The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Danger of self-glorification. The enjoyment of God's mercies, which should be so provocative of thankfulness, may become a snare, if we are not careful to guard against their misuse. Several of the dangers to which prosperity makes us liable are dealt with in the Homily referred to above. Here, there is one specially named, which is perhaps the most common of all, viz. that of attributing success in life to one's own skill, or wisdom, or might: "And thou say in thine heart, My power and... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 8:17-18
The blessing in store for them was God's free gift to them; and when they came to enjoy it they were not to allow themselves to say in their heart , i . e . to think or imagine, that the prosperous condition in which they were placed was the result of their own exertions; they were to ascribe all to God's gracious bounty, for from him had come the power by which prosperity had been gained, and this he had given, not on account of any merit in them, but that he might fulfill his... read more