Deuteronomy 30:1-201And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, 2And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 4If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19I 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 thou and thy seed may live: 20That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy 30:1‑20)
The chapter now before us is most sweet and touching. God foreknew that His people would have to come under His government because of their disobedience, but this would not put them beyond the reach of His grace. No matter where they were, even though they were there on account of their sins, He would hear and bless them the moment they turned to Him. How lovely it is to find, after all the curses for their disobedience, that the Lord found a way whereby He could meet them, when their hearts turned to Him. They might be in the outmost parts of heaven — they could not be farther away! — but still He would hear them and bring them back into the land and bless them in it.
Surely all this has a message for both saint and, sinner today. If you are unsaved, we can tell you that no matter how far you have wandered in sin, you are not beyond the limits of God’s grace. If you will but turn to Him, He has pardon and salvation for you the moment you take your true place in repentance and believe His precious promise that “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)). If it should be a child of God who reads these lines there is blessing for you too, no matter how far you have gotten away. If you will only turn to the Lord with your whole heart, and own all to Him, you will find He delights in blessing, and will restore your soul to the sweet sense of His love and grace. It is all so simple, too, for it is not a Word afar off, “But the Word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (verse 14).
Life and Death Set Before Them
The people are reminded that the way of life and the way of death had been set before them. If they kept the Lord’s commandments then they would have life — that is, life on the earth, and blessing in the land the Lord was giving to them. If they disobeyed, they would perish from the good land the Lord had promised to them. Moses then pleads with them to choose life, and receive all the promised blessing. After all this it is touching to find the mention at the very end of the chapter of those unconditional promises of blessing made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, long before. How the heart of God delighted to look forward to the time when His people would be in the land, and blessed according to His own purposes of grace; but at the same time how He felt their willfulness and disobedience which hindered their blessing then.
Surely these things touch our hearts too, even today, for we can say in the words of a hymn, “Israel’s God is ours!” How often we, who have learned of the riches of His grace in such a marvelous way, choose to walk in paths of self will and rob ourselves of the joy that would be ours. The heart of God is still full of blessing, and He has now given us the power to walk in His ways. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)). May we seek to put the flesh in the place of death and thus walk for His glory more and more as the Lord’s coming draws nearer. It is a happy path, and all those who have walked in it will surely join to say, “Her ways are way of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:1717Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:17)).
Further Meditations
1. What would happen if the people chose the way of life set before them?
2. Obedience and thankfulness bring a real sense of our blessings while laziness and disobedience lead to real unhappiness. Show how these truths are taught in the book of Song of Solomon.
3. You will find clear, easy-to-read and practical teaching in Making Room for God’s Blessing in Your Life: The Right Way and the Wrong Way by B. Anstey.