Day 286 - Deuteronomy 8

From: Chapter-A-Day: Volume 1 By: Norman W. Berry

Deuteronomy 8 • 1 min. read • grade level: 5

A chapter on obedience. An obedient believer today, is a happy person.

V.1 All they had to do was to obey! We too.

V.2-9 God always wants to bless His people, whether it was Israel in those days, or the believers today. Read Hebrews 10:35³⁵Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (Hebrews 10:35) before you read any further. Here are some of the reasons why God did what He did. We can also apply these to ourselves, but in a spiritual way.

V.2 They went through the wilderness for two reasons. (1) So that they would be humbled. (2) So that what was in their heart would come out. We believers are in this world for these two reasons also.

V.3-4 Another reason. That they might come to know God! So with us.

V.3 From this chapter the Lord Jesus took His quotation to answer Satan (Matt. 4).

V.5-6 They were closely connected to God. They needed to learn that it was just like a father and his son. Hebrews 12:5-13⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ¹²Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; ¹³And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5‑13) gives the believer’s training time.

V.7-9 The land of promise was their goal.

V.10-20 The warnings. Why would God have to take more verses to give the warnings than the promises? Because of their hearts (and ours). So often the world attracts us back.

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