Deuteronomy 8:20, commentary and pictures

Disobedience to the voice of the Lord brings certain destruction, so that Israel would perish just as the nations the Lord destroys before them perished, while obedience is the condition of continued life, prosperity, possession of the land, and security in it. It belongs to instruction calling for careful observance of all God's directions from the greatest to what may seem least, presenting obedience to His commandments and walking in His ways as the path to life and blessing, while transgression breaks His protections and brings suffering. The immediate danger is prosperity leading to forget God, to credit wealth to one's own strength and achievement, and to turn to other gods to serve them, making refusal to obey the reason for perishing. Chosen status does not remove the call to keep His commandments, and the wilderness generation proved it when only two adults who left Egypt entered Canaan because the rest disobeyed and died in the wilderness. The warning is written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come, for the Lord still leads His people by untried ways to humble, test, and prove them where eternal destiny is decided by present obedience, and while keeping His commandments is necessary for life, believing and repentant people need Christ to take away sin, bear its penalty, and give His righteousness.

Setting and Meaning

The verse belongs to instruction in Deuteronomy 4-8, extended in chapters 4-11, calling for careful observance of all God's directions from the greatest to what may seem least. In that setting obedience to His commandments and walking in His ways is presented as the path to life and covenant mercy and blessing. Transgression breaks His protections and brings suffering. The surrounding instruction recalls that He tested Israel in the wilderness, provided for them, and disciplined them so they would learn to trust His word and walk in His ways.

The warning stands in contrast to His leading, protection, and provision in the wilderness. There He tested and disciplined Israel, humbled and proved them to do them good at their latter end, and laid a restraining hand on what would have hurt them. He led them through the great and terrible wilderness with fiery serpents and scorpions and drought and no water, brought water out of the rock of flint, and fed them with manna their fathers knew not. He gave them power to get wealth to establish His covenant sworn to their fathers, revealing the ministration of angels in that leading, protection, and provision. His restraint and care are not grounds for pride, for obedience still decides the outcome.

The immediate danger behind the verse is prosperity leading Israel to forget God. In forgetting Him they would credit wealth to their own strength and achievement. They would turn to other gods to serve and worship them. Refusing to obey the voice of the Lord their God is given as the reason they would perish like the nations driven out before them.

Judgment and Present Application

The warning is that Israel would perish just as the nations the Lord destroys and drives out before them perished, because they would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord their God. Disobedience to God brings certain destruction and judgment, while obedience to His voice is the condition of continued life, prosperity, possession of the land, and security in it. The danger behind the judgment is that prosperity would lead them to forget God, to credit wealth to their own strength and achievement, and to turn to other gods to serve and worship them. The requirement belongs to keeping His commandments and walking in His ways, with obedience tied to covenant mercy and blessing. Prosperity and continued standing were promised on condition of obedience, yet knowing that obedience was for their prosperity and happiness did not keep the people from becoming unthankful and selfish and transgressing God's law in disloyalty.

Chosen status does not remove the call to keep God's commandments. Disobedience to the covenant cuts off from the life of God and prevents His blessing. Israel's later failure to heed the warning led them to forget their calling as God's representatives. The wilderness generation verified the warning, for because the people disobeyed, only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan while the rest died in the wilderness. That history shows that disobedience to His commandments brings judgment, and warns God's people and their leaders that God will uphold His word if they depart from His commandments.

Keeping God's commandments is necessary for life, but believing and repentant people need Christ to take away sin, bear its penalty, and give His righteousness. The chapter and verse are written for admonition and instruction for the present to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. The Lord still brings His people by ways they know not to humble, test, and prove them and to work out His will through them. This world is the place of proving where eternal destiny is decided by present obedience.

Applied personally, those who follow the Lord's guidance only so far as agrees with their own judgment, hold fast to their own ideas, and refuse to be molded after the Lord's similitude shall perish as the nations perished. Everything must be viewed in the light of Christ's example, who is the truth and true light, by listening to His words, copying His self-denial and self-sacrifice, looking to His merits for glory in character, and living not to please self. Human standards are like feeble reeds, and the Lord's standard is perfection of character. Its lesson is to obey the Lord's commandments and not fall into rebellion.