Deuteronomy 29
In Deuteronomy 28, Moses presented the people of Israel with a choice to enter a covenant with God that had two polarizing outcomes. Blessings were reserved for those faithful to God’s Law, while curses awaited those who disobeyed His commands. In chapter 29, Moses again confirms that the Israelites must choose whether they would enter into this covenant: “You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today” (vv. 10-12; emphasis added).
This is a critical truth to recognize, especially considering yesterday’s heavy reading. Specifically, the choice to enter this covenant with God included Israel’s awareness of the consequences of not submitting to His authority. In other words, God wasn’t unilaterally levying curses upon a people He sovereignly knew couldn’t obey. He gave them the ability to respond in faith, to which David Guzik comments on below:
Moses exhorted Israel to make a choice. The covenant God made with Israel contained three major features: The law, the sacrifice, and the choice…The idea behind the choice was that God was determined to reveal Himself to the world through Israel. Yahweh would do this either by making them so blessed that the world would know only God could have blessed them so; or by making them so cursed that only God could have cursed them and cause them to still survive. The choice of blessing or cursing was up to Israel, based on their faithfulness to their covenant with God.[i]
There is much similarity in what Guzik notes here and for the follower of Jesus today. For one, we are presented with a New Covenant with comparable features (although a bit different spin on the first one): 1) our inability to fulfill the Law; 2) the perfect Sacrifice; and 3) the choice. Also, like those gathered in front of Moses, God desires to use us (partnering with God, the Spirit) to reveal Himself to those around us. And lastly, a promised blessing awaits those who faithfully endure, and that guarantee could have only come from a perfect, holy God. Assuredly, just like He did for the Israelites (and even back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve), God is giving us a choice: life (blessing) or death (curse). Choose wisely, friends.
In our closing verses from Deuteronomy 29, the Israelites were reminded of two things that would help them remain committed to God’s plans and purposes. First, recalling God’s faithfulness was a catalyst for their obedience (vv. 2-8). In the present, I have found it helpful to remember all God has done for me when I’m faced with another decision of whether to trust in the Holy Spirit’s voice (obedience) or my own understanding (disobedience). Next, God’s people were reminded of what could impede their fidelity to their Creator—conforming to the pattern of this world (idolatry, in this context) and stubborn, prideful hearts that thought they were exempt from God’s wrath (vv. 16-19). Thinking through challenges professing Christians face here and now to obey our Lord Jesus, I would submit that these two potential pitfalls are toward the top of the list.
Before we move into a time of reflection, I want to unpack the last verse of our reading: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (v. 29). Several things to note about God’s revealed truths:
· Although God reveals many of His truths to us, some things remain hidden. What are you doing to posture your heart to hear Him reveal His truths to you, and will you trust Him in the unknown?
· Obedience should follow revelation. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Scripture is to be used as a mirror, and when God makes us aware of an area of disobedience during our time in the Bible, we must repent and obey, not be ashamed and condemned.
· God’s truths are intended for us, as well as for future generations forever. If His Word was relevant then (and it was), it is still relevant to us now…and evermore will be (Isaiah 40:8).
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· What are you doing to posture your heart to hear God reveal His truths to you, and will you trust Him in the unknown?
· Do you immediately revert to condemnation and shame when the Spirit brings about conviction during time in the Scriptures? Or are you more likely to promptly repent and obey?
[i] Deuteronomy 28 – Blessing and cursing. (n.d.). Enduring Word. Retrieved June 23, 2026, from https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/deuteronomy-28/