Deuteronomy 29:2-9

2. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD (Deuteronomy 29:2-9)

And Moses called unto all Isreal, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3 the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders: 4 but Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day, 5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxed old upon thy foot. 6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God, 7 And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them: 8 and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites. 9Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 29:2-9

512.

If Jehovah did not give them a heart to know or eyes to see, how could Israel be held responsible?

513.

Read the comments on Deuteronomy 8:3-4 to review what is meant by the preservation of clothes and shoes.

514.

How would the lack of bread and wine establish their trust in Jehovah?

515.

Why the review of God's acts of power and conquest?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 29:2-9

2 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land;
3 The great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders;

4 Yet the Lord has not given you a [mind and] heart to understand, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.
5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out upon you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
6 You have not eaten [grain] bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, that you might recognize and know [your dependence on Him Who is saying], I am the Lord your God.
7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them;
8 We took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites.
9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may deal wisely and prosper in all that you do.

COMMENT 29:2-9

BUT JEHOVAH HATH NOT GIVEN YOU A HEART TO KNOW. UNTO THIS DAY (Deuteronomy 29:4)This was partly their own fault, partly the working of God. Truthfully Moses could say they had been rebellious from the day that thou wentest forth out of the land of Egypt and from the day that I knew you (Deuteronomy 9:7; Deuteronomy 9:24). Persons with such dispositions are not capable of perceiving and appreciating the will of God. Thus this passage is similar to those above, and should also have served as a rebuke: God has not seen fit to open up your eyes even yetunto this day. The essence of the rebuke seems to be, Will you now wake up?Stubborness and rebellion invariably clog the channels of one's spiritual perceptionand God withholds understanding (Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 11:25-26, Romans 11:7-10).

Yet, Israel had every opportunity to understand and appreciate God's ways. These are enumerated in Deuteronomy 29:5-8, with the conclusion, Keep therefore the words. that ye may prosper. (Deuteronomy 29:9).

YOUR CLOTHES ARE NOT WAXED OLD (Deuteronomy 29:5)See Deuteronomy 8:4, note.

YE HAVE NOT EATEN BREAD, NEITHER HAVE YE DRUNK WINE OR STRONG DRINK; THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD (Deuteronomy 29:6)Basically the same thought is expressed in Deuteronomy 8:3. They had been living all these years, not by harvesting wheat and baking bread, or by harvesting grapes and making wine. In short, they had not been sustained by their own labor, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). It was God who directed their route for forty years, who kept their clothes from becoming old and ragged, who kept their shoes from wearing out, and who daily supplied their manna for food. The response should have been heartfelt obedience and praise to their Sustainer and Giver of life! Their recent victories in battle (Deuteronomy 29:7-8) described earlier (Chapter s 2 & 3) were also the result of God's direct blessing and goodness, and provided yet another reason for their cheerful obedience.

REUBENITES. GADITES. MANASSITES (Deuteronomy 29:8)Note their boundaries in Deuteronomy 3:12-17.