God Speaks
“In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions. 2 If at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. 4 Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. 5 The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!
6 “The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! 7 The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey the Lord and keep all his commands that I am giving you today.
9 “The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests, for the Lord will again delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. 10 The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Deuteronomy 30:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God tells His chosen people what is going to happen in advance so that they can know it is Him that does it and so that they can prepare by turning to Him. He wants them to choose life by loving Him, obeying Him, and committing themselves fully to Him.
2. People cannot do this in their own strength. They need a Savior (Jesus) to take away their sins and a guide (Holy Spirit) to lead and empower them in their new life devoted to the LORD. Then they will be able to love others as they love themselves.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Deuteronomy 30?
Thank You, LORD God, that You do not leave people exiled from You without hope. Please help me (and all of Your people) turn back to You in repentance and faith. Draw us back to You and restore our fortunes. May we seek You with all of our hearts and all of our souls. Bring Your wandering children back to You. Change our hearts and the hearts of our descendants. Place the curses that have been on us on Your enemies (Satan and all those who follow him and his ways) instead. Produce an abundant harvest among all the people groups of the world. Delight again in showering Your goodness on Your people because we are obeying Your voice and keeping Your commands and decrees written in Your Book of Instruction. We will be turning to the LORD our God with all our heart and soul. Thank You that what You command is not too difficult or beyond our reach when we depend on You to fill us. You have given us the choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. By Your Spirit, draw multitudes to listen, turn, and obey so that they may have eternal life. This will bring You great glory, O LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Deuteronomy 30? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will study the commands God gave His people in Deuteronomy and the rest of the Bible so that I can do what God expects of me.
- I will gather with other people to encourage one another to live the way God wants.
- I will support and encourage Jews returning to the LORD (YHWH), Jesus (Jeshua), and the land of Israel in any way God directs.
- I will cooperate with God as He works to change me from the inside out.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________