Deuteronomy 11

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER ELEVEN

The people are exhorted to obedience from a consideration of God’s goodness to their fathers in Egypt, 1-4. and what he did in the wilderness, 5. and the judgment on Dathan and Abiram, 6. and from the mercies of God in general, 7-9. A comparative description of Egypt and Canaan, 10-12. Promises to obedience, 13-15. Dissuasives from idolatry, 16, 11. The words of God to be laid up in their hearts, to be for a sign on their hands, foreheads, gates, &c., 18. taught to their children, made the subject of frequent conversation, to the end that then days may be multiplied, 19-21. If obedient, God shall give them possession of the whole land, and not one of their enemies shall be able to withstand them, 22-25. Life and death, a blessing and a curse, are set before them, 26-28. The blessings to be put on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal, 29, 30. The promise that they should pass over Jordan, and observe these statutes in the promised land, 31, 32.

QUESTIONS, LESSON EIGHT (Deuteronomy 8:1 to Deuteronomy 11:32)

CHAPTER 8

What was God’s purpose in both providing Israel’s food and allowing him to suffer hunger?

In what sense did neither this generation nor their fathers know the manna? (finish before proceeding.)

Complete: ________ doth not ________ by ________ alone, but by . that proceedeth out of the mouth of ________ doth man ________.

Explain what particular significance the above verse would have to Israel in the wilderness.

In what context did Jesus use this verse?

What applications do you see for this passage in life today?

Finish: And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man

his son, so Jehovah thy God ________ thee (Deuteronomy 8:5).

Name two metals Israel would be able to obtain in their new land.

What is said of Israel’s wearing apparel during the wilderness trek?

What particular temptations would come Israel’s way along with their wealth and plenty?

CHAPTER 9 11.

How do you reconcile the statement of Deu 9:3 (make them

[the native tribes] to perish quickly,) with the command to cast out those nations by little and little (Deuteronomy 7:22)?

Israel was not to say For ________ righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land because for the ________ of these nations Jehovah does drive them out. (Deuteronomy 9:4).

What two basic reasons, then, did God have for exterminating the Canaanite tribes?

Moses could personally testify that Israel had been rebellious for quite some time. How long?

Of whom did God threaten to make a nation when Israel sinned below the mount?

How much total time did Moses spend in fasting and prayer on the mount?

CHAPTER 10 17.

What was kept in the ark?

Levi had no inheritance but ________.

What exceptions do the scriptures make to the above rule?

Was heart-felt service absolutely necessary to the faithful Israelite? Explain.

CHAPTER 11 21.

What advantage did the adult Israelite have that the children did not?

What was the chief difference mentioned here between Egypt and Palestine?

Who could stand before Israel when they were obedient?

What was to be the mountain of blessing? Of the curse?

Phylacteries for Head and Arm.

Deuteronomy 11:1

(2) BY AN ABIDING LOVE (Deuteronomy 10:12 to Deuteronomy 11:1)

12 And now, Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, unto Jehovah thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein. 15 Only Jehovah had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. 18 He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the sojourner, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love ye therefore the sojourner; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve; and to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shalt thou swear. 21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. 22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now Jehovah thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments always.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 10:12-11:1

Please read carefully this whole section as an expression of the heart of our Lord respecting His children. Does this sound like a tyrant type law giver?

Fill in the blanks: “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear _______ _______ your God, to walk in all _______ _______, to love _______, to serve _______ _______ your God with all your _______.

In what sense are God’s commandments for our good?

Why mention the thought that God owns all?

Isn’t Deuteronomy 10:16 a strange word? What does it mean?

Why mention the fatherless and widow?

Please list the verbs that refer to the proper relationship of the Israelite to Jehwah, such as “fear, walk, love,”. etc. What does the Lord require of thee and me?

What is the suggestion in the expression: “Ile is your praise”?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 10:12-11:1

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but (reverently) to fear the Lord your God: [that is,] to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your (mind and) heart and with your entire being. 13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good? 14 Behold, the heavens and the Heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth also, with all that is in it and on it; 15 Yet the Lord had a delight in loving your fathers, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all people, as this day. 16 So circumcise the foreskin of your [mind and] heart; be no longer stubborn and hardened. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the terrible God, Who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger or temporary resident and gives him food and clothing. 19 Therefore love the stranger and sojourner, for you were strangers and sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall (reverently) fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and by His name and presence you shall swear. 21 He is your praise; He is your God, Who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of the heavens for multitude. Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His precepts, and His commandments always.

COMMENT 10:12-11:1

WHAT DOTH JEHOVAH. REQUIRE OF THEE, etc. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)Surely one of the most moving passages in this book! We are immediately reminded of Deu 6:4-5, and also that famous scripture in Micah 6:8. One cannot help but see in these passages that God demanded the heart of his servants in the Old Testament! He was dissatisfied and displeased when service was rendered to him only out of habit, form, and dry conformity. Reader, if that was true then, under the partial light of that distant age, what shall we say of the expectations of God now?

FOR THY GOOD (Deuteronomy 10:13)See also Deuteronomy 6:24, Deuteronomy 8:16.

UNTO JEHOVAH THY GOD BELONGETH HEAVEN AND THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS, THE EARTH, WITH ALL THAT IS THEREIN (Deuteronomy 10:14)A graphic way of saying that all belongs to God. The earth is Jehovah’S, and the fullness thereof (Psalms 24:1) on one hand, The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah (Psalms 115:16) on the other. Concerning the phrase, heaven and the heaven of heavens, Gesenius remarks, i.e. all the spaces of heaven, however vast and infinite, citing this passage and 1 Kings 8:27.

CIRCUMCISE. THE FORESKIN OF YOUR HEART, AND BE NO MORE STIFFNECKED (Deuteronomy 10:16)See also Deuteronomy 30:6. Circumcision was, of course, an identifying mark of all Israelites. But, as Paul later states, he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans 2:28-29).

Before God would be pleased, their hearts must be circumcised. Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, the prophet said, and take away the foreskin of your heart (Jeremiah 4:4), A mere outward alteration simply would not (and will not) do with God! The inner man, the hidden man of the heart must be changed. See Joe 2:12-13.

[GOD] LOVETH THE SOJOURNER. LOVE YE THEREFORE THE SOJOURNER (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)If Israel was to be godlike, his love, like God’S, would extend to all. The reference here is, of course to those who joined themselves to Israel and embraced Jehovah and his worship, such as Ruth the Moabitess and Uriah the Hittite. Cf. Leviticus 19:33-34.

BY HIS NAME THOU SHALT SWEAR (Deuteronomy 10:20)See Deuteronomy 5:11 and remarks, Also 6-13.

Deuteronomy 11:2-25

(3) BY A CONSTANT REFRESHING OF MEMORY (Deuteronomy 11:2-25)

2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm, 3 and his signs, and his works, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4 and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how Jehovah hath destroyed them unto this day; 5 and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came unto this place; 6 and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel: 7 but your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he did.

8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it; 9 and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs; 11 but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven. 12 a land which Jehovah thy God careth for: the eyes of Jehovah thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be full. 16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 and the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which Jehovah giveth you. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; 21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth. 22 or if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23 then will Jehovah drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves, 24 Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border. 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: Jehovah your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath spoken unto you.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 11:2-25

Why was Israel to consider the discipline or chastisement of the Lord?

Define in your own words the following qualities of Jehovah: (1) greatness, (2) mighty hand, (3) outstretched arm, (4) signs, (5) deeds, (6) destroyed, (7) great work.

What was one of the basic differences and advantages of Canaan as compared to Egypt?

Did God promise material prosperity as a result of obedience to His laws? Is this true today? Discuss.

Read the comments again on Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

Please consider Deuteronomy 11:21 and answer the question as to whether Palestine still belongs to the Jews?

Were the conditions and promises of Jehovah ever met for the conquering of the promised land? When? By whom?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 11:2-25

2 And know this day (for I am not speaking to your children who have not [personally] known and seen it), the instruction and discipline of the Lord your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm, 3 His signs and His deeds which He did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4 And what He did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and chariots; how He made the water of the Red Sea overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day; 5 And what He did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place;

6 And what He did to Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel; [Numbers 26:9-10.]

7 For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did. 8 Therefore you shall keep all the commandments which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you go across [Jordan] to possess; 9 And that you may live long in the land, which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land which you go in to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you came out, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot laboriously, as a garden of vegetables; 11 But the land, which you enter to possess, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of the heavens; 12 A land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. 13 And if you will diligently heed My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being, 14 I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, that you may eat and be full. 16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your [mind and] heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 17 And the Lord’s anger be kindled against you, and He shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land yield not its fruit, and you perish quickly off the good land which the Lord gives you. 18 Therefore you shall lay up these My words in your [mind and] heart and in your [entire] being, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, and as forehead bands between your eyes. 19 And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and on your gates, 21 That your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you diligently keep all this commandment which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him, 23 Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours; from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western [Mediterranean] sea your territory shall be, 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you; the Lord your God shall lay the fear and the dread of you upon all the land that you shall tread, as He has said to you.

COMMENT 11:2-25

In Deuteronomy 11:2-7, note that the mighty works of Jehovah, which the adults had all seen, argued for their obedience. In Deuteronomy 11:8-17, the rich, fertile, and productive nature of the promised land is depicted, while in Deuteronomy 11:18-25 Israel is reminded that God’s law, when carefully kept, assured them of victory and conquest of the entire area pledged. All this Israel doubtless knew, mentally. But this is a sermon, and Moses would indelibly impress, yea, engrave certain thoughts upon their minds.

FOR I SPEAK NOT WITH YOUR CHILDREN (Deuteronomy 11:2)The youngsters could not be reminded of what the older ones couldthe adults should have learned life-long lessons from their wilderness experiences (Deuteronomy 6:2-3).

DATHAN AND ABIRAM (Deuteronomy 11:6)See Numbers 16. One would think such an event as this would put a stop to all thoughts of rebellion, murmuring, or disobedience for a long while. But on the morrow all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of Jehovah (Numbers 16:41). This was Israel’s history. The most severe chastisement often failed to teach the desired lesson! A plague resulted from this murmuring, killing 14,700. Now, Israel, Moses is saying, think about this! Do you want such chastisements to be again upon your head, or will you receive the blessings God has promised with obedience? Your eyes have seen all these things (Deuteronomy 11:7)have you absorbed the lesson God has for you in all this? And have we (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)?

FOR THE LAND. IS NOT AS THE LAND OF EGYPT. WHERE THOU SOWEDST THY SEED, AND WATEREDST IT WITH THY FOOT. etc. (Deuteronomy 11:10-12)Although various methods of irrigation are today absolutely necessary for agriculture in vast portions of Israel, such was not true in ancient times for the greater part of the land promised in Deuteronomy 11:24-25. Furthermore, the former and latter rains (Deuteronomy 11:14. Cf. Job 29:23, Jeremiah 5:24, Joe 2:23, James 5:7) were assured only if Israel was obedient (Deuteronomy 11:17). In contrast, Egypt is absolutely dependent on an extensive irrigation system for her very survival as an agricultural state. (Witness the recent building of the Aswan High Dam in southern Egypt). Rain seldom falls in Egypt. Most of the country has only about one inch a year. Were it not for the Nile, most of the country would simply be a part of the Sahara desert.

On the above phrase, the I.S.B.E. states, To one familiar with the methods of irrigation today practiced in Palestine, Syria, and Egypt, the passage, -where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs-’ (Deuteronomy 11:10), is easily explained. The water is brought in channels to the gardens, where it is distributed along the rows of growing vegetables planted on the sides of the trenches. In stony soil the canal leading to a particular plot is opened and closed with a hoe. Any obstruction in the trench is similarly removed, while in the soft, loamy soil of the coastal plain or in the Nile valley these operations can be done with the foot, a practice still commonly seen.

TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES (Deuteronomy 11:16-17)The thought of these verses being very similar to that of Deu 8:11 ff., i.e. that the very blessings they received from God would cause them to become soft and lax with regard to his worship and the observance of his laws. The same warning needs to be sounded loud and frequently today!

THEREFORE SHALL YE LAY UP THESE MY WORDS IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR SOUL; AND YE SHALL BIND THEM FOR A SIGN. etc. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)See Deuteronomy 6:6-9 and remarks.

THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE MULTIPLIED. AS THE DAYS OF THE HEAVENS ABOVE THE EARTH (Deuteronomy 11:21)as long as the heavens are above the earth (Amplified O.T.), as long as there is a heaven over the earth (The Torah). As the phrase stands in the A.S.V., the phrase would indicate no specific length of time, but simply an innumerable number of days. The other renderings would extend this promise to the end of the world (2 Peter 3:9).

AND YE SHALL DISPOSSESS NATIONS GREATER AND MIGHTIER THAN YOURSELVES (Deuteronomy 11:23). THERE SHALL NO MAN BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU (Deuteronomy 11:25)Christian, why cannot we learn the lesson here that Israel did not? A complete trust, obedience and love of Jehovah (note Deuteronomy 11:22) had this great promise along with it, In essence, the promise was: You will be able to do things that now appear totally impossibleaccomplish things that try even the imaginationvanquish peoples that are unconquerable, overcome difficulties that seem insurmountable, conquer insuperable barriers. When Israel took these exhortations to heart, God literally fulfilled his part of this promise (as shown especially in Joshua, and also under the rulership of David and Solomon).

Unless a foe or difficulty is larger than God, it is not insurmountable. the theme of the Bible is God is able, Yes, it is him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20). If God be for us, who can be against us? Who can stand up against him who is aligned with and in fellowship with Almighty God? Let us stand with him, and we will soon share of his power! Let us stop asserting ourselves, and assert our confidence in the Omnipotent One.

Deuteronomy 11:26-32

8. THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE (Deuteronomy 11:26-32)

26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you this day; 28 and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. 30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31 For ye are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Jehovah your God giveth you, and yet shall possess it, and dwell therein. 32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 11:26-32

Just what blessing had Jehovah promised to Israel? What curse?

It would seem the whole of God’s desire for us can be summarized in one word, obedience. Do you agree?

What is meant by set the blessings on Mount Gerizim?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 11:26-32

26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 The blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; 28 And the curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which you have not known.

29 And when the Lord your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, you shall set the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. [Joshua 8:33.]

30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the road where the sun goes down, in the land of the Canaanites, living in the Arabah opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks or terebiths of Moreh? 31 For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you shall possess it, and live in it. 32 And you shall be watchful to do all the statutes and ordinances which I set before you this day.

COMMENT 11:26-32

We will have more to say of God’s instructions upon Israel’s arrival at Ebal and Gerizim in Chapter s 27 and 28. These mountains were directly opposite one another in the area allotted to the tribe of Ephriam. Ebal, 3,075 feet high, was on the north, and Gerezim, elevation 2,850, on the south; with the town of Shechem lying in the valley between.

THIS DAY (Deuteronomy 11:26; Deuteronomy 11:32)It appears that this section chronologically belongs to the same time as chap. 27 ff. because the same event is described. In fact, all the intervening scriptures may be a record of Moses-’ words on the same day. However, it is not mandatory that we compress this day into so literal a meaning. See Deuteronomy 9:1, notes.