Editor's Note
As we start this new book, here is a head’s up that we’ll be going back to our normal six chapters per week rhythm as we read through Deuteronomy. Sundays will go back to being a rest (or catch-up) day. For an overview (or refresher) on Deuteronomy, click here.
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Read Deuteronomy 8
Do Not Forget the Lord
8 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 Lordpromised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and testyou in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teachyou that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to himand revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 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.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lordyour God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,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. 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. 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. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 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.
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. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
Go Deeper
Deuteronomy 8 calls the people of Israel to remember the Lord their God and all that he has done for them in the past. This remembrance calls to mind God’s nature as a provider for us. Throughout this chapter, the writer highlights ways that the Lord has provided for Israel in the past, is providing for them now, and will provide for them in the future–both on this earth and forever in eternity.
In the past, God carried the Israelites out of Egypt, dwelt with them personally, and led them every step of the way through the wilderness (v. 2). The Lord fed his people with manna daily, even when they grumbled and complained against Him. What a perfect reminder of the way that the Lord provides us with our daily bread even when we have done nothing to deserve it from him. Their clothing did not wear out even though they wandered for years and years, and the Lord preserved their health and wellbeing (v. 4). He was the provider and sustainer of the Israelites in the past, and, as the chapter continues, we see He is still providing for and sustaining them in the present.
Verse 7 tells the Israelites about the land that the Lord is bringing them to, “a good land…of olive trees and honey” (v. 7-9). If the Lord was so closely acquainted with their needs and provided for them in the past, what would make the Israelites think that He wouldn’t do the same in the future?
In verses 7-10 we are given a wonderful description of the beautiful land the Israelites are being led to. And this promise is just a small image of the eternal “promised land” that He has in store for those who know Him as Lord and savior. He is not just providing for our present and future needs here on earth, but he is also providing for us an eternal inheritance that is beyond our wildest imagination. John 14:2 tells us that Jesus has gone to prepare this place for us. We have eternity to look forward to! He promises to provide us a place without suffering or pain where we can worship Him forever and we will truly “lack nothing”(v. 9). Verse 18 tells us that this is all part of the covenant that He has made with His people, revealing that He is, by nature, a God who provides.
We don’t have to be discouraged by our circumstances because we know that God is providing for us presently and for our future just like he has provided for us in our past. More importantly, He will provide us with a perfect, beautiful union with Him for all of eternity.
Verses 17 and 18 give the Israelites and us one last word as caution. They warn that against forgetting that God is the source of every blessing and provision we experience both in this age and in the age to come. Let us heed the call of Deuteronomy 8 and remember what God has provided for us in the past, recognize that he is providing for us even now, and hold fast to His promises for the future so that we may live with an eternal hope that shines a light in this dark world.
Questions
- What are some examples of ways the Lord has provided for you in the past that you can use to encourage your faith in Him in the present?
- How consistently do you remember that the Lord is the source of every blessing in your life by thanking Him for what He’s given you?
- How does Deuteronomy 8 help you live with eternal hope?
Did You Know?
The name of God Jehovah Jireh meaning “The Lord will provide” comes from the book of Genesis. In Genesis 22 the Lord provides a ram for sacrifice in place of Issac, and Abraham names the mountain “the Lord will provide.” Since the beginning of creation, the Lord has been a provider!
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5 thoughts on “Deuteronomy 8”
The title of this chapter in my copy of scripture is “A Call to Remember and Obey,” which perfectly presents the theme of Moses’s message. As long as the people are careful to remember, keep, observe and walk in the divine decrees of God, in the end all will go well. It’s the “remembering” part that calls us to develop the habit of gratitude. It can be something simple like journaling what you are thankful for or intentionally setting aside time with loved ones to celebrate God’s faithfulness. I wonder if it ever crossed the minds of the wanderers in the wilderness that their clothes never wore out for 40 years. It’s remembering with a grateful heart the daily provisions of our faithful Father that drives obedience and confidence in our future that he is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
Verse 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ Most of society has this mindset. We did “IT” whatever it may be. We very much need to be ashamed of ourselves and where we are in this world of acceptance of such wrong ideas. God has made it plain, period the end. BUT GOD provides manna for us when we sure do not deserve it with all our grumbling and complaining’s. We need to grow up spiritually and accept what has been not done correctly in years past but stand up and do something about it. We need to see ourselves as God sees us and then by His grace, become what He destined us to be through Christ.
Gratitude, thankfulness, worship, love for our Heavenly Father. We need to listen to God’s Word, remember it and obey it. We cant truly succeed in life without Him. It all comes back to LOVE do we truly LOVE HIM?
God Thank You for Your unending LOVE for me. Thank You for all the examples You have given me through Your Word. Help me to continue to know without a doubt that You will provide, be the manna that fulfills me to overflowing with Your love for others. Give me wisdom with understanding to speak to the people for today. Give me Your love goggles to see them as You do. I am beyond ability of words to express my gratefulness, thankfulness, and to worship You in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!
This passage speaks volumes to me about warning us against pride. Repeatedly, Moses reminds the Israelites to humble themselves when looking back at the past and looking into the future where God has, and will, provide.
This passage reminds me of the sanctity of a marriage covenant. The importance of keeping God first in your marriage. (V3) To humbly come together, and warning how destructive pride can be. (V17-18) To not disrupt unity with God by committing spiritual adultery and destroy the covenant. (V19-20)
Three takeaways from todays reading
1. God Provided.
2. God Provides.
3. God Will Provide.
The Way of the Wilderness
One of the most transformational books I’ve read in recent years is AJ Swoboda’s The Dusty Ones: Why Wandering Deepens Your Faith. “The Bible,” he says, “is a book about wanderers—for wanderers. Some of God’s most important truths are imparted to people with dusty feet as they travel on the road.“
I have often been encouraged by this perspective in the midst of my own wanderings. The wilderness is a tough place to live – but as much as I’m tempted to sidestep it, I don’t want to miss out on God’s important truths or the opportunity to deepen my faith.
One tough truth I’ve learned is I am much likelier to desert God … when I don’t have to depend on him. The advantage of wilderness obstacles (v. 15) is that they keep my focus on the One who overcomes them.
When God does bring me into the Promised Land, the land he promises is rich in exceeding abundance. I will have all I need and then some. I will thrive and prosper and grow that abundance, full of satisfaction in a life well-lived. I will sigh with relief that those difficult days of “just enough” are finally exchanged for a season of “more than I could ask for.”
The problem is, it’s a short, tempting step from “full” to “full of myself.” (“Look at me—I’m lord of all I survey!”) I move from not needing God … to forgetting God … to forsaking God. Before I know it, I am following other gods – as if I’d never been delivered from slavery in Egypt.
“Lord, remind me. Do not let me forget. YOU are the source of everything I have and everything I am.”