Deuteronomy 30:15-19 - We Have a Choice - Life or Death.
Deu.30:15-19; We Have a Choice - Life or Death.
Deu 30:15 (NCV) Look, today I offer you life and success, death
and destruction.
Deu 30:19 (NCV) Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I
am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose
life! Then you and your children may live.
Deu 30:20 (NCV) To choose life is to love the LORD your God,
obey him, and stay close to him. He is your life, and he will let you
live many years in the land, the land he promised to give your
ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deu 30:15 (CWR) `You have a choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses. It's up to you.
Deu 30:19 (CWR) Today I'm calling heaven and earth as my
witnesses that I have given you a choice between life and death, blessings
and curses. Choose life, so that you and your families may be
blessed and live.
Deu 30:20 (CWR) Give yourselves to the Lord your God and to Him
alone. Listen to Him. Hold on to Him and don't let go, because the Lord
is your life and He's the only One who can bless you and make you
truly happy. He'll give you many prosperous years in the land He
promised your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Deu 30:15 (TLB) "Look, today I have set before you life and
death, depending on whether you obey or disobey.
Deu 30:19 (TLB) "I call heaven and earth to witness against you
that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse.
Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might
live!
Deu 30:20 (TLB) Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey
him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your
days. You will then be able to live safely in the land the Lord
promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
CONTEXT
Choose Life or Death
Choose Life
CROSS REFERENCES
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.
Psalm 36:9 (KJV) For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy
light shall we see light.
1 John 5:11-12 (KJV) And this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He that
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life.
John 11:25-26 (KJV) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection,
and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this?
John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 17:3 (KJV) And this is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 3:16 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
1 John 3:23 (KJV) And this is his commandment, That we should
believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he
gave us commandment.
Galatians 3:13-14 (KJV) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree: [14] That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 2:20 (KJV) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:6 (KJV) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Jeremiah 32:39 (KJV) And I will give them one heart, and one
way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of
their children after them:
Deut. 30:6 (KJV) 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.
Deut. 10:12 (KJV) And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God
require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways,
and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and with all thy soul,
Deut. 10:20 (KJV) Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt
thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
Matthew 22:37-38 (KJV) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment.
John 14:21 (KJV) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of
my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
1 John 5:2-3 (KJV) By this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. [3] For this is the
love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are
not grievous.
Psalm 119:30 (KJV) I have chosen the way of truth: thy
judgments have I laid before me.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
The possibilities of life for every man are ultimately reduced
to two. One is to love God with all one's powers. The end result is
life in all its fullness, ultimately merging into immortality. The
alternative is a disregard of God's good pleasure, with one's life devoted
to the things of this earth. A life spent persistently in such a
way leads to eternal death. These alternatives challenge every man
and woman born into the world. [SDA Commentary]
My dearest child,
The world holds out to you a surface sort of happiness that
depends on favorable circumstances. But I hold out joy.
The world offers relationships fraught with hidden agendas and
self-serving motives. I offer love, gracious and unconditional.
The world holds out blame and shame and condemnation. I hold out
forgiveness and the road to a new beginning.
The world rewards you with addictions and compulsions and
momentary gratification. But I will fill you with peace that passes
understanding.
The world offers broken contracts, vows, and promises. I give
you my Word, that never changes.
The world runs hot and cold. One day you're valued and
respected; the next you're forgotten like yesterday's headlines. But my
character is love, and I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Oh, my child, do not fall in love with the world. It holds out
to you only an imitation of life. I hold out life, abundant and
free. Choose real life! Your God [Postcards from Heaven by Claire
Cloninger]
The most significant choice any human being can make is the
choice between life and death; between loving and serving God, and
ignoring Him. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Obeying God is in our best interest. God has called us to keep
his commands, while reminding us that his laws are not hidden from
us or beyond our reach. Have you ever said you would obey God if
you knew what he wanted? Have you ever complained that obedience is
too difficult for a mere human? These are unacceptable excuses.
God's laws are written in the Bible and are clearly evident in the
world around us. Obeying them is reasonable, sensible, and beneficial.
The most difficult part of obeying God's laws is simply deciding to
start now. [Life Application SB]
"I Do" (Deut. 30:11-20)
Perhaps the best analogy to the commitment God asks us to make
to Him is the wedding ceremony. The wedding comes as the
culmination of months (or better, years) of gradually coming to know another
person. In time friendship blossoms into love, or initial attraction
deepens into appreciation. Then each person realizes, "I want to spend
my life with this individual!" Then the two plan a wedding--a
ceremony to announce to one and all that two people have decided to
cleave only to each other, for better or for worse, in sickness and in
health, till death do them part.
Yet it's fascinating. That ceremony, the culmination of so many
young women's dreams, isn't an end but a beginning. It is the
beginning of a lifetime of acting on the decision that the ceremony
marked. It is the start of a lifetime of making choices shaped by the
fact that at a particular point in time, two people stood side by
side and committed themselves to one another. For then. And forever.
It's just this kind of ceremony that is in view in Deuteronomy
30. Moses calls on the new generation to make a life-shaping
decision. Moses calls on Israel to make a commitment to God, to choose
life with Him, and then to carry out that commitment the rest of
their lives.
As Moses says, the life this commitment calls for "is not too
difficult for you or beyond your reach." That life is spelled out in the
word God has given us, a near word, in our mouths and in our hearts.
Make and keep this commitment, Moses promised, and "you will live and
increase, and the Lord your God will bless you." Hold back or turn away,
and "you will certainly be destroyed."
We Christians need to realize that our initial relationship with
Jesus is intended to grow and deepen to the point at which we too
realize, "I want to commit my life to this Person who loves me." That
realization may come in church, in response to a pastor's call. It may
happen in the privacy of your own room, reading devotional literature
like this book. When the realization does come, then you too have a
decision to make. Will I commit myself fully to God, realizing that this
decision will shape my choices for the rest of my life?
Perhaps Moses himself gives us the most compelling reason to
make that commitment now. "This day," he says, "I call heaven and
earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and
death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your
children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His
voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will
give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (vv. 19-20). [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and
therefore continue to experience his blessings. God doesn't force his will
on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject him.
This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to
realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each
new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment. [Life
Application SB]
1 Choose Christ
I choose kindness ...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone, kind to the
rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God
has treated me.
I choose goodness...
1 will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will
be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse.
I chose goodness.
I choose faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their
trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will
not come home.
I choose gentleness...
Nothing is won by force. I chose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it only be in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.
I chose self-control...
I am a spiritual being...
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let
what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be
impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be
taught only by Christ.
1 choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
When God Whispers Your Name, by Max Lucado
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