Deuteronomy 10:19-11:919Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. 21He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. 22Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. 1Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 2And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, 3And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day; 5And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; 6And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 7But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did. 8Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; 9And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 10:19‑11:9)
“LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." Israel had learned God through all the wonderful things He had done for them, but His bright character also shone out in His commandments. Now they were called to imitate Him. He cared for the fatherless and for the widows, as also the stranger, and they were to care too. He reminds them that they had been strangers in the land of Egypt from which He had delivered them by those great and terrible acts of power.
When their fathers went down into Egypt they numbered only seventy souls, but now, in spite of all their cruel oppression and sufferings, they had marvelously multiplied. See, Moses says, "The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude," and this is just what He had promised Abraham long before.
Chapter 11 now sums up all this section of the book. "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep His charge, and His judgments, and His commandments, alway."
To love the Lord and keep His commandments is as true now as then, only Israel were under law, and we as Christians are under grace. Now "the love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:1414For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (2 Corinthians 5:14)), for love and obedience are the firstfruits of the new nature which we have from God when we are redeemed.
Moses urges upon Israel this solemn charge to love and obedience upon two grounds, 1) Because of what God had done in judgment, and 2) what He in grace would do for them.
Moses recounts what the Lord did "unto" the army of Egypt, and "unto" their horses and chariots in the Red Sea. He also reminds them of what He did "unto" Israel in the wilderness, of what He did "unto" Dathan and Abiram, when the earth opened up and swallowed the insolent and rebellious transgressors. Thus the consequence of rebellion is set before the people as a lasting witness that the Lord must and will punish sin. This terrible judgment remains upon the pages of Scripture as a solemn warning to all against disobedience. Israel were familiar with these judgments and so they are pressed home upon their consciences.
Now the good land was before them, waiting to receive them and to welcome them with all its wealth. However, in bringing before the people God's holiness, Moses tells them they must walk in holy separation to the Lord if they were to enjoy the land, or they would not enjoy it at all.
Surely all this is a voice to us who have far more reason to love and obey than Israel. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Rom. 1:1818For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:18). The Lord Jesus has borne that wrath for us upon the cross — "He bore that we might never bear, The Almighty's righteous ire." How we ought to love and seek to please Him after all He has done for us!
Messages of the Love of God 2/16/1975