Deuteronomy 8:1-20
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.
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.
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 doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oila olive, 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 brass.
10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
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:
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 multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
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;
17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
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, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
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.
Deuteronomy 8:4. Thy raiment waxed not old. By a miracle the Lord preserved the clothes of the Israelites from wearing and decay, or by means of trade and war with the supplies they brought from Egypt, and by their own manufactures in the deserts; for they were never seen in nakedness and rags. The beautiful cloth of the tabernacle was all manufactured in the vicinity of mount Sinai; consequently, they could do much towards manufacturing their own raiment.
Deuteronomy 8:9. Dig brass. נחשׁת nechosheth, and nachosh, brass; the genera is here put for all the species. We dig nickle, a word evidently Hebrew, and lapis calaminaris, which is the ore of zinc, of which brass is formed by a mixture of copper. The mountains abounded with salubrious springs, which were very scarce in the plains and deserts.
Deuteronomy 8:15. Fiery serpents, so called from the burning heat and thirst excited by the poison, in those who were bitten. See Numbers 21.
Deuteronomy 8:16. Who fed thee daily with manna, gathered every morning, that he might teach thee to depend on him for all things, having long proved his fidelity.
REFLECTIONS.
Israel is here exhorted to keep the commandments of the Lord, and to remember his works. And what is better calculated to soften the soul into obedience, and enkindle it with faith and love, than to meditate on all the wonderful works of the Lord? The recollection of God and all his grace brings down a heaven into the soul. How pleasant for the Hebrew to say, our God suffered us to hunger for a moment, and then gave us bread from heaven; he suffered us to thirst, and then gave us water from the granite rock. We feared to expose our feet to the burning sands, but they neither blistered nor swelled. How many are his miracles and mercies, and his mercy endureth for ever.
The recollection of the Hebrews was to extend to their afflictions for comfort, as well as to their mercies. The Lord chastened them as children, because he loved them and sought their good. By the serpents, by the sword, and by the plague, he punished a part to save the whole. Hence in the approaching period, when adversity should be changed for prosperity; when the vine should fill their cups, and the fields crown their tables, the Israelites are charged to remember the goodness and severity of God; to bless him in their feasts, and to fear his holy name. Oh how ignorant, how mean is that man, when a little prosperity turns his brain, and displays the pride and vanity of his heart. He is unworthy of the bounties of providence, and they shall soon forsake him. Yet such is the character of vain and giddy man. Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked; he forgot the rock from whence he was hewn; but when oppressed for his sin, when weeping by the waters of Babylon, he said, “If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.”
It is here declared, and with a high voice, that if Israel, through the enjoyment of vineyards, cattle and corn, and through the increase of gold and silver, should forget the Lord, and worship Baal, then they should surely perish; and the Lord would destroy them, as he had destroyed the seven devoted nations. And these were more than words; they were sad prophecies of what afterwards actually came to pass. Read, oh read the sad accomplishment of these predictions, in the Second book of Chronicles, and the last chapter. Be warned, oh my soul, by the words of this venerable prophet. Be warned, oh antinomian age, of the dangers attendant on riches and commerce, on conformity to the world, and lukewarmness in the faith. Be warned, oh age, which makes problems of the gospel, which sports with infidelity, and almost totally disremembers the new covenant sealed with the blood of Christ. He who destroyed or banished the Canaanites; he who made Israel a desolation, he who removed the candlestick from Asia by the Saracens, and punished the apostasy of the church in Europe, by the Goths and Vandals, still lives. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword with two edges, and his sceptre is a rod of strength. Who would not fear thee, thou King of saints!