The Cure for Self-Righteousness. (Deuteronomy 9.1-10:11)

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Study Notes: 

Introduction

• Self-righteousness: Often associated with the Pharisees in the New Testament.
• Historical example: The Pharisees are classic examples, but all humans struggle with pride and self-righteousness to some degree.
• Central question: How do we get rid of self-righteousness?
• Biblical insight: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11 provides guidance.

Context of Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11

• Moses' sermons: Deuteronomy is a series of sermons delivered by Moses before the Israelites enter the Promised Land.
• Historical journey:
  • Left Egypt
  • Travelled to Mount Sinai
  • Moved to Kadesh Barnea where they sent twelve spies
  • Wandered in the wilderness due to unbelief
  • Now, about to cross the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership.

Main Theme: Dangers of Self-Righteousness and Pride

• Moses' warning: Not to fall into the traps of self-righteousness and pride.
• Focus: “The Cure for Self-Righteousness.”

Three Main Parts of the Passage

Part 1: Deuteronomy 9:1-6

• Key verses:
  • Verse 1: "Hear, O Israel!"
  • Verse 3: "Therefore, understand today..."
  • Verse 4: "Do not think..."
  • Verse 6: "Therefore, understand..."
• Pattern: Hear, understand, don’t think, understand.
• Realization: Israelites will face a daunting task, but it’s the Lord who will lead them and give them victory.

Part 2: Deuteronomy 9:7-24

• Reminder of rebellion: Israelites’ history of rebellion, especially the incident with the golden calf.
• Moses' intercession: Moses fasted and prayed for the Israelites, highlighting their persistent disobedience.
• Unbelief and disobedience: Connection between lack of faith and failure to obey God.
• Emphasis: Not about their righteousness but God’s promise and grace.

Part 3: Deuteronomy 9:25-10:11

• God’s mercy: Despite their sin, God renews the covenant.
• Renewal of the tablets: New set of commandments as a sign of God’s grace.
• Message: God’s faithfulness despite Israel’s stubbornness.

Lessons for Us Today

• Understanding grace: Recognize that God’s favour is not because of our righteousness.
• Humility: Accepting that we are all, by nature, stiff-necked and rebellious.
• Dependence on God: Our success and blessings are due to God’s grace, not our merit.
• Response to grace: Living humbly and gratefully, compelled by the sacrifice of Christ.

Conclusion

• Cure for self-righteousness: Understanding and embracing God’s grace.
• Response: Humility and gratitude for God’s unmerited favor and faithfulness.
• Final thought: We are chosen, saved, and blessed not because of who we are, but because of who God is. This realization should lead us to live our lives fully devoted to Him.

Transcript

The Cure for Self-Righteousness. (Deuteronomy 9:1- 10:11)

Full Transcript. 

When A Christian thinks of self-righteousness, the first thing they probably think of as an illustration of this type of character is the Pharisees in the New Testament. 

Throughout church history, they have been the classic examples of self-righteousness people. 

However, let's be honest: all of us have some degree of pride or self-righteousness. We may not always recognize it, but it’s there. The question is, how do we get rid of it? 

What is the solution to pride and self-righteousness?

Well, there’s a passage of Scripture that I believe gives us some insight into this. It’s found in what Moses told the children of Israel before they entered the Promised Land. 

We’ve been studying the book of Deuteronomy, and we’ve arrived at Deuteronomy chapter 9. As I’ve mentioned before, this book is essentially a series of sermons, and we are currently in the middle of the second sermon, which is quite a lengthy one.

In this particular sermon, Moses speaks to the Israelites about their upcoming entrance into the land. They left Egypt, travelled to Mount Sinai, and then moved from Mount Sinai to Kadesh Barnea. At Kadesh Barnea, they sent twelve spies into the land. Ten of them returned with a negative report, while two were optimistic.

Unfortunately, the Israelites followed the advice of the ten spies and their fearful report, and as a result, they wandered in the wilderness until that entire generation passed away. 

The second generation then moved up to the east side of the Jordan River. Now, they are about to cross the Jordan under Joshua’s leadership and take possession of the land.

But before they do, while still on the east side of the Jordan, Moses delivers this series of sermons, instructing them on what to do once they enter the land. This is a portion of this extended sermon that we’ll examine today, a lengthy passage which begins in Deuteronomy chapter 9 and extends half-way into chapter 10.

The focus of this extended passage is on the dangers of self-righteousness and pride. Moses is warning the Israelites not to fall into these traps and explains why they must avoid them. I’m calling this section “The Cure for Self-Righteousness.”

So welcome to TBPDP….

This lengthy passage today can be broken down into three main parts. 

The first part starts in Deuteronomy 9:1 and continues through verse 6. 

If you have got a bible, can I suggest you open it and take a helicopter view of the first six verses.

Notice the first verse, “Hear, O Israel!” (Notice the word “hear.”) 

Then, look at verse 3: “Therefore, understand today…”

Drop down to verse 4: “Do not think…”

Finally, in verse 6: “Therefore, understand…”

Do you see the pattern? 

In verse 1, Moses says, “hear.”

In verse 3, he says, “understand.” 

In verse 4, he says, “don’t think,” 

Then in verse 6, he returns to “understand.” 

This section begins with Moses emphasizing that there’s something important they need to understand.

So, what is it that they need to understand? Let’s look at the passage:

“Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, the descendants of Anak, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?’”

(Deuteronomy 9: 1-2)

Moses is reminding them of what happened at Kadesh Barnea when they were too afraid to enter the land. He doesn’t want them to be surprised again, so he’s giving them a realistic view of what they’re about to face. He describes the nations they will confront as greater and mightier, with people great and tall. In other words, this is going to be a seemingly impossible task from a human perspective.

Now, let’s look at verse 3:

“Therefore, understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 3)

This is a fascinating verse. Verses 1 and 2 describe the overwhelming challenge they’ll face—nations bigger and stronger than they are. But verse 3 reassures them that it is the Lord will go before them as a consuming fire to destroy their enemies. 

However, please notice something important: while the Lord will destroy their enemies, the Israelites are also called to drive them out and destroy them.

The verse tells us that God is going to destroy the enemies, but also that you are going to destroy them. So, who will do it? Answer: Both God and the Israelites will play their role.

The tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is clearly present here. Both God and the Israelites are ging to be involved in driving out the nations.

Moving on to verse 4, Moses says,

“Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you.“It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out before you, and that He may fulfil the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 4-5)

Here, Moses warns the Israelites against self-righteousness. He’s telling them, “Yes, you’re going to drive them out, but don’t think it’s because of your righteousness. It’s because of their wickedness.” Here, Moses reinforces that it’s not the Israelites’ righteousness that’s earning them the land; rather, it’s God’s promise to their forefathers and the wickedness of the nation’s being judged.

In verse 6, Moses drives the point home: 

“Therefore, understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 6)

He’s saying, “Don’t get proud. Don’t think you’re special. You are in fact, a stubborn and rebellious people.”

The term “stiff-necked” comes from the ancient practice of describing an ox that refused to submit to the yoke. It’s a metaphor for rebellion and refusal to submit to authority.

Moses is making it clear that the Israelites are taking the land for three reasons: The wickedness of the people they are displacing, God’s promise to their forefathers, and God’s grace.

Moses is urging them not to become proud or self-righteous. It’s not because of their merit, but because of God’s graciousness that they are chosen. 

The same applies to us today. God has chosen Christians not because of our righteousness, but in spite of our sinfulness.

If you want to avoid self-righteousness, remember that you were chosen not because of who you are, but because of who God is and His grace….

The second part of this passage begins in verse 7, where Moses says, 

“Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 7)

In verse 6, Moses called the Israelites “stiff-necked.” Now, he’s going to expand on that and detail their history of rebellion. For the next few verses, Moses goes on to recount their persistent rebelliousness, underscoring why they have no reason to be proud.

So we have seen the first reason they shouldn’t be proud is that God chose them to drive out the wicked nations, not because of their righteousness. 

The second thing Moses’ reminds them of is the absurdity of thinking that the land was given to them as a reward for their righteousness. He says in verse 8,

“In Horeb [Mount Sinai] you provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry enough with you to have destroyed you.

This next part of the passage refers to the incident with the golden calf, which will become clear in a moment. Moses says in verse 9, 

“When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.”

Moses is recounting the time he spent on Mount Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments. During this time, Moses fasted for forty days and nights while receiving the covenant from God.

Verse 10 continues:

“Then the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.

(Deuteronomy 9: 10)

Here, Moses emphasizes that the Ten Commandments were not of his own making but were written by the finger of God Himself. This detail is crucial because it underlines that these commandments were divine in origin, not some moral code that Moses invented.

By the way, this mention of God’s finger might explain something in John chapter 8. Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery? 

The Pharisees brought her to Jesus, and instead of responding immediately, Jesus stooped down and wrote something on the ground with His finger. Commentators have speculated for centuries about what He wrote, but the fact that He used His finger has led many to suggest that He may have been writing the Ten Commandments. 

The connection to God writing the commandments with His finger in Deuteronomy might be the basis for this interpretation.

Moving on to verse 11:

“And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a moulded image.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 11-12)

At this point in the story he is recounting, Moses is still on the mountain after fasting for forty days and nights. God tells him to go back down because the people have already turned away from His commands. They’ve quickly made a calf to worship, demonstrating both their changeability and the severity of their sin.

The speed with which they turned aside is significant. It emphasizes their fickle nature and the gravity of their disobedience. 

I was reminded of a similar situation in Galatians chapter 1. The Apostle Paul established churches in the Roman province of Galatia and left, but soon after, false teachers came in and convinced the new believers to start following the Jewish law again. Paul was astonished at how quickly they had abandoned the gospel of grace.

In Galatians 1:6, he writes.

“I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him who called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.”

The quickness with which both the Israelites and the Galatians turned away from the truth underscores the human tendency to stray from God’s commands, even after witnessing His mighty works.

Despite everything God had done for Israel—delivering them from Egypt and providing for them in the wilderness—their first major act after receiving the law was to make an idol, a golden calf. This is what Moses is referring to here.

In verse 13, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

“I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people. Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 13)

This is a pivotal moment. God is so angry with the Israelites that He’s ready to destroy them completely and start over with Moses, promising to make a mightier nation out of him.

Moses recalls in verse 17, “Then I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.” But before that, in verse 15, he describes coming down from the mountain, with the tablets of the covenant in his hands, only to find the Israelites sinning against the Lord by making a golden calf. Seeing this, Moses shattered the tablets, a dramatic and symbolic act illustrating how the people had broken God’s law.

Verse 18 continues, 

“And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.”

(Deuteronomy 9: 18)

Moses was so distressed by the people’s sin that he fasted for another forty days and nights, interceding on their behalf. He was deeply concerned about God’s anger and the possibility of the Israelites being destroyed.

In verse 19, Moses expresses his fear:

“For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was angry with you, to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me at that time also.”

Moses feared that God’s wrath would completely annihilate the Israelites, but he interceded, and God listened to him once again.

Verse 20 adds,

 “And the Lord was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.” 

Remember, it was Aaron who facilitated the creation of the golden calf. Moses had to pray for Aaron’s life as well, pleading with God to spare him.

Moses’ intercession is a remarkable example of humility and leadership. God offered Moses the opportunity to start over, to become the father of a new, greater nation. But Moses, in his meekness, pleaded for the very people who had wronged him and God. He chose to intercede rather than step aside and gain from their destruction.

Finally, verse 21 concludes this section: 

“Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, burned it with fire and crushed it, and ground it very small until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain.” 

(Deuteronomy 9: 21)

Moses completely destroyed the idol, grinding it into dust and scattering it in a stream, symbolizing the total obliteration of the sin they had committed.

God was ready to judge them for creating the golden calf. Moses had ground the calf into dust and thrown it into the brook that flowed down from the mountain.

Now, Moses shifts to the second part of his message, where he continues to demonstrate Israel's persistent stubbornness and rebellion. He starts by referring to what happened in the wilderness. 

In verse 22, he says 

“That they provoked the Lord again in the wilderness.

Then, in verse 23, Moses brings up the incident at Kadesh Barnea:

“Likewise, when the Lord sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice.”

(Deuteronomy 9:  23)

This is a crucial verse in the entire discussion. Moses is recounting how, after their rebellion at Sinai, the Israelites continued to provoke God in the wilderness. When they reached Kadesh Barnea, they were commanded to go and take possession of the land that God had promised them. But instead of obeying, they rebelled once more. Moses points out that their disobedience was rooted in unbelief: “You did not believe Him, nor obey His voice.”

This statement is significant because it highlights the connection between unbelief and disobedience. Moses had already accused them of being stiff-necked, rebellious, and sinful. The core issue, however, was their lack of faith. They didn’t believe God, and as a result, they didn’t obey Him.

It’s important to recognize that unbelief often precedes disobedience. Like the hymn says “Trust and Obey.” 

First, you trust the Lord, then you obey Him. It’s not just about following rules; it’s about believing in and trusting the Lord, which naturally leads to obedience.

You must first believe and trust in God. Without trust, obedience becomes mere rule-following, trying to earn favor with God by keeping the law. 

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The obedience He desires is rooted in love and trust, not just duty.

When we understand God’s love—how He gave His Son to die for us—it becomes much easier to trust Him and, consequently, to obey Him.

Returning to the text, Moses says in verse 24, 

“You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.”

He’s reminding them that their rebellious nature isn’t new—it’s been evident since the beginning of their relationship with God.

Despite God’s grace in the incident with the golden calf, where He chose not to destroy the nation, one might have expected the people to change. But instead, they continued to rebel, this time by refusing to enter the Promised Land from Kadesh Barnea.

We often think we are righteous because we haven’t committed certain sins, usually the big ones like murder. My response is, “Good for you, but Jesus said if you harbour hatred in your heart, you’re already guilty of murder.”

The problem is that we think we’re righteous because of the sins we haven’t committed. But just because you haven’t done something wrong doesn’t mean you’re righteous

In the Israelites' case, it was both the things they did wrong and the things they failed to do. This lesson applies to us as well.

Moses continues by emphasizing the third and final part of his message, beginning in verse 25. He tells the people.

“You need to understand something.”

He then describes how God, despite Israel's stubbornness and sinfulness, allowed them to start over. He recalls that after the people had broken the covenant by making the golden calf, God instructed him to carve out a new set of stone tablets, just like the first ones. 

In Chapter ten, verse 2, Moses says, 

“I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”

Moses then recounts how he made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two stone tablets like the first ones, and went up the mountain with the tablets in his hand. God wrote on these new tablets the same commandments He had given before, and Moses brought them back down to the people. 

In verse 5, he says.

“I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the Lord commanded me.”

(Deuteronomy 10: 5)

At this point, the tablets were placed in the ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle. The narrative then shifts to the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, describing the places they travelled until they reached the east side of the Jordan.

In verse 8, Moses mentions how, at that time, the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant, to stand before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name. 

The Levites were unique because they did not receive a portion of land as an inheritance. Instead, their inheritance was the Lord Himself—they were called to serve Him directly.

Moses concludes by recalling that, as before, he stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, and the Lord heard his prayer and chose not to destroy the people. 

In verse 11, the Lord tells Moses to, 

“Arise, begin your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

In this third section of Moses’ address highlights God’s grace and mercy. 

Despite the Israelites’ disobedience and stubbornness, God gave them another chance by renewing the covenant and allowing them to proceed toward the Promised Land. Moses emphasizes that it wasn’t because of their righteousness that God did this, but because of His grace.

This entire passage drives home a critical point: the Israelites should not think of themselves as righteous. The real cure for self-righteousness is the understanding that God didn’t choose them—or any of us—because of our own righteousness. 

The truth is that we are all, by nature, stiff-necked, rebellious, sinful, and in need of God’s grace.

One author I read put it well:

“Any success Israel might experience in the coming conquest of the land should not be seen as a sign of divine approval of their righteousness. In fact, their history—especially the incident with the golden calf—shows they were stubborn and rebellious. They were saved only through Moses’ intercession. These past experiences should remind the people that they needed discipline for their rebellion. Yet, despite their disobedience, Yahweh remained faithful, even to the point of granting them new tablets of stone when the first ones were broken. Israel's past experiences underscore that they were utterly dependent on the Lord for care, provision, protection, and forgiveness. To forget these truths would be an act of deep ingratitude and pride.

So, what is the cure for pride and self-righteousness? 

It’s recognizing that God did not choose us because of our righteousness. 

The truth about all of us is that we are stiff-necked, rebellious, sinful, and wicked. How, then, do we make it? Only by God’s grace.

He chose us, saved us, provides for us, and blesses us—even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself.

When we truly grasp the Grace of God, and the sacrifice of Christ, it humbles us and compels us to respond with our whole lives….