This chapter is one of very deep interest and importance. It is
prophetic, and presents to us some of "the secret things" referred to
at the close of the preceding chapter. It unfolds some of those most
precious resources of grace treasured up in the heart of God, to be
unfolded when Israel, having utterly failed to keep the law, should be
scattered to the ends of the earth.
"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, 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_;
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."
How touching, how perfectly beautiful, is all this! It is no question
of law-keeping, but something far deeper, far more precious; it is the
turning of the heart--the whole heart--the whole soul to Jehovah, at a
time when a literal obedience to the law is utterly impossible. It is
a broken and contrite heart turning to God, and God, in deep and
tender compassion, meeting that heart. This is true blessedness, at
all times and in all places. It is something above and beyond all
dispensational dealings and arrangements. It is God Himself, in all
the fullness and ineffable blessedness of what He is, meeting a
repentant soul; and we may truly say that when these two meet, all is
divinely and eternally settled.
It must be perfectly clear to the reader that what we have now before
us is something as far removed from law-keeping and human
righteousness as heaven is above earth. The first verse of our chapter
proves in the clearest possible manner that the people are viewed as
in a condition in which the carrying out of the ordinances of the law
is a simple impossibility. But blessed be God, there is not a spot on
the face of the earth, be it ever so remote, from which the heart
cannot turn to God. The _hands_ might not be able to present a victim
for the altar, the _feet_ might not be able to travel to the appointed
place of worship, but the _heart_ could travel to God. Yes; the poor
crushed, broken, contrite heart could go directly to God, and God, in
the depth of His compassion and tender mercy, could meet that heart,
bind it up, and fill it to overflowing with the rich comfort and
consolation of His love, and the full joy of His salvation.
But let us hearken yet further to those "secret things" which "belong
to God"--things precious beyond all human thought. "If any of thine be
driven out unto _the utmost parts of heaven_"--as far as they could
go--"from thence will the Lord thy God _gather thee_, and from thence
will He _fetch thee_; 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."
How precious is all this! But there is something far better still. Not
only will He gather them, fetch them, and multiply them--not only will
He act in power _for_ them, but He will do a mighty work of grace _in_
them of far more value than any outward prosperity however desirable.
"And the Lord thy God will _circumcise thine heart_"--the very centre
of the whole moral being, the source of all those influences which go
to form the character--"and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord
thy God with all thine heart"--the grand moral regulator of the entire
life--"and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And the Lord thy
God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that
hate thee, which persecuted thee"--a solemn word for all those nations
who have ever sought to oppress the Jews!--"And thou shalt return, and
obey the voice of the Lord, and do all His commandments, which I
command thee this day."
Nothing can be more morally lovely than all this. The people gathered,
fetched, multiplied, blessed, circumcised in heart, thoroughly devoted
to Jehovah, and yielding a whole-hearted, loving obedience to all His
precious commandments! What can exceed this in blessedness for a
people on the earth?
"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: 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. 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, that we
may hear it and do it? 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? But the Word is _very nigh unto thee_,
in thy _mouth_, and in thy _heart_, that thou mayest do it." (Ver.
10-14.)
This is a singularly interesting passage. It furnishes a key to "the
secret things" already referred to, and sets forth the great
principles of divine righteousness, in vivid and beautiful contrast to
legal righteousness in every possible aspect. According to the truth
here unfolded, it matters not in the least where a soul may be--here,
there, or any where; "the Word is nigh thee." It could not possibly be
nigher. What could be nigher than "in thy mouth, and in thy heart"? We
need not, as we say, move a muscle to get it. If it were above us or
beyond us, reason would that we might complain of our utter inability
to reach it; but no, there is no need of either _hands_ or _feet_ in
this most blessed and all-important matter. The _heart_ and the
_mouth_ are here called into exercise.
There is a very beautiful allusion to the above passage in the tenth
chapter of the epistle to the Romans, to which the reader may refer
with much interest and profit. Indeed, it is so full of evangelic
sweetness, that we must quote it.
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that
they might be saved. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of
God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being _ignorant of
God's righteousness_, and _going about_ to establish their own
righteousness, _have not submitted themselves_ unto the righteousness
of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to _every
one that believeth_"--not to every one who _says_ he believes, as in
James ii. 14.--"For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the
law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the
righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise: Say not in
thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ
down;)"--Striking parenthesis! Marvelous instance of the Spirit's use
of Old-Testament scripture! It bears the distinct stamp of His
master-hand.--"or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring
up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The Word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, _the word of
faith, which we preach_;"--How perfectly beautiful the addition! Who
but the Spirit could have supplied it?--"that if thou shalt _confess
with thy mouth_ the Lord Jesus, and shalt _believe in thine heart_
that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, 'Whosoever
believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.'"
Mark this beautiful word--"whosoever." It most assuredly takes in the
Jew. It meets him wherever he may be, a poor exile at the very ends of
the earth, under circumstances where obedience to the law as such was
simply impossible, but where the rich and precious grace of God and
His most glorious salvation could meet him in the depth of his need.
There, though he could not keep the law, he could confess with his
mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in his heart that God had raised Him
from the dead; and this is salvation.
But then, if it be "whosoever," it cannot possibly be confined to the
Jew; nay, it cannot be confined at all; and hence the apostle goes on
to say, "There _is_ no difference between the Jew and the Greek."
There _was_ the greatest possible difference under the law. There
could not be a broader or more distinct line of demarkation than that
which the lawgiver had drawn between the Jew and the Greek; but that
line is obliterated, for a double reason: first, because "all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God" (chap. iii. 23.); and
secondly, because "the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call
upon Him; for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."
How blessedly simple! "Calling"--"believing"--"confessing"! Nothing
can exceed the transcendent grace that shines in these words. No doubt
it is assumed that the soul is really in earnest--that the _heart_ is
engaged. God deals in moral realities. It is not a nominal, notional
head-belief; but divine faith wrought in the heart by the Holy
Ghost--a living faith, which connects the soul, in a divine way and by
an everlasting link, to Christ.
And then there is the confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus. This
is of cardinal importance. A man may say, I believe in my heart, but I
am not one for parading my religious belief. I am not a talker. I keep
my religion to myself. It is entirely a matter between my soul and
God; I do not believe in that perpetual intruding our religious
impressions upon other people. Many who talk loudly and largely about
their religion in public, make but a sorry figure in private, and I
certainty do not want to be identified with such. I utterly abhor all
cant. Deeds, not words, for me.
All this sounds very plausible, but it cannot stand for a moment in
the light of Romans x. 9. There must be the confession with the mouth.
Many would like to be saved by Christ, but they shrink from the
reproach of confessing His precious Name. They would like to get to
heaven when they die, but they do not want to be identified with a
rejected Christ. Now God does not own such. He looks for the full,
bold, clear confession of Christ, in the face of a hostile world. Our
Lord Christ, too, looks for this confession. He declares that whoso
confesses Him before men, He will confess before the angels of God;
but whoso denies Him before men, He will deny before the angels of
God. The thief on the cross exhibited the two great branches of true
saving faith. He believed with his heart, and confessed with his
mouth. Yes, he gave a flat contradiction to the whole world on the
most vital question that ever was or ever could be raised, and that
question was Christ. He was a thoroughly pronounced disciple of
Christ. Oh, that there were more such! There is a terrible amount of
indefiniteness and cold half-heartedness in the professing church,
grievous to the Holy Ghost, offensive to Christ, hateful to God. We
long for bold decision, out-and-out, unmistakable testimony to the
Lord Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit stir up all our hearts, and lead
us forth, in more thorough consecration of heart, to that blessed One
who freely gave His life to save us from everlasting burnings!
We shall close this section by quoting for the reader the last few
verses of our chapter, in which Moses makes a peculiarly solemn appeal
to the hearts and consciences of the people. It is a most powerful
word of exhortation.
"See, I have set before thee this day _life and good_ and _death and
evil_." Thus it is ever in the government of God. The two things are
inseparably linked together. Let no man dare to snap the link. God
"will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who, by
patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honor and
immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do
not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
tribulation and anguish, upon _every soul of man that doeth evil_, of
the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace to
_every man that worketh good_, to the Jew first, and also to the
Gentile: _for there is no respect of persons with God_." (Rom. ii.
6-11.)
The apostle does not, in this great practical passage, go into the
question of power; he simply states the broad fact--a fact applicable
at all times and under all dispensations--government, law, and
Christianity; it ever holds good that "God will render to every man
according to his deeds." This is of the very last possible importance.
May we ever bear it in mind. It may perhaps be said, Are not
Christians under grace? Yes, thank God; but does this weaken, in the
smallest degree, the grand governmental principle stated above? Nay,
it strengthens and confirms it immensely.
But again, some may feel disposed to say, Can any unconverted person
do good? We reply, This question is not raised in the scripture just
quoted. Every one taught of God knows and feels and owns that not one
atom of "good" has ever been done in this world but by the grace of
God; that man left to himself will do evil only--evil continually.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights." All this is most blessedly true, and
thankfully owned by every pious soul, but it leaves wholly untouched
the fact set forth in Deuteronomy xxx. and confirmed by Romans ii,
that _life and good_, _death and evil_, are bound together by an
inseparable link. May we never forget it. May it ever abide in the
remembrance of the thoughts of our hearts.
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and
evil; 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. But
if _thine heart turn away_, so that _thou wilt not hear_, but shalt be
drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 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. 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, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and
that thou mayest _cleave unto Him_"--the all-important, essential
thing for each, for all, the very spring and power of all true
religion, in every age, in every place;--"_for He is thy life, and the
length of thy days_;"--How close! how vital! how real! how very
precious!--"that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
(Ver. 15-20.)
Nothing can be more solemn than this closing appeal to the
congregation; it is in full keeping with the tone and character of the
entire book of Deuteronomy--a book marked throughout by the most
powerful exhortations that ever fell on mortal ears. We have no such
soul-stirring appeals in any of the preceding sections of the
Pentateuch. Each book, we need not say, has its own specific niche to
fill, its own distinct object and character; but the great burden of
Deuteronomy, from beginning to end, is exhortation; its thesis, the
Word of God; its object, obedience--whole-hearted, earnest, loving
obedience, grounded on a known relationship and enjoyed privileges.