◄ Deuteronomy 8:17 ►
You might say in your heart, "The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me."
Study Bible
You may say in your heart
This phrase addresses the internal dialogue and the hidden thoughts of an individual. In Hebrew, the word for "heart" is "לֵבָב" (levav), which often signifies the inner self, including mind, will, and emotions. The heart, in biblical terms, is the seat of thought and intention. This phrase warns against the prideful inclination to attribute success to oneself rather than to God. Historically, the Israelites were entering a land of abundance, and the temptation to forget God's provision was real. This serves as a timeless reminder to guard one's heart against self-reliance and pride.

The power and the strength of my hands
The Hebrew words for "power" (כֹּחַ, koach) and "strength" (עֹצֶם, otsem) emphasize human ability and effort. In the ancient Near Eastern context, physical strength and skill were highly valued, especially in agriculture and warfare. However, this phrase cautions against attributing success solely to human effort. Theologically, it underscores the biblical principle that all abilities and opportunities are ultimately gifts from God. This is a call to humility, recognizing that while human effort is necessary, it is God who grants the ability to work and succeed.

have made this wealth for me
The term "wealth" (חַיִל, chayil) in Hebrew can refer to material riches, but it also encompasses broader concepts of strength, efficiency, and capability. In the context of Deuteronomy, it refers to the prosperity the Israelites would experience in the Promised Land. The historical context is crucial here; the Israelites were transitioning from a nomadic lifestyle to settling in a fertile land. This phrase serves as a warning against the spiritual danger of materialism and self-sufficiency. It reminds believers that wealth is not merely a result of personal achievement but is a blessing from God, meant to be used for His glory and purposes.

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

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

3. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants.

4. Wilderness
The place where the Israelites wandered for 40 years, learning dependence on God.

5. God's Covenant
The agreement between God and the Israelites, emphasizing obedience and reliance on Him.
Teaching Points
Recognize God's Sovereignty
Acknowledge that all success and wealth come from God, not from our own efforts.

Guard Against Pride
Be vigilant against the temptation to attribute success to personal strength or abilities.

Cultivate Gratitude
Regularly thank God for His provision and blessings, recognizing His hand in all aspects of life.

Depend on God
Develop a lifestyle of reliance on God for guidance, strength, and provision.

Reflect on God's Faithfulness
Remember past instances of God's provision and faithfulness to strengthen trust in Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we practically acknowledge God's role in our successes and avoid the pride mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:17?

2. In what ways can we cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's provision in our daily lives?

3. How does the warning in Deuteronomy 8:17 relate to the teachings in Proverbs 3:5-6 about trusting in the Lord?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are relying on God's strength rather than our own, as encouraged in Philippians 4:13?

5. How can reflecting on God's past faithfulness help us maintain a humble and dependent attitude towards Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 3:5-6
Encourages trust in the Lord rather than one's own understanding, similar to the warning against self-reliance in Deuteronomy 8:17.

James 1:17
Reminds believers that every good and perfect gift is from above, aligning with the idea that wealth and success come from God, not personal strength.

1 Corinthians 4:7
Challenges believers to recognize that everything they have is received from God, echoing the warning against pride in Deuteronomy 8:17.

Philippians 4:13
Highlights the strength that comes from Christ, contrasting with the self-reliance warned against in Deuteronomy 8:17.

Psalm 127:1
Emphasizes that without the Lord's blessing, human efforts are in vain, reinforcing the message of dependence on God.
Sermons
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
Danger of RichesDeuteronomy 8:11-17
Forgetful of GodThos. le Blanc.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
Forgetfulness of GodJ. Bibb.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
God ForgottenDeuteronomy 8:11-17
National WealthC. Kingsley, M. A.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
Prosperity and Spiritual RuinJ. Halsey.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
The Christian Aspect and Use of PoliticsCanon D. J. Vaughan.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
The Journey Towards the Promised LandFrank Coulin, D. D.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
The Manna Which Humbled IsraelD. F. Jarman, M. A.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
The ScorpionR. Newton, D. D.Deuteronomy 8:11-17
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Beware, Got, Gotten, Hands, Hast, Heart, Hearts, Lest, Otherwise, Power, Procured, Produced, Strength, Wealth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 8:10-18

     5776   achievement
     8670   remembering

Deuteronomy 8:11-17

     5960   success

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

     5289   debt
     5457   power, human
     5503   rich, the
     5556   stewardship
     6250   temptation, sources
     6667   grace, in OT
     8340   self-respect
     8701   affluence
     8805   pride, results
     8809   riches

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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