Deuteronomy 11: Choosing Life and Blessing
Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day;
And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.
Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.
And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.
Deuteronomy 11 presents a powerful call to Israel, urging them to embrace a life of love and obedience to God, recognizing the profound blessings that flow from such a commitment. This chapter serves as both a reminder of God's faithfulness and a warning against the devastating consequences of disobedience. Deuteronomy 11:1 is crystal clear: in light of all that the Lord had demonstrably done for Israel, Moses calls them to love God and keep His commands. For God’s people, there is no such thing as professing sincere love for God without obeying Him.
Remembering God's Discipline (11:2-7)
Moses reminds the Israelites of the tangible evidence of God's power and discipline, emphasizing that their history is a testament to God's character. He emphasizes that the generation about to enter the Promised Land needed to learn the lessons from it, especially since their children had not directly witnessed the Lord’s discipline as they had (Deuteronomy 11:2). This mention could refer not only to the children in their tents at that time, but to future generations who would need to learn the lessons of faith (see Deuteronomy 11:18-21). He recounts their deliverance from Egypt, highlighting God's "greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm" (Deuteronomy 11:2-4) in defeating Pharaoh and his army. He then recalls the judgment upon Dathan and Abiram, who rebelled against Moses and God's authority, being swallowed alive by the earth (Deuteronomy 11:6; see Numbers 16:1-35). Moses emphasizes that his hearers had witnessed this firsthand (Deuteronomy 11:7), underscoring the reality and severity of God's judgment against disobedience. All of Israel’s history had been for the purpose of learning God’s discipline.
A Land of Promise (11:8-17)
In stark contrast to the past, Moses paints a vivid picture of the future that awaits Israel in Canaan, provided they choose to love and obey God with all their hearts (Deuteronomy 11:8-9). This promise includes inheriting and prolonging their days in the land the Lord swore to give their ancestors. Moses may have singled out Dathan and Abiram as examples of disobedience because they blamed Moses for dragging them out of Egypt—“a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:13). This was a deliberate dig at God’s promise to lead his people to a land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 11:9). If you refer to a land in which you were enslaved as a land of blessing, your moral compass is defective.
Moses contrasts Egypt, which required laborious irrigation, with Canaan, which is watered by rain from heaven (Deuteronomy 11:10-11). He emphasizes that this blessing comes not from chance but from the hand of God (Deuteronomy 11:12). He then outlines a clear cause-and-effect relationship: obedience, love, and worship of the Lord will result in God's provision for the land and a blessing on their produce (Deuteronomy 11:13-15). For an agrarian society, that’s everything. Conversely, turning to false gods will lead to barrenness and devastation (Deuteronomy 11:16-17).
Imprinting God's Word (11:18-25)
Moses reiterates the importance of remembering God's commands, echoing the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. He urges them to "fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds" (Deuteronomy 11:18), to teach them diligently to their children, speaking of them "when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 11:19). Should they fail in this, they would trip and fall. Should they do it faithfully, their days would be many in the land (Deuteronomy 11:21), God would drive out their enemies (Deuteronomy 11:23), and no one would be able to stand against them (Deuteronomy 11:25). God was providing them with the perfect means to achieve guaranteed results. This is a pattern worth following.
Blessings and Curses (11:26-32)
Moses presents the Israelites with a clear choice: blessing for obedience and a curse for disobedience (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). These choices would be made visible and audible later when the nation came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal in Canaan. There they would proclaim the blessings and the curse (Deuteronomy 11:29-30; see Deuteronomy 27:1–28:68; Joshua 8:30-35). Like a parent teaching a child an important lesson yet again, Moses cautioned the Israelites to be careful to follow all the statutes and ordinances set before them (Deuteronomy 11:32).
Deuteronomy 11 serves as a timeless reminder that our relationship with God is not passive. It requires active love, obedience, and a commitment to remembering His faithfulness. The blessings of obedience are not merely material but encompass a life of purpose, security, and intimacy with God. The warnings against disobedience are equally relevant, reminding us of the destructive consequences of turning away from God's path.
Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day;
And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.
Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.
And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.
Deuteronomy 11 presents a powerful call to Israel, urging them to embrace a life of love and obedience to God, recognizing the profound blessings that flow from such a commitment. This chapter serves as both a reminder of God's faithfulness and a warning against the devastating consequences of disobedience. Deuteronomy 11:1 is crystal clear: in light of all that the Lord had demonstrably done for Israel, Moses calls them to love God and keep His commands. For God’s people, there is no such thing as professing sincere love for God without obeying Him.
Remembering God's Discipline (11:2-7)
Moses reminds the Israelites of the tangible evidence of God's power and discipline, emphasizing that their history is a testament to God's character. He emphasizes that the generation about to enter the Promised Land needed to learn the lessons from it, especially since their children had not directly witnessed the Lord’s discipline as they had (Deuteronomy 11:2). This mention could refer not only to the children in their tents at that time, but to future generations who would need to learn the lessons of faith (see Deuteronomy 11:18-21). He recounts their deliverance from Egypt, highlighting God's "greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm" (Deuteronomy 11:2-4) in defeating Pharaoh and his army. He then recalls the judgment upon Dathan and Abiram, who rebelled against Moses and God's authority, being swallowed alive by the earth (Deuteronomy 11:6; see Numbers 16:1-35). Moses emphasizes that his hearers had witnessed this firsthand (Deuteronomy 11:7), underscoring the reality and severity of God's judgment against disobedience. All of Israel’s history had been for the purpose of learning God’s discipline.
A Land of Promise (11:8-17)
In stark contrast to the past, Moses paints a vivid picture of the future that awaits Israel in Canaan, provided they choose to love and obey God with all their hearts (Deuteronomy 11:8-9). This promise includes inheriting and prolonging their days in the land the Lord swore to give their ancestors. Moses may have singled out Dathan and Abiram as examples of disobedience because they blamed Moses for dragging them out of Egypt—“a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:13). This was a deliberate dig at God’s promise to lead his people to a land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 11:9). If you refer to a land in which you were enslaved as a land of blessing, your moral compass is defective.
Moses contrasts Egypt, which required laborious irrigation, with Canaan, which is watered by rain from heaven (Deuteronomy 11:10-11). He emphasizes that this blessing comes not from chance but from the hand of God (Deuteronomy 11:12). He then outlines a clear cause-and-effect relationship: obedience, love, and worship of the Lord will result in God's provision for the land and a blessing on their produce (Deuteronomy 11:13-15). For an agrarian society, that’s everything. Conversely, turning to false gods will lead to barrenness and devastation (Deuteronomy 11:16-17).
Imprinting God's Word (11:18-25)
Moses reiterates the importance of remembering God's commands, echoing the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. He urges them to "fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds" (Deuteronomy 11:18), to teach them diligently to their children, speaking of them "when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 11:19). Should they fail in this, they would trip and fall. Should they do it faithfully, their days would be many in the land (Deuteronomy 11:21), God would drive out their enemies (Deuteronomy 11:23), and no one would be able to stand against them (Deuteronomy 11:25). God was providing them with the perfect means to achieve guaranteed results. This is a pattern worth following.
Blessings and Curses (11:26-32)
Moses presents the Israelites with a clear choice: blessing for obedience and a curse for disobedience (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). These choices would be made visible and audible later when the nation came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal in Canaan. There they would proclaim the blessings and the curse (Deuteronomy 11:29-30; see Deuteronomy 27:1–28:68; Joshua 8:30-35). Like a parent teaching a child an important lesson yet again, Moses cautioned the Israelites to be careful to follow all the statutes and ordinances set before them (Deuteronomy 11:32).
Deuteronomy 11 serves as a timeless reminder that our relationship with God is not passive. It requires active love, obedience, and a commitment to remembering His faithfulness. The blessings of obedience are not merely material but encompass a life of purpose, security, and intimacy with God. The warnings against disobedience are equally relevant, reminding us of the destructive consequences of turning away from God's path.