Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

DEUTERONOMY - CHAPTER THIRTY

Verses 1-6:

Moses prophetically anticipated that both the blessing and the curse he had pronounced (chapter 28) would come upon Israel. The curse would mean that they would be dispossessed of their Land and would be dispersed among the nations, to the far reaches of the earth. But the prophecy also affirms the faithfulness of God to His covenant, that He would not utterly cast away His people whom He foreknew, cf. Romans 11:1-2. The discipline of suffering would lead Israel to repentance, and God would restore them to Himself and return them to their Land.

Compare this text with Jeremiah 31:27-34; Ezekiel 34:16-31; Hosea 2:16-23.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus when Israel as a nation rejected Him as King, the Jews were scattered throughout the earth’s nations. This dispersion has continued for twenty centuries. But in the mid-Twentieth Century, they began to return to their Land. May 12, 1948, Israel assumed her role as a nation once more. In June, 1967, the Israeli army occupied Old Jerusalem. In effect, Israel has returned home. They are there in unbelief, as the nation as a whole still rejects Jesus as Messiah. But they are back in their Land, in fulfillment of prophecy, see Ezekiel 36.

Israel as a nation has not as yet experienced the "circumcision of the heart," nor do they love the Lord with all their heart and soul.

This will come about as the result of the intense chastening and suffering during the Great Tribulation, the time of "Jacob’s trouble," Jeremiah 30:7. Jesus will return to Earth on Mount Olivet (Zechariah 14:4) at the end of the Tribulation, and Israel will look upon Him "whom they have pierced" (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37), and will then accept Jesus as Messiah, Lord, King, and Son of God. This will be the fulfillment of the prophecy of this text, and the prophecies referred to in this section.

Verses 7-10:

The prophecy of this text affirms that the curses placed upon Israel for disobedience will fall upon their enemies, at the time they return in repentance to Jehovah.

The prophecy deals with Israel’s future restoration. The nation returned from the Assyrian and Babylonian dispersion. But the events of this prophecy have not been fulfilled during their subsequent history. Israel has returned to her Land following the Roman dispersion and the long centuries of absence. But the events of this prophecy are not currently being fulfilled.

This prophecy deals with the yet-future role of Israel. The time of the fulfillment: the Millennial Reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:6), when Jesus rules upon Planet Earth with a "rod of iron," as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords," from His capitol city Jerusalem, see Isaiah 2:1-5; Isaiah 11:4-9; Isaiah 35:1; Isaiah 65:17-25; Zechariah 14:8-11; Ezekiel 40-48; Revelation 19:15.

Verses 11-14:

"God’s commandment is His enablement," one has said. The commandments God gave to Israel were neither difficult nor impossible to keep. This is true of His commandments today, Matthew 11:28-30; 1 John 5:1-3.

"Not hidden," literally, "not wonderful," or hard to be understood or to perform.

"Neither ...far off ...not in heaven," though its source is heavenly, it did not remain there. God revealed it to men.

The commandment was not in some distant realm far across the sea, that men would be forced to send emissaries to bring it back to them.

Compare this text with Romans 10:5-10. Paul’s application of this text confirms that righteousness came under the Law exactly in the same way it comes today: through faith.

Verses 15-20:

Compare verses 15, 16 with Deuteronomy 11:26-28.

Compare verse 17 with Deuteronomy 4:19.

Compare verse 18 with Deuteronomy 4:26.

The text affirms the principle of man’s free will. God does not regard man as a puppet to move when a string is pulled, or a robot to respond to a pre-planned program. Man has a will, to choose for himself what he will do. God places before man both life and death, good and evil. Man determines his own response and choice between the two.

Choose to obey God’s commandments, and good and life are the results. Choose to disobey God’s commandments, and evil and death are the results. Israel had this choice under the Law; people today have this same choice, under the direction of the Holy Spirit.