Read Deuteronomy 29:10-30:20 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Deu 29:10-29 {s} Do not forsake this covenant for Israel will be uprooted from this land
Deu 30:1-10 {s} Repentance, obedience, return, and blessing
Deu 30:11-14 {s} Not hidden or far off, but very near that we may do it
Deu 30:15-20 {p} Israel may choose life or death, blessing or cursing
chiastic structure:
1a) Deu 29:10-29:28, Moses set before Israel the covenant: keep and be blessed or forsake and be cursed;
1b) Deu 29:29 {s} The revealed commandment belongs to us that we may do the Law;
central axis) Deu 30:1-10 {s} Repentance and obedience = return and blessing;
2b) Deu 30:11-14 {s} The commandment is not hidden from you that you may do the Law;
2a) Deu 30:15-20 {p} Moses set before Israel life and blessing, death and cursing.
Once again the central axis is focused on life and blessing as a result of repentance, return, and obedience. Notice that the teaching of the Scripture is that the Law is not beyond God’s people to keep or to do. We are so often taught that obedience does not save a man, that we have completely lost sight, many times, of the benefit of obedience. The benefit of obedience may not be salvation … but it does carry its own benefit.
Over and over again in Torah we have seen the benefit of obedience: “that it may go well with you;” “that you may prosper in all that you do.” God is giving us His wisdom in how to open the doors to prosperity, health, happiness, a stable family life, a peaceful society and every good thing that benefits the physical life of a man on this side of heaven. He has given us this wisdom in the form of commandments. We have despised them to our great hurt!
Moreover, the central axis reveals that the circumcision of the hearts of our descendants to love and serve God, is a promised outcome of the repentance, return, and obedience of the parents. The statistic is somewhere around 90% of our children raised in church to believing parents, leave the faith upon adulthood. Why? Their hearts are not circumcised to love and serve God. Raising children in church, homeschooling, being involved parents, monitoring their friends, TV time, video games – none of that guarantees that we will be successful in raising our children with circumcised hearts to love and serve God. But the Scripture does teach us what will guarantee it – and that is the repentance, return, and obedience of the parents to His commandments. I have lived through both the curse of my children taken captive by another people, and their return with circumcised hearts to love and serve God, when I put this principle in action – and it will happen for you too!
Notice that the teaching of the Scripture is that the Law is not beyond God’s people to keep or to do. Where did you get this information?
Hello Afdebo, thank you for visiting and commenting. I would like to answer your question, “Where did you get this information?” Do you mean, the Hebrew paragraph divisions? They are present in Torah scrolls. The single line summary of each paragraph is my own from my Bible study notes. The chiastic structures are those that the Holy Spirit has revealed to me as I study Scripture. If that did not answer your question, please clarify and I will respond. God bless you in Yeshua – Christine