Key Verse(s):
Deuteronomy 30:14 (CSB)
14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.
Reflection/Application:
Chapter 30 concludes with this climactic summary and appeal, of sorts, by Moses. He begins by laying the clarity and obviousness of the choice before the Israelites, then summarizes the consequences of either choice, and concludes with a summary of what is at stake.
Moses begins in Deut. 30:11-14 by challenging the Israelites to make a choice, no excuses. He dispels any notion that one might avoid a decision, or feign ignorance, by insisting that it all boils down to this single act of obedience. Obedience to the commands of God, but it all starts with the choice to be obedient. And the commands of God are not secret, they do not have to be fetched from some distant land, nor do they need some special interpreter. Moses has provided the commands to them, they are accessible and understandable. Moses even states, “the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it,” which harkens back to Deut. 6:6-7.
Deut. 30:15-19 summarizes the two choices, obedience or disobedience, with the results of life or death. Certainly not as nuanced and wordy as the blessings and curses previously outlined, but just as effective. We should note that thousands of years later, the choice, and stakes, have not changed. If we love God, we gain life, if we do not, we perish. Yet somehow our fleeting lusts and passions still manage to trump what we know is the right choice. And for some, we’ve trumped that right choice so much, that we lose sight of it altogether.
Moses concludes with the whole point: God is life. “For he [God] is your life, ” is what he says in Deut. 30:20. It’s a simple message, but one of utmost importance, nothing is more pressing or weightier. What have we chosen?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to love you. I pray that all would do just that, even though we know that many will not. It is hard to understand why such a clear and simple choice is so hard to make. Our sin blinds us, but I pray that you would help us to see, especially through your word, just as Moses exhorted the Israelites. Amen.
The Daily Pericope 