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Deuteronomy 11 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Remember. Teach. Obey.
This is the instruction given to those who were responsible for raising the next generation.
Remember today what you have learned about the LORD through your experiences with him. It was you, not your children, who had these experiences. You saw the LORD’s greatness, his power, his might, 3 and his miracles. You saw what he did to the king of Egypt and to his entire country.
Deuteronomy 11:2-3 GNB
You know what the LORD did for you in the desert before you arrived here.
Deuteronomy 11:5 GNB
Yes, you are the ones who have seen all these great things that the LORD has done.
Deuteronomy 11:7 GNB
Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 11:19-20 GNB
This progression is repeated throughout the chapter. Remembering is highly emphasized. Reflecting back, there are times in my life where God commanded something miraculous which I witnessed with my own two eyes. Sometimes I think back on those experiences and wonder, “Did that really happen?” It’s not that I don’t believe it, but because it has been so long ago that it starts to feel like another world or another life. But it’s not. These miracles absolutely took place and I witnessed them firsthand. This is why remembering is so important to our walk with God.
The world will try and pull us away into a different state of mind. It will laugh at our faith in miracles and demand a logical explanation. It will call us blind sheep and encourage us to place our trust in some kind of tangible, worldly idol. Moses is reminding the people that this kind of folly is what led to the destruction of their ancestors.
What has the Lord done in your life? Do you remember? Do you speak of those things often? Do you teach them to your children and grandchildren? Do you write His promises on your doors and mirrors and refrigerators?
Just the simple act of remembering is not enough. We must speak, act, and love as a response to what we remember.