John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 9:5

"Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." — Deuteronomy 9:5 (ASV)

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.

²⁵⁰ L’heritage celeste, et permanent. — Fr.

²⁵¹ Pour se bien examiner. — Fr.