Deuteronomy 11:22, commentary and pictures

Moses spoke these words as part of his rehearsal of God's instruction to Israel before they entered Canaan, calling them to remember and heed what God had commanded. To diligently keep all the commandments meant to do them, to love the Lord, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him in loyalty and devotion. Love and obedience belong together, for true obedience springs from love to God, and loving Him is shown in keeping His commandments, walking in His ways, and remaining faithful. Such faithful love and loyalty were the condition for God driving out the nations before Israel and giving them possession of the land, with every place their feet trod made theirs from the wilderness and Lebanon to the Euphrates and the uttermost sea, so that none could stand before them. This promise reached its fullest extent when Israel became mighty and feared under David and Solomon, while obedience brought life, prosperity and blessing and turning aside to other gods brought curse and destruction, a warning as important for today as for Israel.

Meaning and Covenant Setting

Moses spoke these words as part of his rehearsal to Israel just before they entered Canaan, belonging to the instruction found in Deuteronomy 4-11. They stand among the important words of God to be remembered and heeded. Those engaged in the service of God are to follow all His directions carefully, and loving God, walking in His ways, and holding fast to Him are essential marks of consecrated service, including for those bearing sacred responsibilities.

Diligently keeping all the commandments means putting them into practice, loving the Lord God, walking in all His ways, and cleaving to Him or holding fast to Him in loyalty and devotion. Obedience is to spring from love for God, and loving the Lord in turn involves diligently keeping His commandments, walking in His ways, and remaining faithful and loyal to Him.

Promised Land and Fulfillment

Diligent keeping of all the commandments, doing them, loving the Lord, walking in all His ways and holding fast to Him in loyalty and devotion was the condition for God driving out the nations before Israel and giving Israel possession of the land. If Israel remained faithful, God would enable them to possess territories beyond Canaan and no enemy would be able to stand against them. The connected promise was that every place on which the soles of their feet should tread would be given to them, from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river Euphrates even to the uttermost sea as their coast. They would possess greater and mightier nations, and no man would be able to stand before them because God would lay the fear and dread of them upon all the land.

This repeated the promise first given to Abraham that his seed should receive the land from the river of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates. That promise reached fulfillment in its extent when Israel had become a mighty nation respected and feared by surrounding peoples in the days of David. Israel reached its greatest power with extensive dominion and security under David and Solomon, when Solomon's extensive dominion and Israel's security during his reign fulfilled what had been promised.

Blessing Curse and Warning

In Israel's covenant obedience was tied to life, prosperity and blessing in the promised land, while refusing to obey and turning aside to go after other gods brought a curse. Diligently keeping every commandment from love for God, walking in all His ways and holding fast to Him in loyalty was the path of blessing, and turning aside from His commandments was the path of a curse. The verse marks the decided difference God makes between the obedient who live and the disobedient who are destroyed, as seen in what He did because of Baal-peor. God set before Israel a blessing if they would obey the commandments and a curse if they would turn aside to other gods.

Israel's failure to obey and complete the conquest meant they did not receive the promised victory of driving out the nations and possessing the land. Disobedience brought Israel's destruction. Israel did reach its greatest power under David and Solomon as the promise was fulfilled, but Solomon's later apostasy shows the danger of abandoning that allegiance of faithful keeping of the commandments, love for God, following His ways and remaining loyal to Him.

The warning was verified when Israel disobeyed and only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan while the rest died in the wilderness. Its lessons on blessing and curse are of the greatest importance and belong to today as truly as to Israel, and to later readers as much as to Israel. The call to faithfulness warns in every age against turning aside to other gods, and God still calls His people to obedience rather than carelessness. The Lord is long-suffering and full of compassion and love toward transgressors, but when continued rebellion and obstinacy passes the boundary line, punishment will follow the transgressor, and God will vindicate His word today if leaders of His people depart from His commandments.