THEOSISTheodoret of Cyrus
Question 7: Who does Moses refer to as the sons of Enoch (Deuteronomy 9:2)? They were the offspring of the giants, as historical accounts reveal. It is stated thus: “men of many, and forefathers, the sons of Enoch, which thou weighest, and thou hast heard: who shall become the sons of Enoch against?” (ibid.) The phrase “thou hast weighed and heard” recalls the voices of those who surveyed the land, for they exclaimed, “Bechom before them as a rod” (Num. 13:34). By this means, He diminishes the arrogance of physical might, instructing us to regard spiritual virtues with humility.
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He declares: “Do not cry in your heart, ‘For my righteousness’ sake the Lord has brought me into this good land to inherit it, for for the sake of this tongue the Lord will consume me from your face, not for the sake of your righteousness, but for the sake of the righteousness of your heart you are entering to inherit the land’” (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). (Deuteronomy 9: 4-5.) Moses spoke this to serve two purposes: to guide the Israelites toward modest behavior and to recognize that all comes from God's assistance; he also foretells that they would endure the same fate as those nations if they mimicked their actions. He reminds them of their transgressions in the wilderness, emphasizing that they are not to expect inheritance based on their righteousness. He states, “Remember, and forget not, how much you shall anger the Lord your God in the wilderness” (Deuteronomy 9:7). Here, he brings to their attention both their worship of the golden calf and the fact that, due to their sinfulness, he shattered the divinely provided tablets, and that through earnest prayer, he sought favor from God, who was exceedingly enraged with both them and Aaron. He notes, “The Lord was angry with Aaron, and the Lord was angry with him greatly, to destroy him: and I prayed for Aaron in the time of it” (Deuteronomy 9:20). After recounting these events, he continues, “And now, O Israel, what the Lord thy God asks of thee, that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in all His commandments, and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart” (Deuteronomy 10:12). To prevent any assumption that God desires these commands for the sake of sacrifices, Moses adds: “Behold, the Lord thy God hath made heaven, and the heaven of heavens; the earth, and all that is therein; but the Lord hath made your fathers to love them, and hath chosen their seed after them, you, above all language” (Deuteronomy 10:14, 15). (Deuteronomy 10: 14, 15.) This indicates that children receive blessings due to their ancestors’ piety. Furthermore, Moses clarifies the type of circumcision that pleases God, stating: “Circumcise your hard-heartedness, and you shall not harden your neck to it” (Deuteronomy 10:16). (Deuteronomy 10:16.) He addresses those yet uncircumcised in the flesh, as Joshua performed their circumcision after they crossed the Jordan at Gilgal. However, he instructs them not to merely focus on the physical circumcision of the flesh but on the circumcision of the heart from stubbornness and cruelty, emphasizing that the latter is far more crucial. The Sovereign God indicts the Israelites through the prophet Jeremiah, proclaiming, “All the Gentiles are uncircumcised in the flesh, but the house of Israel are uncircumcised in their hearts” (Jeremiah 9:26).