Deuteronomy 30: Bringing the nations near God so they can ‘choose life’

The Law of the LORD, or Torah, is as difficult to follow and indecipherable as we make it â€” simply, choose the lifestyle that leads to life. The LORD over time aligns our emotions, desires and reason in that direction.

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Food for thought

To whom were the promises in Deuteronomy 30 directed? Was the circumcising of the heart something that Messiah Yeshua started?

What does Deut. 30:11-14 say about whether the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy) is possible to keep? How is the Day of Atonement connected to the ability and necessity of the people of God to follow His Torah? Did God set us up to fail or to succeed — put another way, to die or to live?

What are the conditions for blessing God? Have any of the curses in Deuteronomy 28-29 been left out of Israel’s history? How is the recalling of the curses and blessings throughout the world related to study of the Bible (Deut. 30:1)?

Has the returning to the LORD and obeying Him (Deut. 30:2) happened yet? What are the commands in Deut. 30:2, Deut 30:6, Deut. 30:10 and Deut. 30:15-16? What does Moshe (Moses) mean when he said, “choose life”?

How many returns of the exiles of Israel have there been (Deut. 30:3-5)? How about today?

What is meant by “all your heart and all your soul” in Deuteronomy 30 (compare with Deut. 6:4)? Why is not “all your might” mentioned (see Eze. 36:22-23)? How is this connected to Ezekiel’s prophecy of a last days temple to be built? How is this also connected to apostle Paul’s discussion of the “spirit of the Law” and the “letter of the Law” (Rom. 7:6; compare with Matt. 5:17-18 and Luke 16:16-17)?

How is the phrase “far off” and “beyond your reach” (Deut. 30:11) related to Abraham’s taking Yitzkhak (Isaac) to the mountain of sacrifice (Gen. 22:4)? How is it also related to apostle Paul’s statement about God’s bringing near His followers from the nations who were “far off” (Eph. 2:13)?

When your heart and soul are aligned with God, what follows with your behavior?

Doesn’t Deut. 30:17-18 indicate that if Israel blew it, God would destroy the nation and replace it with the Church, as is often taught? How is this related at all to the prophecy of the Valley of Dry Bones (Eze. 37:1-14)?