Deuteronomy 8-10

What I Noticed Today (Deuteronomy 8-10)

Deuteronomy 8

In verses 1-6, Moses exhorts the Israelites to remember their time in the wilderness:

• Moses reminds the Israelites that God expects them to keep the whole law and that He will test them to know what is in their hearts.
• The Lord had led the Israelites through the desert and tested their faith by giving them manna.
• The Lord had disciplined the Israelites just as you would discipline your sons. So keep fearing the Lord and walk in His ways.

In verses 7-20, Moses exhorts the Israelites not to forget God’s blessings:

• The Lord is bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land. A good land of flowing water and plentiful food. They will lack nothing.
• In the midst of this great blessing be careful not to forget the Lord and fail to keep His commands and ordinances.
• Be careful not to become proud and forget that it was the Lord who rescued you out of slavery in Egypt.
• Remember that it was the Lord who gave you the power to gain wealth in order to confirm the covenant He swore to your forefathers.
• If you ever go after other gods and worship them, you will perish like the nations the Lord is about to destroy for you.

Deuteronomy 9

In Deuteronomy 9, Moses reminds the Israelites that God has chosen them, not because of their own righteousness, but because the other nations were so wicked.

In verses 1-6, Moses encourages the Israelites saying though they are about to cross the Jordan and go up against a powerful people, the Lord will go ahead of them. He will devastate them and subdue them for you.

• Moses warns them not to think the Lord is driving out these people because the Israelites are so righteous.
• The Lord is giving this land to them for three reasons: 1) He is driving out the people because they are so wicked, 2) He swore in a covenant to give this land to the Israelites, 3) It is a gift of His grace because the Israelites are a stiff-necked people.

In verses 7-29, Moses reminds the Israelites of their previous rebellion against the Lord. The Israelites were a rebellious bunch, provoking God to the point that if Moses had not intervened on their behalf, God was ready to destroy them all and start over.

• Verses 7-21. As an example of their rebelliousness, Moses recounts the story of the Exodus generation making and worshipping the golden calves.
• Verses 22-24. There are also examples of when they complained about the hardships at Teberah (Numbers 11), the water at Massah (Exodus 17), and the food at Kibroth Hattavah (Numbers 11).
• Verses 25-29. Moses humbled himself, interceding on behalf of the people by praying to God for 40 days and nights so that God would not destroy them.

Deuteronomy 10

Law and obedience are in view in Deuteronomy 10.

In verses 1-5, Moses returns to God, and God writes the Ten Commandments on new tablets of stone to replace the ones that Moses had broken. In doing so, God provided the law to the generation that was about to enter the Promised Land.

In verses 6-11, Aaron died while the Israelites were at Moserah. The tribe of Levi was commissioned to carry the Ark of the Covenant and to stand before the Lord. For this reason, the Levites do not have an inheritance like their brothers because the Lord is their inheritance.

• Moses remained on the mountain 40 days and nights like the first time, interceding for the people. The Lord agreed not to annihilate the people and ordered Moses to continue on the journey to the Promised Land.

In verses 12-22, the balance of the chapter highlights what God requires of the Israelites:

• To fear God,
• To walk in His ways,
• To love God, and
• To serve God with all their heart and soul.
• Circumcision was an outward sign of their relationship to God, and now God says they were to circumcise their hearts.
• Love the foreigner, since you were foreigners in Egypt.
• Fear Yahweh your God and worship Him.
• Remain faithful to Him and take oaths in His name.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

• How often are we just like the Israelites?
• We ask God for His blessings, then when they come we get to thinking we earned it all on our own, and we forget that God is the one who blessed us in the first place! Or worse, we reject God’s leading, become rebellious taking on the characteristics of the sinful world instead of His chosen children?

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 11-13