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Deuteronomy 29:10-15 Ye stand this day all of you before the
LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy
God maketh with thee this day: 13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto
thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14
Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before
the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day: They are all to be taken into covenant
with him. They were all summoned to attend, and did accordingly, and are told what was the design of their appearing
before God now in a body--they were to enter into covenant with him. Even their great men, the captains of their tribes,
their elders and officers, must not think it any disparagement to their honour, or any diminution of their power, to put their
necks under the yoke of this covenant, and to draw in it. They must rather enter into the covenant first, to set a good example
to their inferiors. Not the men only, but their wives and children, must come into this covenant; though they were not numbered
and mustered, yet they must be joined to the Lord. Observe, Even little ones are capable of being taken into covenant
with God, and are to be admitted with their parents. Little children, so little as to be carried in arms, must be brought
to Christ, and shall be blessed by him, for of such was and is the kingdom of God. Not the men of Israel
only, but the stranger that was in their camp, provided he was so far proselyted to their religion as to renounce all false
gods, was taken into this covenant with the God of Israel, forasmuch as he also, though a stranger, was to be looked upon
in this matter as a son of Abraham. This was an early indication of favour to the Gentiles, and of the kindness God
had in store for them. It is the Lord their God they are to covenant with. To him they must give up themselves, to him
they must join themselves. "It is his oath; he has drawn up the covenant and settled it; he requires your consent to it; he
has sworn to you and to him you must be sworn." This requires us to be sincere and serious, humble and reverent, in our covenant-transactions
with God, remembering how great a God he is with whom we are covenanting, who has a perfect knowledge of us and an absolute
dominion over us. Those that tarried at home were included; though detained either by sickness or necessary business,
they must not therefore think themselves disengaged; no, every Israelite shares in the common blessings. Those that tarry
at home divide the spoil, and therefore every Israelite must own himself bound by the consent of the representative body.
Those who cannot go up to the house of the Lord must keep up a spiritual communion with those that do, and be present in spirit
when they are absent in body. The generations to come are included. Nay, one of the Chaldee paraphrasts reads it, All
the generations that have been from the first days of the world, and all that shall arise to the end of the whole world, stand
with us here this day. And so, taking this covenant as a typical dispensation of the covenant of grace, it is a noble
testimony to the Mediator of that covenant, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.; 30:11-20 For
this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in
heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we
may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do
it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this
day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments,
that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess
it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and
serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon
the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 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: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave
unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto
thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. I. This is true of
the law of Moses. They could never plead in excuse of their disobedience that God had enjoined them that which was either
unintelligible or impracticable, impossible to be known or to be done: It is not hidden from thee. That is, not send
messengers to heaven , to enquire what thou must do to please God; nor needest thou go beyond sea, as the philosophers
did, that travelled through many and distant regions in pursuit of learning; no, thou art not put to that labour and expense;
nor is the commandment within the reach of those only that have a great estate or a refined genius, but it is very nigh
unto thee. Every man is moved and governed in his actions by hope and fear, hope of good and fear of evil, real of apparent.
"Now," says Moses, "I have tried both ways; if you will be either drawn to obedience by the certain prospect of advantage
by it, or driven to obedience by the no less certain prospect of ruin in case you be disobedient--if you will be wrought upon
either way, you will be kept close to God and your duty; but, if you will not, you are utterly inexcusable." Let us, then,
hear the conclusion of the whole matter. If they and theirs would love God and serve him, they should live and be happy.
If they would love God, and evidence the sincerity of their love by keeping his commandments--if they would make conscience
of keeping his commandments, and do it from a principle of love--then God would do them good, and they should be as happy
as his love and blessing could make them. If they or theirs should at any time turn from God, desert his service, and
worship other gods this would certainly be their ruin. Observe, It is not for every failure in the particulars of their duty
that ruin is threatened, but for apostasy and idolatry: though every violation of the command deserved the curse, yet the
nation would be destroyed by that only which is the violation of the marriage covenant.Those that come short of life and happiness
must thank themselves; they would have had it if they had chosen it when it was put to their choice: but they die because
they will die; that is, because they do not like the life promised upon the terms proposed.He shows them, in short,
what their duty is, to love God, and to love him as the Lord, a Being most amiable, and as their God,
a God in covenant with them; and, as an evidence of this love, to obey his voice in every thing, and by a constancy
in this love and obedience to cleave to him, and never to forsake him in affection or practice. He shows them
what reason there was for this duty, inconsideration.
The covenant concerning Palestine is the third
of the theoretic covenants (pretaining to the rule of God). The Palestinian Covenant has two aspects:
1. the legal aspects which are immediate and conditional
(Deuteronomy 27-29).
2. the grace aspects which are future and unconditinal(Deuteronomy
30:1-9 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have
set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this
day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn
thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD
thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the
LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee
into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy
fathers. 6 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, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put
all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and
obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD
thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and
in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:).
The enjoyment of the immediate blessings are introduced by the conditional formula: "If thou shalt harken diligently
unto the voice of the Lord thy God. . . the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." (Deuteronomy
28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe
and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all
nations of the earth: The blessings are here put before the curses, to intimate, that God is slow to anger, but swift
to show mercy: he has said it, and sworn, that he would much rather we would obey and live than sin and die. It is his delight
to bless. That though both the promises and the threatenings are designed to bring and hold us to our duty, yet it is better
that we be allured to that which is good by a filial hope of God's favour than that we be frightened to it by a servile fear
of his wrath. That obedience pleases best which comes from a principle of delight in God's goodness. Sadly, Israel did
not meet the condition of obedience, and is still experiencing God's curses and pun ishment for their disobedience (Deuteronomy
28:15-68). The unconditional grace aspects of the Palestinian Covenant have yet to be realized. God will regather
the scattered people of IIsrael and establish them in the land He has promised unconditionally to give them. Deuteronomy
concludes the Palestinian Covenant with a final warning and challenge for obedience (Deuteronomy 30:1-20 And it shall
come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou
shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return
unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children,
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered
thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather
thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers
possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 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, and
with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies,
and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and
do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every
work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for
the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto
the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law,
and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which
I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest
say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond
the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have
set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD
thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply:
and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn
away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto
you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over
Jordan to go to possess it. 19 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: 20 That thou mayest love
the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and
the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob, to give them).
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