Deuteronomy 11:13-23

13 If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with your whole being,
14 then he will send rain on your land at the right time, in the fall and spring, and you will be able to gather your grain, new wine, and oil.
15 He will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will have plenty to eat.
16 Be careful, or you will be fooled and will turn away to serve and worship other gods.
17 If you do, the Lord will become angry with you and will shut the heavens so it will not rain. Then the land will not grow crops, and you will soon die in the good land the Lord is giving you.
18 Remember my words with your whole being. Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign; tie them on your foreheads to remind you.
19 Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
20 Write them on your doors and gates
21 so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the Lord promised your ancestors, as long as the skies are above the earth.
22 If you are careful to obey every command I am giving you to follow, and love the Lord your God, and do what he has told you to do, and are loyal to him,
23 then the Lord will force all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will take the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you.

Deuteronomy 11:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 11

In this chapter, the exhortation to love the Lord, and keep his commands, is repeated and urged again and again from various considerations; as not only from the chastisement of Pharaoh and the wicked Egyptians, but of such Israelites who offended the Lord, and transgressed his law, De 12:1-7, from the goodness and excellency of the land they were going to inherit, De 11:8-11, from the blessing of rain that would come upon it, and be productive of all good things for man and beast, in case of obedience, and a restraint of it in case of disobedience, De 11:12-17, from the continuance of them and their offspring in the land, should they be careful to observe the commands themselves, and teach them their children, De 11:18-21, and from the extensiveness of their conquests and dominions, De 11:22-25 and from the different issue and effects of their conduct and behaviour, a blessing upon them if obedient, but a curse if disobedient, De 11:26-28 and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal; the situation of which places is described when they should come into the land of Canaan, of which they are assured, De 11:29-32.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.