Deuteronomy 9:27
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people and the wickedness of their sin.
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This phrase calls upon the covenantal promises God made with the patriarchs of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are central figures in the history of Israel, representing the foundation of God's chosen people. The invocation of their names is a reminder of the unconditional promises God made to them, including the promise of land, descendants, and blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 26:3-4, Genesis 28:13-14). This appeal to the patriarchs underscores the continuity of God's faithfulness across generations, despite the people's current disobedience. It also highlights the importance of intercessory prayer, as Moses pleads with God to remember His covenant, much like how Jesus intercedes for believers (Hebrews 7:25).

Overlook the stubbornness of this people
The term "stubbornness" refers to the Israelites' repeated resistance to God's commands and their tendency to rebel, as seen throughout their wilderness journey (Exodus 32:9, Numbers 14:11). This stubbornness is a recurring theme in Deuteronomy, where Moses frequently reminds the people of their rebellious nature (Deuteronomy 9:6-7). The request for God to overlook this stubbornness is an appeal for divine mercy and grace, recognizing that the people cannot stand on their own righteousness. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God's patience and long-suffering with His people (Psalm 103:8-10).

and the wickedness of their sin.
"Wickedness" here emphasizes the moral and spiritual failures of the Israelites, which include idolatry, unbelief, and disobedience (Exodus 32:1-6, Numbers 14:1-4). Sin, in this context, is not just a breach of law but a breach of relationship with God. The plea for God to overlook their sin is a request for forgiveness and restoration, acknowledging that only God's grace can cover their transgressions. This foreshadows the ultimate atonement for sin through Jesus Christ, who bore the sins of humanity to reconcile them to God (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who is interceding on behalf of the people, reminding God of His covenant with the patriarchs.

2. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
The patriarchs of Israel, with whom God made significant covenants, promising land, descendants, and blessings.

3. The Israelites
The people Moses is interceding for, who have shown stubbornness and sinfulness.

4. The Promised Land
The land God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which the Israelites are on the verge of entering.

5. Mount Sinai
The place where Moses received the Law and where the Israelites committed the sin of the golden calf, demonstrating their stubbornness.
Teaching Points
The Power of Intercession
Moses' prayer demonstrates the importance of interceding for others, reminding us to pray for those who have strayed from God's path.

God's Covenant Faithfulness
Despite human failure, God remains faithful to His promises. This encourages us to trust in His unchanging nature.

The Importance of Remembrance
Moses calls God to remember His servants, teaching us to recall God's past faithfulness in our own lives.

Dealing with Stubbornness and Sin
Acknowledge and confess our own stubbornness and sin, seeking God's forgiveness and transformation.

The Role of Leaders
Moses' leadership highlights the responsibility of leaders to advocate for their people and guide them back to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Moses' intercession in Deuteronomy 9:27 inspire you to pray for others, especially those who are struggling with sin?

2. In what ways can you see God's covenant faithfulness in your own life, similar to His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

3. Reflect on a time when you were stubborn or sinful. How did you experience God's mercy and forgiveness?

4. How can the example of Moses as a leader influence your approach to leadership in your community or family?

5. What steps can you take to better remember and recount God's faithfulness in your life, as Moses did in his prayer?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 12, 26, 28
These chapters detail the covenants God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which Moses references in his intercession.

Exodus 32
Describes the sin of the golden calf, an example of the Israelites' stubbornness and sinfulness.

Psalm 106
Reflects on Israel's history of rebellion and God's mercy, echoing the themes of Deuteronomy 9:27.

Hebrews 11
Highlights the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, underscoring the importance of God's promises to them.

Romans 11
Discusses God's faithfulness to Israel despite their disobedience, similar to Moses' plea for mercy.
Humiliating MemoriesR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 9:7-29
The Place of Human MediationD. Davies Deuteronomy 9:18-29
Moses' IntercessionJ. Orr Deuteronomy 9:24-29
A Covenant PeopleF. D. Maurice, M. A.Deuteronomy 9:26-29
Moses At the Highest Level of His MinistryAlbert Kyphe.Deuteronomy 9:26-29
People
Aaron, Anak, Anakites, Isaac, Jacob, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Horeb, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Kibroth-hattaavah, Massah, Taberah
Topics
Evil-doing, Heart, Isaac, Jacob, Mind, Mindful, Overlook, Regard, Remember, Servants, Sin, Stiffness, Stubbornness, Turn, Wickedness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 9:27

     1245   God of the fathers
     1348   covenant, with Abraham
     6245   stubbornness
     7160   servants of the Lord
     8344   servanthood, in believers

Deuteronomy 9:25-29

     8611   prayer, for others

Deuteronomy 9:26-29

     8640   calling upon God

Library
The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines,
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

Moses' Prayer to be Blotted Out of God's Book.
"And Moses returned unto the Lord and said. Oh! this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou--wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray they, out of thy book which than hast written." In the preceding discourse we endeavored to show that the idea of being willing to be damned for the glory of God is not found in the text--that the sentiment is erroneous and absurd--then adduced the constructions which have been put on the text by sundry expositors,
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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