Deuteronomy 8 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Deuteronomy 8 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Moses’ speech, recorded in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, occurred immediately following the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  

• The Israelites were in the wilderness from approximately 1490-1450 B.C.

• The Book of Deuteronomy opens on the 1st day of the 11th month in the 40th year (Deu 1:3) following the Israelites departure from Egypt (approximately 1450 B.C.).

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God granted them freedom after several hundred years in slavery in Egypt. Leading up to the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness as they made their way to Canaan, the land God promised to give them as a home.

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to Canaan. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses communicated God’s words and laws to the people.    

WHERE:

• Deuteronomy 1:5 tells us Moses spoke the words recorded in Deuteronomy while in Moab, probably on the plains of Moab near Pisgah (Numbers 22:1).

OUTLINE:

• GOD’S DISCIPLINE AND PROVISION FOR ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS (8:1-10):

  • Moses wanted Israel to remember how God humbled them in the wilderness, but through the process of humiliation He provided for them and cared for them.

  • He gave them food from heaven (manna) every day on their journey. He fed them with this heavenly bread to teach them “that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (8:3).

  • God also kept the sandals of the Israelites from wearing out during their wanderings.

  • They were promised a land of rich blessing when their journey was complete.

  • “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you” (8:7-10). 

• WARNING ABOUT COMPLACENCY AND PRIDE (8:11-20):

  • As he had previously, Moses warned the Israelites not to forget God when they received their blessing.

  • He knew they would be tempted to become complacent when they lived in their new homes and enjoyed the riches and comfort of Canaan.

  • Moses knew how easy it was to forget God when life is easy.

  • He also wanted warned them about the potential of pride corrupting their hearts and memories.

  • He told them to take care lest they start to believe their blessings were a result of their own strength.

  • Moses did not want the Israelites to forget it was God who gave them freedom in Egypt, led them safely through the dangerous wilderness, gave them water in the desert, gave them food when they were hungry, and gave them victory over the armies of their enemies.

  • If Israel forgot God, God promised to drive them out of Canaan like the nations who lived there before them.

APPLICATION:

• Moses said to Israel, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”

• The temptation to believe our money and possessions are a result of our own ingenuity is still powerful in the 21st Century.

• This may be part of the reason why Jesus, in the model prayer (Luke 11:1-4), tells His disciples to ask God for their daily bread.

• No matter how rich we are, we need to remember all our wealth comes from God and it is not guaranteed to be there tomorrow.

• Remembering to ask God every day for something to eat is a daily reminder of our dependence on Him and a protection against pride.