Deuteronomy 9

1 Hear, Yisra'el: you are to pass over the Yarden this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to the sky,
2 a people great and tall, the sons of the `Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, Who can stand before the sons of `Anak?
3 Know therefore this day, that the LORD your God is he who goes over before you as a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will bring them down before you: so shall you drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD has spoken to you.
4 Don't speak in your heart, after that the LORD your God has thrust them out from before you, saying, For my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land; whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD does drive them out from before you.
5 Not for your righteousness, or for the uprightness of your heart, do you go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you, and that he may establish the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya`akov.
6 Know therefore, that the LORD your God doesn't give you this good land to possess it for your righteousness; for you are a stiff-necked people.
7 Remember, don't forget, how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that you went forth out of the land of Mitzrayim, until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
8 Also in Horev you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was angry with you to destroy you.
9 When I was gone up onto the mountain to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water.
10 The LORD delivered to me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them [was written] according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
11 It came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
12 The LORD said to me, Arise, get you down quickly from hence; for your people whom you have brought forth out of Mitzrayim have corrupted themselves; they have quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
13 Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people:
14 let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under the sky; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.
15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
16 I looked, and, behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made you a molten calf: you had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
17 I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.
18 I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, with which the LORD was angry against you to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also.
20 The LORD was very angry with Aharon to destroy him: and I prayed for Aharon also at the same time.
21 I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust: and I cast the dust of it into the brook that descended out of the mountain.
22 At Tav`erah, and at Massah, and at Kivrot-Hatta'avah, you provoked the LORD to wrath.
23 When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-Barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then you rebelled against the mitzvah of the LORD your God, and you didn't believe him, nor listen to his voice.
24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
25 So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
26 I prayed to the LORD, and said, Lord GOD, don't destroy your people and your inheritance, that you have redeemed through your greatness, that you have brought forth out of Mitzrayim with a mighty hand.
27 Remember your servants, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya`akov; don't look to the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin,
28 lest the land whence you brought us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.
29 Yet they are your people and your inheritance, which you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.

Deuteronomy 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The Israelites not to think their success came by their own worthiness. (1-6) Moses reminds the Israelites of their rebellions. (7-29)

Verses 1-6 Moses represents the strength of the enemies they were now to encounter. This was to drive them to God, and engage their hope in him. He assures them of victory, by the presence of God with them. He cautions them not to have the least thought of their own righteousness, as if that procured this favour at God's hand. In Christ we have both righteousness and strength; in Him we must glory, not in ourselves, nor in any sufficiency of our own. It is for the wickedness of these nations that God drives them out. All whom God rejects, are rejected for their own wickedness; but none whom he accepts are accepted for their own righteousness. Thus boasting is for ever done away: see Eph. 2:9, Eph. 2:11, Eph. 2:12 .

Verses 7-29 That the Israelites might have no pretence to think that God brought them to Canaan for their righteousness, Moses shows what a miracle of mercy it was, that they had not been destroyed in the wilderness. It is good for us often to remember against ourselves, with sorrow and shame, our former sins; that we may see how much we are indebted to free grace, and may humbly own that we never merited any thing but wrath and the curse at God's hand. For so strong is our propensity to pride, that it will creep in under one pretence or another. We are ready to fancy that our righteousness has got for us the special favour of the Lord, though in reality our wickedness is more plain than our weakness. But when the secret history of every man's life shall be brought forth at the day of judgment, all the world will be proved guilty before God. At present, One pleads for us before the mercy-seat, who not only fasted, but died upon the cross for our sins; through whom we may approach, though self-condemned sinners, and beseech for undeserved mercy and for eternal life, as the gift of God in Him. Let us refer all the victory, all the glory, and all the praise, to Him who alone bringeth salvation.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 9

In this chapter the Israelites are assured of the ejection of the Canaanites, though so great and mighty, to make room for them, De 9:1-3, and they are cautioned not to attribute this to their own righteousness, but to the wickedness of the nations which deserved to be so treated, and to the faithfulness of God in performing his promise made to their fathers, De 9:4-6, and that it might appear that it could not be owing to their righteousness, it is affirmed and proved that they had been a rebellious and provoking people from their coming out of Egypt to that time, as was evident from their idolatry at Horeb; a particular account of which is given, and of the displeasure of the Lord at it, De 9:7-21, and of their murmurings, with which they provoked the Lord at other places, De 9:22-24, and the chapter is closed with an account of the prayer of Moses for them at Horeb, to avert the wrath of God from them for their making and worshipping the golden calf, De 9:25-29.

Deuteronomy 9 Commentaries

The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.