10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied , you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
11 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today ; 12 otherwise , when you have eaten and are satisfied , and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply , and your silver and gold multiply , and all that you have multiplies , 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt , out of the house of slavery . 15 "He led you through the great and terrible wilderness , with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water ; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint . 16 "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know , that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end . 17 "Otherwise, you may say in your heart , 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth .' 18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God , for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth , that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers , as it is this day . 19 "It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish . 20 "Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before e you, so you shall perish ; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Deuteronomy 8:10-20
Commentary on Deuteronomy 8:10-20
(Read Deuteronomy 8:10-20)
Moses directs to the duty of a prosperous condition. Let them always remember their Benefactor. In everything we must give thanks. Moses arms them against the temptations of a prosperous condition. When men possess large estates, or are engaged in profitable business, they find the temptation to pride, forgetfulness of God, and carnal-mindedness, very strong; and they are anxious and troubled about many things. In this the believing poor have the advantage; they more easily perceive their supplies coming from the Lord in answer to the prayer of faith; and, strange as it may seem, they find less difficulty in simply trusting him for daily bread. They taste a sweetness therein, which is generally unknown to the rich, while they are also freed from many of their temptations. Forget not God's former dealings with thee. Here is the great secret of Divine Providence. Infinite wisdom and goodness are the source of all the changes and trials believers experience. Israel had many bitter trials, but it was "to do them good." Pride is natural to the human heart. Would one suppose that such a people, after their slavery at the brick-kilns, should need the thorns of the wilderness to humble them? But such is man! And they were proved that they might be humbled. None of us live a single week without giving proofs of our weakness, folly, and depravity. To broken-hearted souls alone the Saviour is precious indeed. Nothing can render the most suitable outward and inward trials effectual, but the power of the Spirit of God. See here how God's giving and our getting are reconciled, and apply it to spiritual wealth. All God's gifts are in pursuance of his promises. Moses repeats the warning he had often given of the fatal consequences of forsaking God. Those who follow others in sin, will follow them to destruction. If we do as sinners do, we must expect to fare as sinners fare.