Deuteronomy 29-30

CHAPTER 29:
            Moses’ fourth and final address to the people is short and to the point. As with the previous two, this one begins by stating that the LORD has commanded Moses to speak all “…the words of the covenant…” (v.1) to the people. This includes not just the initial ten commandments that were given at Mount Sinai in Horeb, but also everything since then here in the land of Moab, which is the first two sermons of Moses that are recorded here in Deuteronomy. (Leviticus 26:46, Deuteronomy 5:2-3)
 
            Verses 2-3: As with his first address, Moses begins this final one with a brief history of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, reminding them of God’s miraculous signs and wonders that He performed for not only the Egyptians but for the benefit of Israel also. (Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 4:34, 7:19, 11:7)
            
             Verse 4: Yet, despite all those signs and wonders, there were many in Israel who did not believe. They are the ones that grumbled and rebelled against God and Moses during the trek to Mount Sinai. They were also the ones who worshiped the golden calf, who followed Korah in his rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and who were also among the first generation that hearkened unto the ten spies whose lack of faith in God caused them to disobey God’s commands and promises regarding the conquering of the promised land.
           Yet Moses also seems to be referring to the current generation of Israelites that are standing before him now when he says that God has not opened their hearts, eyes, and ears to perceive His ways. (Isaiah 6:9-10, Ezekiel 12:2, Matthew 13:14, Acts 28:26-27, Romans 11:8, Ephesians 4:18) There is some debate among Biblical scholars and commentators about the true meaning of this verse. The Calvinists point to this as proof of God’s predestination and sovereign election, that He has deliberately blinded the hearts of some so that they will not be saved. They point to the other verses throughout scripture which I listed above as further corroboration of this doctrine. Another interpretation is that God has blinded the hearts of the Israelites in response to their disobedience and lack of faith, and that this verse is Moses’ warning to the current generation of their future apostasy and judgment which he detailed in the previous chapter.
          I have already discussed the false doctrine of Calvinism in my commentary of Exodus, so I will not go into that again here. Suffice it to say, the best interpretation of this verse is the latter one, especially in light of the curses and judgment by God in the previous chapter. Moses is warning the people that not only has God withheld from all of them some spiritual knowledge and insight, but that there will also be many among them whose lack of faith after conquering and settling the promised land will cause the nation to turn from God. This is why Moses reminds them of the signs and wonders that God did in Egypt. Even after all that God has shown His people then and up to this point, there are some whose hearts are – or will be – hardened because of their own persistent unbelief.
 
           Verses 5-8: Moses then reminds the people of God’s providence and provision for them during the forty years of wandering in the desert. The purpose of that was not only punishment for the first generation because of their unbelief, but also that the people would come to know the Lord their God more closely and personally. (v.6) (Exodus 16:12, Deuteronomy 8:2-4) This is one of the fundamental truths of the life of the believer today. God sometimes keeps us in the wilderness of trial and temptation so that we might draw closer to Him as we wait for whatever plan He has for our lives to be brought to fruition.
 
            Verses 9-13: Moses is addressing the entire nation of Israel: every man, woman, and child, from the tribal leaders all the way down to the lowliest servant. His message is clear and to the point. The only way that Israel will prosper is by obeying all of God’s law. (Deuteronomy 4:6, 1 Kings 2:3) God, through Moses, is both reminding and renewing His covenant with this generation of Israel that is about to enter the promised land. (v.12-13) (Nehemiah 10:29) Moses emphasizes once more that Israel is a holy nation, separated and consecrated unto God, which was first promised to Abraham and then passed down to Isaac and Jacob. (v.13) (Genesis 17:7-8, Exodus 6:7, Deuteronomy 28:9)
 
            Verses 14-20: Four times in this chapter does Moses use the words “today” or “this day”. (v.10, 12, 13, 15) Moses stresses to the people that God is renewing His covenant not only with everyone present on this day, but also their descendants who are yet to be born. (v.15) (Acts 2:39) This is an everlasting and eternal covenant, a promise made to Abraham that can never be broken. It is a covenant that has yet to be completely fulfilled, even in our present day. But there is coming a time when God will gather from the ends of the earth His chosen people, and He will have a final reckoning with them. And then they shall rule the whole earth with King Jesus Himself sitting on the throne for a thousand years. Israel will no longer be the tail but the head as Moses first mentioned in the previous chapter.
        Moses now circles back to the topic of idolatry, reminding the nation of the wickedness and abominations that they witnessed both before and after leaving Egypt. (v.16-17) He stresses yet again the importance of Israel remaining faithful to the LORD their God, the one and only true God. Moses warns them of the deceitfulness of their hearts, and that anyone among them – whether present on this day or any future generations – who chooses to turn away from God to worship idols and ignore the curses that Moses warned of in the previous chapter will face God’s wrath and judgment. (v.18-19) (Deuteronomy 11:16) He compares such individuals to a corrupt root whose vine produces the bitter fruit of gall and wormwood. (v.18) (Deuteronomy 32:32, Acts 8:23, Hebrews 12:15) God will not spare that man who disobeys but will instead “…blot out his name from under heaven.” (v.20) (Exodus 14:7, 32:33, Deuteronomy 9:14, 2 Kings 14:27, Psalm 74:1, 79:5, Ezekiel 23:25)
 
             Verses 21-28: God’s wrath and judgment against the Israelites, should they forsake the covenant by turning away from Him to idolatry and other wickedness, will be so great as to not only destroy the evildoers but will also scorch the land itself. The promised land will appear as the plains where Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim once stood: barren, blackened, unable to grow anything because of the salt and brimstone. (v.23) (Genesis 19:24-25, Isaiah 1:9, Jeremiah 17:6, 20:16, Hosea 11:8, Zephaniah 2:9) The people of the surrounding nations will look at it and marvel amongst themselves, wondering why God has done this. But they will also know the answer: the Israelites did not honor and obey the covenant they made with the LORD their God. (v.24-26) (1 Kings 9:8, Jeremiah 22:8)
          Moses closes this section by reminding the people of “…all the curses that are written in this book…” which God promised to send upon Israel if she fails to uphold all the commandments and statutes of His law and covenant. (v.27-28) (Daniel 9:11)
 
           Verse 29: Biblical scholars and commentators have interpreted this statement in a number of ways. Given the context of the preceding verses, some scholars say that Moses is referring to God’s ability to see the sins committed in secret by individuals, and that He will punish them accordingly. And if the nation as a whole does not deal with those individuals whose sins are committed in public or are known to others (i.e. idolatry), then God will judge the whole nation accordingly. This would certainly fit with earlier statements by Moses in his second address to the people.
           However, in the larger context of not only this book, but the Bible as whole, a more appropriate reading of this verse is that God is not revealing, even to His chosen people, everything about Him and His ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) More specifically, the “secret things” that Moses is referring to are most likely God’s knowledge of the future and His overall plan for Israel. Moses is exhorting the people not to worry about the future, but to focus on what God has already revealed to them, i.e. His law and covenant.
            The same holds true for us today. God has only revealed so much in His word, and we should not be concerned with trying to read between every line in order to decipher or speculate about the mysteries in scripture. This is, most often, what leads to false doctrine and what has already caused many false religions. Instead, we are to be diligent in what God has clearly revealed to us in the Bible by honoring and obeying the commandments and statutes that He has laid out for us. Only in the next life, when we are in heaven for eternity with our Lord and savior, will we fully see and comprehend all that God is and all His ways.

CHAPTER 30:
            Chapters 28 and 29 were filled with both warning and prophecy about the future generations of Israel in the promised land. Much of it was very bleak, for Moses predicted a time when the whole nation will turn away from God and fall into apostasy, idolatry, and immorality. As a result, God will pour out His wrath and judgment upon them, and both chapters ended on a dark note of despair, fear, and hopelessness.
 
            Verses 1-10: But now Moses reminds the people of God’s love and mercy. If that future generation, while scattered amongst the heathen nations in captivity, remembers the LORD their God and returns to Him in genuine repentance, then God will have compassion on them and deliver them from their bondage. (v.1-3) (Leviticus 26:40, Deuteronomy 4:29-30, 28:2, Nehemiah 1:9, Psalm 106:45, Isaiah 55:7, Jeremiah 29:14, Lamentations 3:22-23, 32, 40, Joel 2:12) It doesn’t matter how far from the promised land they have been taken (v.4), God will gather them back home. (Deuteronomy 28:64, Isaiah 62:11) They will repossess that land, and God will once again bless them as He did this generation that is about to conquer and settle that promised land. (v.5)
            God will renew His covenant with that generation, circumcising their hearts and thus enabling them “…to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart…”. (v.6) (Deuteronomy 10:16, Jeremiah 31:31-33, 32:39,  Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27) As you can see from the cross references, Jeremiah and Ezekiel go into more detail about this new covenant in their prophecies. This is one of the many promises of God found in scripture, that He is always willing to help the truly repentant by sending His spirit to give them power to break away from sin. That is what “circumcising the heart” means. Circumcising all the males, remember, was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and all his descendants. In like manner, circumcising the heart is a metaphor for the act of one consciously turning away from sin and seeking the LORD’s face, throwing oneself upon His mercy and vowing to honor and obey Him alone.
             As part of that covenant renewal God will honor the promise He made to Abraham, that all of Israel’s enemies will receive the curses of the law. (v.7) (Isaiah 54:15, Jeremiah 30:16, 20) Anyone that curses her or comes against her will receive God’s wrath and judgment. But the same conditions for God’s blessings, protection, and providence will also apply to that future generation just as it does to the one listening to Moses now. As long as the nation cleaves to God alone, honoring and keeping all the statutes and judgments of His law, then God will uphold all the promises that Moses described in the previous two chapters. (v.8-10) (Deuteronomy 28:11, Jeremiah 32:41, Zephaniah 3:20)
 
            Verses 11-14: Moses points out that God’s law is not a mystery that is hidden from the people. It’s not out of reach in heaven or buried in the depths of the sea where no man can access it. (v.11-13) (Proverbs 30:4, Romans 10:6) God has made His law and His will plain to all of Israel via Moses. He’s also revealed it to them in their hearts, so that there is no excuse for the nation to not obey and honor God. (v.14) (Isaiah 45:19, Romans 10:8)
 
            Verses 15-20: Moses lays before the people a single, clear choice. They can choose to love the LORD their God by keeping all the statutes and commandments of His law and worship Him alone, or they can turn away from God and do as they please, worshiping false gods and following the wicked practices and abominations of the heathen nations of the promised land. The former will bring God’s blessings, providence, and protection while the latter will incur His wrath and judgment which will result in the loss of the promised land and Israel’s death.
          The choice is “…life and good…” or “…death and evil…” (v.15), “…blessing and cursing…”. (v.19) Moses pleads for the people to choose life and blessing, for that is the only way they will prosper in the promised land. (v.19-20) The LORD their God “…is thy life, and the length of thy days…”, (v.20) and without Him there is no other way for this generation to inherit the promise made to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Psalm 27:1, John 11:25, 14:6, Colossians 3:4)