Bible Commentaries

Deuteronomy 8:4. Thy raiment waxed not old. By a miracle the Lord preserved the clothes of the Israelites from wearing and decay, or by means of trade and war with the supplies they brought from Egypt, and by their own manufactures in the deserts; for they were never seen in nakedness and rags. The beautiful cloth of the tabernacle was all manufactured in the vicinity of mount Sinai; consequently, they could do much towards manufacturing their own raiment.

Deuteronomy 8:9. Dig brass. נחשׁת nechosheth, and nachosh, brass; the genera is here put for all the species. We dig nickle, a word evidently Hebrew, and lapis calaminaris, which is the ore of zinc, of which brass is formed by a mixture of copper. The mountains abounded with salubrious springs, which were very scarce in the plains and deserts.

Deuteronomy 8:15. Fiery serpents, so called from the burning heat and thirst excited by the poison, in those who were bitten. See Numbers 21.

Deuteronomy 8:16. Who fed thee daily with manna, gathered every morning, that he might teach thee to depend on him for all things, having long proved his fidelity.

REFLECTIONS.

Israel is here exhorted to keep the commandments of the Lord, and to remember his works. And what is better calculated to soften the soul into obedience, and enkindle it with faith and love, than to meditate on all the wonderful works of the Lord? The recollection of God and all his grace brings down a heaven into the soul. How pleasant for the Hebrew to say, our God suffered us to hunger for a moment, and then gave us bread from heaven; he suffered us to thirst, and then gave us water from the granite rock. We feared to expose our feet to the burning sands, but they neither blistered nor swelled. How many are his miracles and mercies, and his mercy endureth for ever.

The recollection of the Hebrews was to extend to their afflictions for comfort, as well as to their mercies. The Lord chastened them as children, because he loved them and sought their good. By the serpents, by the sword, and by the plague, he punished a part to save the whole. Hence in the approaching period, when adversity should be changed for prosperity; when the vine should fill their cups, and the fields crown their tables, the Israelites are charged to remember the goodness and severity of God; to bless him in their feasts, and to fear his holy name. Oh how ignorant, how mean is that man, when a little prosperity turns his brain, and displays the pride and vanity of his heart. He is unworthy of the bounties of providence, and they shall soon forsake him. Yet such is the character of vain and giddy man. Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked; he forgot the rock from whence he was hewn; but when oppressed for his sin, when weeping by the waters of Babylon, he said, “If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.”

It is here declared, and with a high voice, that if Israel, through the enjoyment of vineyards, cattle and corn, and through the increase of gold and silver, should forget the Lord, and worship Baal, then they should surely perish; and the Lord would destroy them, as he had destroyed the seven devoted nations. And these were more than words; they were sad prophecies of what afterwards actually came to pass. Read, oh read the sad accomplishment of these predictions, in the Second book of Chronicles, and the last chapter. Be warned, oh my soul, by the words of this venerable prophet. Be warned, oh antinomian age, of the dangers attendant on riches and commerce, on conformity to the world, and lukewarmness in the faith. Be warned, oh age, which makes problems of the gospel, which sports with infidelity, and almost totally disremembers the new covenant sealed with the blood of Christ. He who destroyed or banished the Canaanites; he who made Israel a desolation, he who removed the candlestick from Asia by the Saracens, and punished the apostasy of the church in Europe, by the Goths and Vandals, still lives. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword with two edges, and his sceptre is a rod of strength. Who would not fear thee, thou King of saints!