Deuteronomy 30, I'll just pick up reading in verse 1. Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you. And you return to the Lord your God and obey his voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul. that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you. and from there he will bring you.
Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live. Also, the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you. who persecuted you, and you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command you today.
The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as he rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey 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. For this commandment, which I command you today, is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?
Nor is it beyond the sea that you should say, who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish.
You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over, the Jordan, to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you. that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. for he is your life and the length of your days, and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Amen.
Introduction
Well, this is the last section in the fourth section of the book, that section called sanctions or blessings and cursings. Blessings for obedience, cursings for disobedience. The section began in chapter 27 verse 1 and ends here in chapter 30 and then the final section beginning in chapter 31 deals with succession or continuity, specifically the transfer of leadership between Moses and Joshua. And what happens when Moses dies, Joshua then becomes the leader, and then that obviously is the transition into the book of Joshua, where the people of God leave the plains of Moab and they go into the land of Canaan to dispossess it according to the commandment of God.
The first half of this chapter deals with the future blessing. It assumes that the people are going to go into exile. In fact, what we have in the first half of this chapter is more prophecy. It is more of a revelation of what's going to happen in the future after the exile.
And then we have in the latter half of the chapter, the latter few verses, is the present choice. So we have the future blessing highlighted in verses 1 to 14, And then we have the present choice in verses 15 to 20. So verses 1 to 14 are a program basically of what is going to happen in Israel or to Israel as God's covenant people. That's the future blessing.
The present choice is verses 15 to 20. It's an exhortation for the people to obey the terms of the covenant as they enter into the promised land. Now verses 11 to 14 may seem to go with that exhortation, but I think there's good reason to include it with the prophetic statement of verses 1 and following. So we'll look at that tonight.
The future blessing given to Israel, again it's programmatic, it is looking down into the future, it is telling them what is going to transpire. After the promise of blessing and the promise of cursing, either for obedience or disobedience, what we find here is a statement that there will, in fact, be disobedience, that they will reap the curse of the covenant. Remember, in chapter 28, exile was promised. They would be driven out of the land.
They would be driven to other lands. Now, of course, on this side of all of this, we know of a truth that this took place through the Assyrians in the 8th century BC, and it took place through the Babylonians in the 6th century BC. So certainly what we find here in Deuteronomy chapter 30 does project, prophesy, or foretell what is going to happen to Israel, and then of course we have all of the prophetic literature that comments upon that reality.
The Future Blessing
But note first, with reference to the future blessing, I want to consider five things under this particular heading.
The Reality of Exile
The first is the reality of exile. The reality of exile. We notice that in verse 1. Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you.
This section of the covenant document, as it comes to a close, what Moses here is highlighting is this isn't just words on a page, or this just isn't an inscription upon stones, but God the Lord of the covenant will most certainly execute the blessings or the cursings associated with that covenant. In other words, this isn't just an exercise in futility, it's not just some religious rite, it's not just some practice that likens them to the nations around them, but rather what is announced here is that it will in fact come to pass. And certainly there will be this disposition to disobedience. Notice at the end of verse 1, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you.
Now, if you were sitting or standing on the plains of Moab and you heard Moses make this projection, you might be tempted to scratch your head and say, well, how does he know we're going to disobey? How does he know that we're going to end up in exile? Certainly it was promised. that if we're unfaithful, according to Deuteronomy 28, we will be exiled, we will be driven out of the land, but here it sounds as if he's announcing that this is in fact what is going to happen. Well, remember the history, remember what we've already seen, the giving of the law at Sinai in Exodus chapter 20, the exposition of that law, the ratification of the covenant in chapter 24, and just a few chapters later we see them dancing around a calf and ascribing to Him the power of having brought them out of the land of Egypt.
There is a natural tendency toward the darkened heart of man to defect from the living and true God. So he is prophesying, he is highlighting that this is an eventuality, that this most certainly will take place. And again, the nations where the Lord your God drives you, Assyria and Babylon, for two very specific examples of that. When you read through the Bible, when you read through the prophets, when you see the various things that the prophets come to indict the children of Israel for, what do you think they're speaking about?
Or what is the foundation upon which these prophets are leveling their charges and bringing the indictment upon them? It's on the foundation of Deuteronomy. The entirety of the Torah, the first five books of the law, but certainly in terms of the full-blown covenantal document, It is this book of Deuteronomy. In fact, as we move through this passage, you will hear things, or you will see things, that appear later in the prophets, especially in this promise of the new covenant.
It's the same language adopted by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Where do you think they got it? Certainly they got it by divine inspiration, but certainly they got it from a study of, and an understanding of, this covenant law of God revealed in the book of Deuteronomy. So the reality of exile, this is most certainly going to happen.
But notice, secondly,
The Return to Yahweh
there will be a return to God. This is the beauty of this statement. Yes, you're going to be in these lands where the Lord your God drives you. You are going to have reaped the curse of the covenant.
There will be those sanctions implemented on you for defecting, but there's going to be a return. You see, what he's doing on the plains of Moab, as I said, he is giving a program of redemption. He is illustrating or highlighting what God's kingdom is going to look like. It's not just going to be the remnant of Israel.
As we move through the prophets, we realize that Gentiles will be included. But right now on the plains of Moab, he is highlighting this reality that when they defect, when they break this covenant, when they reap the curse of God, there will be this return. there will be this blessing from God in the restoration. So the return, or verse 2, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice. Go with me for just a moment to Zechariah the prophet, in Zechariah chapter 1.
Zechariah was a post-exilic prophet. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the last three prophets in our English Bibles, are the post-exile prophets. They're the ones who prophesied after the Babylonian captivity. And if you look at Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1, in the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Edo, the prophet, saying, the Lord has been very angry with your fathers.
This is why they went into exile. They defected. They broke the covenant. Now notice this announcement after the exile.
Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts. Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. So you see, when they were driven out of the land, when they lost their temple, when they lost their city, when they lost their homes, all of those things were insignificant in comparison to the chief boon that they lost, namely the Lord God Himself. Notice, return to me, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will return to you.
One man commenting on the removal of the Shekinah presence of God from the temple during the prophet Ezekiel. This man Merrill says, the real tragedy of the exile was not the removal of the people nor even the utter destruction of the city and the temple. It was a departure of their God from their midst. an absence symbolized in one of Ezekiel's visions by the movement of the Shekinah, that's the glory cloud, from the temple to the summit of the Mount of Olives. If you look at Ezekiel, right about 8 to 11, you see this continual withdrawing of God from the temple.
And this is what Merrill says, the biggest problem in the exile wasn't that we lost our city, it wasn't that we lost our temple. Now the carnal ones would have thought that, but the faithful ones would have said the worst thing is that we lost our God. We do not have the Lord, that unique presence of the Lord that we enjoyed in the land. And so we see after the exile, after this time of chastisement, God says, you will return to the Lord your God.
There must be this resolve to obey His voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul. That's not going to change. When you return to the Lord, it's not to say, well, you know, things are going to be different now, God. You've got to be more long-suffering with us.
No, the terms of the covenant remain the same. You need to obey the Lord your God. We see the reality of the exile, the return to Yahweh.
The Initiative of Yahweh
Notice, thirdly, the initiative of Yahweh, the initiative of God. Verses 3 to 7. This is what we need to appreciate. No, we need to appreciate the whole chapter.
But it's God who does this. It's God who brings the people back into this relationship. He speaks first of the release from captivity. You return to the Lord your God, verse 2, and obey His voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity.
After those 70 years in Babylon, they got word that they could return. And certainly they did. Not everybody, unfortunately. Probably about 50,000 people returned from Babylon to Judah.
This is the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. This is what they record. This is the time that they wrote in as well. They were contemporaneous, or the contemporary, give or take, a generation with Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
So what we find is a release from captivity. They will experience the compassion of the Lord. Again, this is the initiative of God. Covenant blessings come as a result of our gracious God.
Verse 3, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you. Notice, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts, I think the idea there is because of your defection, because of the seriousness of your sin, because of your waywardness, and because of your unrighteousness, you've been driven out to the farthest parts under heaven. From there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.
So He will bring you back, verse 5, to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. The idea here, hearkening, I think, to the Abrahamic blessing. There's going to be great benefit, great blessing upon the people of God.
And then notice, with reference to this initiative from Yahweh, we see verse 6. And this is key. This is crucial. This is absolutely necessary that we get this.
And then we compare it with the prophets of Israel. Notice in verse 6, the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants. to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live. Klein describes it this way. As the development of this theme in the prophets shows, renewal and restoration, which Moses foretells, is that accomplished by Christ in the new covenant.
So here on the plains of Moab, maybe not as fully developed as we have it in the book of Romans, Moses is preaching Jesus Christ to the people of Israel. That's what the significance of this statement is. It is programmatic, it is highlighting, it is looking down into their history from this side, looking at it and saying that this is how God is going to accomplish His purpose of assembling a great multi-ethnic kingdom for His glory and for His honor. So keep verse 6 in your mind and in your heart, and let's just look at a few of the prophets that refer to this language.
Jeremiah 31. thought not to be a surprise to anybody who's been at this church for any amount of time. Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34. It is an announcement of the new covenant. I believe that there are allusions to what we find here in verse 6 with reference to the circumcision of the heart.
The New Testament tells us this is regeneration. This is the spirit of God's work, causing sinners to be born again by His power and for His glory. Notice in Jeremiah 31.31, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord. when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke." Now there's continuity between the old and the new. Certain things are continuous.
The law of God is continuous. We don't have a different law. in the New Covenant. In fact, we'll see that on the plains of Moab. When they obey the Lord, what do you think they're obeying?
They're obeying God's law revealed first to Adam in the garden, or written on his heart, and then revealed at Sinai, and according to Jeremiah, inscribed on the hearts at regeneration. But there are continuities, but there are discontinuities. There are things that are different. The New Covenant is new.
It is better. It is founded on a better hope. It has better promises. We mustn't obliterate the distinction.
The New Covenant is glorious. The New Covenant has built into it essential features that you find in the Old, or find those features in the Old, but they're not essential to the Old Covenant. Notice one of those features is my covenant, which they broke. You could break the Old Covenant.
You could disobey and end up in Babylon. You could disobey or end up in Assyria. In the New Covenant, if you are genuinely united to the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot break that covenant. It is indefectible.
You cannot violate it. You cannot ruin it. If you show yourself to be a God-hating rebel, you were never part of the covenant to begin with. John tells us, they went out from us, but they were not of us, because if they were of us, They wouldn't have gone from us.
So one of the distinctive features between old and new is that the new covenant is inviolable. You can't break it. It is made with Christ and in him all the elect. And as a result of that, when we've been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we are saved to the uttermost.
The fifth point of Calvinism is a reality because of the glorious God of heaven and earth. like my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. The language is not exactly the same in terms of circumcising their hearts, but the illusion or the idea or the reality that God directly works upon the heart of the New Covenant members is unmistakable.
I will put my law in their minds, I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. That's why when we get down to verse 10 in Deuteronomy chapter 30, the people are obeying. It's because of what happens in verse 6. It's because God circumcises the heart that the children of God then respond in obedience.
We'll see more of that as we move through our study tonight. Notice over in 32. Jeremiah 32 beginning at verse 36. Jeremiah 32, 36.
Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in my anger, in my fury, and in great wrath. I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. Chapter 32 is unique in that God tells Jeremiah to buy a piece of property in Judah.
Doesn't seem like a wise move, does it? On the heels of invasion when Babylon is coming, Jeremiah is buying property. You'd have to think he was nuts, wouldn't you? What's the point?
Jeremiah purchased this property because you will possess it one day. The Lord's promises are sure. So even here in this announcement that they are going into Babylon, beginning in verse 36, God then says, I will gather them out of all countries, verse 37, where I have driven them in my anger, in my fury, and in great wrath. I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.
It sounds just like what we see there in Deuteronomy 30. It's the same sort of concepts, the same sort of language. Verse 38, They shall be my people, and I will be their God. Then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.
Same language we see there in Deuteronomy 30. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul." The same sort of language that we find in the book of Deuteronomy. Turn over to Ezekiel 11.
All this to show, all this to demonstrate, all this so that you'll see in Deuteronomy 30 verses 1 to 14 we have a prophetic announcement concerning the blessings associated with the new covenant in the Lord Jesus Christ. is how the prophets of Israel interpreted that passage in Deuteronomy, or how they used that, or how they understood that to speak of a day when there would be this in-gathering. Notice in Ezekiel chapter 11 at verse 19. Well, let's just back up in verse 14. Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, get far away from the Lord.
This land has been given to us as a possession. Therefore say, thus says the Lord God, although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone. That's a blessed promise right there. That's why when Ezekiel has this vision of God's chariot, the wheels are prominent.
What do the wheels suggest? Mobility. right? The idea is, is that even though you're cast out, the remnant, the elect that are in Babylon, God will nevertheless be there. Now in Zechariah 1 when he says, return to me and I will return to you, it's in its full-blown land promise, blessing, intimacy.
But God never deserts the true Israelite. He never deserts the true faithful. They had indeed lost the outward temple at Jerusalem, but the Lord Himself had become their temple. He would nevertheless cheer, encourage, and bless Ezekiel and Daniel and the other faithful servants of God that would be in Babylon.
But notice in verse 17, Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God, I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. and they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things, and all its abominations from there. Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. This is circumcision of the heart. This is regeneration.
This is causing one to be born again. Ezekiel 36, probably the most fully developed, the most amplified version of this promise. Notice in Ezekiel 36, verse 22, Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake. Isn't that beautiful?
Salvation, first and foremost, is for God. Salvation, first and foremost, is to exalt God. Salvation is to bring honor, praise, and glory unto Him. It is a benefit, it is a corollary, a blessed one indeed, but our happiness is not God's primary concern.
God's primary concern is his own exaltation, his own glory, his own majesty. Now we benefit greatly, to be sure, but we ought to be jealously and conspicuously God-centered. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. The glory of God is paramount here.
I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. for I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean." Remember when Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, and he references water, and Nicodemus is just a little bit perplexed by it, or when Jesus references being born again, and Nicodemus is all, you know, confused by this, and he says, are you the teacher of Israel, and you don't know these things?
Jesus has Ezekiel in his mind. The teacher of Israel should have known this language. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers.
You shall be my people and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleanness." So you see what the prophets are reflecting upon is this promise of God to bless his people through the Lord Jesus Christ in what the scripture describes as the new covenant. So going back to Deuteronomy 30 verse 6 is absolutely crucial that we understand It is an announcement. It is a declaration.
It is a statement concerning what the Lord God is going to do in terms of bringing His people into His kingdom. This will mean judgment for the enemies of the Lord, verse 7. Also, the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you or who persecuted you. Did this happen?
Absolutely. God raises Assyria up and then God puts them down. God raises up Cyrus, king of Persia, to go in and defeat Babylon, and to make that no longer the world empire. So the Lord God, in blessing His people, brings curse upon His enemies.
Again, the Abrahamic covenant. I will curse those who curse you, is what the Lord God had announced. So that's the initiative of God, verses 3 to 7. We've seen the reality of exile, verse 1, the return to God, verse 2, the initiative of God, verses 3 to 7, and then, fourthly,
The Result: Obedience and Blessing
notice the result in verses 8 to 10. and you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today." Why? Because your heart's been circumcised. Because God has written His law upon your heart. Because God has given you a new heart.
It's not a heart of stone, but it's a heart of flesh. The Christian, the believer, the New Covenant member wants to obey the Lord God Almighty. If you want to argue against antinomianism, it wouldn't hurt to go to the plains of Moab. It certainly wouldn't hurt to go to Ezekiel the prophet.
It wouldn't hurt to go to Jeremiah the prophet. What does the New Covenant believer want to do with the law of God? Does he want to get rid of it? Does he want to destroy it?
Does he want to spit on it? No, he wants to cry with David, Oh how I love your law! It is my delight. He listens favorably to what Jesus says in John 14, 15.
If you love me, you'll keep my commandments. When Paul is discussing justification by faith alone in Romans chapter 3, what then? Do we nullify the law? Do we get rid of the law?
No, rather we establish the law. It is the joy of the New Covenant believer, and this is the response of the New Covenant community when their hearts have been changed. And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command you today. Machen says, the gospel does not abrogate God's law, but it makes men love it with their hearts.
Isn't that beautiful? That is a reformed emphasis that we mustn't lose. Our confession of faith says, neither are the aforementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel. You don't find in the New Testament Paul or Peter or Jesus or the apostles saying, oh, that law is a terrible, horrible thing.
It's a terrible and a horrible thing if you're seeking justification by it. But if you've been justified freely by the... and it's not horrible in itself, it's horrible because we are sinners and vile. But if we have been justified freely by His grace, the law is that standard, is that rule of life by which God the Holy Spirit directs His people in terms of obedience. The London Baptist Confession reflecting the Westminster, neither are the aforementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel, but do sweetly comply with it.
The spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully, which the will of God revealed in the law requires to be done. You see, it's a promise and a feature essential to the new covenant. I will put my law in their minds. What does he say in Ezekiel 36?
You will be careful to follow my law. It is a good thing. It is a blessed thing. And what Moses envisions here is that when the people have returned and God has changed the heart, then there will be this response of obedience.
There will be prosperity and blessing. Verse 9. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers.
Didn't we just read that in Jeremiah? What's Jeremiah thinking about? What's Jeremiah expounding? What is Jeremiah amplifying but what has been announced on the plains of Moab in terms of God's program to save his people from their sins in and through the Lord Jesus Christ in the new covenant.
There's a lot of Christ in Deuteronomy chapter 30. That's the point. Don't miss that. Don't neglect your Old Testament.
People out there today, we don't want the Old Testament. The Old Testament oozes with Jesus. It reeks in a good way with Jesus. We should desire this Old Testament Word.
It points us to our Savior. They will be delighted in by the Lord, as He's already said. And then notice in verse 10, it would almost seem to undo everything I've said because it sounds conditional. But the if there could be and should be translated as because.
It would go against the entire context for God to say, I'm going to circumcise your heart, and then you're going to obey, and then I'm going to bless if you obey. No, it's because you are obeying, it's because you've been justified freely by God's grace, now you are living spirit-filled lives according to the law of the Lord, and in this you reap benefit. In this you receive blessing, if or when you obey 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 or when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. The language of covenant, the language of God's initiative, the language of God having changed the heart, and then we respond to Him in a way that is fitting.
And
The Empowerment of the New Covenant
then verses 11 to 14, I think, deal with the empowerment. The empowerment, and I'll explain this in just a moment. But if you look at this, it almost looks like verses 1 to 10 are the prophetic statement. And then verse 11 now says, OK, let's get back to the here and now.
Let's get back to the plains of Moab. Let's get back to our current situation. You need to resolve to obey when you get into the land. I think that's what 15 to 20 does.
I think 11 to 14 still goes with the prophetic. For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it. Nor is it beyond the sea that you should say, who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it.
But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Now, those who argue that this is the present choice, this goes with 15 to 20, have a good argument. I mean, I wouldn't die on this interpretation, but I am suggesting that I think 11 to 14 goes with the prophecy, rather than the present, in their sense. But the guys who say that it goes with the present argue from 2929.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God. Those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. The same sentiment seems to be there in verse 11. For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
Don't you go into that land. Don't you get dispossessed from that land. Don't you end up in exile and say, well, we just didn't know. The Lord never told us.
We never got a word. We never got a command. So in a sense, that is accurate. That is absolutely crucial.
Does anybody know who quotes this section in the New Testament? If you say Paul, you're probably going to be right. You know, you've got a handful of authors, and Paul often theologizes from the Old Testament. in Romans chapter 10. So the shift to the present in verse 11 does make sense contextually.
We've got verse 29 of chapter 29. But I think if we look at 11 to 14 as going with the prophecy, it indicates to us, it highlights for us, more realities associated with the new covenant. The continued explanation of the New Covenant blessings is what I believe is in view in verses 11 to 14. Notice the things stated will be attainable.
The blessings of verses 1 to 10 are attainable. We will receive them. We will get them. Is it based on what we do?
Well, that's the language in here. But when Paul comes to interpret, he makes a contrast. If you go to Romans 10 for just a moment. We don't have a lot of time to develop this.
I don't have a lot of brain power to develop this. I didn't have enough time to spend in the text of Romans 10. I'm just suggesting there's enough evidence to suggest that 11 to 14 go with the prophetic announcement of verses 1 to 10. And it seems that that's the way the Apostle treats the passage.
And if the Apostle treats the passage, then I think we're in good company. I think what 11 to 14 do is they highlight that the presence and the power of the promised spirit will enable obedience by the grace of God in the New Covenant. Notice in 10.5, for Moses writes about the righteousness, this is important, which is of the law. The man who does those things shall live by them.
That's Leviticus 18. Paul quotes that in Galatians 3 as well. Now, look what he goes on to say. But the righteousness of faith.
Paul is treating the Mosaic covenant. He is treating Leviticus and Deuteronomy. And Paul sees two streams of thought working in that Mosaic economy. He sees an essence or an element or an emphasis upon words.
For the righteousness, or that Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them. If you've paid attention at all over the last several months, anytime that we've talked about covenant theology, I've suggested that some Puritans Some reform saw within the Mosaic Covenant an emphasis upon works to function in such a way as to show the people their need for the coming Redeemer. It seems that Paul seems to indicate that here. There is this righteousness which is of the law.
The man who does those things shall live by them. Now notice though, but the righteousness of faith So whatever is going on in Deuteronomy chapter 30, 11 to 14, is consistent with the righteousness of faith, which I would argue is consistent with the new covenant propounded in verses 1 to 10. 11 to 14 simply amplify or continue that theme of new covenant blessing. And instead of the stress falling upon What we do, as Moses says in Deuteronomy 30, notice how Paul treats it. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way.
Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from above. Or, who will descend into the abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.
It almost seems like the Apostle is using the Incarnation and the Resurrection of Christ as the fulfillment of what was spoken in 10 to 14, or 11 to 14, in Deuteronomy chapter 30. But what does it say? The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the Word of faith which we preach. That If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." I think there is good evidence to conclude, or at least to sway in that position, that 11 to 14 continue with that theme of what's going to happen in terms of new covenant blessing.
So that's the future blessing. If you got confused, I apologize. Made sense here. I hope it made sense there.
Sometimes when you get into some sort of technical explanations, there can be a disconnect. If you missed anything and you want the notes, email me. I will send them to you. Not that that'll help you. a whole lot more, but all that to say 11 to 14 seem to go with 1 to 10 and is what is true of New Covenant blessing.
The Present Choice
Chapter ends, verses 15 to 20, with the present choice. There is an encouragement to obey, verses 15 and 16.
Encouragement to Obey
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. So as He's moved from this prophetic announcement to what's going to happen after they return from the exile. We've got to get back to the here and now. You need to pay attention.
You're entering the land of Moab, or you're entering the land of Canaan from the plains of Moab. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply. Now, when you look at, let's just make this pictorial representation, the Mosaic Covenant, of all the several covenants revealed in the scripture, this is probably the most difficult to explain. It's probably the most difficult to understand in terms of the particulars, the details.
It seems that it is, in fact, there are elements of the covenant of grace in the Mosaic Covenant. There's a sacrificial system, there's a typical system, pointing to blessing, pointing to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There is this works principle, the man who does them shall live by them. There is as well this national element that if the body politic does what they're supposed to, they're going to have blessings in the land.
So there's a lot of things going on in the Mosaic Covenant. And I think that what we have here in terms of this 15 and following is that area of you need to obey when you get into the land, much like we've seen throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Moses is back to this particular situation, emphasizing this reality. Notice, don't you love this?
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments. Who else ended a sermon with two ways? Jesus. Good answer.
Yeah, I'm sure Paul did. I'm sure that he did. But Jesus, how does the Sermon on the Mount end? You've got two ways.
You've got two trees. You've got two boulders, right? Same sort of convention. You've got life.
You've got death. Some have seen, I haven't been convinced yet, a Moses-Jesus sort of typical relationship in the book of Matthew. that the five discourses in Matthew correspond to the five books of Moses, that Jesus is to be seen or is being figured or put forth by Matthew, at least in one of the facets, as the new Moses. I don't know. I'm sure there's a big, fat book on that subject.
I think it's an interesting, unique idea. I think there's enough in terms of the servant of the Lord, the son of Abraham, son of David. Son of God, that we could busy ourselves for a thousand eternities studying Matthew. So, maybe the next time around in 25 years, if we go through Matthew again, we'll examine the Moses typology.
But anyways, there is that similarity in bringing this sermon, bringing this exhortation to bear. So he encourages them to obey, verses 15 to 16, and then
Warning Against Disobedience
he warns them against disobedience, 17 to 19, but if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them. I announce to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing." This is a convention already employed, already used in the book of Deuteronomy.
It's a convention that Jeremiah the prophet uses. It's a convention that Isaiah uses, calling the mountains, calling the heavens, calling the earth to witness. There's an extended section in the prophet Micah where the prophet is suing the nation and the mountains are his jury. It is the testimony of God's creation watching over this particular situation.
And then
The Exhortation to Choose Life
notice there is this exhortation to live, verses 19b and following. Therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live. that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. Look at this, for He is your life and the length of your days. That's a blessed element.
He is your life. He is everything. When you enter in from the plains of Moab into the Promised Land, You're not like the Baal worshippers. You're not like the Canaanites.
You're not like these people who simply invoke their deity to get a bit of rain on their crops. This God is your life. It made me think of Genesis 15 when God says to Abraham, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. I am your reward.
Or Psalm 63 when David says, because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise you. In other words, the faithful on the plains of Moab were being directed to the all-sufficiency and the all-goodness and the glory of God Almighty. What a boon for the faithful. Again, the unfaithful just said, let's get in the land and eat our honey and drink our milk.
But the Christian, the believer, the disciple, the one looking to the promise, heard that and thought, He is my life. Sounds like what we have in? Paul, for to me to live is what? It's Christ, and to die is gain.
There is nothing fundamentally different in terms of relationship. We have God as our life in the Old Covenant. We have God as our life in the New Covenant. That is a blessed feature that the Lord gives in those covenantal blessings.
It's not just milk, it's not just honey, it's not just a job, it's God himself is your life. It's a beautiful thing. And this is then grounded upon the covenant faithfulness, the oath sworn promise of God to the fathers, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. ends the sanctioned portion, and as I said, 31 to 34 deals with succession. There's a song of joy, there is that transfer of leadership, that death of Moses, and then we enter into the promised land under Joshua.
Well, how about if I pray and then if anyone has any questions, we can shut this off here.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for this word. We thank you for the announcement of what you would do in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you that you've made us participants, that you have blessed us so richly that the things stipulated in Deuteronomy 30, the promise given that you would circumcise the heart, we have by your grace. We have regeneration.
We have you causing us to be born again. We have You giving us the gifts of faith and repentance. And God, in this, we rejoice, we praise You, we delight in You. Help us to see that You are our life.
Help us to see that everything that is valuable, everything that is important, is nothing in comparison with our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in His name that we pray. Amen.