1 An exhortation to obedience, 2 by their own experience of God’s great works, 8 by promise of God’s great blessings, 16 and by threatenings. 18 A careful study is required in God’s words. 26 The blessing and curse is set before them.
Deu 11:1 Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.
Love is the principle on which all worship and service to God are to be based. Love for God makes the carrying out of His requirements a joy. God’s mercy and bountiful blessings, if truly appreciated, inspire a love for Him in man’s heart. True love to God is the reaction of the human heart to His abounding love.
Always. Literally, “all the days.” Obedience to God must be continuous and not intermittent. A love that vacillates is generally centered on self rather than focused upon Christ.
Deu 11:2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;
Remember today. They had witnessed the mighty power of God in action, and knew something of the boundless resources that were available to them from God.
Outstretched Arm. The arm is the symbol of power and is often used of military forces (Dan. 11:15, 22, 31). Similarly, an army is the strong “arm” of a nation. The “arm of the Lord” is the symbol of His power (see Isa. 52:10; 53:1).
Deu 11:3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;
The evidence of divine power that accompanied their deliverance from Egypt ever inspired later generations of Israel, and were often made the theme of song and inspired literature.
Deu 11:4 what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them.
Deu 11:5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place,
This place. They were now in the plains of Moab, near Shittim, and opposite the city of Jericho (Num. 25:1; Deut. 1:31).
Deu 11:6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them.
Dathan and Abiram. Outstanding examples of rebellion against God (see Num. 16).
Deu 11:7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done.
Your own eyes have seen. Literally, “your eyes are the seers” (see ch. 3:21). Great acts. In connection with their deliverance from Egypt and their journey to Canaan (see Judges 2:7).
Deu 11:8 Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,
All the commandments. Literally, “every commandment,” the singular number stressing perfect obedience as a principle of conduct.
Have the strength. In the sense of “girding up oneself” for action, or “holding on tenaciously.” Our strength as Christians lies in love overflowing in obedience to the revealed will of God. Only the obedient can be strong, for God can never give strength to those who deliberately transgress His law.
Deu 11:9 and so that you may live long in the land the LORD swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Milk and honey. Compare Ex. 3:8; Deut. 6:3. Milk represents not only the choicest material blessings of earthly Canaan but also the rich blessing of salvation through Christ (Isa. 55:1). The sweetness of honey is compared to the sweetness of God’s law (Ps. 19:10) and all His revealed will (Eze. 3:3; Rev. 10:9, 10).
Deu 11:10 The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.
A figure of speech to denote the contrivances used to lift water from the Nile and its tributary canals, which involved hard labor. But the Promised Land was watered by copious rainfall that never failed so long as Israel was faithful to God (see 1 Kings 8:35; 17:1; 18:17, 18).
Vegetable garden. The laborious methods of irrigation practiced in Egypt were applicable only to a narrow strip of land adjoining the Nile, whereas the rain of Canaan would make the countryside of Palestine a fruitful field.
Deu 11:11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.
A land of mountains. Not a flat plain like Egypt, which it was possible to irrigate by a system of canals. Palestine could be watered adequately and made fruitful only by the good rains from heaven, and the descent of these rains was assured to the extent that the people were faithful to God.
Deu 11:12 It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
Careth for. Literally, “inquireth after,” meaning “to search,” “to investigate.” It is used of searching for lost sheep (Deut. 22:2; Eze. 34:6–8), and of God searching the hearts of men (1 Chron. 28:9). The eyes of the Lord. A figure of speech representing the unceasing care of God exercised on behalf of His faithful ones (Ps. 33:18; 34:15). 13. Serve him. That is to obey Him. To be acceptable, man’s service to God must flow from love in the heart of man, not from an attempt to acquire righteousness by legal compliance with His requirements (see on ch. 10:12). 14. The first rain. This was the autumn rain, which fell at the time of planting the winter crops, to sprout the seed and give it a good start before the cold of winter set in. It fell in the eighth month, our late autumn (see Ezra 10:9, 13). In a land dependent on rain the seed would not sprout unless the rain fell in its season (Lev. 26:4). The latter rain. This fell in the spring before the harvest, during our months of March and early April, and brought the crop to full maturity (see Jer. 5:24; Joel 2:23). In his reply to the false charges of Eliphaz, Job speaks figuratively of the importance of the latter rain (Job 29:23). Solomon uses it as an illustration of favors bestowed by a king (Prov. 16:15), and Hosea, of revival and reformation (Hosea 6:2, 3). The tragedy that resulted from a failure of the latter rain is described by Jeremiah in his first message to the backslidden church of his day (Jer. 3:3; cf. Amos 4:7; see on Joel 2:23). 15. Grass. The same word may also mean vegetables for man’s use (Gen. 3:18), as well as grass for cattle, as here (Ps. 106:20; Jer. 14:6). Thou mayest eat. Healthy, well-fed cattle meant an abundance of food for man as well, and prosperity in general (Lev. 25:19; cf. Joel 1:10–20). 16. Take heed. An abundance of the things of this life, as promised in the preceding verses, may lead the overconfident person to become faithless toward the great Giver of these gifts (see Deut. 6:14; 8:19; Hosea 2:5, 8; 1 Cor. 10:12). Be not deceived. Often a false sense of values so blinds the hearts of men (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 1:21, 22) that they go vainly in pursuit of things that are only of transient value (Eccl. 1:13, 14; 2:1–11; Matt. 6:28–34; John 6:27–29). It is well to remember that it was a distorted sense of values that led Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was when she “saw” something that was not so that she yielded (Gen. 3:6). 17. Shut up. The very opposite of what Jehovah wished to do for His people (Deut. 28:12, 23). Compare a similar expression in Lev. 26:19. The failure of the rains was to be a reminder of sin that must be repented of (1 Kings 8:35). Perish quickly. Disobedience was to be followed by natural calamities intended to lead the people back to God (Joshua 23:16; Amos 4:6–9). 18. Frontlets. The word thus translated is from a root meaning “to bind,” “to surround.” The noun is found only here and in Ex. 13:16; Deut. 6:8. Taking the admonition literally, the Jews bound a phylactery to the forehead, thinking thus to commend themselves to God (see on Ex. 13:9). 19. Teach them. An admonition often repeated to parents (chs. 4:10; 6:7). Rashi, the Jewish commentator, interprets these words to mean that a parent, from the time that a child can speak, shall instruct him in the Hebrew language and in the Torah. 20. Write them. Otherwise their iniquity would be “written with a pen of iron” (Jer. 17:1). 21. Your days. Compare chs. 4:40; 6:2; 11:9. As the days of heaven. “As long as the heavens are above the earth” (RSV; cf. Matt. 5:18). The eternity of the heavens was a fixed belief among the Jews, and therefore these words became to them a promise of the enduring nature of their inheritance (see Ps. 72:5, 7, 17; 89:29; cf. Job 14:12). 22. Diligently keep. See v. 13 and ch. 10:20. To cleave unto him. The idea of clinging closely is a figure of affection and loyalty (Ruth 1:14). If we choose to cleave to God nothing can snatch us from His grasp (John 10:28). 23. Drive out. A promise oft repeated (Ex. 23:27; Deut. 7:23). But like all other promises it was contingent upon their obedience to His commands. Had God continued to bless them irrespective of their conduct, they would have become fully confirmed in their evil ways. Thus they would not have been witness to the desirability of cooperating with the true God—which was His purpose in bestowing all these blessings upon them. Greater nations. Compare chs. 7:1; 9:1. They were the “fewest of all people” (ch. 7:7), but “there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:6; cf. Judges 7:2–7). 24. The wilderness. That is, the Wilderness of Zin, lying to the south of Palestine. Lebanon. The northern boundary. Euphrates. The northeastern boundary. Compare the promise made to Abraham (Gen. 15:18). The uttermost sea. Literally, the “hinder” or “western” sea. The word translated “uttermost” is from a root meaning “what is behind,” that is, behind the speaker. In giving directions the Hebrews in Canaan thought of themselves as facing east, and thus the Mediterranean was “behind” them (see Deut. 34:2; Joel 2:20; Zech. 14:8; see on Ex. 3:1). The Mediterranean Sea is called the great sea in Num. 34:6. 25. Fear of you. See the promise of God at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 23:27), and repeated prior to the fall of Jericho (Joshua 2:9, 24). 26. A blessing and a curse. Implying man’s free will and power of choice. God commands, but man is free to choose whether he will obey (see Joshua 24:15; cf. Jer. 18:7–10). 27. A blessing. See ch. 28:2–6 for a detailed statement of what was included in this blessing. 28. A curse. Compare with ch. 28:15–68. Other gods. See ch. 6:14. Only the God of heaven can bless His people (chs. 7:9; 8:3). The children of Israel were repeatedly warned of the dangers of idolatry (chs. 4:3, 15, 16, 23; 6:4, 14; 7:4, 5, 25; 8:19; 9:12; 10:20; etc.). 29. Brought thee. Compare Deut. 6:10; 7:1; Ex. 13:5, 11. Mount Gerizim. On the south side of the rich valley in which Shechem is situated, with Mt. Ebal on the north. Gerizim is fertile, and Ebal somewhat barren. Some commentators have seen in this fact the reason for the selection of the one as being appropriate for “blessing” and the other for a “curse.” 30. The other side. That is, on the west side of Jordan in the land of Canaan (see ch. 3:20, 25). Sun goeth down. A person standing on the east side of Jordan, across from Jericho, may see the sun set in the vicinity of the mountains Gerizim and Ebal, some 40 mi. away. Gilgal. The name thus translated may come from the verb “to roll.” It means a “wheel” or a “circle.” Some have thought that it may apply to a circle of stones connected with heathen worship. Gilgal near Jericho, here mentioned, was so named because the “reproach of Egypt” was “rolled” from the people at this place (Joshua 5:9–12). Plains of Moreh. Literally, “beside the terebinths of Moreh” (see on Gen. 13:18; 18:1). 31. Ye shall pass over. Moses expresses certainly concerning their occupation of the Land of Promise. The participle here used has the force of “ye are on the point of passing over.” ELLEN G. WHITE COMMENTS