Deuteronomy 6:10-11
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The abundance awaiting Israel—great cities, full houses, ready-made vineyards—was a test designed to reveal their hearts. God intended these gifts, not as a reason to forget Him, but as a demonstration of His faithfulness, a powerful reminder that all good things flow from His promises to their ancestors.
“And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,
English Standard Version (ESV)
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds them of God's faithfulness, recounting His promises to their ancestors. This passage sets the stage for a crucial warning: the abundant blessings of the land, including established cities and resources they didn't create, could easily lead them to forget the Lord who brought them there. Therefore, this immediate context emphasizes the importance of remembering God's provision in the face of prosperity and potential spiritual complacency.
Imagine inheriting a fully furnished mansion, complete with a sprawling estate, but you didn't lift a finger to build or buy it. That's the picture God paints for Israel.
In Deuteronomy 6:10, God reminds the Israelites that the land and its incredible cities are not a reward for their own labor. They are a gift, promised long before to their ancestors: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
A Legacy of Promise
God swore to give them this land. The cities they would inhabit were great and goodly—well-built, fortified, and furnished with everything they needed. Yet, they had not built them. This wasn't just about convenience; it was a profound theological point. Their prosperity and security were rooted in God's faithfulness to His promises, not in their own merit or efforts.
When life gets really good, with abundance and ease, there's a surprising spiritual threat lurking. Can you guess what it is?
Deuteronomy 6:10-12, and commentaries like Calvin's, highlight a critical warning that follows this description of blessing. The danger isn't just having the cities, houses, and resources; it's what can happen to the heart when possessing them.
The Ease of Forgetting
When God generously provides comfortable cities, filled houses, dug wells, and fruitful vineyards—things they didn't create or earn—the natural human tendency is to become self-satisfied. Prosperity can blind people to their dependence on God. It can breed arrogance and lead them to forget the very One who brought them out of hardship (like Egypt) and into abundance. The 'song of Moses' in Deuteronomy 32:15 directly warns about this: 'Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked... then he forsook God which made him.'
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Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name for Israel's God (YHWH), denoting His self-existence, faithfulness to His promises, and personal relationship with His people.
shaba · Hebrew Verb
An oath or solemn declaration, often involving an invocation of God as a witness, used to confirm the truth or binding nature of a promise.
bôr · Hebrew Noun
A reservoir, often hewn into rock, used to collect and store rainwater. In a biblical context, it symbolizes provision and life-sustaining resources that require human labor to create, though God is the ultimate provider.
This passage echoes the promise in Deuteronomy, highlighting that God gave the Israelites cities they did not build and lands they did not cultivate, emphasizing the undeserved nature of their inheritance.
Nehemiah 9:25This verse recounts Israel's entry into the promised land, describing them taking possession of cities they did not build and vineyards and olive groves they did not plant, reinforcing the theme of God's provision.
Psalm 106:11This psalm reflects on God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and their subsequent possession of the land, noting that their enemies were overwhelmed, allowing Israel to inherit what they had not earned.
Deuteronomy 32:15This verse, a prophetic song, serves as a stark warning to Israel, describing how 'Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked' and forsook God when blessed with abundance, directly contrasting with the gratitude expected in Deuteronomy 6:10.
Acts 17:24-25This New Testament passage speaks of God as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, who gives life and breath and provides everything for His creation, paralleling the concept of God as the ultimate Giver of all good gifts, including the cities and lands given to Israel.
gillDeuteronomy 6:10: "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,"
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land,.... The land of Canaan, on the borders of which they now were, and were just going into: which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee; of his own free fav…
calvinDeuteronomy 6:10-12: "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,"
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not;
Erit autem quum introduxerit to Jehova Deus tuu…
The abundance awaiting Israel—great cities, full houses, ready-made vineyards—was a test designed to reveal their hearts. God intended these gifts, not as a reason to forget Him, but as a demonstration of His faithfulness, a powerful reminder that all good things flow from His promises to their ancestors.
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds them of God's faithfulness, recounting His promises to their ancestors. This passage sets the stage for a crucial warning: the abundant blessings of the land, including established cities and resources they didn't create, could easily lead them to forget the Lord who brought them there. Therefore, this immediate context emphasizes the importance of remembering God's provision in the face of prosperity and potential spiritual complacency.
As the Israelites stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds them of God's faithfulness, recounting His promises to their ancestors. This passage sets the stage for a crucial warning: the abundant blessings of the land, including established cities and resources they didn't create, could easily lead them to forget the Lord who brought them there. Therefore, this immediate context emphasizes the importance of remembering God's provision in the face of prosperity and potential spiritual complacency.
"“And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill…" — The abundance awaiting Israel—great cities, full houses, ready-made vineyards—was a test designed to reveal their hearts. God intended these gifts, not as a reason to forget Him, but as a demonstrati…
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Last reviewed October 2026
