Era 4 · Covenant and WildernessDeuteronomy
Choose Life
"The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart"
"When all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse… and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations… And shalt return unto the LORD thy God… then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee." "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart."
"For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us… Neither is it beyond the sea… But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it."
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil… 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… for he is thy life, and the length of thy days."
Heart circumcision, then and later
In 10:16 Israel is told to circumcise its own heart; in 30:6 God promises to do it. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant written on the heart (31:31–34), and Ezekiel of a new heart and spirit (36:26–27). Paul writes that "circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit" (Romans 2:29).
"Not in heaven"
A famous Talmudic story (Bava Metzia 59b) uses 30:12 to argue that the law, once given, is interpreted by human courts, not by voices from heaven. Paul reads the same verses of Christ: "Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)… The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach" (Romans 10:6–8). Both are later readings; in Deuteronomy the point is that the commandment is accessible and doable.
The Case for the Biblical Account
Scripture's account
Return after exile, the circumcised heart, and the choice of life (Deuteronomy 30).
What evidence would we expect?
Historical exile and return; later use of the passage.
The discoveries
The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles; the Cyrus Cylinder and the return under Persia; reuse in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Talmud and Romans.
Testing the discoveries
Many scholars read the promise of return as written during or after the exile; traditional readers see prophecy. The exile itself is a well-documented event, but it does not by itself date the text.
The strongest reconstruction
Deuteronomy 30 offers hope beyond judgment, in language that shaped the prophets and the New Testament.
What remains possible
Whether the chapter is Mosaic prophecy, an exilic addition, or both.
What the evidence shows
- The Babylonian exile and the return under Persia are historically documented.
- Deuteronomy 30 was written during the exile.
- "The LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart."
Continue the journey
Connected elsewhere in ScriptureThe Covenant at Shechem and the BurialsJoshua 24:15: "Choose you this day whom ye will serve."More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- The new covenant.
- "A new heart also will I give you."
- "The word is nigh thee."
- "Choose you this day whom ye will serve."
- "That they might have life."