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Deuteronomy 11:1-7

The passage begins with a “therefore” that attaches it to the previous thoughts.  Moses was detailing the history of rebellion with the idea that there is no reason for this generation to believe they would be any different than those who went before them.  We might pause and consider that we have no reason to believe we would be any different than anyone who has gone before us.  Each generation, on their own, proves they sin and fall short of the glory of God.

The “therefore” of verse one is then the idea that in light of God’s gracious covenant renewal to a people characterized by sin and rebellion, they should be moved to gratefully obedience to His commands.  Note the “Always” at the end of verse one.  Obedience wasn’t by convenience, mood, or based on happiness.  It was to be always. 

This passage is a lesson on the fate of those who rebel against the Lord.  They weren’t people who didn’t know chastening.  Moses lists the examples of which they were fully aware.  These corrections and judgments of the Lord were great acts.  They were events that should have left a mark on their being; a lesson that said, don’t ever be that guy.  What must I do to make sure I am obedient?

Deuteronomy 11:8-12

This section begins with another “therefore” that links it to the previous idea.  The previous lesson was the fate of the disobedient and rebellious.  Therefore, they needed to take the commands of the Lord seriously.  To believe and trust the Lord is to be obedient to Him.  In this, they would become strong enough to go possess the land and prolong their days in the land. 

The land was not like Egypt where they had to irrigate and were at the mercy of some process of irrigation.  This land would be a land that “drinks water from the rain of heave.”  This is a land that God cares for and watches over. 

“The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it.”

Deuteronomy 11:13-17

This passage begins with an if/then statement.  If they obey, love, and serve, then God would give them rain that would bless them in tremendous ways.  The seasonal rains brought grain, fruitful vineyards necessary for new wine, groves of olives for oil, fields of grass for grazing their herds.  What they heard was a promise of tremendous blessings of prosperity, wealth, abundance, and joy. 

Then, they were warned to take heed.  This is a call for great ongoing care and obedience.  We humans tend to forget quickly when times are good.  We lose focus and forget where it all came from.  We forget to give thanks and remain obedient and be good stewards.  Failure to take heed would bring a reversal of the blessings.  They would perish quickly from the land.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21

We see another “therefore” linking this to the previous passage.  The previous warning was to “take heed” in verse sixteen.  This was a warning to not be deceived and turn to other gods, lose God’s blessings, and perish from the land.  This section answers the question, “How can I guard against deception?”  The command is similar to the Shema of Deuteronomy Six.

1. Lay up the words in your heart & soul.
2. Bind them as a sign
   1. On you hand
   2. As frontlets between your eyes
3. Teach them to you children
   1. Speaking of them
      1. When you sit
      2. When you walk
      3. When you lie down
      4. When you rise up
4. Write them on the door frame of your home
5. Write them on your gates

While the Jews took these things quite literally, we might look at them from a Christian perspective. 

1. We should read our Bibles, memorize scripture, and fill our hearts and souls.
2. We should not just read, but do the word of God.  It should be in our mind, the source of all thought, reason, and logic.  It should show up in our words and the work of our hands.  God’s word forms our politics, morals, and ethics.
3. We must teach the next generation.  Not passively hoping they pick up these ways, but actively teach with discipline.  This teaching is all day, every day, in all we do.  We are speaking or being an example.
4. We don’t get to control how the world speaks and acts.  But, when we enter our home, we enter our domain where we can control it.  We are to guard our home, like our hearts, and not let the world come in.

All this was done so that their days and the days of their children would be in the land, under the care and blessing of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11:22-25

This passage is another if/then statement.  All the commandments equate to loving the Lord, walking in His ways, and holding fast to Him.  If they keep the commandments, then the Lord would drive out all the nations.  They were greater nations with fortified cities.  The Israelites could not conquer them without the Lord.  No part of the land could be taken and possessed by their own power. 

If they love the Lord, then obedience will come naturally, then every place they step will become theirs.  It is God that sets the boundaries of the land, not the neighbors.  Israel simply had to go possess what God was giving them. 

Deuteronomy 11:26-32

The “behold” of verse 26 is a call to step back and see the big picture.  This wraps up the introduction speeches and calls for a decision.  Moses links the covenant of Sinai to the covenant of Abraham.  Both were before the people to receive, live in, and be blessed.

The call was to choose and remain loyal to that choice carefully and diligently.  Love and loyalty were the conditions of the covenant.

Moses anticipates a covenant ratification ceremony at Shechem, the location thought to be the center of the land.  At Shechem, on the north, you would see Mount Ebal (a stony heap of ruins), and to the south, you would see Mount Gerizim (fellers).  The two mountains display those who will be cut down and those who cut down.  This ceremony is seen in Deuteronomy 27.  Entering the land alone would not be a success, but receiving under the terms of the covenant.  Some would enter and be disobedient and find themselves before Mount Ebal.  The obedient would stand before Mount Gerizim. 

Mount Gerizim is where the Samaritans worshiped.  They built a temple there.  The terebinth tree was a sacred site of the Patriarchs (Gen 12:6). 

©2007, 2023 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater