The great temptations which thine eyes have seen ,.... Or trials, the ten plagues which tried the Egyptians, whether they would let Israel go; and tried the Israelites, whether they would believe in the Lord, and trust in his almighty power to deliver them: the signs and those great miracles : as the said plagues were such as were beyond the power of nature to produce, and which only Omnipotence could really effect. read more
Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive ,.... They had some of them seen the above miracles with their bodily eyes, but had not discerned with the eyes of their understanding the power of God displayed in them, the goodness of God to them on whose behalf they were wrought, in order to obtain their deliverance, and the vengeance of God on the Egyptians for detaining them; so Jarchi interprets it of an heart to know the mercies of the Lord, and to cleave unto him: and eyes to... read more
The Lord hath not given you a heart, etc. - Some critics read this verse interrogatively: And hath not God given you a heart, etc.? because they suppose that God could not reprehend them for the non-performance of a duty, when he had neither given them a mind to perceive the obligation of it, nor strength to perform it, had that obligation been known. Though this is strictly just, yet there is no need for the interrogation, as the words only imply that they had not such a heart, etc., not... read more
Verse 4 4.Yet the Lord hath not given. By reproaching them with their past stupidity, he stirs up their desire for a better understanding, as if he had said, that they had been too long indifferent to so many miracles, and therefore they should no longer delay to rouse themselves, etc., to give greater heed to God; not because they had been so senseless that His acts had altogether escaped their notice, but because all acknowledgment of them had immediately come to an end. For, just as the... read more
Witnessing without seeing. There is an instructive note on this passage in Dr. Jameson's 'Commentary.' For nearly forty years the people had been witnesses of the extraordinary care of God in watching over them, in supplying their wants, and in conducting them through the wilderness; and yet the constant succession of mercies had had no proper effect on them. They did not read the loving-kindness of God in all as they should have done. Having eyes, they saw not; having ears, they heard... read more
Time-defying habiliments. After the extensive list of curses to be recited amid the mountains, Moses proceeds to speak of the perfect providences of the pilgrimage as a loud call to obedience out of gratitude. He points out not only the miracles connected with the Exodus, but also the arrangements of, as we should say, the commissariat. They had not to manufacture bread, for the manna fell from heaven; they had not to carry with them wine or strong drink, for the pure water out of the... read more
The renewal of God's covenant with Israel. Every act of obedience is a step of the soul upward. It leads us into clearer light and into purer air. The man is braced by the exercise. On the other hand, the neglect of a great occasion of blessing is an irreparable loss. I. NOTE GOD 'S GRACIOUS ACTIVITY ON BEHALF OF HIS COVENANT PEOPLE . Ancient Israel was sadly prone to forget what God had done for them. Ingratitude is base. It injures greatly the man who is guilty of... read more
Seeing, yet not seeing. The Israelites had seen God's mighty works ( Deuteronomy 29:9 ), yet God had not given them a heart to perceive, nor eyes to see ( Deuteronomy 29:4 ). I. NATURAL SIGHT WITHOUT SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT . Moses accuses the people of blindness to the facts of their own history. These facts included: 1. God's mighty works in Egypt; here, as in Deuteronomy 4:34 ; Deuteronomy 7:19 , classified as temptations, signs, and wonders ( Deuteronomy 7:2 ,... read more
Temptations, signs, miracles. (Cf. Deuteronomy 4:34 ; Deuteronomy 7:19 .) I. THE RELATION OF THE TERMS . "Temptations" is a wider category than "signs," and "signs" is a wider category than "miracles" or "wonders." All "wonders," however, in the kingdom of God have the moral significance of "signs;" and all "signs and wonders" are "trials" of the disposition. II. THE APPLICATION OF THE TERMS . 1. Wonders , meaning strictly, supernatural occurrences. ... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 29:1-9
Now that Moses had largely repeated the commands which the people were to observe as their part of the covenant, and the promises and threatenings which God would make good (according as they behaved themselves) as part of the covenant, the whole is here summed up in a federal transaction. The covenant formerly made is here renewed, and Moses, who was before, is still, the mediator of it (Deut. 29:1): The Lord commanded Moses to make it. Moses himself, though king in Jeshurun, could not make... read more