This chapter has Moses telling the people that the God who provided for them in the wilderness, is bringing them into a good land. When they enter that good land, Moses reminds them to not forget YAHWEH, lest God choose to deal with them in their evil the same way he is dealing with the nations who he is driving out now.
Bible Passage:
8:1 All the commandment which I command you this day you shall observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which YAHWEH swore to your fathers. 2 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 try you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. 3 And he humbled you, and caused you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of YAHWEH does man live. 4 Your garments did not grow old upon you, nor did your foot swell, these forty years. 5 And you shall consider in your heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so YAHWEH your God chastens you. 6 You shall keep the commandments of YAHWEH your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7 For YAHWEH your God brings you 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 in which you shall 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. 10 You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless YAHWEH your God for the good land which he has given you.
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, 12 lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built pleasant houses, and dwelt in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 then your heart gets lifted up, and you forget YAHWEH your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know; that he might humble you, and that he might try you, to do you good at your latter end. 17 Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.’ 18 But you shall remember YAHWEH your God, for it is he that gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day. 19 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 shall surely perish. 20 As the nations that YAHWEH makes to perish before you, so shall you perish; because you would not listen to the voice of YAHWEH your God.
Reflection:
It fascinates me that God compares his chastening of the nation to the way a man chastens his son. The discipline of God is such a vital part of the Christian faith and I feel it is so rarely spoken about. The New Testament is going to talk about its importance in very astounding terms. If God doesn’t discipline you, you are an illegitimate child, according to Hebrews 12. Those whom Jesus loves, he rebukes and disciplines, according to Revelation 3. Without the discipline of God, you are not a child of God and he doesn’t love you. Thankfully, we know that God does discipline his children and that we do receive of that rebuke and discipline. And we know that those who can receive rebuke and discipline and be trained by it will reap the wisdom that comes from punishment.
Questions and Answers:
Verse 3: Is this Jesus’ quote during the temptation in the gospels? [Monique, 33]
Yes, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 in both Matthew 4 and Luke 4 during the temptation from Satan. The context of the first temptation is relatively straightforward. Jesus has gone without eating for forty days at this point and the text explicitly says Christ is hungry. So Satan questions Jesus’ identity and tells him to prove his status as the Son of God by providing for himself. In other words, you are the Son of God with the full powers of divinity, just provide food for yourself and take care of yourself. As we all know, God helps those who help themselves.
Jesus’ response is to say the exact opposite of that non-scriptural quote. No, I won’t provide for myself because I trust that my Father will provide for me and he has taught me that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word from his mouth. Reading the context of this verse in Deuteronomy makes it clear, God was teaching the people in the wilderness that he would be the one to provide for them.
Verse 4: What does it mean by “foot swell”? [Monique, 33]
It means exactly what it sounds like in English. It’s talking about their feet becoming inflamed and puffy from all the walking they did for forty years. Just like if you walk too much anywhere, you might make your feet swell. The verbal root “bashaq,” which means “to swell,” provides a perfect example of what the verb implies in the noun that comes from it. “Basheq” is the Hebrew word for “dough.” So the dough rising is an example of the type of swelling that the root “bashaq” implies. Here it just talks about the foot becoming puffy and inflamed.
The point of the verse is that God was protecting their bodies in the wilderness. What would have been a destructive experience for them, doing something they were completely unprepared for, was actually watched over by YAHWEH. Because of his protection, they didn’t experience the ramifications that a people wandering through the desert normally would have.
Verses 11-14: Why would they forget what YAHWEH has done for them by multiplying? [Elisha, 8]
Because you have suffered so much for a boy of 8, and also because you haven’t had enough experiences to recognize this yet Elisha, living in comfort and ease is a double-edged sword for both individuals’ and nations’ faith. God absolutely wants us to be obedient and receive blessing from him. But as odd as it may sound, when things are going well, it becomes easy to forget that YAHWEH is the one who has made that happen for you. You don’t feel like you need to pray or read God’s word, things are going along just fine without doing that. And with habitual evil and a lack of vigilance, even Christians often find themselves feeling like they don’t really need God. Hence, why America’s Christianity is in such a bad spot, because we fundamentally live lives of immense comfort and wealth.
But when you are suffering and everything is going wrong, when your life is on the line, God becomes very important very quickly. When you realize there is no one and no thing you can turn to, to change the situation which you find yourself in, crying out for YAHWEH comes easily. So Moses is warning them, when they have settled the land, and life becomes a joy and full of blessing, don’t forget YAHWEH. If they do, he knows that their condition will reverse severely, and they will be left with curses instead of blessing.
Verses 19-20: Why would God judge them like the other nations? And did this ever happen? [Monique, 33]
God is going to judge them just like the other nations if they do this, because they have become just like the other nations. There will not be some special treatment if they choose to disobey and do evil in YAHWEH’s sight. He will delight to come to them for destruction, just as he delighted to come to them for blessing according to Deuteronomy 28. The people of Israel have a special status, but it doesn’t make them immune to God’s judgment. In fact, because of their status and responsibility, just like Moses himself, they most likely will be held more accountable for their evil, since they have the responsibility and revelation of YAHWEH greater than any other nation.
And yes, this most certainly did happen, in one of the most important events in the Old Testament. It is mentioned as the final and most significant curse in Deuteronomy 28, exile from the land. This happens when Assyria carries off the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity. It also happens in the second and most final act of exile, when Babylon takes the southern nation of Judah into exile, as well as destroying YAHWEH’s temple in Jerusalem. God is very clear in Scripture that it was his plan and intention for the people of Judah to be taken out of the land for their great disobedience and massive evil. In Ezekiel 16, a truly heartbreaking chapter explaining what YAHWEH has had to endure with his unfaithful wife, the nation of Judah, he says that Samaria (the capitol of the northern kingdom) and Sodom did not even commit the number of abominations that Judah had.
Recording of the Passage:
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