Deuteronomy 9:4-6 (ESV Strong's)
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
6 “Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.
Not By Our Righteousness
The above passage speaks for itself. We often want to claim responsibility for our successes. We often like to blame others for our failures. God is telling the nation of Israel as they enter the promise land, their successes will be because of God’s righteousness in fulfilling the promises He made to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. If there are failures in their entering the promise land, it will be because they disobeyed God. God is not abandon them, but they could (and did, eventually) abandon His Word. God will make us holy and give us victory as we, by faith, hold to His Word and all His Spirit to direct us. Notice what the writer of Hebrews said about this nation and the fear that writer had for his New Testament church:
Hebrews 3:12 (ESV Strong's)
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
God will produce righteousness in our lives when we, by faith, walk in His word. He will give us victory over things bigger than us. Notice what Moses had just told them:
Deuteronomy 9:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 “Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’
We should not fear the giants on the outside. We should fear the giant of disbelief and doubt and disobedience on the inside. That is the point of Moses words in this section. Trust God and great things will happen. Disobey God and great and terrible things will happen.
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