As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, Moses makes the prophecy that one day, because of their unfaithfulness, they will be “vomited” from the land (compare Lev. 18:25, 28). The image suggests, or teaches, that God’s people have a constant need for repentance. Just as the land repents and returns its inhabitants, they will have to repent in order to return to the land. The temptation of the Israelites as they settle in the land is to think that they have reached their destination and do not need to be careful anymore. Little by little, they may lose touch with God and the demands of His law. Thus, thinking that they have arrived at their destination, they will venture outside the old paths. This is precisely what will happen to the people, who will be deceived by their false prophets. These prophets will give them the illusion of peace, “ ‘saying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace’ ” (Jer. 6:14, NKJV). The prophet Jeremiah will, then, urge them to wake up and repent: “Ask for the old paths” (Jer. 6:16). There is an irony in the biblical idea of repentance: progress means going back.
Lesson Themes:
In this lesson, we will study the structure of repentance, “return to God,” an important principle in the book of Deuteronomy, which will confront us with the following themes:
• Seeking God
• God’s Forgiveness
• The Return
• The Fulfillment of Prophecy
Part II: Commentary
At the door of the land, Moses repeats his warnings. The fact that God took Israel there does not mean that the people will stay in this land forever. Moses sees the Israelites’ potential failures and, hence, their exiles in the future, and he wants to assure them. When they go astray and are in distress, resulting from judgment, the Israelites will have to seek their Lord, who will then forgive them. They will then return to their walk with God on the “old paths.” God will then bring them back to the land.
Seeking God
This first step on these “old paths” to God emerges from a situation of distress. When the people understand that they are in a hopeless situation, which is the result of their unfaithfulness and their idolatry, the only solution to their distress is to turn to God “ ‘with all your heart’ ” (Deut. 4:29, NKJV). They should not be afraid to turn to God, and completely rely on Him. Why? Precisely because God is ready to receive them. Moses’ main argument to convince his people of God’s readiness to respond consists in describing God’s profound thinking. The Hebrew phrase mi yitten, translated “ ‘ “Oh . . . !” ’ ” (NKJV), is an idiomatic expression that means literally “who will give” (or “who will make it happen”), which is often used to introduce a profound desire, some kind of rhetorical question for an impossible outcome. God wishes in the depth of His heart that “ ‘ “they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me” ’ ” (Deut. 5:29, NKJV). By revealing God’s secret wish, showing His good disposition and hence His love for them, Moses encourages his people to seek God and repent. The problem of Israel is that they realize the gravity of their sin—and, therefore, fear to come to the divine Judge who just crushed them. The case of Job illustrates perfectly this mysterious process. After having acknowledged God’s heavy hand on him, Job makes an incredible confession of faith: “ ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him’ ” (Job 13:15, NKJV). Job knew that God was the only way out of his tragic condition. Paradoxically, Job flees from God to God. Moses encourages his people to do the same.
Discussion and Thought Questions: What aspect of God’s character is revealed through the idiomatic expression mi yitten? What does the impossibility of realizing this wish teach you about God? What is the condition that triggers Israel to move to seek God, and why? What does it mean to seek God? Why did Israel need to seek God?
God’s Forgiveness
It is because of God’s merciful character that the Israelites will be forgiven, not because of their merits. There is not any reason that would justify God’s forgiveness. And yet, He will forgive them in a very exceptional manner. To prove this point, Moses reminds the people of how God spared them and how they survived before Him, in spite of their sinful nature (Deut. 5:24, 25). In the preceding chapter, Moses had used the same reasoning: “ ‘Did any people ever hear the voice of God . . . as you have heard, and live?’ ” (Deut. 4:33, NKJV). It is the conviction of God’s grace that would help the people of Israel dare to approach God in spite of their sinful nature.
Discuss This True Story: Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter, tells the story of his encounter with a former Nazi officer who was dying in a hospital. The Nazi asked Wiesenthal to forgive him for the horrific crimes he had committed against Jewish civilians, without which, he claimed, he could not die in peace. Wiesenthal, who kept silence throughout the encounter, walked away without responding to the Nazi’s request. Wiesenthal concludes the story with a question: “What would you have done?”—Simon Wiesenthal, The Sunflower (London: W. H. Allen, 1970), p. 99.
Discussion and Thought Questions: Was it possible for Wiesenthal to forgive? “What would you have done?” Discuss the dimension of grace in the victim’s forgiveness. Why is it that sin is forgiven only when it is unforgivable?
The Return
Note that the movement of return begins only after the Israelites found God or, rather, after God responded to them. The Hebrew verb shuv, “return,” consists in paying attention to God’s voice and in obeying His commandments (Deut. 30:2, 8) and in “circumcis[ing],” or changing, their hearts (Deut. 10:16). Interestingly, the root shuv combines in itself both requirements to turn from evil and to turn back to God, who will be found again on “the old paths.” This parallel movement implies a profound insight: the best way to resist evil is to do good. Because Israel has shown itself incapable of circumcising its heart, it is God Himself who will do that operation (Deut. 30:6). He is the one who will change His people’s heart—and, thus, create the conditions for them to turn to Him, hear His voice, and to obey Him “ ‘with all your heart and with all your soul’ ” (Deut. 30:2, NKJV). It is this profound repentance and thorough conversion that will lead to the rejoicing of God: “ ‘For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers’ ” (Deut. 30:9, NKJV). These passages from the book of Deuteronomy will inspire the message of the latter prophets that the people of Israel are incapable by themselves of repenting on their own (see Jer. 4:22; Jer. 13:23; Hos. 5:4, etc.).
Discussion and Thought Questions: Why was it impossible for the Israelites to change their hearts and proceed by themselves to the circumcision of their hearts? On what basis could Moses say that it was impossible for Israel to repent? If, indeed, Moses thought so, why is he urging the people to repent? Is the situation different for Christians? Explain. Looking at the history of the church, and looking at yourself, do you think that Christians were (are) more capable of repenting? Why, or why not?
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
It is clear that we have here a Messianic prophecy that refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnation, who will come down to initiate the movement of repentance that will bring the new covenant into the hearts of God’s people. Only God’s descent into our hearts, into our sphere, will allow the miracle of the circumcision of the heart, as Paul explains: “In Him you were all circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Col. 2:11, NKJV). Only the Cross, which manifests “the working of God” (Col. 2:12, NKJV), through grace, will make the impossible possible. The wish of God implied in the idiomatic expression mi yitten will then be fulfilled.
Discussion and Thought Questions: How do these promises of the book of Deuteronomy apply to the first coming of Jesus and/or to His second coming? Why is it necessary for God’s people to repent before the second coming of Jesus Christ? How does the Hebrew idea of repentance, which implies the return to “old paths,” inform the notion of repentance of God’s people at the time of the end? Considering the lessons of Deuteronomy, how will the circumcision of their hearts be performed?
Part III: Life Application
Test Your True Repentance:
Remember the stories of your experience of repentance. How many times did you ask for the forgiveness of someone you hurt, and explain the reasons for why you behaved that way? When you say “sorry,” do you add a “but,” accusing the person you hurt?
Test Your Searching of God:
Discuss the following pedagogical advice: If you search and do not find, you will not believe; if you do not search and you find, you will not believe; only if you search and you find, will you believe. How does this paradoxical observation apply to the experience of searching for and finding God? How true is it? Why do some people seem to find God while searching for Him, while others seem to find Him, although they did not search for Him?
Practice Repentance:
• Team Exercise: Find a partner (your spouse, son, daughter, or close friend). Select a particular day in the religious calendar (Christmas, Easter, Communion, the Sabbath). For the seven days before that day, record your failures, your regrets, and your victories. The last day before the appointed time, report to your partner. Try to be as honest as possible, and answer the following questions: How did your experiences of repentance change you? How often did you repeat the same mistake?
Personal Exercise:
Read Psalm 51, the prayer of repentance by David:
• Pray for mercy (Ps. 51:1).
• Acknowledge your transgression (Ps. 51:3).
• Be accountable to the one against whom you’ve sinned (Ps. 51:4).
• Ask God for a new heart (Ps. 51:7–12).
Notes
Adjust My Preferences
Welcome! Please set your reading preferences below.
You can access this panel later by clicking the
preference icon
in the top right of the page.
Key Text: Deuteronomy 4:29
Study Focus: Deut. 30:1–10; Deut. 4:25–31; Matt. 3:1–8; Acts 2:37, 38.
Part I: Overview
As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, Moses makes the prophecy that one day, because of their unfaithfulness, they will be “vomited” from the land (compare Lev. 18:25, 28). The image suggests, or teaches, that God’s people have a constant need for repentance. Just as the land repents and returns its inhabitants, they will have to repent in order to return to the land. The temptation of the Israelites as they settle in the land is to think that they have reached their destination and do not need to be careful anymore. Little by little, they may lose touch with God and the demands of His law. Thus, thinking that they have arrived at their destination, they will venture outside the old paths. This is precisely what will happen to the people, who will be deceived by their false prophets. These prophets will give them the illusion of peace, “ ‘saying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace’ ” (Jer. 6:14, NKJV). The prophet Jeremiah will, then, urge them to wake up and repent: “Ask for the old paths” (Jer. 6:16). There is an irony in the biblical idea of repentance: progress means going back.
Lesson Themes:
In this lesson, we will study the structure of repentance, “return to God,” an important principle in the book of Deuteronomy, which will confront us with the following themes:
• Seeking God
• God’s Forgiveness
• The Return
• The Fulfillment of Prophecy
Part II: Commentary
At the door of the land, Moses repeats his warnings. The fact that God took Israel there does not mean that the people will stay in this land forever. Moses sees the Israelites’ potential failures and, hence, their exiles in the future, and he wants to assure them. When they go astray and are in distress, resulting from judgment, the Israelites will have to seek their Lord, who will then forgive them. They will then return to their walk with God on the “old paths.” God will then bring them back to the land.
Seeking God
This first step on these “old paths” to God emerges from a situation of distress. When the people understand that they are in a hopeless situation, which is the result of their unfaithfulness and their idolatry, the only solution to their distress is to turn to God “ ‘with all your heart’ ” (Deut. 4:29, NKJV). They should not be afraid to turn to God, and completely rely on Him. Why? Precisely because God is ready to receive them. Moses’ main argument to convince his people of God’s readiness to respond consists in describing God’s profound thinking. The Hebrew phrase mi yitten, translated “ ‘ “Oh . . . !” ’ ” (NKJV), is an idiomatic expression that means literally “who will give” (or “who will make it happen”), which is often used to introduce a profound desire, some kind of rhetorical question for an impossible outcome. God wishes in the depth of His heart that “ ‘ “they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me” ’ ” (Deut. 5:29, NKJV). By revealing God’s secret wish, showing His good disposition and hence His love for them, Moses encourages his people to seek God and repent. The problem of Israel is that they realize the gravity of their sin—and, therefore, fear to come to the divine Judge who just crushed them. The case of Job illustrates perfectly this mysterious process. After having acknowledged God’s heavy hand on him, Job makes an incredible confession of faith: “ ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him’ ” (Job 13:15, NKJV). Job knew that God was the only way out of his tragic condition. Paradoxically, Job flees from God to God. Moses encourages his people to do the same.
Discussion and Thought Questions: What aspect of God’s character is revealed through the idiomatic expression mi yitten? What does the impossibility of realizing this wish teach you about God? What is the condition that triggers Israel to move to seek God, and why? What does it mean to seek God? Why did Israel need to seek God?
God’s Forgiveness
It is because of God’s merciful character that the Israelites will be forgiven, not because of their merits. There is not any reason that would justify God’s forgiveness. And yet, He will forgive them in a very exceptional manner. To prove this point, Moses reminds the people of how God spared them and how they survived before Him, in spite of their sinful nature (Deut. 5:24, 25). In the preceding chapter, Moses had used the same reasoning: “ ‘Did any people ever hear the voice of God . . . as you have heard, and live?’ ” (Deut. 4:33, NKJV). It is the conviction of God’s grace that would help the people of Israel dare to approach God in spite of their sinful nature.
Discuss This True Story: Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter, tells the story of his encounter with a former Nazi officer who was dying in a hospital. The Nazi asked Wiesenthal to forgive him for the horrific crimes he had committed against Jewish civilians, without which, he claimed, he could not die in peace. Wiesenthal, who kept silence throughout the encounter, walked away without responding to the Nazi’s request. Wiesenthal concludes the story with a question: “What would you have done?”—Simon Wiesenthal, The Sunflower (London: W. H. Allen, 1970), p. 99.
Discussion and Thought Questions: Was it possible for Wiesenthal to forgive? “What would you have done?” Discuss the dimension of grace in the victim’s forgiveness. Why is it that sin is forgiven only when it is unforgivable?
The Return
Note that the movement of return begins only after the Israelites found God or, rather, after God responded to them. The Hebrew verb shuv, “return,” consists in paying attention to God’s voice and in obeying His commandments (Deut. 30:2, 8) and in “circumcis[ing],” or changing, their hearts (Deut. 10:16). Interestingly, the root shuv combines in itself both requirements to turn from evil and to turn back to God, who will be found again on “the old paths.” This parallel movement implies a profound insight: the best way to resist evil is to do good. Because Israel has shown itself incapable of circumcising its heart, it is God Himself who will do that operation (Deut. 30:6). He is the one who will change His people’s heart—and, thus, create the conditions for them to turn to Him, hear His voice, and to obey Him “ ‘with all your heart and with all your soul’ ” (Deut. 30:2, NKJV). It is this profound repentance and thorough conversion that will lead to the rejoicing of God: “ ‘For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers’ ” (Deut. 30:9, NKJV). These passages from the book of Deuteronomy will inspire the message of the latter prophets that the people of Israel are incapable by themselves of repenting on their own (see Jer. 4:22; Jer. 13:23; Hos. 5:4, etc.).
Discussion and Thought Questions: Why was it impossible for the Israelites to change their hearts and proceed by themselves to the circumcision of their hearts? On what basis could Moses say that it was impossible for Israel to repent? If, indeed, Moses thought so, why is he urging the people to repent? Is the situation different for Christians? Explain. Looking at the history of the church, and looking at yourself, do you think that Christians were (are) more capable of repenting? Why, or why not?
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
It is clear that we have here a Messianic prophecy that refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnation, who will come down to initiate the movement of repentance that will bring the new covenant into the hearts of God’s people. Only God’s descent into our hearts, into our sphere, will allow the miracle of the circumcision of the heart, as Paul explains: “In Him you were all circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Col. 2:11, NKJV). Only the Cross, which manifests “the working of God” (Col. 2:12, NKJV), through grace, will make the impossible possible. The wish of God implied in the idiomatic expression mi yitten will then be fulfilled.
Discussion and Thought Questions: How do these promises of the book of Deuteronomy apply to the first coming of Jesus and/or to His second coming? Why is it necessary for God’s people to repent before the second coming of Jesus Christ? How does the Hebrew idea of repentance, which implies the return to “old paths,” inform the notion of repentance of God’s people at the time of the end? Considering the lessons of Deuteronomy, how will the circumcision of their hearts be performed?
Part III: Life Application
Test Your True Repentance:
Remember the stories of your experience of repentance. How many times did you ask for the forgiveness of someone you hurt, and explain the reasons for why you behaved that way? When you say “sorry,” do you add a “but,” accusing the person you hurt?
Test Your Searching of God:
Discuss the following pedagogical advice: If you search and do not find, you will not believe; if you do not search and you find, you will not believe; only if you search and you find, will you believe. How does this paradoxical observation apply to the experience of searching for and finding God? How true is it? Why do some people seem to find God while searching for Him, while others seem to find Him, although they did not search for Him?
Practice Repentance:
• Team Exercise: Find a partner (your spouse, son, daughter, or close friend). Select a particular day in the religious calendar (Christmas, Easter, Communion, the Sabbath). For the seven days before that day, record your failures, your regrets, and your victories. The last day before the appointed time, report to your partner. Try to be as honest as possible, and answer the following questions: How did your experiences of repentance change you? How often did you repeat the same mistake?
Personal Exercise:
Read Psalm 51, the prayer of repentance by David:
• Pray for mercy (Ps. 51:1).
• Acknowledge your transgression (Ps. 51:3).
• Be accountable to the one against whom you’ve sinned (Ps. 51:4).
• Ask God for a new heart (Ps. 51:7–12).
Notes