◄ Deuteronomy 8:20 ►
Like the nations that the LORD has destroyed before you, so you will perish if you do not obey the LORD your God.
Study Bible
Like the nations that the LORD has destroyed before you
This phrase refers to the Canaanite nations that God had driven out before the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land. These nations were judged for their idolatry and wickedness, as seen in passages like Leviticus 18:24-25. The destruction of these nations serves as a historical precedent and a warning to Israel. Archaeological evidence supports the existence of these Canaanite cultures, which were known for practices that were abominable to God, such as child sacrifice. This phrase underscores the principle of divine justice and the consequences of turning away from God.

so you will perish
This is a direct warning to the Israelites that they are not exempt from God's judgment. The use of the word "perish" indicates total destruction, similar to what happened to the Canaanite nations. This serves as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where blessings are contingent upon obedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The concept of perishing is also echoed in the New Testament, where spiritual death is the consequence of sin (Romans 6:23).

if you do not obey the LORD your God
Obedience to God is a central theme in Deuteronomy and the entire Mosaic Law. The Israelites were called to follow God's commandments as a sign of their covenant relationship with Him. This phrase highlights the conditional nature of God's promises to Israel, emphasizing that blessings are tied to obedience (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). The call to obedience is also a type of Christ, who perfectly obeyed the Father and calls His followers to do the same (John 14:15). The historical context shows that Israel's failure to obey eventually led to their exile, fulfilling the warnings given in this passage.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who demands obedience and faithfulness from His people.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, who are being warned about the consequences of disobedience.

3. Nations Destroyed
Refers to the pagan nations that God had previously judged and destroyed due to their wickedness and idolatry.

4. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which the Israelites are about to enter, contingent upon their obedience to God.

5. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, delivering God's message and warning to the people.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience
God requires His people to obey His commands. Disobedience leads to severe consequences, as seen in the history of Israel and the nations before them.

God's Justice and Mercy
The destruction of the nations serves as a reminder of God's justice. However, His mercy is evident in His warnings and the opportunity for repentance.

The Danger of Complacency
The Israelites are warned not to become complacent in their faith. Believers today must also guard against complacency and remain vigilant in their walk with God.

The Call to Holiness
Just as Israel was called to be distinct from the nations, Christians are called to live holy lives, set apart for God's purposes.

The Consequences of Idolatry
Idolatry led to the downfall of the nations before Israel. Believers must be wary of modern-day idols that can lead them away from God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the warning in Deuteronomy 8:20 apply to modern-day believers in terms of obedience to God?

2. What are some "idols" in today's culture that can lead Christians away from their faith, similar to the nations before Israel?

3. How can we ensure that we are not becoming complacent in our spiritual walk, as warned in this passage?

4. In what ways does the justice and mercy of God manifest in the warnings given to Israel and to us today?

5. How can the call to holiness in Deuteronomy 8:20 be applied in practical ways in our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 18
Discusses the practices of the nations that God drove out before Israel, emphasizing the need for Israel to remain distinct and obedient.

Joshua 23
Joshua warns the Israelites about the consequences of turning away from God and following other nations' gods.

Romans 11
Paul speaks about the kindness and severity of God, warning believers about the consequences of disobedience.

1 Corinthians 10
Paul uses the history of Israel as a warning to the church, emphasizing the importance of obedience and faithfulness.
Sermons
God Forgotten Amid Second CausesR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 8:7-20
Wealth Perilous to PietyD. Davies Deuteronomy 8:7-20
A Caution Against Forgetfulness of GodSketches of Four Hundred SermonsDeuteronomy 8:19-20
Forgetfulness of God, Destruction to the SoulC. Townsend, M. A.Deuteronomy 8:19-20
Gratitude and Ingratitude Toward GodWm. Frank Scott.Deuteronomy 8:19-20
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Causing, Cut, Cutting, Destroyed, Destroyeth, Destroying, Ear, Face, Hearken, Listen, Makes, Maketh, Nations, Obedient, Obey, Obeying, Perish, Presence, Voice, Wouldn't
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 8:19-20

     8315   orthodoxy, in OT

Library
God's Training
DEUTERONOMY viii. 2-5. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

The Lesson of Memory
'Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these lofty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no.'--DEUT. viii.2. The strand of our lives usually slips away smoothly enough, but days such as this, the last Sunday in a year, are like the knots on a sailor's log, which, as they pass through his fingers, tell him how fast it is being paid out from the reel, and how far it has …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

National Wealth
(Fifth Sunday after Easter.) Deut. viii. 11-18. Beware 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, which brought thee forth …
Charles Kingsley—The Gospel of the Pentateuch

Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Emmanuel's Land
P. G. Deut. viii. 7-10 The land! the glory of all lands, Beyond the Jordan's wave; Beyond the weary desert sands-- The land beyond the grave! Now safe witin that glorious land, We prove His faithful Word; 'Midst Canaan's golden fields we stand, The ransomed of the Lord. Amidst the burning desert drought We learnt His watchful love; Streams from the flinty rocks He brought, Sent bread from Heaven above. Our God in weariness and need, His love was measured there By hunger which His hand would feed, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Palestine Eighteen Centuries Ago
Eighteen and a half centuries ago, and the land which now lies desolate--its bare, grey hills looking into ill-tilled or neglected valleys, its timber cut down, its olive- and vine-clad terraces crumbled into dust, its villages stricken with poverty and squalor, its thoroughfares insecure and deserted, its native population well-nigh gone, and with them its industry, wealth, and strength--presented a scene of beauty, richness, and busy life almost unsurpassed in the then known world. The Rabbis never …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Temptation of Christ
Matthew 4:1-11 -- "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Why all Things Work for Good
1. The grand reason why all things work for good, is the near and dear interest which God has in His people. The Lord has made a covenant with them. "They shall be my people, and I will be their God" (Jer. xxxii. 38). By virtue of this compact, all things do, and must work, for good to them. "I am God, even thy God" (Psalm l. 7). This word, Thy God,' is the sweetest word in the Bible, it implies the best relations; and it is impossible there should be these relations between God and His people, and …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Meditations Before Dinner and Supper.
Meditate that hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Third Sunday Before Lent
Text: First Corinthians 9, 24-27; 10, 1-5. 24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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