John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 9

You are to pass over Jordan this day. The whole of this passage contains praise of the unmerited generosity of God, by which He had bound the people to Himself for obedience to the Law. But this (as we have already seen) should have been the strongest motivation to stir the people and entirely enrapture them to the worship and love of God, to whom they were so greatly indebted.

The purpose of Moses, then, was to show that the Israelites, for no merit of their own, but by the remarkable bounty of God, would be heirs of the land of Canaan. He aimed to show that this entirely flowed from the covenant and their unmerited adoption, so that they, on their part, would persevere in the faithful keeping of the covenant, and so be more inclined to honor Him. For it would be too disgraceful if those whom God had anticipated with His grace did not meet Him, as it were, by voluntarily submitting to His rule.

Moreover, so that they would not presumptuously claim anything for themselves, he highlights the greatness of God’s power, because they could not be victorious over so many nations except by the miraculous help of heaven. To this end, he states that these nations excelled not only in greatness and numbers, but also in military prowess. He adds that their cities were great and unconquerable, and finally, that in them were the children of the giants, fearsome because of their enormous size. For Anak (as is related in Joshua 15²⁴⁶) was a well-known giant, whose descendants were called Anakim.

And, to remove all doubt about this, he calls them as witnesses themselves that they were so terrified by their appearance that they wished to turn back. We now understand the purpose of all these details: namely, that God’s glory might shine forth in the victories and success of the people. The words whom you know, and of whom you have heard,²⁴⁷ have reference to the spies, for these giants had not yet become directly known to the people. But he applies the experience of a few to all of them because, from the report the spies had given, terror had spread through the whole camp, as if they had actually fought them.

Since, then, they had been convinced of their inferiority to their enemies and utterly disheartened by the report they received, Moses convicts them on their own evidence, lest they might perhaps later claim for themselves the praise that was due to God alone. But we are taught in these words that such is the ingratitude of mankind that they obscure God’s blessings as much as they can, and never yield, except when compelled to acknowledge the truth.

Speak not thou in thine heart. He now more plainly warns the people not to exalt themselves in proud and foolish boasting. If they had not been naturally so depraved and malignant, it would have been sufficient to point out God’s grace in a single word; but he could not induce them to gratitude except by correcting and destroying their pride. He therefore takes away this stumbling block, so that God’s generosity might be conspicuous among them.

“To speak in the heart” is equivalent to reflecting or conceiving an opinion. Therefore, Moses not only reproves the boasting of the lips, but also that hidden arrogance with which men are puffed up when they take to themselves the praise that is due to God. Moreover, he not only prohibits them from ascribing it to their own valor that they had routed their enemies and gained possession of the land, but also from imagining that this was the just recompense of their merits.

For God is not less defrauded of His glory when men oppose their righteousness to His liberality, than when they boast that whatever blessings they have are obtained by their own industry. To make this clearer, I will repeat it: Moses does not forbid the people from thinking that they had themselves acquired the land without God’s aid; indeed, he takes it for granted that they themselves will acknowledge that it was by God’s help that they were victorious. However, he is not content with this limited gratitude unless they at the same time acknowledge that they had deserved nothing of the kind, and therefore that it was a mere and gratuitous act of His bounty.

The reason given in the second clause does not appear sufficiently²⁴⁸ conclusive, namely, that the nations were driven out on account of their own wickedness. For it might have been that what God took away from these wicked reprobates He transferred to those who were more worthy. But it appears to be an indirect admonition that the Israelites should compare themselves with these nations, because it was evidently to be gathered by them from this,²⁴⁹ that they had not acquired this foreign land, from which the former inhabitants had been ejected, by their own righteousness. And this is still more clearly expressed in the two next verses.

Not for your righteousness. First of all, he intended that the punishment inflicted upon these nations should awaken the Israelites to fear, so that they would attribute nothing to themselves. This was because it was God’s design not to reward their merits, but to show the severity of His judgment.

Secondly, he confirms this with two arguments: namely, because God had thus performed what He promised Abraham (which promise, as has already been seen, was founded on mere grace), and again, because the people themselves were naturally perverse and rebellious. Therefore, it is clear enough that there was no room for merits, since by them God’s covenant would have been nullified. Nor, if there were such room, could any merits be found in so depraved and stubbornly rebellious a nation.

Besides, God had made His covenant with Abraham almost four centuries before they were born. Therefore, it follows that this benefit proceeded from some other source.

But he still further represses their pride by reproaching them with being stiff-necked. For it would have been too absurd to imagine that God, whom they had not ceased to provoke with their sins, was under obligation to them, as if they had properly fulfilled their duty. This metaphor is taken from oxen, which are useless until they are accustomed to bend their necks. So it is like saying that they were not only unsubmissive, but that in their obstinacy they shook off the yoke.

By his impressing on them for the third time that the Israelites had not deserved the land by their righteousness, we learn that nothing is more difficult than for people to strip themselves of their blind arrogance, by which they take away some portion of the praise from God’s mercies. Now, if in regard to an earthly inheritance God so greatly exalts His mercy, what must we think of the heavenly inheritance?²⁵⁰

He would have it attributed to Himself alone that the children of Israel possess the land of Canaan. How much less, then, will He tolerate the intrusion of human merits for acquiring heaven? Nor is there anything in the claim of the Papists that they attribute the first place to God’s bounty, because He claims entirely for Himself what they would share with Him.

But if anyone objects that this was only said to His ancient people, I reply that we are no better than they. Let each one look within,²⁵¹ and they will not excuse the hardness of their neck.

But those who are regenerated by God’s Spirit know that they are not naturally disposed to obedience, and thus that it is only mercy which makes them different from the worst of people.