Deuteronomy 29:1-15 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 29:1-15. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 29:1-4 (NIV)
1 These are the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.
2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land.
3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders.
4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.
On verses 1-4: The Israelites had witnessed some of the most incredible miracles ever recorded (v2-3). Yet after all that God had done for them, Moses says that the Israelites still could not understand, see or hear God in their lives. Instead, they often fell back in unbelief and rebellion. Why is that? It wasn’t a problem with their minds, eyes or ears. It wasn’t a problem with God. It was a heart problem. Their hearts remained hard toward God.
It reminds me of something Jesus once said:
“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” (Matthew 13:15-16)
In other words, how much we hear with our ears and see with our eyes depends on the condition of our hearts. If you have an open, humble and hungry heart toward God, you’ll be on your way to understanding, seeing and hearing from God. But if your heart is closed and prideful, not even the most amazing miracles will move you and you’ll be quick to rationalize anything that God does with some other explanation. That’s why Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” So let’s be careful to monitor the condition of our hearts and keep a soft heart toward God, for your heart is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23).
Deuteronomy 29:5-8 (NIV)
5 During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.
6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.
7 When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them.
8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
On verse 5-8: Despite the Israelites’ faithlessness, God continued to be faithful to the Israelites, providing for their needs so that they never lacked a thing (v5) and giving them victories over their enemies (v6-8). God is the same way with us. Even when we are faithless, God still remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
Deuteronomy 29:9 (NIV)
9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.
On verse 9: Here Moses restates the purpose of God’s commands. God’s commands were given so that “you may prosper in everything you do” (v9) — in your relationships, your business, your studies, your ministry, your health, and everything you put your hand to. God’s commands are not a straight jacket, but a recipe for our success. Follow God’s Word and you will be successful.
Deuteronomy 29:10-15 (NIV)
10 All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God–your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel,
11 together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.
12 You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath,
13 to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
14 I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you
15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today.
On verses 10-15: As Moses gets the Israelites ready to renew their covenant with God, Moses reminds them that Moses is making this covenant not only with the current generation of Israelites but with the generations that would come after them. God and Moses had a long term view in mind. Sometimes we can be so focused on today and tomorrow and next week, whereas God has His eyes on how today connects with what will happen generations from now. Like God and Moses, may we too realize that the decisions we make and the seeds we sow today – whether for good or for bad – will have an impact long after we are gone.
Thank You Heavenly Father for every blessing You have placed in my life. May I never take You or those blessings for granted. May I always have a humble, hungry heart toward You and toward Your commands, which are for my success, knowing that the decisions I make and the seeds I sow today will have an impact on generations after me long after I am gone. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
