Deuteronomy 8:15

13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are¹ multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;

14 ^awhen your heart is lifted up, and you ^bforget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 who ^aled you through that great and terrible wilderness, ^bin which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; ^cwho brought water for you out of the flinty rock;

16 who fed you in the wilderness with ^amanna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, ^bto do you good in the end—

17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, ^afor it is He who gives you power to get wealth, ^bthat He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Deuteronomy 8:15 Mean?

Deuteronomy 8:7-19

There is no doubt that prosperity is good, but unless one is sufficiently focused in the right direction and disciplined enough, it can also be a demanding master because of its power to distract one into idolatry.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Laodiceanism and Being There Next Year

Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Every Christian needs to be aware of this principle. God does not condemn wealth. He wants us to prosper, but He also wants us to be aware that wealth can powerfully distract us from Him. In one sense, it is dangerous for Him to give His people wealth because it can turn us away from Him without our being aware of it happening. The Laodicean looks at his wealth and thinks, maybe in all sincerity, "God has blessed me with this, and therefore, God is pleased with the way I am." But God is not pleased in the least! He is incensed by his self-satisfaction, not the fact that he has wealth.

When God says that Israel's "heart is lifted up," its sense is the same as the Laodicean saying, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). He could just as well have said, "I don't need you, God!" When he looks at his wealth, he judges that God loves him. Does not his prosperity prove that God is with him? Christ judges just the opposite!

John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and Laodiceanism

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Deuteronomy 8:15:

Exodus 13:14-16

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What Does Deuteronomy 8:15 Mean?

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