that he may establish his covenant. All God's gifts are in pursuance of his promises.

CALVIN, "12.Lest when thou hast eaten and art full. He more fully explains what we

have already observed, viz., that it might happen, in the gradual course of time, that

they should fail in their fear of God and honor for His Law, and therefore should take

the greater care lest continual peace and joy should bring this callousness upon them.

We should diligently remark the cause of departure which he points out, viz., the pride

whereby riches and abundance ordinarily puff up men’s minds. The examples of

moderation in prosperity are rare; rather, as soon as men perceive themselves to be in

a flourishing estate, they begin to swell with arrogance, and so admire their exaltation

that they despise even God Himself. On this ground Paul charges

“the rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches.” (1

Timothy 6:17.)

We ought., indeed, the more kindly we are dealt with by God, to submit ourselves the

more meekly to His rule; but, as I have said, the depravity of our nature hurries us

quite the other way, so that we grow insolent under God’s indulgence, which should

bend us to submission. And if this does not happen immediately, yet whenever

prosperity flows on uninterruptedly, its delights gradually corrupt even the best of us,

so that they at last degenerate from themselves. If, then, we desire to steer a straight

course, we ought to strive after the healing of this most deadly disease of pride. Again,

since by the wiles of Satan continued prosperity softens and ensnares us, let us learn to

beware not only for a day, but to keep watch through the whole course of our lives.

Moses wisely anticipates their pride by recalling to the Israelites’ recollection what

was their original condition. For whence does it arise that those who seem to

themselves and others to be happy in the world are puffed up with self-confidence and

pride, except because they reflect not on their origin, but despise all but themselves,

just as if they had come down from the clouds? For there are few like Codrus, who,

after gaining a kingdom, always ingenuously confessed that his father had been a

potter. God here presents a remedy to this vice, (which reigns too extensively,) by

representing to the Israelites their former state, and commanding them to reflect that

they were rescued from it by His especial blessing. Nothing but the recollection of

their deliverance could tame their arrogance; for what could be more unreasonable

than that they should be insolent who were formerly the slaves of a most haughty

nation, and who had not acquired their liberty by their own efforts, but contrary to

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their hope and deserts had obtained it by God’s mere favor, who then had wandered in

exile through the wilderness, and at length, under God’s guidance, had entered the

land promised them? In a word, God deals with them just as if one should reproach a

man (who, having become suddenly rich, bore himself intemperately) with his former

beggary and want. Moreover, since they were too slow of heart to receive this

admonition promptly and cheerfully, Moses enlarges on the Divine benefits which

they had experienced in the wilderness. For this was incredible, that this mixed

multitude of men, and women, and children, and slaves should have lived so many

years, not only amongst wild beasts, but amongst scorpions and vipers, and all that is

most venomous in the serpent tribe. God’s goodness shone forth, too, still more

brightly in that sudden miracle whereby He supplied water to them in their thirst from

what was before an and rock. (265) But since he reminds them in the next verse how

they had manna for their bread or food, I will join these two things together.

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:12-14

‘Lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt in

them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is

multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart is lifted up, and you

forget Yahweh your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the

house of bondage.’

Compare here Hosea 13:6. ‘According to their pasture so were they filled, they were

filled and their heart was exalted, therefore have they forgotten me’. The danger was

lest, when they were full and satisfied, and had their own splendid homes, and large

flocks, and great wealth, and when it all continued to multiply seemingly endlessly,

they forgot the One Who had given it to them, the One Who brought them to this

wealth and freedom by bringing them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. It is

one of the strange quirks of man that when God is too good to him he revels in it and

tends to overlook God. It was in recognising this that the writer in Proverbs, while not

wanting to be poor, also did not want to be too rich (Proverbs 30:9). Let them not

then, says Moses, be like those who remember Him when they are in slavery but

forget Him when they are free.

13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and

your silver and gold increase and all you have is

multiplied,

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GILL, "And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply,.... Having good pasture for them in so fruitful a land:

and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied; by trading with other nations:

and all that thou hast is multiplied; children, servants, and substance.

14 then your heart will become proud and you will

forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of

Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

GILL, "Then thine heart be lifted up,.... As the heart is apt to be when riches increase; hence the advice in 1Ti_6:17.

and thou forget the Lord thy God; from whom all good things come, and who can take them away when he pleases, and therefore should be ever kept in mind, for ever looked to and trusted in for the continuance of them; yet such is the evil heart of man, and such the stupefying nature of riches, that they bring on forgetfulness of the author of them, lead off from dependence on him and obedience to him; in order to prevent which, an enumeration is given of wonderful instances of divine goodness to Israel, as follows:

which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; into a land abounding with all the above good things, and therefore it must be the highest ingratitude to forget such a God, and disobey his commands.

COKE, "Ver. 14. Then thine heart be lifted up— An usual effect of prosperity and

great riches, as Euripides observes: υβριν δε τικτει πλουτος ; wealth breeds pride and

contempt of others; for when men are elated by their distinguished circumstances,

they easily fancy themselves to be very important persons, and possessed of

extraordinary merit; and, in proportion to their vanity, and the high thoughts they

entertain of themselves, they are apt to have an unbecoming and insolent contempt of

others, as if they were of a different nature from their fellow-creatures, and originally

formed in a higher order of being. Nor is this the worst: another fatal effect of affluent

prosperity, is, that it makes men forget the Lord their God; for when every thing about

us is gay, and has a smiling aspect, we are too apt to be careless and inconsiderate, and

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to be diverted by pleasure from greater and more important concerns; and when the

mind is thus weakened and dissolved, it is no wonder if men pride themselves in their

riches, as their ultimate happiness, and, for want of reflecting on the instability of all

human affairs, think themselves self-sufficient, and lose that just sense which they

ought to have of the sovereignty of their Maker, and of their absolute and necessary

dependance upon him. See Foster's Sermons, vol. 1: ser. 8.

15 He led you through the vast and dreadful

wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its

venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you

water out of hard rock.

BARNES, "Render: “Who brought thee through that great and terrible wilderness, the fiery serpent and the scorpion, and the dry land where are no waters.” On the fiery serpents see Num_21:6 note.

CLARKE, "Who led thee through that - terrible wilderness - See the account of their journeying in the notes, Exo_16:1 (note), etc.; Numbers 21 (note), etc.

Fiery serpents - Serpents whose bite occasioned a most violent inflammation, accompanied with an unquenchable thirst, and which terminated in death. See on Num_21:6 (note).

GILL, "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness,.... The wilderness of Paran, which was great and large, reaching from Sinai to Kadesh, eleven days' journey, and terrible to the sight, nothing being to be seen but dry rocks and barren mountains; see Deu_1:19, and especially for what follows: wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions; fiery serpents, such as bit the Israelites, of which see Num_21:6 and scorpions, a kind of serpents, venomous and mischievous, which have stings in their tails they are continually thrusting out and striking with, as Pliny says (u); and have their name from their great sting; for Aristotle (w) says, this alone of insects has a large sting:

and drought where there was no water; a dry and barren place where no water was to be had; see Psa_63:1 or it may be rather another kind of serpents may be meant, which is called "dipsas"; and so the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, and Samaritan versions render it; the biting of which produces such a thirst as proves mortal, and which must be intolerable in a wilderness where no water is; and from whence it has its name, which signifies thirsty, as does the Hebrew word here used:

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who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; which was done both at Horeb and Kadesh, Exo_17:6 and was very extraordinary; by striking flint, fire is ordinarily produced, and not water. Dr. Shaw observes (x), that it may be more properly named, with other sorts of graphite marble here to be met with, "the rock of amethyst", from their reddish or purple colour and complexion.

JAMISON, "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions — Large and venomous reptiles are found in great numbers there still, particularly in autumn. Travelers must use great caution in arranging their tents and beds at night; even during the day the legs not only of men, but of the animals they ride, are liable to be bitten.

who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint — (See on Deu_9:21).

ELLICOTT, "(15) The rock of flint.—The rock in Horeb is called tsûr; the rock

smitten in Kadesh, selagh. The first word conveys the idea of “hardness”; the other is

rather a “cliff,” or “height,” and suggests the idea of inaccessibility. In Numbers

20:10, the words of Moses to the rebels, “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

seem to help the distinction, whatever its purpose may be. On the associations of the

word tsûr with flint, see Note on Joshua 5:2. The word challâmîsh, here used for flint,

occurs in Deuteronomy 32:13, Job 28:9, Psalms 114:8 (an allusion to this passage),

and Isaiah 1:7.

COKE, "Ver. 15. Scorpions— The scorpion is a small insect, which has a bladder full

of poison: the belly is divided into seven rings, from the last of which the tail

proceeds, which tail is armed with one, and sometimes with two stings, whence it

darts a dangerous poison; it fixes violently with its snout, and by its feet or claws, on

such persons as it seizes, so that it cannot be plucked off without difficulty, and hence

its name עקרב akrab. See Parkhurst on the word. The desarts of Arabia are full of these

noxious creatures. See Scheuchzer on the place.

WHEDON, "15. Who led thee — This passage is better rendered, “Who led thee

through that great and terrible wilderness, poisonous serpents, and scorpions, and

parched land, where were no waters.” Even in such a land they were the objects of a

providential care. Bread from heaven, water from the rock, had supplied their wants.

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:15-16

‘Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents

and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water, who brought you forth water

out of the rock of flint, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers

knew not; that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at

your latter end,’

Let them remember that it was He Who had watched over them in the wilderness.

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Compare for this Deuteronomy 32:10, ‘Who found him in a desert land, and in the

waste howling wilderness, He compassed him about, He cared for him’, and Hosea

13:5. ‘I knew you (and therefore cared for you) in the wilderness in the land of great

drought’. The wilderness period was ever seen as a time of God’s constant care.

So let them think what Yahweh had done for them. He had led them through a great

and terrible wilderness, stretching mile after mile, with water short and food scarce,

and the way rough, in the burning sun. It was a wilderness where there were fiery

snakes and scorpions waiting to bite and sting, and inject with venom, where the

ground was thirsty and waterless. But He had supplied them with water from the flinty

rocks (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:8), and had given them the wonderful provision of

the manna for food, that manna which was unknown to their fathers (compare

Deuteronomy 2:7). And He had brought them through all this in order to humble

them, and as a test to them, so that finally He might do them good.

It was during those experiences that they had been forced to look to Yahweh, for they

had had nowhere else to look. And He had been the author and file-leader of their

deliverance (compare Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:2). In a way it had been much easier

to trust under those conditions, simply because they had had to, even though their trust

had been a very wavering trust (it had been as much in Moses as in God). But once

life was safe and placid forgetfulness would come easily.

“Fiery serpents.” This may refer to the result of their venom as seeming to set men on

fire, or refer to the dazzling sun shining on their skins, or it may simply signify

‘venomous’.

But note here the vivid contrast between this and Deuteronomy 8:7-10. In those verses

there was plenteous water with which the ground was satiated (Deuteronomy 8:7),

there was fruitfulness in abundance (Deuteronomy 8:8-9), there were no creatures

needing to be avoided, but here in the wilderness the ground had been thirsty with no

water, they had had to rely on the manna, and snakes and scorpions abounded. Thus

the danger now was that they would begin to think that they did not need to rely on

Yahweh any more.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:15

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, etc.

"The fiery serpent" and "the scorpion" (sing.) are in apposition to the "wilderness," and

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illustrate its terribleness. Fiery serpents— ὔφεις τοὺς θανατοῦνσας LXX.—or burning

serpents, so called from the burning pain caused by their bite; probably the cerastes, or one

of the naja species (cf. Numbers 21:6).

16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness,

something your ancestors had never known, to

humble and test you so that in the end it might go

well with you.

BARNES, "To do thee good at thy latter end - This is presented as the result of God’s dealings.

CLARKE, "Who fed thee - with manna - See this miracle described in Exo_16:13 (note), etc.

GILL, "Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna,.... Even all the forty years they were in it, Exo_16:35 which thy fathers knew not; when they first saw it, Exo_16:15.

that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee; they were kept humble, being dependent on God for their daily bread, having nothing in the wilderness to support themselves with; and this tried them, whether they would trust in God for their daily supply, and be thankful for it, or not:

to do thee good at thy latter end; that by living on such light bread, and this only and continually, his goodness might appear the greater, and be the sweeter to them, when they came into a land abounding with all good things; which is not to be understood of the latter end and last days of their commonwealth, as our version, with the Septuagint, Samaritan, Arabic versions, and others, and the Targum of Onkelos; but of time following nearer, and the phrase should be rendered "hereafter" (y); which better agrees with the promise of a divine blessing; though, come when it would, it was the more acceptable for the trial; as heaven will be the sweeter to the saints, through the afflictions, hardships, straits, and difficulties, which attend them here.

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CALVIN, "16.Who fed thee in the wilderness. He had said that water was brought

forth from the rock of flint when the people were suffering from thirst; now, he adds

that they had manna instead of bread; as if he had said that when meat and drink failed

them they must have perished of want unless God had preternaturally given them

both, causing the hard rock to flow down in water, and sending bread from heaven.

Moreover he repeats what he had said before, that the people were afflicted with this

need as a trial of their faith and patience; yet in this trial both their incredulity and

intemperance were discovered, whilst God’s goodness and power were eventually

more clearly displayed, since He pardoned their ingratitude, and, notwithstanding it,

aided their necessity. For if they had not suffered from hunger, God’s bounty in

supplying them with their daily food would have been neglectfully received. This is

the meaning of the conclusion, “to do thee good at thy latter end.” From which words

let us also learn that we are often deprived of our necessary supplies, in order that our

senses may awaken to acknowledge God’s aid which appears in our extremity. For

whilst abundance covers our eyes with a veil, or dims their sight, so, on the other

hand, deprivation and want purge and remove this dimness that we may more clearly

perceive the benefits afforded us by God.

WHEDON, "16. At thy latter end — The Hebrew word which our translators have

rendered latter end is the same that is used in Genesis 49:1, and Isaiah 2:2. In both

cases it is rendered last days. “In this instance Moses refers to the period of their life

in Canaan, in contrast with which the period of their sojourn in Egypt and their

wandering in the desert is regarded as the beginning; consequently the expression does

not relate to death as the end of life, as in Numbers 33:10.” — Keil.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:16. That he might humble thee — By keeping thee in

constant dependance upon himself for every day’s food, and convincing thee what an

impotent, helpless creature thou art, having nothing whereon to subsist, and being

supported wholly by the alms of divine goodness from day to day. The mercies of

God, if duly considered, are as powerful a means to humble us as the greatest

afflictions, because they increase our debts to God, and manifest our dependance upon

him, and by making God great, they make us little in our own eyes. To do thee

good — That is, that after he hath purged and prepared thee by afflictions, thou

mayest receive and enjoy his blessings with less disadvantage, while by the

remembrance of former afflictions thou art made thankful for those blessings, and

more cautious not to abuse them.

COKE, "Ver. 16. Who fed thee—with manna,—that he might humble thee, &c.—

God fed the Israelites with manna forty years; 1st, To humble them, by making them

continually and experimentally sensible that they owed their subsistence, their life and

being, to him, every moment. 2nd, To put their faith and obedience to the proof. 3rdly,

To render them more sensible of their happiness in the future enjoyment of the good

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things of Canaan. God, says Maimonides, was pleased to accustom the Israelites to

labour in the wilderness, that he might increase their happiness when they came into

the land of Canaan; for this is certain, that a transition from labour to repose is far

sweeter than continual rest. Nor could they so easily have subdued the land, and

reduced the inhabitants, if they had been trained up to toils and hardships. The

following verses, as Grotius remarks, fully explain this. The Vulgate, which Calmet

and Houbigant follow, gives another turn to this verse: Who fed thee in the wilderness

with mature, unknown to your fathers; and who, after having humbled and proved

thee, in fine, or, at the end, hath had pity upon thee.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:16

The grand end of all God's dealings with the Israelites in the desert, both the trials to which

they were subjected and the benefits they received, was that he might do them good

ultimately. Thy latter end; not the end of life, as in Numbers 23:10, but the state ensuing on

the termination of their period of discipline and probation in the desert (cf. Job 8:7; Job

42:12; 2 Peter 2:20). God thus dealt with the Israelites as he still deals with his people; he

afflicts them not for his pleasure but for their profit (Hebrews 11:12); he subjects them to

trial and varied discipline that he may fit them for the rest and joy that in the end are to be

theirs.

PULPIT, "VI. IT IS THE REVERSE OF THAT WHICH GODS DESIGNS. (Deuteronomy 8:16.) For

the varied experiences of life are an appeal of God to men as moral beings, "to humble

them and prove them;" and if, in spite of all, any take the credit to themselves of their own

prosperity, God's own intent in their life-history is being reversed.

VII. IT WILL SOONER OR LATER BRING HUMILIATION AND SUFFERING, (Proverbs 29:23.)

Again and again does our Savior also lay down this principle, that pride exposes to much

shame (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14). It is not for us to say, in any individual

case, in what form the debasement or disappointment will come. But come it will. It may be

in one or more of the following ways:

1. By the removal of the wealth which was gained, and a sudden plunge from prosperity to

adversity. It is sad when men have to part with all before they will learn that God gave all!

2. By depriving men of any further power to attend to worldly concerns, they may have to

see their utter helplessness without God.

3. By a searching dealing with the spirit in the furnace of tribulation, God may graciously

burn up the pride, and purge away corruption. But the process is a terrific one, even here. It

is being saved, "yet so as by fire." Still, it is better to be saved, even thus, cost what it may (1

Corinthians 3:18). It is only when God succeeds in "humbling" us, that he can do us good "at

the latter end."

4. If, after all warnings, teachings, and strivings, God's voice is still unheard, and pride still

rears itself up against him, he will reckon the proud one as "the chaff which the wind driveth

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away." And oh, how will this self-elation shrivel up then (see Isaiah 2:10-22)! God will not

give his glory to another (1 Samuel 2:30; Malachi 4:1). What reversals of position will that

day witness! That which the world reckoned as "great wealth" will come to naught, and the

"wealthy" one will be bankrupt for eternity; while those who in lowliness of spirit have

received thankfully the least of God's gifts, shall have him as their "exceeding great

Reward." To such he will say, "Friend, come up higher!"

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the

strength of my hands have produced this wealth for

me.”

GILL, "And thou say in thine heart,.... These words are in connection with the former part of the Deu_8:14,

and thou forget the Lord thy God; the author and giver of all the good things enjoyed, and think within themselves, though they might not express it in words at length:

my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth; so ascribing that to themselves, their labour, and diligence, which ought to be ascribed to the bounty and blessing of God; see Hos_12:8.

CALVIN, "17.And thou say in, thy heart. He describes that kind of pride of which we

have lately spoken, viz., when men attribute to their own industry, or labor, or

foresight, what they ought to refer to the blessing of God. It has indeed been said, that

our hearts are uplifted in other ways also; but this is the principal ground of pride, to

assume and assign to ourselves what belongs to God. For nothing so greatly confines

us within the boundaries of humility and modesty as the acknowledgment of God’s

grace; for it is madness and temerity to raise our crests against Him on whom we

depend, and to whom we owe ourselves and all we possess. Rightly, then, does Moses

reprove the pride of the human heart which arises from forgetfulness of God, if they

think that they have gained by their own exertions (marte suo) what God has given

them of His own pleasure, in order to lay them under obligation to Himself. “To say in

the heart,” is a Hebraism for thinking in one’s self, or reflecting in one’s self. He does

not, therefore, only require the outward expression of the lips, whereby men profess

that they are grateful to God’s bounty, (for in this there is often nothing more than

hypocrisy and vanity;) but he would have them seriously persuaded that whatever they

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possess is derived from His sheer beneficence. He has already said, that although

when they entered the land they would be fed with bread and other foods, still the

manna wherewith God had supported them in the wilderness would be a perpetual

proof that man is not sustained by bread only, but by the secret virtue of God, which

inspires the principle of life. Another lesson is now added, viz., that because God

formerly fed and clothed them gratuitously, and without any act of their own, they

thence are taught that, even whilst they strenuously labor and strive, whatever they

acquire is not so much the reward of their own industry as the fruit of God’s blessing.

For he not only affirms that at their first entrance into the land they were enriched,

because God dealt with them liberally, but He extends this to the whole course of

human life, that men obtain nothing by their own vigilance and diligence, except in so

far as God blesses them from above. And this he more fully explains immediately

afterwards, where he commands them to remember therefore that “it is God who

giveth them power,” etc. For although God would not have us slumber in inactivity,

yet what Paul says of the preaching of the Gospel, (266) holds good also in the most

trifling matters, viz., that “neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that

watereth,” but all things are in the power of God, by whose only influence it is that the

earth brings forth fruit. (1 Corinthians 3:7.) We must then recollect that although God

reproves man’s slothfulness, and punishes it with want and hunger, still they who are

active in labor do not get wealth by their own diligence, but by the blessing of God

alone. On this doctrine the prayer which Christ dictated to us is founded, in which we

ask to have our daily bread given us. But although this relates alike to all mankind, yet

Moses appropriates it especially to God’s chosen people, in whom God’s blessing

shines forth most brightly, and at the same time admonishes them that the fact of His

supplying them with food depends on the covenant whereby He adopted the race of

Abraham to Himself.

COFFMAN, "Daniel 4:28 has a remarkable statement of the conceited pride that

comes to men of great wealth. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was

congratulating himself upon what he had done:

"He was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spake and said, Is not this

great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my

power, and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:28).

Of course, in that very hour of Nebuchadnezzar's conceited self-congratulations, he

began that seven years' sojourn with the beasts of the field as God had warned him

through Daniel. Scott pointed out that this stern warning from Moses against high-

mindedness and arrogant conceit is more and more urgent today than ever before.

"The very generosity of God in the growing wealth of civilization may have its end

defeated by blindness of heart."[24]

In the form of such conveniences as electricity, the average family today has the

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equivalent of what would have been half a dozen full-time servants just a few decades

ago, but is this increased wealth and leisure time used in the worship and service of

God? Certainly not! America this very day is in the process of doing the very thing

that ruined ancient Israel. "They are forgetting God." It is our prayer that America will

do what God warned Israel here to do: "REMEMBER!" Remember the hardships and

dangers of the colonial period. Remember the heart-breaking sufferings of the

Revolution. Remember the agonies of a Civil War. Remember the wars we have won,

and that it has always (for us) been the other fellow's land and cities that were

devastated. And remember that arrogant conceit will have the same result for us that it

has always produced in every people who ever indulged it.

Lord God of hosts, be with us yet;

Lest we forget; lest we forget!

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:17

‘And lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has obtained for

me this wealth.’

An equal danger was that when they prospered they might then say within their hearts,

‘I have achieved this by myself. It is my power and the might of my hand that has

obtained all this wealth for me’. Certain conditions lead men to trust God, but

conditions that are too good tend to make men forget God and depend only on

themselves. We need to be most concerned about our spiritual lives when we prosper

most, for it can make us foolish so that we forget that behind all is God.

We have here the idea of a subtle form of idolatry which does not involve graven

images, it is the idolatry of man’s worship of himself, man placing himself and his

society in the place of God.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:17, Deuteronomy 8:18

The blessing in store for them was God's free gift to them; and when they came to enjoy it

they were not to allow themselves to say in their heart, i.e. to think or imagine, that the

prosperous condition in which they were placed was the result of their own exertions; they

were to ascribe all to God's gracious bounty, for from him had come the power by which

prosperity had been gained, and this he had given, not on account of any merit in them, but

that he might fulfill his covenant engagements to their fathers. Get wealth ָעָׂשה ַחִיל, to

make strength, to gather substance (Genesis 12:5), to procure wealth. As it is this day. "As

was quite evident then, when the establishment of the covenant had already commenced,

and Israel had come through the desert to the border of Canaan (see Deuteronomy 4:20)"

(Keil).

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18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he

who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so

confirms his covenant, which he swore to your

ancestors, as it is today.

CLARKE, "God - giveth thee power to get wealth - Who among the rich and wealthy believes this saying? Who gives wisdom, understanding, skill, bodily strength, and health? Is it not God? And without these, how can wealth be acquired? Whose is providence? Who gives fertility to the earth? And who brings every proper purpose to a right issue? Is it not God? And without these also can wealth be acquired? No. Then the proposition in the text is self-evident: it is God that giveth power to get wealth, and to God the wealthy man must account for the manner in which he has expended the riches which God hath given him.

GILL, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God,.... That he was the author of their beings, the God of their lives and mercies; what great and good things he had done for them in Egypt, and in the wilderness; and particularly in putting them into the possession of such a fruitful country, abounding with all that heart could wish for:

for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; for though men may have seeming opportunities for getting wealth, may have capacities for the management of business for the acquisition of it, and may not be wanting in diligence and industry, yet may not attain it; it is the blessing of God that makes rich, and to that it should be imputed whenever it is enjoyed; see Psa_127:2.

that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers,

as it is this day; that he would give the land of Canaan to their seed, and make them a rich and flourishing people, as they would be and were when possessed of the land, which is supposed throughout this discourse.

LANGE, "1. Everything in the present life is laid under obligation in the Pentateuch,

which aims at a life of ever renewed obedience to God, a life which carries in itself a

security for that which lies beyond the present. This inward light serves to explain

many of the expressions used, and understood especially of external earthly things, but

which thus win a spiritual interpretation reaching to the other life ( Deuteronomy

8:16). Thus, as Deuteronomy 8:18 shows, the legal character of Israel has its deep

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foundation in grace and faith. The reward excludes all righteousness of works.

2. Humiliation (comp. Exeget. and Crit.), the end of the leading through the

wilderness. When thus pride in the possession of Canaan ( Deuteronomy 8:14;

Deuteronomy 8:17) was the result, the very opposite to the design of God appears, and

hence also God could not at last do good ( Deuteronomy 8:16) but must destroy,

( Deuteronomy 8:19 sq). The like position in this case indeed with the Canaanites,

shows us that Israel by nature was not different from the other nations. It is all grace,

which it appropriates by faith, but must prove through obedience, as the preference of

God for Israel approves itself morally through the moral teachings, legally in the ordo

salutis. Therefore the whole leading of the people ( Deuteronomy 8:14) especially in

the desert, tends to humiliation. As the experience of our own nothingness is the first

condition for grace, so humility, the consciousness that we deserve nothing, can

accomplish nothing, remains the constant attendant of grace.

3. While humiliation is the general design, trial, temptation, is the peculiar

characteristic of the wilderness. ִנָּסה, from the root, to divide, separate, signifies to put

to the test, to prove, thus to bring into a position, in which nature reveals itself in

haughty confidence or despondency, and grace in man reveals itself in his faith or

obedience. Wherefore humiliation, and especially temptation, terminate

( Deuteronomy 8:16, Qְלֵהיִטְב) in good ( James 1:13 sq.). In the individual it works a

correct knowledge ( Deuteronomy 8:2) as to his relations to God; for the Church it

serves also to distinguish the true from the false members, in entire accordance with

the primary sense of the Hebrew word.

4. The desert and the temptation meet again in the Messiah, in whom the idea of Israel

reaches completion ( Matthew 4; Luke 4). The wilderness was especially appropriate

to the temptation to lust, or to the hasty anticipation of their rest, which has its parallel

in the Satanic through want or pain; and this temptation respects the ordinary things in

life, that which was usual in Egypt. That it does not concern wealth or power is all the

more clear, from the extraordinary character of the gifts, through which the giver

represents Himself to His people. These gifts (water out of the flinty rock and manna)

form a counterbalance to this temptation of the wilderness, similar to that which the

solemn repeated warnings form to the gift of Canaan, the good deed, corresponding

generally to the desert ( Deuteronomy 8:19 sq.; Deuteronomy 6:10 sq.). Through these

warnings Israel was prepared for the temptation which came with the possession of

the promised land, as on the other hand the temptation through the desert was then

completed. [It is the very object of this chapter, and this accords with the whole spirit

and tone of the book, which is preparatory, provides for the future—to guard the

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Israelites against the temptation growing out of the possession of the promised land.

Hitherto they had been under a peculiar discipline. They had lived at the hand of God,

partly upon the supplies directly and miraculously given. It had been an humbling, but

salutary process. Now their whole circumstances were to be changed, and the

temptation would be to forgetfulness of God and self-dependence, against which

Moses here warns them.—A.G.]

PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:18

‘But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you power to

obtain wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at

this day.’

So at that time they must ensure that they remembered Yahweh their God, and that it

was He who had given them power to obtain wealth. And that He had done it in order

to establish His covenant at that time, the covenant by which He had promised to

bring prosperity to His own, the very covenant that He had sworn to their fathers

whom He had also prospered most of the time. It was important that the covenant be

established in their hearts. Then all he had been warning against would not prevail

against them. It is by remembering our vows made in the hard times that we can

ensure that we remain constant.

BI, “Remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.

To remember God is the way to get wealth

1. The duty enjoined. Thou shalt remember the Lord, etc.

1. In point of contemplation to remember Him, that is, to think of Him, and to have Him often in our minds. There’s no man that forgets his treasure; wherever that is, there will be also his heart, as our Saviour tells us. We need not call upon worldly men to remember their gold and silver and riches, they will think upon these of their own accord, and all because such things as these are dear with them. In like manner will it be with us to God; if He be our treasure, we shall remember and daily think of Him, as it is fitting for us to do.

2. As in point of contemplation, so also in point of affection. We are said to remember anyone, not when barely we think upon him, but when we think upon him with respect, when he is not only in our thoughts but in our hearts. And thus likewise are we said to remember God.

3. In point of obedience to remember God is to be subject to Him, and to do that which He requires. Those that Walk in ways of opposition and contrariety to God, they are said to forget Him. Consider this ye that forget God (Psa_50:22).

4. In point of address and seeking to Him, and reliance and dependence upon Him. When anything is to be done by us, or for us, that we be sure to call upon God Himself for the prospering of it to us (Pro_3:5-6).

5. In point of thankfulness and acknowledgment we are then said to remember God, when we own Him in all the mercies which we enjoy from Him. This is the

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proper drift of this present Scripture, as we may see by the context, in Deu_8:10-11, etc., of this chapter. When thou hast eaten and art full, thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments and His judgments, etc. Because, indeed, it is that which we are naturally and commonly too prone and subject unto.

(1) From His sovereignty, that He is the Lord, we should remember Him for that, and accordingly yield all respect and acknowledgment to Him.

(2) From the word of propriety, and that interest which He has in us and we in Him: Thy God.

II. The reason annexed. For it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, which passage may be considered two ways. First, in its absolute consideration; and, secondly, in its connexion. We will look upon it first of all in the former consideration, as it is absolute, and by way of proposition.

1. Emphatically. When it is said here He gives power, this power, it may be said, laid forth according to sundry explications.

(1) He gives the skill and faculty which does tend and conduce hereunto. All your arts and trades of your several societies in the city, and ability for the managing of them, God is the author and giver of them. And being the giver of them, He is also consequently the giver of that wealth that comes by them. He gives thee power to get wealth, while He gives thee skill and understanding. And this again not only in the general habit, but also as to the particular act and improvement and the exercise of that habit which is in Him.

(2) He gives thee power to get wealth, that is, He gives thee occasion and opportunity to do so. Thus in a way of husbandry, there is the seasonableness of the weather. Thus in a way of merchandise, there is the favourableness of the seas and waters and winds, which are at God’s command and disposing.

(3) The power of success: it is He that gives this likewise, when all things are prepared in the means as much as can be, yet there is a further blessing which is required for the perfecting of them. And this is also from God Himself. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and adds no sorrow with it, as Solomon tells us (Pro_10:22).

(4) It is God that gives thee power to get wealth; that is, that gives thee grace, and makes thy gettings to he lawful to thee. To get wealth in God’s way and according to His approbation; this is power to get wealth indeed. And this also, together with all the former, is the gift of God.

2. Exclusively. When it is said here that He gives this power, this is to be taken not only emphatically, but exclusively; and so there are these intimations in it.

(1) That wealth and riches and great estates they are not matters of mere accident, and casualty, and chance; but that there is a special hand of Providence in them.

(2) It is not from ourselves neither, that we do any time come to be rich and to Increase in wealth. It is the gilt of God.

(3) It is not from other men neither, it is exclusive of them. Parents and friends and progenitors, and such as these. Indeed, Solomon tells us in one place that houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers (Pro_19:14). But this must be understood so far as they are able to make them, which is not

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absolutely, but with its restriction. How many have there been in the world who, though they have had great estates left them by others, yet notwithstanding have been poor themselves; and have not known either how to increase or how to keep that which has been left them. We have seen how He does it emphatically; He is not wanting in doing it; we have seen also how He does it exclusively. There is none to purpose that does it but He. First, He gives thee power to keep it; and, secondly, He gives thee power to use it. (T. Horton, D. D.)

The theology of money

What a blow this text strikes at one of the most popular and mischievous fallacies in common life, namely, that man is the maker of his own money! Men who can see God in the creation of worlds cannot see Him suggesting an idea in business, smiling on the plough, guiding the merchant’s pen, and bringing summer into a brain long winter-bound and barren. Lebanon and Bashan are not more certainly Divine creations than are the wool and flax which cover the nakedness of man. To the religious contemplation, the sanctified and adoring mind, the whole world is one sky-domed church, and there is nothing common or unclean. God wishes this fact to be kept in mind by His people. In this instance, as in many others, God makes His appeal to recollection: “Thou shalt remember.” The fact is to be ever present to the memory; it is to be as a star by which our course upon troubled waters is to be regulated; it is to be a mystic cloud in the daytime, a guiding fire in the night season. The rich memory should create a rich life. An empty memory is a continual temptation. Mark the happy consequences of this grateful recollection. First of all, God and wealth are ever to be thought of together. “The silver and the gold are Mine.” There is but one absolute proprietor. We hold our treasures on loan; we occupy a stewardship. Consequent upon this is a natural and most beautiful humility. “What hast thou that thou hast not received?” When the trader sits down in the evening to count his day’s gains, he is to remember that the Lord his God gave him power to get wealth. When the workman throws down the instrument of his labour that he may receive the reward of his toil, he is to remember that the Lord his God gave him power to get wealth. When the young man receives the first payment of his industry, he is to remember that the Lord his God gave him power to get wealth. Thus the getting of money becomes a sacred act. This, then, is the fundamental principle upon which Christians are to proceed, namely, that God giveth man power to get wealth, and consequently that God sustains an immediate relation to the property of the world. Take the case of a young man just entering business. If his heart is uneducated and unwatched, he will regard business as a species of gambling; if his heart be set upon right principles, lie will esteem business as a moral service, as the practical side of his prayers, a public representation of his best desires and convictions. In course of time the young man realises money on his own account. Looking at his gold and silver, he says, “I made that.” There is a glow of honest pride on his cheek. He looks upon the reward of his industry, and his eyes kindle with joy. Whilst he looks upon his first-earned gold, the Bible says to him gently and persuasively, “Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.” Instantly his view of property is elevated, enlarged, sanctified. He was just about to say that his own arm had gotten him the victory, and to forget that, through the image, is Caesar’s yet the gold is God’s. What, then, is the natural line of thought through which the successful man would run under such circumstances? It would lie in some such direction as this: What can be the meaning of this word “remember”? Does it not call me to gratitude? Is it not intended to turn

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my heart and my eye heavenward? As God has given me “power to get wealth,” am I not bound to return some recognition of His goodness and mercy? “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits, of all thine increase.” Supposing this to be done, what is the result which is promised to accrue? That result is stated in terms that are severely logical: “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” The text has called us to an act of remembrance, and in doing so has suggested the inquiry whether there is any such act of remembrance on the part of God Himself? The Scripture is abundant in its replies to this inquiry: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed towards His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Jesus Christ Himself has laid down the same encouragement with even minuter allusion: “Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” (J. Parker, D. D.)

The philosophy of worldly success

1. How worldly success is to be obtained. By strict obedience to God’s laws; by this only. Work is what He demands, and work is the only condition under which the prize may be won.

2. The nature of the profit we are to look for. Not merely worldly profit. No life so dreary, so deadly as that of the mere millionaire. The joys of the true man’s life he cannot taste; the holy fellowships of spiritual being he cannot enter,: God stamps him reprobate. There is a vast wealth of faculty in him, “fusting” from want of use. And power unused soon gets acrid, and mordant, and gnaws and wears within.

3. Why we should remember the Lord God. Because—

(1) It will bring us out at once into the glad sunlight, and will make even our toil lightsome.

(2) It will spare us all wearing and crushing anxieties.

(3) It will save us the shame and anguish of finding ourselves bankrupt at last and forever. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)

God acknowledged

When Speaker Crooke was presented to Queen Elizabeth in the House of Lords on the occasion of his election, he said that England had been defended against the Spaniards and their Armada by Her Majesty’s mighty arm. The Queen interrupted him and from her throne, said: “No; but by the mighty hand of God, Mr. Speaker.”

God the original source of wealth

He that would thus critically examine his estate upon interrogatories, put every part of it upon the rack and torture to confess without any disguise from whence it came, whether down the ladder from heaven, or up out of the deep—for there it seems by the poets Plutus or riches hath a residence also—by what means it was conveyed, by whose directions it travelled into that coast, and what the end of its coming is, and so learn the genealogy as it were of all his wealth, would certainly acknowledge that he were fallen upon a most profitable inquiry. For beside that he would find out all the ill-gotten treasure, that gold of Toulouse that is so sure to help melt all the rest, that

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which is gotten by sacrilege, by oppression, by extortion, and so take timely advice to purge his lawful inheritance from such noisome unwholesome acquisitions, and thrive the better forever after the taking so necessary a purgation—he will, I say, over and above see the original of all his wealth, all that is worthy to be called such, either immediately or mediately from God, immediately without any cooperation of ours, as that which is left to us by inheritance from honest parents—our fortunes and our Christianity together, mediately as that which our lawful labour, our planting and watering hath brought down upon us, wholly from God’s prospering or giving of increase.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow

other gods and worship and bow down to them, I

testify against you today that you will surely be

destroyed.

GILL, "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God,.... Either the mercies they received from him, not acknowledging they came from him, but ascribing them to themselves; or their duty to him, to whom they were so greatly obliged: and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them; which would be to forget him indeed, forsaking his worship, and giving homage and adoration to idols, which is what is intended by these expressions:

I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish; by one judgment and calamity or another, as the sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity; there being nothing more provoking to God than idolatry, which so much detracts from his honour and glory: and which besides, in such a people, so highly favoured of God, it argued the basest ingratitude.

HENRY, "III. He repeats the fair warning he had often given them of the fatal consequences of their apostasy from God, Deu_8:19, Deu_8:20. Observe, 1. How he describes the sin; it is forgetting God, and then worshipping other gods. What wickedness will not those fall into that keep thoughts of God out of their minds? And, when once the affections are displaced from God, they will soon be misplaced upon lying vanities. 2. How he denounces wrath and ruin against them for it: “If you do so, you shall surely perish, and the power and might of your hands, which you are so proud of, cannot help you. Nay, you shall perish as the nations that are driven out before you. God will make no more account of you, notwithstanding his covenant with you and your relation to him, than he does of them, if you will not be obedient and faithful to him.” Those that follow others in sin will certainly follow them to destruction. If we do as sinners do, we must expect to fare as sinners fare.

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PETT, "Deuteronomy 8:19-20

‘And it shall be, if you (thou) shall forget Yahweh your (thy) God, and walk after

other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you (ye) this day that

you (ye) shall surely perish. As the nations that Yahweh causes to perish before you

(ye), so shall you (ye) perish, because you (ye) would not listen to the voice of

Yahweh your (your) God.’

Let them, however, beware of the alternative route, the route of idolatry and flagrant

disobedience. This warning may seem to come somewhat abruptly, but not if we see it

in the context of the whole speech, and in the light of the fact that in those days men

would always worship something, so that if they forgot Yahweh they would soon turn

to other gods. The danger of succumbing to the gods of the land was ever present in

Moses’ mind, and he came back to it constantly. When they were at ease it would be

so easy to relax their rigid obedience to Yahweh and find the easygoing gods of the

land preferable (man loves to have something to worship. That is how he is made, but

he prefers it not to be too demanding). For they offered lustful pleasure rather than

stern demands, and when all was well nothing was required of them.

Moses now cites himself as a witness, as earlier he had called on heaven and earth as

witnesses (Deuteronomy 4:26), to the fact that if they forgot Him, if they walked after

other gods and served them, and worshipped them, gods who would undoubtedly

enable them to satisfy their deepest lusts, then let them know that Yahweh would

ensure that they surely perished. In the same way as they will see the nations of the

land perish when they put them to the sword, so would they perish because they

refused to listen to Yahweh’s voice, the voice of ‘Yahweh their God’.

In the Western world today people have never had it so good. Even the poorest are

comparatively wealthy and possess things that their forebears never dreamed of. And

the result has not been gratitude to God, but greed for more, and a readiness to seek

entertainment and satisfaction for their lustful natures regardless of righteous living.

They too have succumbed to idols. Their gods are idols of music and sport and

entertainment, but these, which can be good in themselves, are equally destroying

their souls, and the souls of others, because they have become the be all and end all of

their lives, and lead them into behaviour which is displeasing to God and harmful to

themselves.

PULPIT, "Deuteronomy 8:19, Deuteronomy 8:20

Moses enforces his counsel by reminding them again that only destruction awaited them

should they forget the Lord their God and apostatize from him (cf. Deuteronomy 4:25, etc.;

Deuteronomy 6:14).

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BI 19-20, “If thou do at all forget the Lord.

Forgetfulness of God, destruction to the Soul

I. What is that forgetfulness of god of which the present effects on our moral and religious character are so highly injurious, and of which the future consequences in regard to our eternal prospects are so dreadfully fatal.

1. If any persons can rise up and lie down, go out and come in, day after day, and week after week, with scarcely a transient thought of Him whose hand has sustained them, whose long-suffering has borne with them, and whose bountiful goodness has supplied their various wants, those persons are clearly chargeable with forgetfulness of the Lord their God.

2. The same guilt must also lie at our door, if we are habitually unmindful of the attributes of God; and, particularly, of His omnipresence.

3. The same may justly be said of him who allows himself to think of his Creator under a different character from that in which He has revealed Himself to mankind in His holy Word.

II. The fearful doom which is denounced in the words of the text against those who are guilty of the sins there forbidden. The expression, “to perish,” when used in the Scriptures in a judicial sense, to describe the punishment of sin, does not mean the suffering of temporal death only—it further signifies the spiritual death of man’s immortal part. (C. Townsend, M. A.)

A caution against forgetfulness of God

I. Men are liable to forget god.

1. We infer our liability to forget God, from the mysteriousness of His nature.

2. We infer our liability to forget God, from the moral dislike we have to Him.

3. We infer our liability to forget God, from the facts that fall under our notice.

4. We infer our liability to forget God, from the testimonies of the Scriptures (Psa_10:4; Psa_14:1-3; Job_21:14-15; Rom_1:28).

II. Forgetfulness of god is an evil against which we should be peculiarly on our guard. This is the intimation in the text, and the reasons on which it is founded are—

1. They who forget God must necessarily remain ignorant of Him.

2. They who forget God must necessarily disobey Him.

3. They who forget God must necessarily prove ungrateful to Him.

4. They who forget God must necessarily be punished by Him (Psa_9:17; Jdg_3:7-8).

III. Means should be used for the avoidance of this heinous crime. This is the object of the charge: “Beware that thou forget not,” etc.

1. Serious consideration should be exercised on all the things that belong unto our peace.

2. Fervent and unremitting prayer should be offered up to God for a change of heart.

3. We should constantly avoid those things which tend to exclude God from our

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thoughts.

4. Let us use all the means which tend to turn our thoughts towards God. Let us associate with the pious—frequent religious ordinances—read God’s most holy Word—contemplate death, judgment, and eternity. In conclusion—

(1) Inquire, Do we forget God? This may serve as a discriminating mark of moral character. Christians love to think of God—sinners strive to forget Him.

(2) Exhort those who forget God to consider their folly, their ingratitude, and their danger. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.)

Gratitude and ingratitude toward God

Such a passage belongs to the prophetico-historical order. The warnings are repeated with added force in chap. 28. The experience of Israel brings this general lesson, that the thought of the Divine goodness should lead men to show thankful gratitude to God, and to offer Him a willing service. Notice—

I. The reasonableness of rendering a grateful service to god.

1. In the case of Israel the propriety for such a grateful service is clearly seen. All men owe obedience to God; but we should expect a highly favoured people like Israel to render it in a high degree. Israel had been brought from slavery to freedom, and were promised and received as their inheritance a land most highly favoured.

2. Above all, the system of moral law and social order, and the Divine rule of the theocracy elevated them far above surrounding nations. In view of it all, there was reason that the people should yield to God a grateful service.

3. If the Israelites had reason for this, much more we. What was Britain when Imperial Rome held sway? What is it now, when Rome and many another proud dominion are but names? Do we not owe our higher light and liberty to the truth and freedom of the Gospel? As a nation we owe our God thankful gratitude and service.

4. As individual members of a great Christian people we owe gratitude to God. Contrast our condition with the savage tribes discovered by a Livingstone or Stanley; with the higher yet still idolatrous and superstitious Hindu; with a cannibal of the race so graphically described by a John G. Paten or the semi-barbarous Chinaman with his history reaching far into the past ages before our own began, but who yet has not risen above the grossest superstition and a most materialistic idea of existence. Contrast our blessings alike bestowed on cottage and palace, with the darkness that prevails among the peoples, and reason will be found for the exercise of grateful service.

II. The sin of ingratitude.

1. The passage warns us against the danger of receiving and enjoying the gifts at the risk of forgetting the Divine Giver; all thought and energy are not to be applied to the acquisition of more and more of the gifts of this life to use them for our own use, etc.

2. Into this sin Israel fell. They became practical materialists. Even after the return from Babylon their enthusiasm for God’s work soon faded (Hag_1:1-15). So was it in our Lord’s day; and the ingratitude was then heightened by hypocrisy (Mat_21:33-46; Mat_23:26-39). Self and their own ease and glory were to them

169

in reality, first; loving service toward God shown in works of love to their fellow men was far from them.

3. Is not this the spirit of too many in our time? There is a perpetual striving after the gains and pleasures of time, not that they may better serve God and become better men and women, but that they may have more of ease, more of the passing fleeting joys of this brief existence. This feature is seen in every class of the community. The socialistic schemes of the toiling millions are simply attempts to gain the kingdom of the material. But material possessions gained and received without due thankfulness to God and endeavours in His service, turn to dust and ashes in the using. Whereas if received with thankful hearts and used in His service, they may be transmuted and transformed into spiritual treasures, eternally enduring.

III. The effect of cultivating the spirit of gratitude or its opposite on material and individual life.

1. When a nation, in its government and institutions, publicly acknowledges its indebtedness to God, and makes public profession of loyalty to Him, God shall add to its blessings. Examples are not wanting.

2. So with individuals. God may not send material wealth, etc. But He will give them reasons for the joyful assurance that He is with them, and of the certainty of His promises. Hope for time, and assured hope for eternity. The effect will be closer communion and more consecrated service.

3. Far other is the effect of forgetting God whilst receiving His gifts. Remember how it was with Israel (Isa_1:3; Mat_23:38-39). Hardness of heart, material living, God-forgetfulness, idolatry—these were the steps of descent. Nothing so tends to harden the heart and quench the spiritual life than God-forgetfulness and ingratitude in using the Divine gifts. There are still too many who reap luxuriant fields without due gratitude to Him who sent sunshine and rain, etc., who attribute their success, wealth, etc., to their own skill and industry, who add possession to possession without one thought of using them beyond the narrow circle of their own lives.

4. The Divine rule is the only safe one: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” etc. (Mat_6:33). Let the soul be right with God through forgiveness, etc., in Christ, then we shall be guided to seek and enabled to find what is best for our mortal life, and will best avail us in thankfully doing our Heavenly Master’s work. (Wm. Frank Scott.).

20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you,

so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord

your God.

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GILL, "If thou do at all forget the Lord.

Forgetfulness of God, destruction to the Soul

I. What is that forgetfulness of god of which the present effects on our moral and religious character are so highly injurious, and of which the future consequences in regard to our eternal prospects are so dreadfully fatal.

1. If any persons can rise up and lie down, go out and come in, day after day, and week after week, with scarcely a transient thought of Him whose hand has sustained them, whose long-suffering has borne with them, and whose bountiful goodness has supplied their various wants, those persons are clearly chargeable with forgetfulness of the Lord their God.

2. The same guilt must also lie at our door, if we are habitually unmindful of the attributes of God; and, particularly, of His omnipresence.

3. The same may justly be said of him who allows himself to think of his Creator under a different character from that in which He has revealed Himself to mankind in His holy Word.

II. The fearful doom which is denounced in the words of the text against those who are guilty of the sins there forbidden. The expression, “to perish,” when used in the Scriptures in a judicial sense, to describe the punishment of sin, does not mean the suffering of temporal death only—it further signifies the spiritual death of man’s immortal part. (C. Townsend, M. A.)

A caution against forgetfulness of God

I. Men are liable to forget god.

1. We infer our liability to forget God, from the mysteriousness of His nature.

2. We infer our liability to forget God, from the moral dislike we have to Him.

3. We infer our liability to forget God, from the facts that fall under our notice.

4. We infer our liability to forget God, from the testimonies of the Scriptures (Psa_10:4; Psa_14:1-3; Job_21:14-15; Rom_1:28).

II. Forgetfulness of god is an evil against which we should be peculiarly on our guard. This is the intimation in the text, and the reasons on which it is founded are—

1. They who forget God must necessarily remain ignorant of Him.

2. They who forget God must necessarily disobey Him.

3. They who forget God must necessarily prove ungrateful to Him.

4. They who forget God must necessarily be punished by Him (Psa_9:17; Jdg_3:7-8).

III. Means should be used for the avoidance of this heinous crime. This is the object of the charge: “Beware that thou forget not,” etc.

1. Serious consideration should be exercised on all the things that belong unto our peace.

2. Fervent and unremitting prayer should be offered up to God for a change of heart.

3. We should constantly avoid those things which tend to exclude God from our

171

thoughts.

4. Let us use all the means which tend to turn our thoughts towards God. Let us associate with the pious—frequent religious ordinances—read God’s most holy Word—contemplate death, judgment, and eternity. In conclusion—

(1) Inquire, Do we forget God? This may serve as a discriminating mark of moral character. Christians love to think of God—sinners strive to forget Him.

(2) Exhort those who forget God to consider their folly, their ingratitude, and their danger. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.)

Gratitude and ingratitude toward God

Such a passage belongs to the prophetico-historical order. The warnings are repeated with added force in chap. 28. The experience of Israel brings this general lesson, that the thought of the Divine goodness should lead men to show thankful gratitude to God, and to offer Him a willing service. Notice—

I. The reasonableness of rendering a grateful service to god.

1. In the case of Israel the propriety for such a grateful service is clearly seen. All men owe obedience to God; but we should expect a highly favoured people like Israel to render it in a high degree. Israel had been brought from slavery to freedom, and were promised and received as their inheritance a land most highly favoured.

2. Above all, the system of moral law and social order, and the Divine rule of the theocracy elevated them far above surrounding nations. In view of it all, there was reason that the people should yield to God a grateful service.

3. If the Israelites had reason for this, much more we. What was Britain when Imperial Rome held sway? What is it now, when Rome and many another proud dominion are but names? Do we not owe our higher light and liberty to the truth and freedom of the Gospel? As a nation we owe our God thankful gratitude and service.

4. As individual members of a great Christian people we owe gratitude to God. Contrast our condition with the savage tribes discovered by a Livingstone or Stanley; with the higher yet still idolatrous and superstitious Hindu; with a cannibal of the race so graphically described by a John G. Paten or the semi-barbarous Chinaman with his history reaching far into the past ages before our own began, but who yet has not risen above the grossest superstition and a most materialistic idea of existence. Contrast our blessings alike bestowed on cottage and palace, with the darkness that prevails among the peoples, and reason will be found for the exercise of grateful service.

II. The sin of ingratitude.

1. The passage warns us against the danger of receiving and enjoying the gifts at the risk of forgetting the Divine Giver; all thought and energy are not to be applied to the acquisition of more and more of the gifts of this life to use them for our own use, etc.

2. Into this sin Israel fell. They became practical materialists. Even after the return from Babylon their enthusiasm for God’s work soon faded (Hag_1:1-15). So was it in our Lord’s day; and the ingratitude was then heightened by hypocrisy (Mat_21:33-46; Mat_23:26-39). Self and their own ease and glory were to them

172

in reality, first; loving service toward God shown in works of love to their fellow men was far from them.

3. Is not this the spirit of too many in our time? There is a perpetual striving after the gains and pleasures of time, not that they may better serve God and become better men and women, but that they may have more of ease, more of the passing fleeting joys of this brief existence. This feature is seen in every class of the community. The socialistic schemes of the toiling millions are simply attempts to gain the kingdom of the material. But material possessions gained and received without due thankfulness to God and endeavours in His service, turn to dust and ashes in the using. Whereas if received with thankful hearts and used in His service, they may be transmuted and transformed into spiritual treasures, eternally enduring.

III. The effect of cultivating the spirit of gratitude or its opposite on material and individual life.

1. When a nation, in its government and institutions, publicly acknowledges its indebtedness to God, and makes public profession of loyalty to Him, God shall add to its blessings. Examples are not wanting.

2. So with individuals. God may not send material wealth, etc. But He will give them reasons for the joyful assurance that He is with them, and of the certainty of His promises. Hope for time, and assured hope for eternity. The effect will be closer communion and more consecrated service.

3. Far other is the effect of forgetting God whilst receiving His gifts. Remember how it was with Israel (Isa_1:3; Mat_23:38-39). Hardness of heart, material living, God-forgetfulness, idolatry—these were the steps of descent. Nothing so tends to harden the heart and quench the spiritual life than God-forgetfulness and ingratitude in using the Divine gifts. There are still too many who reap luxuriant fields without due gratitude to Him who sent sunshine and rain, etc., who attribute their success, wealth, etc., to their own skill and industry, who add possession to possession without one thought of using them beyond the narrow circle of their own lives.

4. The Divine rule is the only safe one: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” etc. (Mat_6:33). Let the soul be right with God through forgiveness, etc., in Christ, then we shall be guided to seek and enabled to find what is best for our mortal life, and will best avail us in thankfully doing our Heavenly Master’s work. (Wm. Frank Scott.).

ELLICOTT, "(20) Because ye would not be obedient.—In return for your

disobedience. The same word is employed in Deuteronomy 7:12. The use of the word

in these two places might fairly be taken to mark off the intervening portion as a

complete section of the discourse.

BENSON, "Deuteronomy 8:20. So shall ye perish — Assure yourselves, if you

apostatize from the worship and service of God, and relapse into idolatry, irreligion,

or vice, your nation will be involved in the same ruin and destruction that you are now

going to execute upon the Canaanites for the like national sins. These cautions and

exhortations which Moses here so forcibly and pathetically gives to the Israelites

ought to be well observed and laid to heart by us all, to every one of whom they are

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equally necessary.

HAWKER, "Verse 20

REFLECTIONS

OH! thou matchless instructor of the LORD'S people; blessed SPIRIT! do thou

graciously condescend to keep alive in my soul, by thy divine teaching, the

remembrance of myself, and my own poor and low estate by nature, which thou hast

taught me; and during the whole of my wilderness state, through which thou art

bringing me, give me also to keep in view the infinite fulness, suitableness, and all-

sufficiency of salvation in the LORD my righteousness.

Very gracious hast thou been to me, O LORD! Thou hast indeed humbled me, and

proved me, and shown me what was in my heart, and given me in part to see what still

remains there of sin and unbelief. Thou hast fed me, as thou didst Israel of old, with

the manna of salvation, and with the bread of life. All the chastisements of thy grace

have been as the chastisements of a kind and wise father: and thou hast brought me

into a fulness of mercies, and the riches of redemption, in CHRIST JESUS.

LORD, keep me by thy grace from all spiritual pride and self-confidence. Never,

dearest LORD, never may I be prompted to say, or think, that anything in me hath in

the least contributed to the obtaining so great salvation; that neither my might, nor my

hand, hath wrought it; but may I be ever ready to ascribe the whole to the sovereignty

and freedom of thy grace. Like one of old may the uniform language of my lips

correspond to the feelings of my heart, and may his sentiments be mine; not by works

of righteousness which I have done, but according to thy mercy, LORD, thou hast

saved me, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the HOLY GHOST,

shed on me abundantly, through JESUS CHRIST my Savior. And therefore not unto

me, O LORD, not unto me, but to thy holy name be all the praise.

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