Deuteronomy 11:2
And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
Deuteronomy 11:2
Moses speaks to a generation about a past that their parents primarily experienced in Egypt and wilderness wanderings. This verse is part of a longer exhortation designed to ground Israel’s present obedience in memory. The phrase “this day” emphasizes immediacy—not abstract remembrance, but a personal, living awareness of God’s character. He says, “I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God,” signaling a deliberate focus on experiential knowledge: what God has done in history forms the basis of trust today. The “greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm” recalls monumental acts—plagues, the Red Sea crossing, divine deliverance—that defined Israel’s identity.
Culturally, ancient Near Eastern peoples often framed allegiance to a deity through stories of power demonstrated in public acts. For Israel, testimony was not merely sentimental; it was instructional and covenantal. The emphasis here is memory as pedagogy: remember the awe that accompanied God’s actions, so you’ll respond in faith and obedience now, not just in the future.
This verse anchors a key theological theme: knowledge of God is experiential and historical. Moses pushes the people to recall God’s authoritative acts—both punishments and acts of deliverance—as evidence of God’s character. It isn’t enough to know abstractly that “God is strong”; the people must remember concrete demonstrations of God’s power to trust Him in future decisions. The verse also highlights a covenantal pedagogy: generational transmission of experience forms the ground for obedience. It opens the door for a shift from fear of punishment to faithfulness rooted in experience of God’s faithfulness.
Today, this invites us to anchor faith in remembered, personal encounters with God—stories of answered prayers, moments of provision, and times when God’s guiding hand became clear. In a world of competing narratives, recall how God has shown up in your life or your community: a prayer that was answered, protection in danger, or a turning point in a crisis. Use these memories to train the next generation—siblings, children, or peers—in trust and obedience. Let your family table become a ledger of God’s faithfulness. Practically, keep a faith journal, share testimonies in small groups, and recite even small “God moments” when tempted to doubt. The point is not nostalgia but a living confidence that the same God who acted in the past remains present and trustworthy today.
Cross-References: Exod 12:40-41; Ps 78:4-7; Jer 2:11-13; Deut 4:9-10; Deut 6:12