Key Verses: Deuteronomy 30:6, 30:14, 30:19
After the dark warnings, Moses holds out a radiant promise of hope beyond judgment. When the curses have fallen and Israel is scattered in exile, if they return to the LORD with all their heart, He will restore their fortunes, gather them from the nations, bring them back to the land, and — most wonderfully — “circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart.” Moses insists that this commandment is “not too hard for you, neither is it far off”; rather, “the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” Then comes the climactic appeal: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him.”
This chapter is the theological summit of Deuteronomy. Its promise that God Himself will “circumcise the heart” answers the problem exposed throughout the book: Israel cannot keep the covenant with the heart they have, so God pledges to give them a new one — a promise fulfilled in the new covenant, when the Spirit writes God’s law within (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36). Paul takes up “the word is very near you” and applies it to “the word of faith that we proclaim,” the gospel by which anyone who believes and confesses is saved (Romans 10:6-9). And the ringing call to “choose life” by loving and holding fast to God sets before every generation the momentous decision at the heart of the covenant: life is found in clinging to the LORD, who is Himself “your life.”
Key Terms & Words:
- וּמָל (umal) - Deuteronomy 30:6 - “Will circumcise”; God transforming the heart to love Him
- קָרוֹב (qarov) - Deuteronomy 30:14 - “Near”; the word close, in the mouth and heart
- וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים (uvacharta bachayyim) - Deuteronomy 30:19 - “Choose life”; the climactic covenant appeal
Cross-References:
- Jeremiah 31:31-34 - The new covenant with the law written on the heart
- Ezekiel 36:26-27 - A new heart of flesh and God’s Spirit within
- Romans 10:6-9 - “The word is very near you,” applied to the gospel
- Colossians 2:11 - The circumcision made without hands, in Christ
Discussion Questions:
- Why is the promise of a circumcised heart the answer to the whole book’s problem?
- How does Paul apply “the word is very near you” to the gospel?
- What does it mean to “choose life,” and how is that choice made?