Note: The recording of this message is incomplete; the audio ends at about 23 minutes, roughly half way through the message--sorry, some kind of technical issue no doubt is to blame. Check out the notes for the complete message.

In American culture, pride is a virtue. We live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” We have a history of independence; we celebrate Independence Day every year. We value self-determination and independent thinking. America is the land of the self-made man. And that spirit of independence leads to pride. Americans believe that they live in the greatest country; we have many reasons to be proud. “I’m proud to be an American…”

To some degree, independence and self-sufficiency are virtues. We want to be able to cope with our world without becoming dependent on others. We want to be able to overcome the obstacles in our lives and succeed based on our own hard work and initiative. If we succeed, we want to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

However, spiritually speaking, we dare not become independent or proud. We must maintain our humble dependence on the Lord. We must not be self-sufficient spiritually. We must find our sufficiency in Christ. We are totally dependent on God, and it’s best for us to remember that we rely on God for everything.

In Deut 8, Moses is exhorting the Israelites to maintain their dependence on God and not become proud or self-sufficient. Moses exhorts his people to obey the Lord, remember what God has done, and avoid idolatry. If they depend on the Lord, he will bring them into the PL and provide everything they need. If they fail to do so, destruction awaits. They must remember that the Lord is the source of all blessing, both past and future.^[1]

You’ll notice that Moses exhorts the people repeatedly to remember and to not forget—he says it about five times — .2, 11, 14, 18, 19.

Quote: There is … a twofold message in chapter 8: (1) remember God in the hard times of the past; (2) do not forget God in the good times in the future (Wright 1996: 121).^[2]

To remember the Lord is to obey his commandments. To forget the Lord amounts to disobedience, disloyalty, and eventually idolatry. When we remember the Lord, we rely upon him; we remain dependent. When we forget the Lord, we rely upon ourselves; we are independent and proud. The choice is ultimately between pride and humility, between crediting oneself or crediting God.

Like the ancient Israelites, we too must remain dependent on God. We must remember his commandments and remember how he has blessed us in the past. Active reliance on God will help us avoid pride and self-sufficiency. And remembering the Lord and relying upon him will help us avoid chastisement and potential destruction.

How do we avoid pride and maintain a humble dependence on God?

^[1] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 185.

^[2] Edward J. Woods, Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 5, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2011), 150.