Deuteronomy Chapter 9
This chapter starts with Moses reminding the Israelites of their great enemies (vv1-6). Despite the fortifications of the Canaanite cities, and despite the gulf in physique between the Israelites and the Canaanites, Moses told them in a confident tone that Israel would be victorious.
However, Moses’ point was not to predict victory; rather, his point was the warning that came with it – they must not be complacent, for it was not their righteousness that would result in their victory. Instead, the righteousness was God’s, reflected through the wickedness of the Canaanites, as well as God’s faithfulness to His promises.
Constant reflection of our human nature would remind us all that we do fall short of God’s glory, except that we are freely justified by His grace. (Rom 3:23-24). Let us always bear this in mind, especially when things happen to be going well in life.
To ponder from another perspective, Moses was speaking to whoever would soon cross over the Jordan. These were the descendants of the rebellious ones who left Egypt as adults; God considered them a separate group in terms of punishing the nation for their disbelief (cf Num 14:29ff).
Yet, Moses called these descendants themselves “a stiff-necked people” (v6), who “provoked the LORD (their) God to wrath in the wilderness.” (v7)
Today, even we would have been in the same body as those who left Egypt (cf Heb 11:39-40) but for their unbelief (Heb 3:19). Therefore, much as each person is ultimately responsible for his own sin (Deut 24:16), Moses was afraid of God’s anger for the Israelites because of the destruction that would come with it, and interceded for them (v19). In the same way, we can bear the burdens of others’ sins through prayers (1Jn5:16), as Ezra and Daniel did in their prayers to God (Ezr 9:6; Dan 9:5).
