Deuteronomy 11

Deuteronomy 11:1

11:1-7 Once more Moses reviewed the past history of Israel in order to draw spiritual lessons from it. In verse 2, Moses is speaking to survivors of the older generation as distinguished from those who were born in the desert. Soldiers who were over twenty when they left Egypt were excluded from entering Canaan (Deu_2:14; Jos_5:6). God delivered His people from Egypt and led them through the wilderness, but He would not tolerate the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram. God’s judgment of the idolatrous Egyptians and His vigorous judgment on rebels within the nation itself should serve as lessons on the folly of incurring His displeasure.

Deuteronomy 11:8

E. Rewards for Obedience (11:8-32)11:8-17 Conversely, the way to prolong their days in the land (v. 9) was to keep every commandment (v. 8). The land which they would enjoy, if obedient, is described in verses 10-12. The expression “watered it by foot” may refer to the use of some pedal device for pumping water or perhaps to the opening of sluices with the foot. Egypt was a barren land made fruitful by irrigation, but the Promised Land enjoyed the special favor of the God of nature (vv. 11, 12). Abundant rain and plentiful harvests would be the reward of obedience (vv. 13-15), but forgetfulness of God or idolatry would be followed by drought and barrenness. 11:18-21 The Word of God was to be the subject of household conversation. It was to be loved and lived. The reward for practicing the Word was that their days would be multiplied in the land, and also like the days of the heavens above the earth (v. 21). Latterday Jews took 18b literally, and so wore small pouches with portions of Scripture on their foreheads, and put them on their doorposts (as some still do). But verse 19a suggests the truth intendedthe Word on the hand means a pair of hands that will not lend themselves to shoddy or unworthy workmanship; the Word between our eyes represents the control of God over our visionwhere we look, and what we covet; the Word on the doorpost signifies home and family life under the constraint of responsibility to God, especially for any young lives entrusted to our care (19) (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union). 11:22-25 Those who walked in the ways of the Lord would drive out the heathen Canaanites and possess all the land their feet walked on. The rule of possession is given in verse 24. All the land was theirs by promise, but they had to go in and make it their own, just as we have to appropriate the promises of God. The boundaries given in verse 24 have never been realized historically by Israel. It is true that Solomon’s kingdom extended from the river (Euphrates) to the border of Egypt (1Ki_4:21), but the Israelites did not actually possess all that territory. Rather, it included states that paid tribute to Solomon but maintained their own internal government. Verse 24, along with many others, will find its fulfillment in the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. 11:26-32 So it was to be a blessing or a curse for Israela blessing in the event of obedience, and a curse for disobedience. Two mountains in Canaan represented this truthMount Gerizim stood for the blessing, and Mount Ebal for the curse. These two mountains, located near Shechem, had a small valley between them. Half of the tribes were supposed to stand on Gerizim while the priests would pronounce the blessings that would follow obedience. The other six tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal while the priests recited the curses that would flow from disobedience. In each case, the people were to say “Amen!” See Deu_27:11-26 for details concerning the significance of these two mountains. The terebinth trees of Moreh are probably those mentioned in Gen_35:1-4. There, several centuries earlier, Jacob had purged his house of idolatry. Perhaps this reference was intended to impart not only geographical guidance but spiritual guidance as well.