Behold, I have set the land before you ,.... Described it to them, and set its bounds, as well as had given them a grant of it: go in and possess the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and their seed after them : and which being thus made sure unto them, they had nothing more to do than to go and take possession of it. read more
together with Exodus 23:20-33 . The Hebrew right to Canaan. Moses is reviewing the career of Israel, and is endeavoring to set before the people the patience and faithfulness of God, as well as their own waywardness. In the part of his review which is before us just now, he points to the time when their sojourn in Horeb was about to close. Laws and ordinances had been given. The nation was formed. Preparations for departure would have to be made. To this they are incited by a renewal... read more
Divine covenant and human conduct-the two hemispheres of a complete life. I. AN ELECT MAN , THE BEST OF THE AGE , BECOMES A MEDIUM OF REVELATION BETWEEN GOD AND MEN . As in nature, so in human life, there are numberless grades of office and of function. At Sinai, we have God, angels, Moses, priests. The transparent candor and fidelity of Moses, as a subaltern in God's great host, is a light to all future ages. As the uncreated light left an abiding impress... read more
The impartiality of God to be reflected in the judges of his people. In the following Homilies we adhere to the traditional view of the Mosaic authorship of the book, believing that no sufficient evidence has yet been adduced by the critics for departing from that view. Moses enters upon his addresses in the land of Moab by recapitulating the salient points of the Exodus. The first notable reference is to the appointment of the judges. The qualifications and directions here recorded are... read more
The Lord's command to depart from Horeb, and his promise to the people. read more
A summons to advance. Moses begins by reminding the Israelites how God had formerly summoned them to march upon Canaan. The summons came to them at Horeb, after a sojourn of eleven months. The verses may be applied to illustrate— I. THE CHURCH 'S DANGER —to abide at the mount, to settle down into a state of apathy or simple receptivity. This is met by the call to action—"Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you, and take your journey" ( Deuteronomy 1:6 , Deuteronomy... read more
Rules to be observed in choosing rulers. This paragraph may with advantage be compared with Exodus 18:1-27 ; in which there is a fuller account of the circumstances under which the choice of judges and magistrates was proposed and made; this important step towards the order and consolidation of the national life was taken at the suggestion of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Referring to the exposition of that chapter for the historic detail, we note here simply: 1. That the... read more
Behold, I have set the land before you : literally, have given the land before you , i . e . have made it over to you, that you may go and take possession of it. The Lord had placed this land in the power of the Israelites, had given it up to them to possess and use it, according as he had sworn to their fathers, the patriarchs, to give it to them and their seed (comp. Genesis 12:7 ; Genesis 13:15 ; Genesis 15:18 , etc.; Genesis 22:16 ). At Horeb, therefore, they received the... read more
Deuteronomy 1:7-8. To the mount of the Amorites That is, to the mountainous country on the south part of Canaan, inhabited chiefly by the Amorites, Deuteronomy 1:19-20; Deuteronomy 1:44. The country to which Moses directed the spies to go up, Numbers 13:17. This order is not mentioned in the book of Numbers, nor a great many other things, for a knowledge of which we are indebted to this supplemental book of Deuteronomy. Behold, I have set the land before you Hebrew, before your faces; ... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 1:1-8
We have here, I. The date of this sermon which Moses preached to the people of Israel. A great auditory, no question, he had, as many as could crowd within hearing, and particularly all the elders and officers, the representatives of the people; and, probably, it was on the sabbath day that he delivered this to them. 1. The place were they were now encamped was in the plain, in the land of Moab (Deut. 1:1, 5), where they were just ready to enter Canaan, and engage in a war with the Canaanites.... read more