Deuteronomy 29:1-30:10

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:10

So Israel was on the edge of the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 29, and Moses gave them one final summary about the covenant that God had made with them. He reminded them one final time of where they had come from and where they had been as a nation. He reminded them of all that God had done when they left Egypt and traveled toward the Promised Land. He told them about how their ancestors had disobeyed God and wandered in the wilderness for forty years, but he also reminded them of how God had provided for them even in that time. So he warned them of the danger of falling away from God, telling them that there would surely be consequences if they drifted from God. God had dealt with His children in severe ways in the past and would most definitely do that again if the need arose. Therefore, it was important for Israel to be sure to hold up their end of the covenant so that God would be glorified through them. This would also proclaim God to the nations.

But just as in Deuteronomy 28, God knew that there would be times in which Israel would become disobedient, so He set forward a series of curses. These curses were a form of discipline and punishment for Israel’s disobedience (if the need ever arose, which we will find out will). The good news, however, is that God does not end it with punishment and wrath. He in turn offers up in love a chance for forgiveness. Although He was serious about punishing His children for their disobedience, He was also ready to forgive them and draw them back to Himself if they came to Him in repentance. So God promised Israel in Deuteronomy 30 that if they ever found themselves in a state of disobedience and they had been taken away from all the promises and blessings that God had given them, then they could come back to Him in repentance and He would forgive them and move on. He would be willing to start over with them if they truly sought to be obedient to Him again.

This offer of forgiveness is prophetic in two distinct ways. First, we have seen how God has alluded to Israel’s eventual disobedience and their exile already. Now, in Deuteronomy 30, He seems to allude to their eventual return to the Promised Land and the rebuilding of the temple and the city. Secondly, this also seems to illustrate what Christ does for us under the New Covenant. Now although we do not lose our salvation when we are disobedient to Christ’s commands, our relationship is temporarily damaged. We are not in fellowship with Christ as we should be when we are living in sin, and this not only hurts our relationship with Him, but also with those around us. People will notice the difference and we will be hurting our reputation in this lost world. The good news is that Christ does not go anywhere. We may drift off in sin for a time, but we can always find Christ right beside us, waiting for us to turn to Him for forgiveness. He will indeed forgive us, for if we are Christians, He already has. We can come back to Him and restore that relationship, and He will continue to stay by our side just like always.

Matt