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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Deuteronomy 8:11 - 8:20
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A Warning Against Pride
v. 11. Beware that thou forget not the Lord, thy God, in not keeping His commandments and His judgments and His statutes which I command thee this day; for true gratitude is not confined to the words of the mouth;
v. 12. lest, when thou hast eaten and art full, enjoying the rich abundance of God's blessings, and hast built goodly houses and dwelt therein,
v. 13. and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied, a picture of the highest prosperity,
v. 14. then thine heart be lifted up, in pride and presumption, and thou forget the Lord, thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
v. 15. who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, Isa_63:12-14, wherein were fiery serpents, Num_21:6, and scorpions, and drought, literally, "a land of thirst," where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint, Num_20:11;
v. 16. who fed thee in the wilderness 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, Cf v. 3 (only a few of the vicissitudes of the wilderness are touched upon for the sake of illustration);
v. 17. and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, for there is always the danger of such presumption and overweening pride, Pro_30:9; Daniel 4.
v. 18. But thou shalt remember the Lord, thy God, always acknowledging Him as the Giver of all good gifts, Jam_1:17; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, a fact which so many rich people overlook or forget, that he may establish His covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day; for in the case of Israel the promises of the covenant were being fulfilled even then.
v. 19. and it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord, thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, becoming guilty of deliberate idolatry, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. Cf Deu_4:25-27; Deu_6:14.
v. 20. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish, because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord, your God. If they joined the heathen nations of Canaan in their enmity towards Jehovah, they would also have to share the punishment which would surely strike them, had, in fact, already begun. The same thing applies to all believers. Through humiliations and temptations the Lord tests out the faith of His children, in order to keep them humble in prosperity as well. And the Christians will ever be mindful of the fact that it is not their own ability and intelligence to which, in the last analysis, they owe their position and their wealth, but the goodness of the Lord. With this thought ever uppermost in their mind, they will receive the gifts of His grace with due gratitude.