And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land ,.... For this their idolatry and base ingratitude: to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book ; in this book of Deuteronomy, and particularly Deuteronomy 28:16 ; see Daniel 9:11 . read more
The land of promise becoming accursed. Moses has tried the principle of gratitude with the Israelites, urging obedience from a sense of the great goodness of the Lord. And now he turns to the other principle of fear , which cannot be dispensed with in religion, £ and urges obedience out of respect for the Promised Land, since if they are disobedient it will be turned to a land accursed. The land will in such a ease become a witness to the curse of God, instead of continuing a... read more
The government of God all-embracing. The detective force in God's kingdom is perfect. Escape through the meshes of his Law is an impossibility. Every defaulter is within the custody of the Omniscient Eye. Arraignment, conviction, and execution proceed (sometimes leisurely) with the precision and certitude of irresistible law. In this paragraph— I. WE LEARN THE ORGANIC UNITY OF THE NATION . Every individual is a member of the community—an integral part of the kingdom. " ... read more
The summons to renew the covenant is enforced by a fresh exposition of the evil and danger of apostasy from the Lord. This is introduced by a reference to the experience which the people already had of idolatry in Egypt, and among the nations with whom they had come in contact during their march through the wilderness, from which they must have learned the utter worthlessness of all idols, that they were no gods, but only wood and stone, read more
Historical witnesses to the wrath of God. The chapter preceding this is shaded, yea, dark indeed. Nevertheless, it is an exact forecast of the state of Israel at this very day. In fact, the comparison between the state of the land of Palestine and the words of the Book, suggests two lines of instructive thought. I. HOW MANIFESTLY , IN THE DESOLATION OF THE HOLY LAND , IS SEEN THE EFFECT OF THE WRATH OF GOD ! To this even Volney bears witness. He... read more
The stranger's wonder. The state of the Holy Land— I. AN EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF REVELATION . The sterility of Palestine has been urged in disproof of Bible representations of its former fruitfulness and plenty. It should rather be remembered that, were the Holy Land in a less desolate state than it is, Bible predictions would not have been fulfilled—revelation would have been discredited. II. A WONDER TO THE STRANGER . " Great God! " exclaims Volney, the... read more
All the curses ; literally, every curse , or the whole curse (cf. Daniel 9:11 , etc.). read more
The covenant renewed (29:1-30:20)Israel’s lack of understanding of God and his ways meant that the people needed constant reminders of the covenant’s purpose, meaning and requirements. Moses gave them such a reminder in this his farewell address to the nation, acting as God’s representative in the renewal of the covenant as he had done at the establishment of the covenant at Sinai (Horeb) (29:1-9). The renewed oath of allegiance that the people swore before entering Canaan was binding on future... read more
A. An appeal for faithfulness 29:2-29Moses began his third address to the Israelites with an appeal for them to remain faithful to their suzerain lord and His covenant with them. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 29:10-29
It appears by the length of the sentences here, and by the copiousness and pungency of the expressions, that Moses, now that he was drawing near to the close of his discourse, was very warm and zealous, and very desirous to impress what he said upon the minds of this unthinking people. To bind them the faster to God and duty, he here, with great solemnity of expression (to make up the want of the external ceremony that was used (Exod. 24:4-8), concludes a bargain (as it were) between them and... read more