Leon Morris, in the beginning of his commentary on John, describes the Gospel as shallow enough for a baby to wade in but deep enough for an adult to drown in.
Moses, when discussing the covenant between God and the Israelites, emphasizes that even the simplest among them can understand it.
“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’
Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’
No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
To be clear, there’s no need to send someone to heaven to understand what God is saying. You also don’t need to send anyone to a far-off place on earth for an explanation. The covenant isn’t so high and lofty that only a select few can access it.
No, everyone can understand what God says. The hard part isn’t understanding it, but doing it.
A good preacher once said, “I don’t have trouble with the parts of the Bible I don’t understand. What I struggle with are the parts I do understand but am not following.”
Choose Life
A cardiologist once said that if he had 10 patients on the brink of death and offered them a way to live, 8 out of 10 would stick with their current lifestyle instead of taking the life-saving advice.
Changing our lives seems easy, but altering long-standing habits is really tough. Despite human tendencies to resist change, Moses calls us to choose life.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).
How do we show that we love God? According to Moses, we do this by observing His commandments and following God’s direction in our lives. Jesus had virtually the same message as did Moses.
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
In the next verses, notice how people can turn away from God. Here are some of the terms used:
- Turn away,
- Do not hear,
- Led astray,
- Bow down to other gods,
- Serve other gods.
“But if your heart turns away and you do not hear but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall certainly perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess” (Deuteronomy 30:17-18).
To examine ourselves, we can look at Deuteronomy 30:17-18. How often have we turned away from God, been led astray by substitutes for God, and pretended not to hear His commands? Being led astray, we end up serving the idols of this world.
Choose Life
When we examine the work of Jesus Christ—his life, ministry, death, resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit—we see that God desires us to live. So, it’s fitting to reflect on Moses’ words to the Israelites and choose life.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
Loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
Reflections
I was surprised to read that the cardiologist said 8 out of 10 people don’t follow his advice.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t be part of the two who listen and take action.
We’ve seen what God says about living our best life. It’s up to us to say, “God, I agree, and I’ll do it with you.”
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 