Deuteronomy 9:18
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Deuteronomy 9:18
18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Chapter Context
Deuteronomy 9 is a sermonic and legal chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of love, fellowship, salvation. Written during the end of the wilderness wandering (c. 1406 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Moses delivered these speeches as Israel prepared to enter a land filled with different Canaanite city-states.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-29: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it illustrates divine judgment and mercy in response to human actions. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Deuteronomy and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Deuteronomy 9:18
18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Analysis
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Moses' extended intercession demonstrates the costly nature of mediation - he fasts forty days and nights, placing his own body between God's wrath and the people's sin.
The phrase as at the first indicates this was Moses' second forty-day fast. The first brought blessing (receiving the law); the second seeks to avert curse (interceding for covenant-breakers). This doubled sacrifice illustrates the multiplication of effort required to remedy sin compared to establishing righteousness.
Moses' identification with the people's sin, though he personally remained faithful, prefigures Christ's substitutionary atonement. The mediator takes upon himself the burden of others' guilt, standing in the gap between holy God and guilty people.
The description doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger emphasizes that Israel's sin was not mere mistake but willful provocation of God. The Hebrew word for provoke (ka'as) implies deliberately causing grief or vexation - their idolatry was calculated rebellion.
Historical Context
Extended fasting accompanied serious intercession throughout Scripture. Moses' forty-day fast finds parallel in Elijah's forty-day journey to Horeb and Jesus' forty-day wilderness temptation. These periods marked crucial transitions in redemptive history.
Ancient Near Eastern culture recognized fasting as expression of grief, humility, and earnest petition before deity.
Reflection
- What does Moses' costly intercession teach us about the price of mediating for sinners?
- How does Moses' fast prefigure Christ's sacrificial intercession for guilty humanity?
- Why does Moses identify with Israel's sin even though he personally remained faithful?
- What role does fasting have in earnest prayer and intercession for others?
- How should the concept of provoking God to anger shape our view of sin's seriousness?
Word Studies
- Sin: חַטָּאת (Chatta'ah) H2403 - Sin, missing the mark
Cross-References
- References Lord: Deuteronomy 9:9, 10:10, Exodus 34:28
- Parallel theme: 2 Samuel 12:16, Psalms 106:23