◄ Deuteronomy 8:10 ►
When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you.
Study Bible
When you have eaten
This phrase signifies a moment of physical fulfillment and satisfaction. In the Hebrew context, eating is not merely a physical act but a communal and spiritual one. The Hebrew word for "eaten" (אָכַל, 'akal) often implies a sense of sharing and fellowship. In ancient Israel, meals were a time of community and gratitude, reflecting God's provision. This phrase reminds us that our daily sustenance is a gift from God, and it calls us to recognize His hand in our lives.

and are satisfied
The Hebrew word for "satisfied" (שָׂבַע, saba') conveys a sense of being filled or having enough. It is not just about physical fullness but also about contentment and peace. In a broader biblical context, satisfaction is linked to spiritual fulfillment and the peace that comes from trusting in God's provision. This satisfaction is a reminder of God's faithfulness and abundance, encouraging believers to find contentment in Him rather than in material wealth.

you are to bless
The act of blessing (בָּרַךְ, barak) in Hebrew is a powerful expression of praise and thanksgiving. It is an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and goodness. To bless the LORD is to recognize His authority and to express gratitude for His blessings. This phrase calls believers to a posture of worship and reverence, reminding us that all good things come from God and that our response should be one of heartfelt praise.

the LORD your God
This phrase emphasizes the personal relationship between God and His people. "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, signifying His eternal presence and faithfulness. "Your God" indicates a personal and communal relationship, highlighting that God is not distant but intimately involved in the lives of His people. This relationship is central to the identity of the Israelites and, by extension, to all believers who are grafted into the family of God through faith in Christ.

for the good land
The "good land" refers to the Promised Land, a tangible representation of God's promise and faithfulness. In Hebrew, "good" (טוֹב, tov) implies not only physical richness but also moral and spiritual goodness. The land is a gift from God, a place where His people can thrive and live in accordance with His will. This phrase serves as a reminder of God's promises and the blessings that come from living in obedience to Him.

He has given you
This phrase underscores the grace and generosity of God. The land is not earned but given, a testament to God's unmerited favor. The Hebrew verb "given" (נָתַן, natan) implies a deliberate and generous act. It reminds believers that all blessings are gifts from God, not rewards for our efforts. This understanding fosters a spirit of humility and gratitude, recognizing that everything we have is a result of God's grace and love.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's commandments and teachings to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, who are being prepared to enter the Promised Land.

3. The Promised Land
The land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who has delivered them from Egypt and is leading them to the Promised Land.

5. Wilderness Journey
The 40-year period of testing and reliance on God, which serves as the backdrop for Moses' instructions.
Teaching Points
Gratitude as a Command
The verse instructs us to bless the Lord, highlighting gratitude as an essential response to God's provision.

Recognition of God's Provision
Acknowledge that all blessings, including material and spiritual, come from God. This recognition fosters humility and dependence on Him.

Contentment and Satisfaction
The phrase "when you have eaten and are satisfied" suggests a state of contentment. Believers are encouraged to find satisfaction in God's provision rather than in excess.

Blessing God in Prosperity
Often, people turn to God in times of need but forget Him in times of abundance. This verse calls for consistent gratitude, regardless of circumstances.

Cultivating a Habit of Thanksgiving
Develop a daily practice of thanking God for His blessings, which can transform our perspective and deepen our relationship with Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the command to bless the Lord after being satisfied challenge our natural tendencies in times of abundance?

2. In what ways can we cultivate a habit of gratitude in our daily lives, especially when we experience God's provision?

3. How does recognizing God's provision in our lives impact our relationship with Him and with others?

4. What are some practical ways we can remind ourselves to bless the Lord in both times of need and times of plenty?

5. How do the themes of gratitude and contentment in Deuteronomy 8:10 connect with the teachings of the New Testament on thanksgiving and reliance on God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 16
The provision of manna in the wilderness, illustrating God's faithfulness in providing for His people.

Psalm 103:2
Encourages believers to bless the Lord and not forget His benefits, similar to the call in Deuteronomy 8:10.

Philippians 4:6
Advises believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, echoing the theme of gratitude.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Instructs believers to give thanks in all circumstances, aligning with the call to bless God after receiving His blessings.

James 1:17
Reminds us that every good and perfect gift is from above, reinforcing the idea of acknowledging God's provision.
Sermons
Possession and PraiseR. C. Ford, M. A.Deuteronomy 8:10
Prosperity a TestC. H. Parkhurst, D. D.Deuteronomy 8:10
The Blessing of a Thankful SpiritJ. Orr Deuteronomy 8:10
The Good LandJ. Orr Deuteronomy 8:7-10
God Forgotten Amid Second CausesR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 8:7-20
Wealth Perilous to PietyD. Davies Deuteronomy 8:7-20
The Dangers of WealthJ. Orr Deuteronomy 8:10-19
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Bless, Blessed, Eat, Eaten, Filled, Full, Hast, Praise, Praising, Satisfied
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 8:10

     1050   God, goodness of
     5549   speech, positive
     5939   satisfaction

Deuteronomy 8:7-10

     4209   land, spiritual aspects

Deuteronomy 8:10-14

     7258   promised land, early history
     8763   forgetting
     8764   forgetting God
     8810   riches, dangers

Deuteronomy 8:10-18

     5776   achievement
     8670   remembering

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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