07/08/2025 – Day 352 – Deuteronomy – Chapters 29 – 31 // Ch 29: “Renewing the Covenant” and “Abandoning the Covenant” (vs. 16 – 29) / Ch 30: “Returning to the LORD” and “Choose Life” (vs. 11 – 20) / Ch 31: “Joshua Takes Moses’ Place” and “Moses Warns the People” (vs. 24 – 30)
The verse footnotes are from “The Apologetics Study Bible”:
“29:13. To be established as the people of the Lord, on this occasion, does not mean that Moses purports to be presiding over the initial establishment of the covenant. That had been undertaken 40 years earlier at Sinai (Exodus 19: 4-8). Deuteronomy as a whole is a covenant renewal document, so what is being done here is a reaffirmation of that relationship.”
“29:15. The ones not there were not absentees from the ceremony but the unborn generations yet to come. The covenant could be made with them, in the sense that Israel as a covenant community consisted of both its ancestors and descendants. Future generations, as it were, already lived in the loins of Moses’ generation (cp. Hebrews 7:10). The covenant is not with an aggregate of individuals at any given time, but with an ongoing historical community. The Christian concept of the ‘communion of saints’ reflects the idea.”
“29:20. The reason for the harshness of God’s judgment here is to be found in the nature of the offense being punished, idolatry (v. 18). Such an act was not only intrinsically evil because of the depravity of pagan religions. In the context of the covenant with Yahweh it was nothing short of high treason, the worst of all possible offenses. To worship other ‘gods’ is to deny God his very existence and His sovereignty.”
“30:6. Skeptics sometimes consider such ideas as circumcising the heart absurd, since they fail to understand the figurative language in religious or theological contexts. The idea here is that, just a physical circumcision identified one as belonging to the Abrahamic covenant, spiritual circumscison would be the hallmark of membership in the new covenant (Genesis 17: 13-14; cp. Romans 2: 28-29).
“31:2. It appears unfair for the Lord to deny Moses access to the promised land for one intemperate outburst (1:37; cp. Numbers 20:12). But Moses, the recipient of special privilege, was also charged with special responsibility. To fail to execute his responsibility completely was to cast both himself and his God in a bad light. For that reason, he could not enter the land with the new generation.”
Comment – “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48)
“31:15 The fact that the Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud does not contradict the idea that no one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). The pillar of cloud represents the presence of God (Exodus 13: 21-22; 14: 19,24; 33: 9-10) though His presence is not the ‘shape’ of His person. In that sense whoever saw the cloud saw God Himself. The same is true of the pillar of fire, the burning bush, and other ‘theophanies’ or appearances of the Lord.”
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Thoughts? Reflections? Questions? Prayer.
Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.