Deuteronomy 9 - Humbled

I'm really amazed at how thorough and point-by-point these lessons in Deuteronomy are.  Well, I guess I shouldn't say "amazed."  I mean, there is nothing more monumental than the great mercy God is here showing the Israelites by granting them this land of milk and honey.  If they are allowed to just walk in without any words of wisdom, they would go about it all wrong.  So what we have here in these opening books of Deuteronomy are lessons, instructions, item by item, reminders, anything and everything that can be told to the Israelites so that they may be good stewards of the land.  They have been reminded of the Law, how they are to act; they have been reminded of how they got here, their flight out of Egypt, their long journey through the desert; and now they are being reminded of each and every time they have murmured or transgressed or rebelled against the Lord.  Deuteronomy 9 really puts the Israelites in their place.  God specifically reminds them that it is not because of their goodness that they are getting the Promised Land, it is because of the sinfulness of the pagans living there now.  Deuteronomy 9:5 says, "For it is not for thy justices, and the uprightness of thy heart that thou shalt go in to possess their lands: but because they have done wickedly, they are destroyed at thy coming in."  God also reminds them of how close they came to their own destruction after the incident with the golden calf.  It was because of Moses's supplications and his sacrifices that they were spared.  All these warnings are made in an effort to humble the Israelites.  Humility is really what they need to remain in God's favor once in the Promised Land.  Humility is really what we all need to remain in God's favor even today.