Deuteronomy 30
Obedience bring a return to blessingverses 1-5
And it shall come to pass – when all these things are come on you
the blessing and the curse – which I have set before you
And you shall CALL them to mind among all the nations
whither the LORD your God has driven you
and shall RETURN to the LORD your God
And shall OBEY HIS voice according to all
that I command you this day – you – your children
with all your heart – with all your soul
That then the LORD your God will TURN your captivity
and have COMPASSION on you
and will RETURN and GATHER you from all the nations
whither the LORD your God has scattered you
IF any of yours be driven out to the outmost parts of heaven
from thence will the LORD your God gather you
from thence will he fetch you
And the LORD your God will bring you into the land
which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it
And HE will do you good and multiply you above your fathers
Circumcise heartverses 6-8
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart
and the heart of your seed to love the LORD your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul – that you may live
And the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies
and on them that hate you – which persecuted you
And you shall RETURN and OBEY the voice of the LORD
and do all HIS commandments which I command you this day
Prosperity after obedienceverses 9-10
And the LORD your God will make you PLENTEOUS
in every work of your hand – in the fruit of your body – cattle – land
for GOOD – for the LORD will again REJOICE over you
for GOOD – as HE REJOICED over your fathers
IF you shall HEARKEN to the voice of the LORD your God
to KEEP HIS commandments and HIS statutes which are written
in this book of the law
and IF you TURN to the LORD your God
with all your heart – and with all your soul
Truth is not hiddenverses 11-14
For this commandment which I command you this day
it is not HIDDEN from you – neither is it far off
It is not in heaven – that you should say
Who shall go up for us to heaven – and bring it to us
that we may hear it – and do it?
Neither is it beyond the sea – that you should say
Who shall go over the sea for us – and bring it to us
that we may hear it – and do it?
BUT the word is very nigh to you – in your mouth and in your heart
that you may do it
Chose life or deathverses 15-16
See – I have set before you this day life and good – and death and evil
in that I command you this day to love the LORD your God
to walk in HIS ways – to keep HIS
commandments – statutes – judgments
that you may live and multiply
And the LORD your God shall bless you in the land
whither you go to possess it
Disobedience brings cursingverses 17-18
BUT IF you heart turn away – so that you will not hear
BUT shall be drawn away and worship other gods
and serve them
I denounce to you this day – that you shall surely perish
that you shall not prolong your days on the land
whither you pass over Jordan to go to possess it
Chose lifeverses 19-20
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you
that I have set before you life and death – blessing and cursing
THEREFORE: Choose life that both you and your seed may live
That you may LOVE the LORD your God
and that you may OBEY HIS voice
that you may CLEAVE to HIM
FOR HE is your life – and the length of your days
that you may DWELL in the land which the LORD
swore unto your fathers – to Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
to give them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 And shall return to the LORD your God, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul. (7725 “return” [shuwb] means turn, come back, change, restore, or convert from evil)
DEVOTION: Moses is giving his final instructions to the children of Israel. While he is giving them these instructions, he knows how fickle the people were during his time of leading them.
It is because of their fickleness that he knows that down the road they are going to rebel against the LORD and HE is going to send them into captivity in another land. It is sad that we are so prone to wander from the LORD.
Well Moses knows that the LORD is not going to give up on HIS people. HE is going to restore them to the Promised Land in the future. HE still loves them in spite of their actions.
Captivity brings repentance and a cry to the LORD for help. HE always responses to their cry for help. HE responses to our cry for help too. HE loves HIS people and chastens them, so that, they will repent and turn back to HIM.
What does HE expect when they cry for help? HE wants them to obey HIS commands with all of their heart and soul. HE wants an internal change not just an external change.
Too many people act repentant but in reality, their hearts are still far from the LORD. HE wants and expects internal repentance that affects the hearts of those who are HIS people.
CHALLENGE: Understand the difference between genuine repentance and fake external repentance and only practice the genuine kind of repentance.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 If you shall hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, to keep HIS commandments and HIS statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. (8085 “hearken” [shama] means to listen, hear, pay close attention to, respond with conformity, to understand, or heed)
DEVOTION: What does God delight in? HE delights in obedience to HIS commands and decrees. HE has given the children of Israel and us a book of instruction called the Bible.
The purpose of the Bible is to help us turn our hearts and soul toward HIM in obedience. The saints of the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of Christ to die on the cross for their sins. They were offering sacrifices to show that they were waiting for HIS coming. They knew that their sacrifices could not really satisfy a HOLY God.
Those of us who live now realize that Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for our sins, so that we could have a good relationship with the LORD. It is not based on our actions but on the actions of Jesus Christ.
Obedience is the key that Moses preached and the people listened but didn’t obey. Moses knew they were a fickle people who would want their own way and not want to serve the LORD faithfully.
We have the same problem and we need to realize that if we want the LORD to delight in us and bless us we need to be obedient with the help of the Holy Spirit in our life. Fellow believers should be helping us as well. The reason for fellowship between believers is so that we can strengthen each other as we face the temptations the LORD allows in our life.
Which direction are we turning today? Are we turning toward obedience or away from it? Remember the daily choice is ours to make.
: 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? (8064 “heaven” [shamayim] means the abode of God and the angels, sky, atmosphere, visible universe, or upper atmosphere.
DEVOTION: Excuses are part of life. We can come up with excuses why we don’t do anything. We can use excuses for not doing our assignments whether at work or in college. It is easy to find excuses why we didn’t do anything.
If we have a good imagination, we can come up with new excuses each day for not doing the work we need to do to keep us employed or receiving good grades. The LORD doesn’t want us to use excuses.
Moses is training the children of Israel not to use excuses for what they were not doing right according to the commands of the LORD. In this verse we find that they want someone to come from heaven and give them the instructions again that they already know.
We like to use the excuse that we forgot what we were supposed to do for the LORD. We want to ask the LORD to instruct us again in what HE expects of us each day. HE is not going to come down from heaven and individually teach each one of us on what we are to do with the gifts and blessings HE has given us.
HE wants us to just understand HIS teaching and then apply them to our lives on an individual basis. Each of us has gifts that were given at the point of salvation. The Holy Spirit will help us use our gift in the local church to help individuals grow closer to the LORD. The Holy Spirit will help us use the fruit HE puts into dour lives to reach the world around us with the Good News of the Gospel.
CHALLENGE: Excuses are unacceptable to the LORD. HIS children shouldn’t use excuses for not being obedient. When they try HE has to correct them one way or another.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 I call heaven and earth to RECORD this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both you and your seed may live. (5749 “record” [‘uwd] means to duplicate, repeat, protest, testify, encompass, restore, admonish, charge, lift up, stand upright, witness or give warning)
DEVOTION: Choices, choices, choices! Life is made up of choices. Moses throughout this book is giving the children of Israel instructions that the LORD had given him. The people have the options whether to obey or disobey. He wants them to know that whatever their choices there are consequences or blessings. HE knew that they would wander.
This book of the law is coming to an end. Moses is telling the children of Israel that they have a choice to make before the LORD. They can choose life or death. They can choose blessing or cursing. Moses is calling on the created universe to be a witness to the choice the children of Israel have with God. When Adam and Eve fell in the garden creation also had some consequences from the fall. Their sin caused creation to groan. Now Moses is calling on creation to confirm what will happen regarding their choice.
They can either choose to obey HIM or chose not to obey HIM. Each choice has a consequence of curses or blessings. The right choice brings blessings and life. The wrong choice brings cursing and death. It would seem that the choice was easy. They were warned. The problem was that they didn’t see God right in front of them. They thought they could hide what they were doing from God. They were wrong. God was watching.
Many times the children of Israel chose not to follow the LORD. The LORD gave them prosperity and they thought they did it themselves. So they kept moving further from the LORD. IF they choose to return and obey the LORD, HE would bring them back into the Promised Land. HE will rejoice over them if they make the right choice. HE would give them a circumcised heart to serve HIM.
We have the same choice each day of our lives. We can choose to obey the LORD or not obey HIM. There are blessings that are promised in the New Testament for those who obey the LORD. The opposite is also true. Do we want the LORD to bless us? We need to obey and keep close to HIM. HE knows we are prone to wander. One of the great characteristics of our God is that HE is willing to forgive and restore those who repent. Praise HIS name!
CHALLENGE: Our life should center on obedience. We should encourage others to obedience. Those who fall, we should encourage them to return to the LORD. “Return and obey” are great words to all generations.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Written in the bookverse 10
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentsverses 8, 10, 11, 16
Statutesverses 10, 16
Book of the lawverse 10
WORD is very nearverse 14
In heart
Judgmentsverse 16
Call heaven and earth to record againstverse 19
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1-10, 16, 20
God (Elohim)verses 1-7, 9, 10, 16, 20
LORD thy God verses 1-7, 9, 10, 16, 20
Compassionverse 3
Circumcise heartverse 6
Voice of the LORDverse 8
Rejoice over children of Israelverse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nationsverses 1, 3
Enemiesverse 7
Abrahamverse 20
Isaac verse 20
Jacobverse 20
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Hate Israelverse 7
Persecute Israelverse 7
Evilverse 15
Turn away from LORDverse 17
Not listen to the LORDverse 17
Worship other godsverse 17
Serve other godsverse 17
Not prolong daysverse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessingverses 1, 16, 19
Call them to mindverse 1
Returnverses 2, 8, 10
Obey will all heart and soulverses 2, 8, 20
Compassionverse 3
Inheritanceverses 5, 16, 20
Goodverses 5, 9, 15
Circumcise heartverse 6
Love the LORD: heart and soulverses 6, 16, 20
Plenteousverse 9
Hearken to voice of the LORDverse 10
Keep commandmentsverse 10, 16
Turn to LORD with heart and soulverse 10
Lifeverses 15, 16, 19
Walk in HIS waysverse 16
Blessed of the LORDverse 16
Cleave unto the LORDverse 20
Length of daysverse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children with all heart and soul obeyverse 2
Captivityverse 3
Father’s possessedverse 5
Made plenteous by LORDverse 9
Denounce if not obedientverse 18
Cursing – if not obedientverse 19
Choice lifeverse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Heavenverses 12, 19
Deathverses 15, 19
Perishverse 18
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QUOTES regarding passage
30:1–2. Moses had passionately urged the nation to obey the Lord and His commands, and had set the blessings and curses … before them in order to motivate them. Yet he knew his fickle and stubborn people well enough to realize that their apostasy was inevitable and that the worst curses would come upon them—exile and dispersion among the nations. However, even in the midst of this curse he foresaw God’s blessing. For Israel would come to her senses; she would take God’s word to heart. (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 315). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
30:1 In the day of Israel’s exile, a day that would be inevitable apart from their full and preemptive repentance (29:28 [27]), Israel would reflect upon the blessings and curses of the covenant articulated in chaps. 27–28 (i.e., “these blessings and curses I have set before you,” v. 1). They would then take them to heart, return to the Lord, and obey him totally and unreservedly. The grammatical pattern suggests a lack of any true conditionality here. When the exile came to pass, so would these acts of repentance and restoration. The reason is that the Lord, who promised Israel to make them his people forever, would bring about a spirit of repentance and obedience among them (cf. Lev 26:40–45; Jer 30:3, 18–22; 31:23–24, 31–34; Ezek 34:11–16; 36:22–36). It was that prompting that would cause Israel to think upon their evil ways, to repent, and to enter once more upon faithful covenant compliance. Such conjunction of divine sovereignty and human free will is, of course, beyond the scope of rational harmonization; rather it is a matter that can be comprehended only as God sees fit to reveal his secrets (see 29:29 [28]). (Merrill, E. H. (1994). Deuteronomy (Vol. 4, p. 387). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
So often in Scripture, the thundering voice of judgment is followed by the loving voice of hope. Alas, Israel did forsake the Lord and follow after idols, and the Lord did bring on His people the judgments stated in His covenant. No nation in history has suffered as much as the nation of Israel, and yet no nation has given so much spiritual wealth to the world. In this chapter, Moses looked down through the centuries and saw the future restoration of Israel in their land and under the blessings of God.
Promise (vv. 1–10). “Heart” is one of the key words in this chapter (vv. 2, 6, 10); the others are “command” or “commandment” (vv. 2, 8, 10, 11, 16), “turn” or “return” (vv. 2, 3, 8, 10), and “life” (vv. 15, 19, 20). The connection is obvious: if God’s people turn from their sins and return with all their heart to God and God’s commandments and obey them, they will enjoy life as only the Lord can give. Moses is here looking forward to the time when a chastened Israel will repent, turn from their wicked ways, and come back to the Lord. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be equipped (p. 174). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
30:1–3 you call them to mind. Moses moved to the future when curses would be over and blessings would come. At some future time, after disobedience to the Lord brought upon Israel the curses of the covenant, the people will remember that the circumstances in which they found themselves were the inevitable consequence of their disobedience, and in repentance they will return to the Lord. This repentance will lead to a wholehearted commitment of obedience to God’s commandments (v. 8) and the consequent end of Israel’s distress (v. 3). This is the ultimate salvation of Israel by faith in Christ, spoken of by Isaiah (54:4–8), Jeremiah (31:31–34; 32:37–42), Ezekiel (36:23–38), Hosea (14:1–9), Joel (3:16–21), Am (9:11–15), Zephaniah (3:14–20), Zechariah (12:10–13:9), Malachi (3:16–4:4), and Paul (Ro 11:25–27). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Dt 30:1–3). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
30:1 When all these things come upon you refers to the blessings and curses detailed in ch. 28, particularly the curses. God allowed Moses to foresee Israel’s future apostasy and God’s dispersal of the people among the nations. These words should have been terribly upsetting to the people because they were spoken on the eve of their conquest of the land. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Dt 30:1). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers)
Ver. 1. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, &c.] Declared, pronounced, foretold, and prophesied of in the three preceding chapters, especially in ch. 28. the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee; the blessings promised to those that pay a regard to the will of God, and obey his voice, and curses threatened to the disobedient; see ch. 28:1–20. and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee; recollect the promises and the threatenings, and observe the exact accomplishment of them in their several captivities, and especially in this their last and present captivity. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 135–136). London: Mathews and Leigh)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
On Being A PASTOR by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg
Every time we find it difficult to maintain prayer, we will be helped by remembering that this is simply an indication of its key importance in the spiritual battle. (p. 67)
Prayer is one way in which we keep watch over the spiritual well-being of the lambs and sheep of the flock. If no one else prays for them, we must. It is significant that the ministry of intercession is the one ministry that our Lord continues in heaven now on our behalf. We are never nearer to His heart than when we bear up in our prayers the concerns and well-being of His flock. (p. 69)
It is as impossible to understand the Scriptures without the Spirit’s help as it is to read a sundial without the sun. (p. 74)
When the time comes to give a talk or sermon, there is much to be said for praying home its lessons for our own life before we apply it to the lives of others. (75)
I try to remember to pray especially for the people who will be on the receiving end of the preaching, remembering their preciousness to God and His desire to feed them. We may become so caught up with our own sense of responsibility that we forget the very people for whom God’s Word is intended, and for whom we have been preparing the whole week. (p. 75)
2 Peter 3
Some people will scoff at the Day of the Lord, but we ought to purify ourselves for it.
INSIGHT
Most people agree that the world cannot last forever. Eventually the hydrogen in the sun will burn out, and the sun will grow cold, destroying the earth in the process. So how will the earth end? The Bible tells us that the day will come when the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by fire. It may not happen soon, but it will happen. Since all of us must face “the end” sometime, Peter writes that as we look forward to these things, we should accept salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
A post-surgical stroke had robbed Tom of his ability to speak, and he faced a long rehab journey. Weeks later, we were pleasantly surprised when he showed up at our church’s Thanksgiving service. We were even more surprised when he stood up to speak. Searching for what to say, he jumbled his words, repeated himself, and confused days and time. But one thing was clear: he was praising God! It’s possible to have your heart break and be blessed at the same moment. This was that kind of moment.
In the “pre-Christmas story” we meet a man who lost the gift of speech. Gabriel the angel appeared to Zechariah the priest and told him he would be the father of a great prophet (see Luke 1:11-17). Zechariah and his wife were elderly, so he doubted it. That’s when Gabriel told him he would not speak “until the day this happens” (v. 20).
The day did happen. And at the ceremony to name the miracle baby, Zechariah spoke. With his first words he praised God (v. 64). Then he said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them” (v. 68).
Like Zechariah, as soon as he was able, Tom’s response was to praise God. Their hearts were inclined toward the One who made their tongues and their minds. Regardless of what faces us this season, we can respond the same way. By Tim Gustafson
(Daily Bread)
DELIVERANCE
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. 1 John 5:6
The great business of the Messiah who was to come was to deliver the people from the thralldom and bondage of sin and its consequences. Men and women, as a result of their sin, were under the wrath of God. They needed to be delivered from the power of the world, the flesh, and the devil—the power of sin both inside and outside. So the Messiah, the Savior, had to make expiation for our sin and set us free from its power. This was His great task. And John tells us that Jesus Christ came as the Messiah and has done that, and we see Him doing it as we look at His baptism and as we see His death on the cross. His baptism, in a sense, is the beginning of His power as the Messiah—He came as the Messiah by “water.” Through that He identifies Himself with our sin, and it is upon the cross that He deals with it, expiates it, and delivers us from the wrath of God and therefore from the power of sin and the power of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Now I think we see why John does not refer to Christ’s birth in his Gospel. He has been pointing to Christ as the Messiah, fixing his attention upon that, that Jesus is the Son of God. So he does not refer to the birth; but he does refer to the baptism. And so I think we see very clearly why it is that we have this phrase “not by water only, but by water and blood.” The Lord Jesus Christ did not merely identify Himself with us and our sins—He went further. He dealt with it not in water only, but also in blood. His death is an absolute
essential in addition to the baptism.
A Thought to Ponder
Through His baptism Christ identifies Himself with our sin, and it is upon the cross that He deals with it. (From Life in God, pp. 78-79, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Life in the Blood
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)
This great verse contains a wealth of scientific and spiritual truth. It was not realized until the discovery of the circulation of the blood by the creation scientist William Harvey, in about 1620, that biological “life” really is maintained by the blood, which both brings nourishment to all parts of the body and also carries away its wastes.
Its spiritual truth is even more significant. The blood, when shed on the altar, would serve as an “atonement” (literally “covering”) for the soul of the guilty sinner making the offering. In fact, the “life” of the flesh is actually its “soul,” for “life” and “soul” both translate the same Hebrew word (nephesh) in this text. When the blood was offered, it was thus an offering of life itself in substitution for the life of the sinner who deserved to die.
Human sacrifices, of course, were prohibited. No man could die for another man, for his blood would inevitably be contaminated by his own sin. Therefore, the blood of a “clean animal” was required. Animals do not possess the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27), including the ability to reason about right and wrong, and therefore cannot sin. Even such clean blood could only serve as a temporary covering, and it could not really “take away” sin. For a permanent solution to the sin problem, nothing less was required than that of the sinless “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12). Since His life was in His blood, He has “made. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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