Deuteronomy 29

Moses completed his exposition of the law in 26: and then began to bring his long farewell message to a close with a personal challenge to obedience. As we’ve seen before, the book of Deuteronomy is patterned after the ancient treaties given by kings to conquered nations. The Lord is the King and Israel is His chosen nation and special people. He took the Jews to Himself by defeating Egypt and setting Israel free to love Him and to serve Him. Moses has reviewed what the Lord did for Israel and said to Israel, and he has spelled out the terms of the covenant. Now he will explain the benefits of obeying the Lord and the disciplines that will come if Israel disobeys.

The word “covenant” is used seven times in this chapter; in fact, this chapter is the book of Deuteronomy in miniature. Moses reviewed the past (vv. 1–8), called the people to obey God’s law (vv. 9–15), and warned them what would happen if they disobeyed (vv. 16–29). As we read and study Moses’ farewell address, we may get weary of these repeated themes, but they are the essence of God’s covenant with His people. While the priests and Levites had a copy of the law of Moses and could refer to it (17:18; 28:58; 29:20, 27; 31:26), the common people had to depend on their memories, and therefore repetition was important. “For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe” (Phil. 3: nkjv). Too often God’s people forget what they ought to remember and remember what they ought to forget!

The covenant declared in Deuteronomy wasn’t different from the covenant given at Mount Sinai. Rather, it was an explanation and application of that covenant to the new generation and their new situation in the Promised Land. If what Moses taught in Deuteronomy had been a separate covenant, he would have offered blood sacrifices to seal the covenant as he did at Sinai (Ex. 24:3–8; Heb. 9:18–22). Many of the people who accepted the covenant at Sinai had perished in the wilderness, but there was still a “nation of Israel” that was accountable to the Lord to obey that covenant (Deut. 4—5). Future generations in Great Britain were both benefited and obligated when King John signed the Magna Charta in 1215, and so were future generations of Americans when Constitution of the United States went into effect in 1789. Future generations of Jews were bound by the covenant made by their ancestors at Sinai, and that covenant wasn’t annulled until Christ died on the cross (Col. 2:11–14).

Reviewing the past (vv. 1–8). Moses never seemed to tire of reminding the people of the grace and mercy of God bestowed on the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God judged the land of Egypt and delivered Israel from bondage (vv. 2–3), cared for the people in their wilderness journey (vv. 5–6), and gave them victory over the nations east of the Jordan (vv. 7–8). Because of all God did for them, Israel was now on the verge of entering the Promised Land and claiming their inheritance. During their long journey, God kept their shoes and clothing from wearing out, and gave them manna to eat and water to drink. A nomadic people wouldn’t be able to harvest grapes for wine or grain for bread.

Calling for obedience (vv. 9–15). The secret of prosperity was the blessing of God, and the secret of receiving that blessing was obedience to God’s law. Moses began with the leaders of the nation (v. 10), for if leaders don’t set the example as spiritual people, there’s not much hope for the followers. However, nobody in the camp was excluded, and this included the women and children, the resident aliens and the lowest servants. God could not truly be God to them if they refused to accept and obey His law. What He does for us depends a great deal on how we relate to Him (2 Cor. 6:14–18). The covenant He made with their fathers would stand forever, but their enjoyment of its promises depended on their obedience to the obligations. It’s important to note that what the Jews did that day affected their descendants in the years to come (Deut. 29:14–15). Just as Israel’s decision at Sinai was binding to the new generation on the plains of Moab, so the new generation’s decision would be binding to their descendants.

Warning of judgment (vv. 16–29). Moses reminded the people of the gross idolatry they witnessed while enslaved in Egypt and then while traveling through the wilderness. If they witnessed it with hearts devoted to the Lord, they couldn’t help but be repulsed by what they saw, and they surely wouldn’t want to participate in it. Nobody in Israel—no individual, family, or tribe—was to get involved in idolatry, for any idolater could become a “bitter root” that could defile the whole nation. Hebrews 12: applies this same warning to local assemblies of believers, for “one sinner destroys much good” (Eccl. 9: nkjv). Even if the offenders kept their sins hidden and were confident that they could escape judgment, the Lord would know and would judge. There could be no forgiveness; they would be plagued and killed and their names would be blotted out from under heaven (Deut. 9:14; Ex. 32:32–33). They would suffer from all the plagues named in Deuteronomy 28. the If the nation followed the idolaters and disobeyed the Lord, the Lord would judge the whole land and it would become an example to others of what happens when God’s law is violated. Visitors would behold a country without people, farms without produce, land like the devastated land around Sodom and Gomorrah, and cities destroyed and left in ruin. The utter desolation of Israel would be a reminder that it’s a costly thing to disobey the will of God. Will Israel be an obedient people? Would God send these curses? What does the future hold for the nation? Some of the Jews might have been asking themselves those questions, but this was not a time for speculation; it was a time for dedication. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (29:29). Our responsibility as God’s people isn’t to try to pry open the doors of the future but to obey God’s will here and now. When a man asked Jesus, “Lord, are there few that are saved?” His reply was personal and not philosophical. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13: nkjv). It’s not necessary to know God’s secrets, but it is essential that we obey what the Lord has clearly revealed to us.