Deuteronomy 29

CHAPTER 29

Renewal of the Covenant (29:1–29)

1 Here Moses begins the third of his three addresses in the book of Deuteronomy: These are the terms of the covenant. “These” terms are the terms that Moses has just given in his second address, which began at Deuteronomy 4:44. He has just finished reciting the “terms of the covenant,” and now it is time to formally reaffirm the covenant—to affirm the Israelites’ commitment to the covenant—now that they are about to enter the promised land. The members of each new generation must affirm their own commitment to God’s covenant. Commitment doesn’t pass automatically from generation to generation; it must be renewed, affirmed.

The “covenant” to be affirmed here is said to be in addition to the covenant God made at Horeb (Mount Sinai); it was all the same basic covenant, but in Deuteronomy Moses has made some additions to the former covenant. Therefore, in this chapter Moses is calling upon the people both to reaffirm the Sinaitic covenant and also to affirm the terms of the covenant he has just given them over the previous twenty-five chapters.

2–6 The Israelites had seen God deliver them from Egypt⁷⁵ (verses 2–3); they had seen Him sustain them for forty years in the desert, during which time all their needs were met even though they had no ordinary bread to eat (verses 5–6). God had miraculously given them manna and quail and even water out of a rock. All this God had done for them so that they might know that He was the Lord their God.

However, in spite of their personal experiences of God and in spite of Moses’ detailed instructions and warnings, this present generation of Israelites still did not have minds that could understand (verse 4). God had not given them understanding minds, and the reason was because their hearts were hardened; over and over they had disobeyed God’s commands. The Apostle Paul quoted verse 4 to show how hardened Israel had become—and continued to be, right up to his day (Romans 11:7–8).

If we harden ourselves against God, we will not understand what He is saying to us. It is our willful defiance and disobedience that hardens us, not God (see Exodus 4:21 and comment). God did everything possible to give the Israelites understanding. He showered His grace and mercy upon them. He gave them His law; He told them about the consequences of disobedience and the blessings of obedience (Leviticus Chapter 26; Deuteronomy Chapter 28). If only they would seek Him and serve Him with all their heart and soul and commit themselves to obey His covenant laws—then they would be given understanding, and their eyes and ears would be opened.

7–8 Moses next reminded the Israelites how they had defeated Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:21–35), and how they had given their lands to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32:1–33).

9–15 In these verses, we are given the essence of the covenant reaffirmation. Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper (verse 9). If the terms were followed, the Israelites could expect blessings; if not, they could expect curses. The Israelites should have learned by now that God had created a moral universe; good and evil actions were followed by predictable consequences. Things didn’t happen by chance.

Not to follow the terms of the covenant—not to obey God’s commands—was, in effect, to forsake God. Many of us think that we can disobey God here and there without actually forsaking Him and His covenant; but that is not so. To disobey God is to forsake Him; and if we forsake Him for long without repenting, He will eventually forsake us. And we shall be cut off from His covenant blessings.⁷⁶

If the Israelites fulfilled their part of the covenant (to obey), God would fulfill His part (to bless). Not only would He give them the many specific blessings described earlier but He would also give them the greatest blessing of all—the sum of all blessings: Himself. He would be their God (verse 13). Thus would He fulfill His original promise to Abraham (Genesis 17:7–8), which He confirmed with an oath (Genesis 22:15–18). God was now reconfirming that ancient covenant He had made with the patriarchs more than four hundred years earlier; God, again with an oath, was remaking that covenant with this new generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab, as they waited for the signal to enter the promised land. And He was making the covenant not only with that present generation but with succeeding generations as well—with those who are not here today (verse 15).

16–18 Once again Moses warned the Israelites of the greatest single sin they could commit: to worship other gods (see Exodus 20:3–6 and comment). Idolatry was a bitter poison that brought death (verse 18), and the root that produced the poison was any person who led others to worship false gods (see Deuteronomy 13:1–18 and comment).

19–21 When such a person—that is, an idolater—heard the words of this oath (the covenant), he might be tempted to think he was safe and could do whatever he pleased. But such an attitude would bring disaster not only on the idolater but also on those he influenced; it would corrupt the faithful Israelites—the watered land—along with the unfaithful Israelites—the dry land (verse 19).

The Lord would never be willing to forgive an idolater with such a hardened and defiant attitude⁷⁷ (verse 20). Instead, his name would be blotted out (see Exodus 32:32–33; Revelation 3:5); he would be singled out and destroyed, so that the rest of Israel might be spared. Even one person can bring destruction on a nation—or on a church.

22–28 Then Moses looked ahead into the future and was given a prophetic vision of what would eventually happen to Israel, especially during the Israelites’ exile from the land (which happened seven centuries later). God would do to Israel what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:2429) and their neighboring cities Admah and Zeboiim (Genesis 10:19). And all the nations at that future time would ask: Why has God punished Israel in this way? (verse 24).

And the answer would be: the Israelites have abandoned God’s covenant by worshiping other gods (verses 25–26), and God has punished them by destroying their land and driving them into exile (verses 27–28).

Imagine what the Israelites thought as they listened to Moses’ words: “How could we ever end up like those wicked cities, Sodom and Gomorrah? We are God’s chosen people; how could He ever let this happen to us?”

Well, it did happen; Moses’ prophetic vision came true. And we Christians need to take our own warning from the history of Israel (see 1 Corinthians 10:1–11). The Apostle Paul wrote: So, if you think you are standing firm,be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12). The minute we become self-confident, we are headed for a fall. Our confidence must be in God, not in self; for it is only by His grace that we can remain in His will and avoid the terrible fate that befell the Israelites.

29 The secret things mentioned here are events in the future that only God knows about. They belong to Him; He has not revealed them to us.⁷⁸ But what He has revealed to us is His word—and that word has been given to us.⁷⁹ And if we will only follow that revealed word, we won’t need to fear the unknown events of the future. The road ahead may be steep and narrow, but its destination is absolutely certain: eternal life with God in heaven (see Matthew 7:13–14).