(1) Beware of your heart condition
A. "You have seen...your eyes have seen... but the LORD has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears." 29:2-4
(NAC) Their rebellion and unbelief had caused them to miss many of the blessings that should have attended their salvation. Isaiah reflected on the condition of Israel in his own day in the same terms (Isa 6:9–10), and Paul quoted this very text to speak of the hardness and blindness of his fellow Jews (Rom 11:8)
B. Beware that your heart do not turn away from God to pursue and serve the idols 29:18
19 When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, ‘I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.’
Then in 29:20-28, the passages were filled with how the person who had this thinking would be totally destroyed and the whole nation would be devastated for generations.
Then in 29:20-28, the passages were filled with how the person who had this thinking would be totally destroyed and the whole nation would be devastated for generations.
(NAC) to invoke the blessings of the covenant upon themselves when they should be prepared for its curses. By doing this, the words of blessing became in their thinking a mere mouthing of magical words designed to bring protection automatically (v. 19b [18b]). How foolish it was to imagine that God was moved or deceived by such sleight of hand. Flagrant repudiation of covenant mandates brought inexorable application of covenant curses no matter the devices of the unfaithful to turn them aside.
C. Responsible to what is revealed to them
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.
Application to A-C: With faith we see and we should respond/obey. but without faith we see and our hearts are stubborn and hard. We do not understand/perceptive/discerning. Or even worse, we totally deny the fact. In what ways, we are like the person who blessed himself when he denied God's commandments v.19? Pray that our hearts are soft and we are ready to see and obey. Otherwise, the judgment is waiting for us.
(2) New heart
(NET) THE PROMISE OF A NEW HEART AND ABUNDANT PROSPERITY (30:6–10)
30:6. The promise that the LORD your God will circumcise your hearts (cf. 10:16) means that God will graciously grant the nation a new will to obey Him in place of their former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness. After returning to the Promised Land with a new heart they will remain committed to the Lord and therefore will experience abundant blessing (live). Loving Him wholeheartedly (cf. 30:16, 20; see comments on 6:5), they would not fall back into apostasy as they had done before. A new heart is an essential feature of the New Covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:24–32), which will not be fulfilled for Israel as a nation until the return of Jesus Christ (cf. Jer. 31:31–34).
30:7–10. All the prosperity mentioned here (cf. 28:4) would come on Israel because under the New Covenant the nation will finally be enabled to obey the LORD wholeheartedly (cf. all your heart and all your soul in 30:6; 6:5).
30:6. The promise that the LORD your God will circumcise your hearts (cf. 10:16) means that God will graciously grant the nation a new will to obey Him in place of their former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness. After returning to the Promised Land with a new heart they will remain committed to the Lord and therefore will experience abundant blessing (live). Loving Him wholeheartedly (cf. 30:16, 20; see comments on 6:5), they would not fall back into apostasy as they had done before. A new heart is an essential feature of the New Covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:24–32), which will not be fulfilled for Israel as a nation until the return of Jesus Christ (cf. Jer. 31:31–34).
30:7–10. All the prosperity mentioned here (cf. 28:4) would come on Israel because under the New Covenant the nation will finally be enabled to obey the LORD wholeheartedly (cf. all your heart and all your soul in 30:6; 6:5).
Application: Israel as a nation has to wait for the 2nd coming to have the new heart, but as Christians, we have already had the new life and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Do we love God with all our mind and being? (v.6, 10)
(3) (BKC) In spite of this predicted rebellion (31:14-22) the LORD formally commissioned Joshua, giving him a charge (Be strong and courageous; cf. v. 7; Josh. 1:6, 8) and assuring him of success with the promise, I Myself will be with you. (31:23)
(3) (BKC) In spite of this predicted rebellion (31:14-22) the LORD formally commissioned Joshua, giving him a charge (Be strong and courageous; cf. v. 7; Josh. 1:6, 8) and assuring him of success with the promise, I Myself will be with you. (31:23)
Application: After you warn your husband multiple times, you know he will not listen. Now, if you know that your husband is going to be unfaithful to you, will you still bless him? I dont think this is humanly possible, but this is what God was doing to Israel. We can not even fathom the love of God.
Audrey
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