Deuteronômio 9

Deuteronômio 9

Henry summarizes the chapter - The design of Moses in this chapter is to convince the people of Israel of their utter unworthiness to receive from God those great favours that were now to be conferred upon them, writing this, as it were, in capital letters at the head of their charter, “I am not doing this for your sake,” Ezekiel 36:32+. I. He assures them of victory over their enemies (Dt 9:1-3). II. He cautions them not to attribute their successes to their own merit, but to God's justice, which was engaged against their enemies, and his faithfulness, which was engaged to their fathers (Dt 9:4-6). III. To make it evident that they had no reason to boast of their own righteousness, he mentions their faults, shows Israel their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. In general, they had been all along a provoking people (Dt 9:7-24). In particular, 1. In the matter of the golden calf, the story of which he largely relates (Dt 9:-21). 2. He mentions some other instances of their rebellion (Dt 9:22, 23). And, 3. Returns, at Dt 9:25, to speak of the intercession he had made for them at Horeb, to prevent their being ruined for the golden calf. POSB has a convicting introduction to this chapter asking "Is one race of people of more value than another race? Is there a nationality of people who has more merit, more worth than any other nationality? Is there a group of people anyplace who has more qualities within them that makes them more valuable than any other group of people? Within the human heart—the inner recesses of human nature—is there any person anyplace who has more worth, value, goodness, importance, merit, purity, righteousness than any other person? Not to God. But tragically, some people think so. It is this kind of false reasoning that gives rise to prejudice, discrimination, and atrocities. It is this kind of deceptive philosophy that has given rise to worldwide movements such as the super-human race of Nazism, the abuse of the worker by some leaders of capitalism, and the abuse of liberty and freedom by Communism. When it comes to human nature, no person has any more merit or worth, goodness or righteousness than any other person. We all stand equal before God. God shows no favoritism nor partiality to any person. For a person to think that he is better than someone else, that he has more value and worth than another person, that he is more acceptable and useful to God than others, that God favors him and blesses him more than others—is the height of self-righteousness. The danger of self-righteousness was of critical concern to Moses. The Israelites were soon to cross the Jordan River and begin their conquest of the promised land. As they conquered their enemies, there was the danger that thoughts of self-sufficiency might begin to arise in their minds. They might begin to think that they had defeated the enemy by the arm of the flesh, by their own power—that God had favored them with victory because they were a better people than the enemy, because they were of more value and worth than the enemy. Thoughts of being better and of meriting and deserving God's blessing could begin to penetrate their hearts. A spirit of vanity could consume them. And if vanity consumed them, they would begin to disobey every commandment of God. Contrary to being a righteous people, they were a stiff-necked and stubborn people who continually disobeyed God. A warning was desperately needed, a warning against self-righteousness and disobedience. (Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible)