Why must Israel remember its years of need when it comes to enjoy the land’s abundance?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Moses warns that a full stomach, good houses, herds, and wealth may lead Israel to pride and forgetting the Lord. They must remember who brought them out of bondage, led and fed them in the wilderness, and gives them strength. They must not claim that their own might achieved everything.

Chapter breakdown

Israel must take great care to keep all the commands given that day, so it may live, multiply, and enter and possess the land the Lord swore to its fathers. They must remember the whole way the Lord brought them through the desert for forty years. He afflicted and tested them so the things in their hearts might be made known: whether they would keep his commands or not. He afflicted them with want and gave them manna for food, which neither they nor their fathers knew. This showed that a person lives not by bread alone but by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Challoner’s separate note explains that God can make food of whatever he pleases to support a person.

Their clothing has not decayed with age, and their foot is not worn: this is the fortieth year. They must consider in their hearts that, as a man trains his son, the Lord has trained them. They must keep his commands, walk in his ways, and fear him.

The Lord will bring them into a good land of brooks, waters, and fountains. Deep rivers break out in its plains and hills. It is a land of wheat, barley, and vineyards, where fig trees, pomegranates, and oliveyards grow; it has oil and honey. They will eat bread without want and enjoy abundance of all things. Its stones are iron, and mines of brass are dug from its hills. When they have eaten and are full, they must bless the Lord for the excellent land he has given them.

They must beware of forgetting the Lord at any time and neglecting his commands, judgments, and ceremonies given that day. After eating their fill, building good houses and dwelling in them, they may have herds of oxen, flocks of sheep, and plenty of gold, silver, and all things. The warning is that their hearts may become proud and they may forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt, the house of bondage.

The Lord led them through the great and terrible wilderness. There were the serpent burning with its breath, the scorpion, and the dipsas, and no waters at all. He brought streams from the hardest rock. Challoner’s separate note says the dipsas is a serpent whose bite causes violent thirst. Its name comes from the Greek word dipsa, meaning thirst. The Lord fed Israel in the wilderness with manna its fathers did not know. After afflicting and testing them, at last he had mercy on them.

They must not say in their hearts that their own might and the strength of their own hand achieved all these things. They must remember the Lord, who gives them strength and fulfills the covenant sworn to their fathers, as the present day shows. Moses foretells that if they forget the Lord, follow strange gods, and serve and adore them, they will utterly perish. Like the nations the Lord destroyed at their entrance, they too will perish if they disobey his voice.

The story inside

Moses places the warning about pride beside the memory of need. Israel has been led through a desert without water, fed with manna, and trained as a man trains his son. The land ahead brings bread without want, good houses, herds, and wealth. Moses warns that enjoying these things may be followed by a proud heart that forgets the Lord. He gives a specific boast to avoid: claiming that one’s own might achieved everything. His answer is to remember the Lord who gives strength and fulfills his covenant. The closing warning states what will happen if Israel forgets him, serves strange gods, and disobeys his voice. These are Moses’ commands and warnings, rather than a narrated choice by an unnamed wealthy Israelite.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Remembering the desert includes remembering why Israel was tested. Moses says the forty years made the contents of their hearts known, including whether they would keep the commands. Manna showed that life depends on every word from God’s mouth.
2
Abundance calls for blessing the Lord and guarding against forgetfulness. Moses names both the excellent land for which they must bless him after eating their fill and the houses, herds, and wealth beside which pride may arise.
3
Israel must not claim all achievement for its own strength. Moses tells them to remember who gives strength and keeps his covenant, then warns of utter destruction if they forget the Lord and serve strange gods.

Test your recall

Why did the Lord give Israel unknown manna after afflicting it with want?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 19471–19491
Deuteronomy Chapter 8 The people is put in mind of God’s dealings with them, to the end that they may love him and serve him. 8:1. All the commandments, that I command thee this day, take great care to observe: that you may live, and be multiplied, and going in may possess the land, for which the Lord swore to your fathers. 8:2. And thou shalt remember all the way through which the Lord thy God hath brought thee for forty years through the desert, to afflict thee and to prove thee, and that the things that were in thy heart might be made known, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no. 8:3. He afflicted thee with want, and gave thee manna for thy food, which neither thou nor thy fathers knew: to shew that not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Not in bread alone, etc.... That is, that God is able to make food of what he pleases for the support of man.
Lines 19493–19500
8:4. Thy raiment, with which thou wast covered, hath not decayed for age, and thy foot is not worn, lo this is the fortieth year, 8:5. That thou mayst consider in thy heart, that as a man traineth up his son, so the Lord thy God hath trained thee up. 8:6. That thou shouldst keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and fear him.
Lines 19502–19514
8:7. For the Lord thy God will bring thee into a good land, of brooks and of waters, and of fountains: in the plains of which and the hills deep rivers break out: 8:8. A land of wheat, and barley, and vineyards, wherein fig trees and pomegranates, and oliveyards grow: a land of oil and honey. 8:9. Where without any want thou shalt eat thy bread, and enjoy abundance of all things: where the stones are iron, and out of its hills are dug mines of brass: 8:10. That when thou hast eaten, and art full, thou mayst bless the Lord thy God for the excellent land which he hath given thee.
Lines 19516–19527
8:11. Take heed, and beware lest at any time thou forget the Lord thy God, and neglect his commandments and judgments and ceremonies, which I command thee this day: 8:12. Lest after thou hast eaten and art filled, hast built goodly houses, and dwelt in them, 8:13. And shalt have herds of oxen and flocks of sheep, and plenty of gold and of silver, and of all things, 8:14. Thy heart be lifted up, and thou remember not the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage:
Lines 19529–19539
8:15. And was thy leader in the great and terrible wilderness, wherein there was the serpent burning with his breath, and the scorpion and the dipsas, and no waters at all: who brought forth streams out of the hardest rock, The Dipsas.... A serpent whose bite causeth a violent thirst; from whence it has its name, for in Greek dipsa signifies thirst. 8:16. And fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew not. And after he had afflicted and proved thee, at the last he had mercy on thee,
Lines 19541–19556
8:17. Lest thou shouldst say in thy heart: My own might, and the strength of my own hand have achieved all these things for me. 8:18. But remember the Lord thy God, that he hath given thee strength, that he might fulfil his covenant, concerning which he swore to thy fathers, as this present day sheweth. 8:19. But if thou forget the Lord thy God, and follow strange gods, and serve and adore them: behold now I foretell thee that thou shalt utterly perish. 8:20. As the nations, which the Lord destroyed at thy entrance, so shall you also perish, if you be disobedient to the voice of the Lord your God.