Deuteronomy 8:10-14 - Praise God for His Blessings Lest You Forget and Become Proud.
Deuteronomy 8:10-14 (NIV) When you have
eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God
for the good land he has given you. 11 Be
careful that you do not forget the LORD your God,
failing to observe his commands, his laws and his
decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise,
when you eat and are satisfied, when you build
fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your
herds and flocks grow large and your silver and
gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14
then your heart will become proud and you will
forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of
Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:10-14 (NLT) When you have
eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your
God for the good land he has given you. 11
But that is the time to be careful! Beware that
in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your
God and disobey his commands, regulations, and
decrees that I am giving you today. 12 For when you
have become full and prosperous and have built
fine homes to live in, 13 and when your flocks
and herds have become very large and your silver
and gold have multiplied along with everything
else, be careful! 14 Do not become proud at that
time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued
you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
INTRODUCTION
In times of plenty, we often take credit for
our prosperity and become proud that our own
hard work and cleverness have made us rich. It is
easy to get so busy collecting and managing
wealth that we push God right out of our lives. But
it is God who gives us everything we have, and
it is God who asks us to manage it for him.
[Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Never Lose Sight
Were I a preacher, I would above all
other things preach the practice of the presence
of God. Were I a director, I would advise all
the world to do it, so necessary do I think it,
and so easy too. Ah! Knew we but the want we
have of the grace and assistance of God, we would
never lose sight of Him, no, not for a moment.
Believe me. Immediately make a holy and
firm resolution never more to forget Him. Resolve
to spend the rest of your days in His sacred
presence, deprived of all consolations for the love of
Him if He thinks fit. Set heartily about this
work, and if you do it sincerely, be assured that
you will soon find the effects of it. - Letter
S
Often, when things are going well, it can
be easy to lose sight of God's presence in our
lives. Complacency is dangerous, so God warns us,
that regardless of how well things are going, He
still has more of Himself to give us. Do not buy
into the illusion of self-sufficiency and forget
that God is the source of every blessing you
enjoy. [The Practice of the Presence of God: 40 Day
Devotional by Brother Lawrence/Alan Vermilye]
COMMENTARY
The Lord had through Moses set before His
people the result of unfaithfulness. By refusing to
keep His covenant, they would cut themselves off
from the life of God, and His blessing could not
come upon them. "Beware," said Moses, "that thou
forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His
commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I
command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and
art full, and hast built goodly houses, and
dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks
multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied,
and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine
heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy
God ... And thou say in thine heart, My power
and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this
wealth ... And it shall be, if thou do at all
forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods,
and serve them, and worship them, I testify
against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As
the nations which the Lord destroyeth before
your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would
not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your
God." Deut. 8:11-14, 17, 19, 20.
The warning was not heeded by the Jewish
people. They forgot God, and lost sight of their
high privilege as His representatives. The
blessings they had received brought no blessing to the
world. All their advantages were appropriated for
their own glorification. They robbed God of the
service He required of them, and they robbed their
fellow men of religious guidance and a holy
example. Like the inhabitants of the antediluvian
world, they followed out every imagination of their
evil hearts. Thus they made sacred things appear
a farce, saying, "The temple of the Lord, the
temple of the Lord, are these" (Jer. 7:4), while at
the same time they were misrepresenting God's
character, dishonoring His name, and polluting His
sanctuary. COL291-292
CLOSING THOUGHT
Practicing God's presence is another way of
saying "pray without ceasing".
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Psalm 103:1-5 - Praise The Lord, O My Soul;
And All That Is Within Me, Praise His Holy
Name...
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210730-1108.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
