Read Deuteronomy 9
Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness
9 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” 3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations,the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
The Golden Calf
7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lordyour God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenantthat the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.
11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”
13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”
15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me. 20 And the Lordwas angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.
22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah.
23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him.24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.
25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’29 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”
Go Deeper
Deuteronomy 9 is a great reminder of our constant need to depend on the Lord and give glory to Him instead of ourselves. The chapter begins with Moses telling the Israelites they are undeserving of the grace and mercy they have been given over and over again by God. And yet even still, God goes before them and fights for them, winning the battle. It can be easier to run to God when we have a battle in front of us, or something we know we cannot accomplish on our own. But how quickly are we to give him the glory when we are victorious because of His help?
The Israelites are told of their coming success solely because of the Lord and not their doing, and still they turn to idols while Moses is on the mountain speaking to God on their behalf. The beginning of this chapter shows us how relatable we can be to the Israelites, in that although our rebellion is present, God’s mercy abounds all the more and for that we can be grateful.
Another point that we can learn from this chapter is the miraculous mercy we have been given by the Lord. The Israelites’ survival from wandering in the wilderness was purely because of the Lord’s protection, and yet pride still presents itself through the golden calf. We can relate to the Israelites through our quick desire to jump to security instead of faith. However we see our pride play out in our own lives, this chapter helps us see that the Lord so faithfully fights for us and gives us undeserving grace.
Unlike the Israelites, we have Jesus Christ to look to as He has paid the ultimate price for our salvation. Our rebellion has been met with an unimaginable amount of mercy, and still we are prone to stray and wander. Just as Moses spent extensive time with the Lord, may we seek him daily and better understand the idols in our lives we need to destroy. May we be reminded, grateful, and humbled that our salvation can never come from our own doing and instead rests in the hands of God.
Questions
- What is one area of your life where you are boasting in yourself that you need to surrender to the Lord?
- How can you practically jump to faith instead of worldly security? Maybe it is serving in a particular area, giving generously, or sacrificing time in order to spend it with the Lord.
- What is one battle you have faced, are in the midst of, or will face that you can give victory to the Lord and recognize his protection?
Pray This
Lord,
I come to you humbly today with the reminder that you faithfully fight for me each day. I pray that you help me remove the idols in my life that blind me from your mercy and grace. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to pay the great price for my sins. I am undeserving and humbled by your love. As I go through my day today, I pray that you walk with me and open my eyes to the victories only possible with You. Thank you for Deuteronomy 9, and the reminder that it is not because of my own righteousness I am victorious, but because of Your mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice. May the praise be Yours forever!
Amen.
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6 thoughts on “Deuteronomy 9”
vs18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger.
I struggle with a one day fast and yet, Moses intercedes in prayer for the Israelites 40 days and 40 nights. Moses stood in the gap and pleaded for God’s mercy. What an awesome picture of intercession and our merciful God relents His wrath.
Lord, I pray to not give up on prayer on the ones I’ve prayed for, for years. I know that You, Sovereign God are hearing my prayers and that in Your timing, Your Sovereign will be done. In Jesus name, Amen
As I read of how fickle the Israelites (and all of us can be), the words of the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” became my prayer of response:
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Bind and seal our wandering hearts to Jesus, the one who loved us to death and is our eternal hope. Nothing of this world can ever compare to him.
V4-6:…..do not say…..because of my righteousness. …..It is not because of your righteousness…..it is not because of your righteousness….
Wow! Three times in three verses. I guess Moses was trying to drive home a point.
We should remember that too!
Amen!
I am thankful today for good leadership in the staff of HC
Moses had such a hard job and seems to prostrate before the Lord often for these people. I see that JP and other leadership are also in prayer for us much. Spiritual leadership that encourages obedience to the Word of God is vital. NO we cannot place the “man” on a pedestal because he is a man and we all fall short. But a man that is seeking God hard and expressing his failures in front of 1000’s of people is endevoring to walk worthy of his calling. Even Moses had failings BUT GOD in His great mercy is showing us through His mighty Word how, when, where, what for, to us through a “man” after His own heart.
THANK YOU!!!!
Thank You God for great leadership in Harris Creek Church. I pray for their lives, their families, their health, their homes, their down time, and mostly their walk with You, God. Give them wisdom, knowledge and understanding from Your Word to direct their lives. God bless them abundantly above all they can ask or think for their service to You and downward to the church body. God show them more of You everyday that will glorify and honor You. Give them peace, gratitude, and blessings overflowing. God help me to be the leadership You have called me to be. This day give me ears to hear that are obedient to You and Your Word. Thank You for these minutes of this day I will continue to teach with my family diligently.
God help me to talk with them when we are together in our houses when we go somewhere, or where ever that You are the focus of conversation. God thank You for missed oppurtunites to help express how much I love You God and that You are my one thing I love more than them. God continue to help me listen and obey in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed!
The phrase “stiff-necked” is so descriptive of out rebellious, prideful human nature! Lord, help me no to be stiff-necked, but instead to be quickly responsive to your leading!