REMINDING THEM OF THE COVENANT In the whole book of Deuteronomy, and even in the whole Bible, there is nothing that preoccupies the minds of the men of God, like the enjoyment of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his descendants after him; that preoccupied the minds of the prophet Moses and the prophets along the generations, until the Lord Christ came and sealed it by His precious blood. Moses again reminds them of the dealings of God with them in their exodus and in the wilderness (2-9); inciting them to be faithful to the divine covenant; as a new generation chosen by God to be representatives of God Himself on earth (10-21). It is a collective covenant, in which he proclaims that God confirms the reference of the people to Him among the nations (22-29). He did not mention the rite of the renewal of the covenant, as practiced by the new generation. 1. Reminding them of the covenant 1-9. 2. The two parties of the covenant 10-15. 3. Idolatry constitutes a breaking of the covenant 16-28. 4. The secret things belong to the Lord 29. 1. REMINDING THEM OF THE COVENANT As the nature of man’s memory tends to forget; especially in things concerning his relationship with God; God incites us to renew the covenant with Him, reminding us of His dealings with us in the past. Now, before the departure of the prophet Moses from this world, he reminded the people once and again of what God has done with them and with their fathers, from the time they were suffering from servitude in the land of Egypt, until they came to the Mount of Moab. God has previously made a covenant with their father Abraham. Now he does not present a new covenant different from the one set in Sinai, but he intends to confirm and renew that same covenant. God is faithful in His eternal covenant that would never change. But, because man, with his corrupt heart forgets, or pretends to forget it for the sake of lust, pride, or material profit; he is in need for someone to remind him all the time of renewing the covenant with the Lord his Savior. Moses clarified that the conditions of the covenant are not his own; but his role is to break the seals and to reveal what was set by the Lord Himself. “These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb” (Deut. 29:1) Although the covenant that He now sets in Moab, bears the same spirit as that previously set in Horeb; yet God presents it to every generation according to their situations, as though He is renewing it. God intends to confirm to every generation that the covenant is their own, and not that of the previous generations. It is a covenant convenient to the present generation. (1) The covenant always starts with a reference to the great events that took place; that reveals the deals of God with His people. “Now Moses called all Israel and said to them, ‘You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land – the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders” (Deut 29:2, 3) 10 The exodus from Egypt, the liberation from the servitude of Pharaoh; and all the signs and wonders that reveal God’s plan toward His people, and His goal from the covenant He set with them. Although he is speaking to a new generation born in the wilderness, yet he speaks about the exodus from Egypt, saying, “You have seen… before your eyes, which your eyes have seen.” What their fathers have seen and talked to their children about is counted as something that the next generations have themselves seen and experienced. (2) Although the past events testify to the dealings of God, and reveal His covenant; yet the problem is in man, who does not seek understanding and wisdom; something that brings grief to the heart of Moses. “Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day” (Deut. 29:4) God wishes to give the believer a heart to perceive; according to the words of the wise Solomon: “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them” (Proverb 20:12); Yet He does not give it to him who opposes. There are many who have eyes, yet they cannot see, because they do not seek the truth, but what is for their lusts. The Lord Christ came to His own, who, although they saw Him, yet without the eyes of faith. That is why they did not accept Him. And as the apostle Paul says: “If they knew the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified Him.” God granted man a heart that bears an inner insight and spiritual ears, by which he can see and hear. But, if he refuses to obey God, he would become as though he was not granted a heart to perceive, eyes to see, or ears to hear. With every practice of obedience with the spirit of love, the soul would ascend, as though one step of the ladder of heaven, led by the light of the Holy Spirit, who purifies its depths to become capable of seeing and of hearing the divine voice. By this, the renewal of the covenant with God, would become, not just presenting promises to God to respond to His love, but by the practical response to the Spirit of God, and the acceptance of the divine grace in the practical life; by which the soul ascends day after day, as though to heaven itself. (3) God’s dealing with them is perpetual and continuous. It did not stop at their exodus from the land of Egypt, or at the perdition of Pharaoh and his army; but He sustained the people for forty years in the wilderness, and let them need nothing. Referring to God’s dealings, full of compassion toward His people, it is not the prophet Moses who speaks, but he lets God Himself do the talking: “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink; that you may know that I am the Lord your God” (Deut. 29:5, 6) God took on Himself the role of their leader; He also cared for their clothes, footwear, food, and drinks; He not only gave them what is necessary, but He even gave them wine that symbolizes joy. (4) He granted them the conquest over their enemies: “And when you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us to battle and we conquered them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh” (Deut. 29:7, 8) Together with the conquest He also granted them a flood of riches. He gave them the land of the enemies to inherit. Now, the prophet Moses calls them to keep 11 the covenant, and to practically realize it, in order to prosper in everything they do. “Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in what you do” (Deut. 29:9) The prophet Moses did not refer, as far as the renewal of the covenant is concerned, to the animal sacrifices, nor to the rites of purification; as he knew that the people would never forget these things. But he concentrated on ‘obedience;’ namely, on the faithfulness of heart in encountering God on the level of love. That is the main issue of the renewal of the covenant: the heart dedicated to God by love and obedience! The holy eye to see, and the holy ear to hear the voice of God! 2. THE TWO PARTIES OF THE COVENANT The two parties of the covenant are: God, who intends to establish them as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to them (12), to have complete knowledge of His people, and to have absolute authority over them. The other party is the whole people; the heads of the tribes, the elders, men, women, children, beside the strangers who joined them in faith. “All of you stand today before the Lord your God: your leaders and your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, and your wives – also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood, to the one who draws your water” (Deut. 29:10, 11) God sets His covenant with the congregation with all its categories; Hebrews and strangers; the present and the future generations. He starts with the heads of the tribes, for whom it is fitting to bow their heads under the divine yoke, in which they would find an exalted love, abundant mercies, and prosper in everything. Women and children should also be included, as all are invited to enjoy this covenant. The Lord Christ says: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). The invitation includes the strangers who denied idolatry and entered into the faith of God. When the Lord Christ entered the house of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector, He said: “he also is the son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). And even the slaves are not denied the enjoyment of the covenant, those who cut the wood or draw the water. In other words, there is no one too great to enter a covenant with God, or to be bound to Him; nor there is anyone not invited to enjoy the blessings of the covenant. “In Christ Jesus, there is no slave nor free” (Colossians 3:11); and, “Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it” (1 Corinthians 7:21). “That you may enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes with you today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Deut. 29:12-13) The invitation is given to those who attended a holy spiritual meeting, together with those who were absent. “I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but also with him who stands here with us today before the Lord our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today” (Deut. 29:14, 15) The word “enter” (12) in Hebrew came to bear a meaning that is difficult to translate. It does not mean signing a contract just for formality, but to enter into its depths. It is as though that contract is an encounter of God with the holy congregation; in an amazing union; a sort of ‘matrimony.’ 12 God intends to make His covenant with all His people; those who were present before Him, or those who could not attend the meeting because of any reason like being sick. These should not be denied taking part in the covenant; because, though they could not come to the house of the Lord, yet they were there in Spirit, if not in body. He probably meant by those who did not attend, the future generations, as the covenant extends till the end of time. As a summary of the covenant, it is: “That He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you” (13), referring to the life of the early fathers as a living example of entering into a covenant with God: “As He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (13). 3. IDOLATRY CONSTITUTES A BREAKING OF THE COVENANT On a positive aspect, God intends to establish them as a people for Himself; and on a negative aspect, He wishes that they would give their back to idolatry, the source of every sin at that time. Some may probably wonder, why speaking about negative aspects? The actual atmosphere, in which the Jews lived in Egypt, makes it necessary to speak about these negative aspects, as: (1) They might have carried in their hearts much of the Egyptian idolatry; and then, they were about to enter into Canaan, to inherit locations of idolatry, to have some pagans living among them, and pagan nations all around them. “(For you know that we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and that we came through the nations which you passed by, and you saw their abominations and their idols which were among them -- wood and stone and silver and gold); so that there may not be among you man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood” (Deut. 29:16- 18) The word “idols” in Hebrew came to mean huge shapeless lumps, incapable of movement, difficult to carry, so they were rolled on the ground. Their gods were worthy to be rolled into or out of their temples; and even worthy to be rolled out of the heart, to make it fit for the dwelling of the living God alone. He warns them that in case that abomination infiltrates into one individual, man or woman, it would defile the whole family, then the whole tribe; the way the bad leaven corrupts the whole dough. A single individual might become a root bearing bitterness and wormwood to corrupt the whole congregation; “looking diligently… lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrew 12:15). That is how one individual may start doubting faith, to become like a sort of undesired weed that infiltrates into a field of wheat to deny them of their due of nourishment. That is why the apostle Paul warns us against those who deny faith, saying: “looking diligently…” In every era, there are some appearing within the congregation, or around it, who may try to kill the living faith, to destroy the new life, for the perdition of souls. The Lord Christ Himself warned us against them, and the apostasy that would happen at the end of days, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. The corrupt teachings become the root of bitterness that corrupts the hearts of believers, to deprive them of the fruits of the Spirit. In case such root of bitterness is found, do not leave it to grow; cut it, to deny it 13 carrying its own fruit; and corrupting and defiling the good ones around it. For a good reason, he called sin bitterness; as there is nothing more bitterly than sin1. St. John Chrysostom In the old days, the people were in danger of being diverted to idolatry, and to denying faith in the living God. But now, as the divine salvation is consummated, the devil has turned his war into trying to draw the believers toward denying the salvation work, denying the deity of the Lord Christ, and devaluation of His redeeming work on the cross. Hence, in every era the devil finds ways to destroy faith. (2) The sinner – especially the idolater – assuming that he is safe and secure, may try to draw others with him. Instead of trying to get rid of that deadly root, full of poison and bitterness, he congratulates himself, as though he has acquired peace, through the imagination of his cruel heart, persistent on evil. “And so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘ I shall have peace, even though I walk in the imagination of my heart – as though the drunkard could be included with the sober” (Deut. 29:19) In the Old Testament, the devil used to do his best to make man deceive himself; that, in worshipping the idols, he enjoys his life, rejoices, and does not deprive himself of the lusts of his body. This war, of self-deceit, is still going on; when man seeks a kind of faith that is connected to the wide road, in order to realize all the lusts of his body with a comfortable conscience, instead of the narrow road. That is why we find the world characterized by a kind of lukewarm faith; we find many who, although they claim that they do not deny the existence of God, yet they deny Him by choosing the wide and easy road. They deceive themselves by the false hope under the pretence of faith; when they are actually diverted from the truth, claiming that they are full of peace. It does not stop at a few people falling into idolatry, but by drawing others to evil, they may cause the whole nation to go to perdition. “The Lord will not spare him; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law” (Deut. 29:20- 21) Destroying himself through connecting to idolatry, and destroying others around him through persisting on it, the Lord would not spare him, but allows for his chastisement, by causing him to burn as though in the furnace of the divine anger, blotting out his name from under heaven, and separating him from the holy congregation; as he is not worthy to enjoy the divine covenant together with them, but deserves to fall under the curses. “So that the coming generation of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, would say, when they see the plagues of that land and the sickness which the Lord has laid on it:’ The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Amah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath’” (Deut. 29:22-23) When the coming generations and the foreign nations hear about what dwelt 1 In Hebr. hom. 31:1. 14 upon the people who possessed and inherited the land, then fell under all those curses; they would stand astonished, wandering what it is all about? “All the nations would say, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean? Then men would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. For they went and served other gods and worshipped them, gods that they did not know and He had not given to them. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book. And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day’” (Deut. 29:24-28) The Lord starts His chastisements by plagues and sicknesses, with the hope that they would repent and return to Him (22). Then in case they did not, He would overthrow the whole nation, like what He did to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath (23); the perdition of which has become a famous example of God’s indignation. The prophet Hosea, in his prophecy, referred to this verse, which proves that he was aware of the book of Deuteronomy. By that, they would come to be a lesson for the future generations, and to the foreigners, to realize what the wicked would do to themselves. And as the apostle Peter says: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what would be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Peter 4:17). The land that flows with milk and honey would come to be an example before the whole world, by its destruction because of sin. God has no partiality. He judges His own, the same way He does the others. A harsher and far bitter judgment would be on those who know more; according to the words of the Lord: “You only, have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). And as it came in Daniel: “All Israel has transgressed Your Law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such never has been done as what has been done to Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:11-12). “Gods that they did not know” (26): As pagans used to believe that every people have a god, whose worship they inherit as their own legacy; the nations would wonder how the Jews have forsaken their God to worship another that they did not know! 4. THE SECRET THINGS BELONG TO THE LORD The prophet Moses ends his talk about the rejection of Israel, by confirming that God, who alone knows the secret things, has an exalted plan that is difficult for man to realize. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29) This phrase has a special significance in revealing the goal of visions and divine proclamations. God does not give them to satisfy our curiosity, nor to fulfill us mentally; but for the sake of our edification and our practical growth. The 15 proclamations and signs are not a parade of God’s mysteries and powers; but they are rather a call for us to enjoy them in our practical life As an example, when the Holy Bible proclaimed to us the story of creation, it did that in a simple way for the sake of our edification; and not in a scientific nor a philosophical way. God’s word is not a book of science or philosophy, but it is a divine word that brings man into the bosom of God. It proclaims the fatherhood of God and His longing to enter with us into a covenant and a work of salvation, that we may respond to Him with a living practical faith and perfect obedience. The divine proclamations are not mental debates; but are divine work through love, so that man would get to know his beloved, would yearn to set forth to Him, and would enjoy dwelling with Him, now and on an eternal level. That is why they are given to every man according to his capacity, and to what is for his edification. The limitless mysteries of God, then stay as an inexhaustible pledge for us to enjoy in eternity; that we realize with new continuous depths, with great longing and growing desire, even in eternity. The prophet Moses says: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us” (29); as though what are proclaimed are just what concern us; and not in order to realize the absolute God as He is! St. John Chrysostom has a voluminous essay on ‘The incomprehensive nature of God,’ in which he speaks about God’s proclamations of His nature, revealed to the heavenly and earthly creations, as much as they could enjoy! “Those things which are revealed to us;” having become “Stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4; 1); God’s proclamations came to be for us a commitment and a responsibility to testify them before others. Visions and proclamations are not a subject of boasting, but rather a call to work and preaching. That is why, as the apostle Paul speaks about the revelation of the divine secret, he connects it to ministry, saying: “The ministry which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:26-28). Whoever enjoys the secret, would long to share the same experience with every one. He would not stop praying and working for realizing this. And as the apostle Paul says: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” (Ephesians 1:17, 18) Yet, whatever proclamations we get; we know the divine secret “in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9), as long as we are still in body in this world. It is as though the prophet Moses confirms our submission to the exalted wisdom of God, which reveals to us as much as we could possibly bear, and what is for our benefit, so that God’s plan would stay exalted as far as the human mind is concerned. The Lord Christ says to His disciples: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7). He said as well to His disciple Peter concerning John the beloved: “If I will that he remains till I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22) And the apostle Paul says: “Let no one defraud you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshy mind” (Colossians 2:18). The Lord calls us to seek the knowledge, and to strive in it, as He longs for us 16 to bear a true knowledge from Him; yet, concerning what is for our edification, and according to our forbearance; and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think (Romans 12:3). Thus every knowledge and every vision should not be without a goal, but for our benefit and edification. This phrase has a special significance for the Jews, assuming that it presents topics of utmost importance concerning them. 17 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY (Chapter 29) RENEW YOUR COVENANT WITH ME These are not the screams of my heart to You; To renew the covenant with me; These are the screams of Your fiery Spirit, longing for me. You wish to renew Your covenant with Your people in every generation. You long for every believer to respond to the covenant. You have performed signs and wonders with my fathers. And You are today still the same; as yesterday, and forever. Performing for me and offering me more than what I ask for; You are an amazing Leader; Who cares for my salvation and conquest; And cares even for my clothes, food, and drink; You wish to fill my life with real joy. You are the Grantor of conquest You destroy before me the forces of darkness with all its energies. And bring me to the new land to possess it. Beside the conquest, You grant me immense riches; And prosperity in every task I stretch my hand to do. Let me stand before You in Your presence; Not to judge me, but to sign the covenant of love between us. Your knowledge of me is perfect; You know my falls, my corruption, and my weaknesses. And yet, You still intend to establish a covenant with me. You set Your covenant with both the great and the slaves; With men, women, and children. With Hebrews and foreigners, even captives among them. Here I approach; lift me up out of the trash; And bring me, according to Your true promise, among the highest nobility of Your people. I will give my back to the devil with all his deceits. I will not allow any wrong thought to infiltrate into my depts, Lest it would become the root of bitterness in my whole being. Is there anything sweeter than Your love? Is there anything more bitter than sin? You are the sweetness of my love, which takes away from me the bitterness of sin. Let me set a covenant with You; O the heavenly wisdom; To reveal for me Your mysteries. And to proclaim in my depths Your truth and plan! You are the very wisdom, and the Revealer of all mysteries.
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