Deuteronomy 9

Deuteronomy 9:1-6

Moses explained the reasons God was giving Canaan to the Israelites. In addition to God’s promises to the patriarchs (Deuteronomy 9:5), God was using Israel as a broom to sweep away the spiritually and morally polluted Canaanites. Israel was His instrument of judgment. The people of God should not conclude that their righteousness was what merited God’s blessing. Essentially they were a stubborn people (Deuteronomy 9:6), unresponsive to God’s will, as the Canaanites had been. The expression “stiff-necked” pictures unwillingness to submit to the yolk of God’s sovereignty (cf.

Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Exodus 33:5; Exodus 34:9; Isaiah 48:4). God’s choice to bless them was not due to their righteousness. Their righteousness was not essentially superior to that of the Canaanites. God’s choice rested on His purposes in electing Israel (Deuteronomy 9:5; cf. Ephesians 1:4).

Deuteronomy 9:7-24

Moses provided ample evidence of Israel’s stubbornness. Again he called the Israelites to remember their past (Deuteronomy 9:7). He gave their rebellion at Horeb extended attention in this address because it was a very serious offense. They followed reception of God’s greatest blessing, the revelation of Himself and His will, with immediate apostasy.

“The very finger of God [Deuteronomy 9:10]. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself-not Moses in any way-was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:16; Exodus 34:1).” [Note: The NET Bible note on 9:10. “To ‘blot out the name’ [Deuteronomy 9:14] is, in the context of covenant disloyalty, tantamount to the Lord’s termination of his relationship with his people.” [Note: Merrill, Deuteronomy, p. 193. Cf.

Thompson, p. 140. Moses fasted for 40 days and nights following the Golden Calf incident, neither eating bread nor drinking water (Deuteronomy 9:18), which reflects his total dependence on God. Then Moses alluded to the failures at Taberah, Massah, Kibbroth-hattaavah, and Kadesh (Deuteronomy 9:22-29). He did not name these in chronological order but in the order of their importance, proceeding from the lesser to the greater offenses. This presentation should have had great rhetorical and persuasive impact on Moses’ original audience, and it should have the same effect on us. Moses also referred to God’s faithfulness to His people in their failures that further demonstrated how wicked these sins really were.

Deuteronomy 9:25-29

Moses returned in these verses to the rebellion at Sinai to illustrate further how Israel had no basis for boasting of her own righteousness before God. God had preserved Israel only because of His mercy and covenant faithfulness.