Deuteronomy 8:1-9 comments: obvious differences between dispensations

 

Deuteronomy 8:1 ¶  All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2  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. 3  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 LORD doth man live. 4  Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5  Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. 6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9  A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

 

Deuteronomy 8:3 is linked to Jesus when He said while being tested/tempted by Satan;

 

Matthew 4:4  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.

 

Luke 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

 

Compare verse 5 with what Paul said;

 

Hebrews 12:4 ¶  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not

much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

 

6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

 

This verse gives us some good information about what it means to fear God. First notice these verses.

 

Psalm 19:9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

 

Psalm 33:8  Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

 

Psalm 111:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

 

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

 

Proverbs 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

 

Proverbs 10:27  The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

 

Most importantly for us look at this verse.

 

Hebrews 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

 

Understand that you can fear and dread someone without loving them. You can be terrified of them without loving them. But, we are commanded to love God and you can only fear a God you love if you hold Him in reverence as in the verse in Hebrews and awe as in Psalms 33:8.

 

I am in awe of God. Have you ever seen a storm on the sea or at the beach similar to a hurricane? The immense crashing waves and the sight and sound of lightning and thunder can only put you in awe of such power. It is like going to Niagara Falls for the first time. One can’t help but stand speechless in awe at the majesty and power of it, at the overwhelming presence of it. And they are just infinitesimally small representations of the power God can unleash.

 

I revere God. He is Almighty, the Everlasting Father, our Creator and Sustainer of all reality. He is the ultimate cause of everything and He is the constant cause of all reality. Nothing happens without His command or permission. He is Holy, perfect and separate from His creation. And, He loves me! Out of all of this reality He has told each of us that He loves us. It is unimaginable.

 

But, specifically here the Israelites are told that to obey His commandments is to fear Him. This isn’t rocket science. It is required that they do what they have been told. That is nothing so profound as the statement in Micah.

 

Micah 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

Verses 7 through 9 underscore the temporal blessings promised to the Israelites which have been laid out as conditional upon their obedience to God’s word. There is the stress on temporal earthly success, safety, and health which is so different than for the Christian who may face persecution and suffering. Compare the two testaments, the two dispensations.

 

Joshua 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

 

2Timothy 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.