Devarim 9: We're not Worthy! We're not Worthy!

Imagine the excitement as the people are about to enter the land, finally, after forty years of wandering. Moshe seems to throw some cold water on this excitement. He warns the people not to misunderstand why they are about to succeed:“When the LORD your God thrusts them from before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD has enabled me to possess this land because of my virtue’; it is rather because of the wickedness of those nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.” (Deuteronomy 9:4)אַל־תֹּאמַר בִּלְבָבְךָ בַּהֲדֹף ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֹתָם מִלְּפָנֶיךָ לֵאמֹרבְּצִדְקָתִי הֱבִיאַנִי ה׳ לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאתוּבְרִשְׁעַת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה ה׳ מוֹרִישָׁם מִפָּנֶיךָMoshe continues and clarifies that if virtue plays any role at all, it is only because of the forefathers:“It is not because of your virtue or your uprightness that you are coming to possess their land; rather, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you, and in order to fulfill the promise that the LORD made to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 9:5)לֹא בְצִדְקָתְךָ וּבְיֹשֶׁר לְבָבְךָ אַתָּה בָא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־אַרְצָםכִּי בְּרִשְׁעַת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ מוֹרִישָׁם מִפָּנֶיךָוּלְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹבThe Ramban explains that Moshe is not trying to shame the people. Rather, this is a positive and stabilizing message. The seven nations were expelled because of their wickedness and had no merit to fall back on. Israel, by contrast, will always possess the merit of its forefathers as a spiritual safety net for remaining in the land.At the same time, Moshe’s words function as a warning. At this moment, the people themselves are not worthy of entering the land on their own merits. They are entering only because of God’s promise to the forefathers. But Moshe reminds them that the current inhabitants were removed for their behavior—and if Israel fails to improve, they too could be expelled.The Or HaChaim explains that Moshe is conveying two layered messages. First, the present situation depends on two conditions: the wickedness of the seven nations and the merit of the forefathers. If either factor were absent, Israel would not be able to enter the land. Second, Moshe offers a hopeful message. Although the people may not yet be worthy, their ancestral legacy demonstrates that they possess the capacity to rise to that level. Their history proves that they can become deserving of remaining in the land if they choose to live up to that legacy.