Deuteronomy
Chapter 30
Conditions for Restoration and Blessing
When these things come upon you according to this blessing and this curse that I have set before you, you will recall them among the nations where the Lord, your God, has driven you.
he said,
“I am now a hundred and twenty years old, and I can no longer deal with anything. Remember that the Lord told me not to cross the Jordan River.
Then you will return to him, you and your children; you will listen to his voice with all your heart and with all your soul, obeying all that I command you today.
So the Lord, your God, will bring back the captives of your people; he will have pity on you and will gather you again from all the nations where the Lord has scattered you.
Though you are driven out at the other end of the earth,
the Lord will gather you even from there. He will take you to the land your ancestors possessed so that it may be yours. He will make you happy and make you more numerous than your ancestors.
The Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants so that you may love the Lord with all your heart and soul and live.
So the Lord, your God, will inflict all these curses upon your enemies who hate and persecute you.
You shall again listen to the Lord and put into practice all his commandments that I give you today.
The Lord, your God, will make you succeed in everything you do. He will multiply for your good, your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the fruits of your land. The Lord will again be pleased to treat you well, as he did your ancestors.
For you shall turn to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and soul, and observe his commandments and norms, in a word, everything written in this law book.
These commandments I give you today
are neither too high nor too remote for you.
They are not in heaven, so you should say,
“Who will go up to heaven to get these commandments
so that we may hear them and put them into practice?”
Neither are they on the other side of the sea for you to say:
“Who will cross to the other side and bring them to us,
that we may hear them and put them into practice.”
On the contrary, my word is very near you;
it is already in your mouth and your heart
so that you can put it into practice.
See, I set before you on this day life and good, evil and death.
I command you to love the Lord, your God, and follow his ways. Observe his commandments, norms, and laws; you will live and increase, and the Lord will give you his blessing in the land you possess.
But if your heart turns away and does not listen, if you are drawn away and bow before other gods to serve them,
I declare on this day that you shall perish. You shall not last in the land you will occupy on the other side of the Jordan.
Let the heavens and the earth listen, that they may be witnesses against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life that you and your descendants may live,
loving the Lord, listening to his voice, and being one with him. In this is life for you and the length of days in the land which the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Commentaries
Conditions for Restoration and Blessing.
It should not be overlooked that, although Deuteronomy repeatedly highlights the people’s current situation, it uses this as a literary device to renew the old covenant made with God and mediated through Moses. The wording of this chapter, though it begins with the conditional phrase “When all these words are fulfilled in you” (1), actually refers to a time when all the future events described have already taken place. The historical background includes the fall of the southern kingdom, the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, and the deportation to Babylon (587 B.C.). The entire chapter addresses the questions and doubts caused by Judah’s fall. The Deuteronomist tradition (D) draws on the teachings of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, but it stays focused on the core message of the book of Deuteronomy, aiming to encourage Israelite believers to accept their current situation as the just punishment they deserve for turning away from the Lord.
The key is to restore faith and hope in God, who, even though he has punished them, is ready to forgive, to circumcise their hearts (6), and to bring them back to the land he swore to give their ancestors (20). All the people need to do is repent and return to the Lord with obedient hearts, trusting only in his mercy and power, which will once again lift Israel from the ruins and help their efforts succeed (9). Additionally, the Lord will punish all those who contributed to Israel’s suffering (7).
However, Israel will have no excuse for failing to follow the Lord’s commands, such as choosing life over death, good over evil (15), blessing over curse (19), because the Lord’s precepts are clear, understandable to everyone, accessible to all, and therefore can be practiced by everyone (11-16).