Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Deuteronomy
Book: Deuteronomy
Chapter: 9
Overview:
The Israelites not to think their success came
By their own
worthiness.
(1-6) Moses reminds the Israelites of their
rebellions.
(7-29)
1-6 Moses represents the strength of the enemies they were now
to encounter. This was to drive them to
God, and engage their
Hope in him. He assures them of victory,
By the presence of
God
with them. He cautions them not to have the least thought of
their own
Righteousness, as if that procured this favour at
God's
Hand. In
Christ we have both
Righteousness and strength;
in Him we must
Glory, not in ourselves, nor in any sufficiency
of our own. It is for the wickedness of these nations that
God
drives them out. All whom
God rejects, are rejected for their
own wickedness; but none whom he accepts are accepted for their
own
Righteousness. Thus boasting is for ever done away: see Eph
2:9,11,12.
7-29 That the Israelites might have
No pretence to think that
God brought them to
Canaan for their
Righteousness,
Moses shows
what a
Miracle of
Mercy it was, that they had not been destroyed
in the
Wilderness. It is good for us often to remember against
ourselves, with sorrow and shame, our former sins; that we may
see how much we are indebted to free
Grace, and may humbly own
that we never merited any thing but wrath and the
Curse at
God's
Hand. For
So strong is our propensity to pride, that it will
creep in under one pretence or another. We are ready to fancy
that our
Righteousness has got for us the special favour of the
Lord, though in reality our wickedness is more
Plain than our
weakness. But when the secret history of every
Man's
Life shall
be brought forth at the
Day of
Judgment, all the world will be
proved guilty before
God. At present, One pleads for us before
the
Mercy-seat, who not only fasted, but died upon the
Cross for
our sins; through whom we may approach, though self-condemned
sinners, and beseech for undeserved
Mercy and for eternal
Life,
as the
Gift of
God in Him. Let us refer all the victory, all the
Glory, and all the praise, to Him who alone bringeth
Salvation.