Deuteronomy 30:1

There is widespread misunderstanding of this chapter as an "exilic or post-exilic addition,"[1] but such a postulation is totally unacceptable. Wright admitted that, "No proof can be adduced that it could not have been written in the seventh as well as in the sixth century,"[2] and we must add that no proof can be adduced that this chapter was written at any time whatever after the death of Moses. Moreover, there is the most convincing evidence that the chapter is a true production of MOSES himself, which, allowing for some small uncertainty as to the exact date of the Exodus, was most surely about 1,400 B.C. First of all, in the whole post-exilic period and reaching all the way down to the time when John the Baptist appeared on the banks of the Jordan, Israel had no prophet, that being a part of those long centuries of which Hosea said that Israel should "sit still for God" many days (Hosea 3:4), and during which there was "no prophet" (Psalms 74:9). Therefore, when Von Rad declared that this chapter contains, "simple affirmative propositions, clothed altogether in the style of prophetic predictions,[3] he removed the question of the date completely out of the entire inter-testamental period.

Yes, this chapter is pure PROPHECY, containing "not an exhortation and containing no admonitions."[4] "The whole chapter presupposes that the covenant relationship has been terminated, and that the curses laid down for its breach have fallen on disobedient Israel. Her land lies desolate, and her leading citizens have been carried into captivity."[5] Of course, this is the primary reason why critical scholars who reject any such thing as predictive prophecy because of "a priori" bias and unbelief go searching after the Babylonian captivity for the date of this chapter. We not only reject their false conclusions but also repudiate their whole evil mind-set which denies any such thing as predictive prophecy. Moses' prophecies regarding Israel in this very Book of Deuteronomy are being fulfilled this very day.

There is a double prophecy in this chapter:

(1) that of the rejection of Israel, the desolation of their land, and the scattering of Israel all over the world, but this would not signal the end of God's dispensations (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).

(2) The N.T. kingdom of Christ with its marvelous spiritual blessings would in time appear, and the truly penitent of all men, Jews and Gentiles alike, would be welcomed into the new institution (Deuteronomy 30:11-20). A careful study of the text itself removes all doubt of what this chapter actually is.

"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 Jehovah thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God, and shall obey his voice, according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; that then Jehovah thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will Jehovah thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: and Jehovah 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 father."

The opening lines here assume that Israel has broken the covenant, the land has been desolated, and the people have been scattered among the nations. There is simply no way that this means "the Babylonian captivity," although, to be sure, that episode, along with the ravaging of the Northern kingdom by Assyria, was part of the total picture of Israel's rejection. The reason that this cannot be limited to the Babylonian period is the mention of the scattering of Israel "among all the nations" (Deuteronomy 30:1), among "all the peoples (Deuteronomy 30:3), even "the uttermost parts of heaven" (Deuteronomy 30:4). None of this ever occurred until after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Also. God's promise to "turn thy captivity" (Deuteronomy 30:3) could not possibly refer to the return of a handful of Jews to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity ended, except as a kind of symbol and token of what is really promised here.

"Turn thy captivity ..." (Deuteronomy 30:3). The Septuagint (LXX) has, "The Lord will heal thy sins" as the meaning of this passage. "The reference here, then, must refer to a much more extensive captivity than that in Babylon."[6] "The Jews themselves do not consider this prophecy fulfilled by their return from Babylon."[7] The reasons why the Jews take this position are:

(1) not all of them returned after Babylonian exile;

(2) they had not, at that time, been scattered among all nations;

(3) they were not multiplied above their fathers (Deuteronomy 30:5);

(4) their hearts were not circumcised to love the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:6), etc.[8]

Jamieson further stated that the Jews ardently look to this promise, believing that God will yet fulfil it by bringing them back from their exile among all nations and entering them again into Canaan.[9] For these and many other reasons we cannot believe that the turning of Israel's captivity refers to anything less than the spiritual blessings in the kingdom of the Son of God's love, even that of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In this connection, we should also remember that Jesus Christ announced himself as the fulfillment and executor of this promise, declaring that God had sent him (Christ):

To preach good tidings to the poor;

To proclaim release to the captives,

And recovering of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18).

What did Jesus mean? That he would start a campaign to empty all the jails in Judaea? Certainly not! Jesus never got anybody out of jail, not even his cousin, John the Baptist. This is clearly a reference to the release of people from the bondage of sin, and that is exactly what the prophet Moses was speaking of in this verse. The parallelism here makes it certain that lines two and three, above mean the same thing.

The student should beware of false renditions of this Deuteronomy 30:3 by the NIV. Moffatt, RSV, etc, which have, "God will restore your fortunes," the Good-News Bible which has "The Lord will have mercy on you," and a number of other corrupt translations which, in a passage such as this, do not pretend to translate the Word of God, but give us their words instead of God's.

Throughout the Bible, especially here, and in all of the minor prophets especially, the prophecies of the disasters that shall overwhelm disobedient Israel are usually ended by, or sometimes interspersed by, just such wonderful promises as are found here, and Christian scholars long ago discerned that all of those glorious promises of future glory for Israel pertain to the redemption that, through Christ, will, in time, be available to them (and also to the Gentiles and all people alike).

Look at the first verse where blessing is mentioned along with the curse. Keil properly explained this as an indication that, even in the times of the worst apostasy, "there would always be a holy seed."[10] When the real Israel of God, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is understood to be the ONLY Israel, it is clear enough why the anticipation of the New Covenant must be seen in such passages as this. It was the righteous remnant of Israel in the person of the holy prophets and apostles of the N.T. who constituted the personnel of the church of God, and to them and their followers alone must be ascribed all of the sacred promises of the entire Bible, made indeed to "Israel," but what Israel? Not the secular nation, but the HOLY REMNANT.