Deuteronomy 30:2
and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
and you and your children
This phrase emphasizes the communal and generational aspect of faith in the Hebrew tradition. The Hebrew word for "children" (בָּנִים, banim) signifies not just immediate offspring but descendants, highlighting the importance of passing down faith and obedience through generations. Historically, this reflects the covenantal relationship God established with Israel, which was meant to be perpetuated through family lines, ensuring that the knowledge and worship of God would not be lost.

return to the LORD your God
The Hebrew word for "return" (שׁוּב, shuv) is rich with meaning, often translated as "repent" or "turn back." It implies a conscious decision to change direction, moving away from sin and towards God. This concept is central to the message of Deuteronomy, where the Israelites are called to renew their commitment to God. Archaeologically, this reflects the cyclical nature of Israel's history, where periods of disobedience were followed by repentance and restoration.

and obey Him
Obedience (שָׁמַע, shama) in Hebrew is more than just following commands; it involves listening with the intent to act. This reflects a deep, relational understanding of God's laws, where obedience is an expression of love and trust. Scripturally, this is consistent with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), which calls for wholehearted devotion to God.

with all your heart and with all your soul
This phrase underscores the totality of commitment required by God. The "heart" (לֵבָב, levav) in Hebrew culture is the seat of intellect and will, while the "soul" (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh) represents the essence of life and being. Together, they signify a complete, undivided devotion to God. Historically, this reflects the holistic nature of Hebrew worship, where every aspect of life is integrated into one's relationship with God.

according to everything I am commanding you today
The phrase "I am commanding you today" emphasizes the immediacy and relevance of God's commands. The Hebrew word for "commanding" (מְצַוֶּה, metzaveh) indicates an authoritative directive meant to guide the community. This reflects the historical context of Deuteronomy as a renewal of the covenant before entering the Promised Land, urging the Israelites to adhere to God's laws as a condition for blessing and prosperity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's message to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the commandments and promises.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, calling His people to return to Him.

4. Promised Land
The land God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

5. Covenant Renewal
The event of renewing the covenant between God and Israel, emphasizing repentance and obedience.
Teaching Points
Wholehearted Obedience
God desires complete devotion and obedience from His people, not just outward compliance.

Generational Faithfulness
The call to return to God includes both individuals and their children, highlighting the importance of passing down faith to future generations.

Repentance and Restoration
Returning to God involves repentance, which leads to restoration and blessing.

Covenant Relationship
The relationship between God and His people is covenantal, requiring commitment and faithfulness from both parties.

Heart and Soul Commitment
True obedience involves the heart and soul, indicating a deep, personal commitment to God's commands.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to return to the LORD with all your heart and soul, and how can this be practically applied in your daily life?

2. How can parents effectively teach their children to obey God's voice and follow His commandments?

3. In what ways does the concept of repentance in Deuteronomy 30:2 relate to the New Testament teachings on repentance and forgiveness?

4. How can the church community support individuals and families in their journey of returning to God and obeying His commands?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced a personal "return" to God. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome? How can this experience encourage others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 6:5
This verse emphasizes loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength, which parallels the call to wholehearted obedience in Deuteronomy 30:2.

Jeremiah 29:13
This verse promises that seeking God with all one's heart will lead to finding Him, echoing the theme of returning to God.

Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the concept of returning to the Father with a repentant heart.

James 4:8
This verse encourages believers to draw near to God, promising that He will draw near to them, similar to the call for returning to God in Deuteronomy 30:2.
RepentanceDeuteronomy 30:2
Repentance NecessaryAndrew Fuller.Deuteronomy 30:2
The Proper Signs of RepentanceThe Weekly PulpitDeuteronomy 30:2
Thoroughness in RepentanceSpurgeon, Charles HaddonDeuteronomy 30:2
Whole-Heartedness in ReligionDeuteronomy 30:2
Divine Discipline Founded on Known PrincipleD. Davies Deuteronomy 30:1-10
Israel's RestorationJ. Orr Deuteronomy 30:1-10
The Restoration of the JewsR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 30:1-10
People
Isaac, Jacob, Moses
Places
Jordan River, Moab
Topics
Command, Commanding, Ear, Hast, Hearken, Hearkened, Heart, Hearts, Obey, Return, Sons, Soul, To-day, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 30:1-3

     8225   devotion

Deuteronomy 30:1-10

     6734   repentance, importance

Deuteronomy 30:1-16

     5376   law, purpose of

Deuteronomy 30:2-3

     1030   God, compassion
     5017   heart, renewal
     6627   conversion, nature of
     8151   revival, corporate

Library
June 30. "Therefore, Choose" (Deut. xxx. 19).
"Therefore, choose" (Deut. xxx. 19). Men are choosing every day the spiritual or earthly. And as we choose we are taking our place unconsciously with the friends of Christ, or the world. It is not merely what ye say, it is what we prefer. When Solomon made his great choice at Gibeon, God said to him, "Because this was in thine heart to ask wisdom, therefore will I give it unto thee, and all else besides that thou didst not choose." It was not merely that he said it because it was right to say, and
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Spirit of the Law
'For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13. Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15. See, I have
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Love of God Its Own Reward
DEUT. xxx. 19, 20. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live; that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest cleave unto him, for he is thy life and the length of thy days, that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord God sware unto thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them. I spoke to you last Sunday on this text. But there is something
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Blessing and the Curse.
Preached on Whit-Sunday. DEUT. XXX. 19, 20. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
Charles Kingsley—Westminster Sermons

The Jewish World in the Days of Christ - the Jewish Dispersion in the East.
Among the outward means by which the religion of Israel was preserved, one of the most important was the centralisation and localisation of its worship in Jerusalem. If to some the ordinances of the Old Testament may in this respect seem narrow and exclusive, it is at least doubtful, whether without such a provision Monothsiem itself could have continued as a creed or a worship. In view of the state of the ancient world, and of the tendencies of Israel during the earlier stages of their history,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Distinction Between Exterior and Interior Actions --Those of the Soul in this Condition are Interior, but Habitual, Continued, Direct, Profound, Simple, and Imperceptible --Being a Continual
The actions of men are either exterior or interior. The exterior are those which appear outwardly, and have a sensible object, possessing neither good nor evil qualities, excepting as they receive them from the interior principle in which they originate. It is not of these that I intend to speak, but only of interior actions, which are those actions of the soul by which it applies itself inwardly to some object, or turns away from some other. When, being applied to God, I desire to commit an
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

According to which principle or hypothesis all the objections against the universality of Christ's death are easily solved
PROPOSITION VI. According to which principle or hypothesis all the objections against the universality of Christ's death are easily solved; neither is it needful to recur to the ministry of angels, and those other miraculous means which they say God useth to manifest the doctrine and history of Christ's passion unto such, who, living in parts of the world where the outward preaching of the gospel is unknown, have well improved the first and common grace. For as hence it well follows that some of
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

Entering the Covenant: with all the Heart
"And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and all their soul."--2 CHRON. xv. 12 (see xxxiv. 31, and 2 Kings xxiii. 3). "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul."--DEUT. xxx. 6. "And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall turn to Me with their whole heart."--JER. xxiv. 7 (see xxix. 13).
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Sanctification.
I. I will remind you of some points that have been settled in this course of study. 1. The true intent and meaning of the law of God has been, as I trust, ascertained in the lectures on moral government. Let this point if need be, be examined by reference to those lectures. 2. We have also seen, in those lectures, what is not, and what is implied in entire obedience to the moral law. 3. In those lectures, and also in the lectures on justification and repentance, it has been shown that nothing is
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect, for all his Ways are Judgment, a God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children," &c. There are none can behold their own vileness as it is, but in the sight of God's glorious holiness. Sin is darkness, and neither sees itself, nor any thing else, therefore must his light shine to discover this darkness. If we abide within ourselves, and men like ourselves,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Disciple, -- Master, what are Heaven and Hell...
The Disciple,--Master, what are heaven and hell, and where are they? The Master,--1. Heaven and hell are the two opposite states in the spiritual realm. They have their origin in the heart of man and it is in this world that their foundations are laid. Since man cannot see his own spirit, so neither can he see these two states of the soul. But he has experience of them within him, just as he feels pain from a blow and perceives sweetness from eating sweetmeats. The wound caused by the blow may increase
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

"Now the End of the Commandment is Charity Out of a Pure Heart, and a Good Conscience, and Faith Unfeigned. "
[It is extremely probable that this was one of the probationary discourses which the author delivered before the Presbytery of Glasgow, previous to his ordination. The following is an extract from the Record of that Presbytery: "Dec. 5, 1649. The qlk daye Mr. Hew Binnen made his popular sermon 1 Tim. i. ver. 5 'The end of ye commandment is charity.'--Ordaines Mr. Hew Binnen to handle his controversie this day fifteen dayes, De satisfactione Christi."--Ed.] 1 Tim. ii. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Right Understanding of the Law
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Before I come to the commandments, I shall answer questions, and lay down rules respecting the moral law. What is the difference between the moral laud and the gospel? (1) The law requires that we worship God as our Creator; the gospel, that we worship him in and through Christ. God in Christ is propitious; out of him we may see God's power, justice, and holiness: in him we see his mercy displayed. (2) The moral law requires obedience, but gives
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Commerce
The remarkable change which we have noticed in the views of Jewish authorities, from contempt to almost affectation of manual labour, could certainly not have been arbitrary. But as we fail to discover here any religious motive, we can only account for it on the score of altered political and social circumstances. So long as the people were, at least nominally, independent, and in possession of their own land, constant engagement in a trade would probably mark an inferior social stage, and imply
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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