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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things shall come in upon thee–the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee,–and thou shalt bring them back unto thy heart, among all the nations whither Yahweh thy God hath driven thee; |
Shall come to pass – Under the New covenant. R5047:2, R1729:6
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| 2 and thou shalt return unto Yahweh thy God, and shalt hearken unto his voice, according to all that I am commanding thee today,–thou and thy sons, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, |
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| 3 then will Yahweh thy God bring back thy captivity and have compassion upon thee,–and return and gather thee, from among all the peoples whither Yahweh thy God hath scattered thee. |
Turn thy captivity – Israel restored under the new conditions of grace. R3071:2
Gather thee – Not from Babylon or minor captivities but the great regathering from all nations (Jer. 32:37-42). This is a deliverance R1483:5
After their "double" of punishment. SM398:1
From all nations, and with considerable wealth and general prosperity. OV67:1
Compare Rom. 11:25-30. R3071:2
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| 4 Though thou be driven out unto the utmost part of the heavens, from thence, will Yahweh thy God gather thee, and, from thence, will he fetch thee; |
Gather thee – The basis for Nehemiah's prayer. (Neh. 1:4-11) R1496:4
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| 5 and Yahweh 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, beyond thy fathers. |
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| 6 And Yahweh thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed,–to love Yahweh thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. |
Circumcise thine heart – Signifies a cutting off, a separation from the flesh, its aims, hopes, desires, etc. R3022:3
See Jer. 31:33, 34. R3071:2
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| 7 And Yahweh thy God will put all these oaths upon thine enemies and upon them who hated thee, who persecuted thee. |
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| 8 But, thou, wilt return, and hearken unto the voice of Yahweh,–and wilt do all his commandments, which I am commanding thee, today. |
Return and obey – Under the blessed arrangement of the New covenant it will not be too difficult for them. R3071:3
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| 9 And Yahweh thy God will make thee pre-eminent, in every work of thy hand–in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, for good,–for Yahweh will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: |
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| 10 if thou hearken unto the voice of Yahweh thy God, to keep his commandments, and his statutes, which are written in this scroll of the law,–if thou return unto Yahweh thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul. |
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| 11 For, as touching this commandment, which I am commanding thee today, it is not, too wonderful, for thee, neither is it, far off. |
Neither is it far off – Not difficult to understand. R1970:2
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| 12 It is, not in the heavens,–that thou shouldest say–Who shall ascend for us into the heavens, that he may fetch it for us, that we may hear it, and do it? |
It – Christ. R1970:3
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| 13 Neither is it, over the sea,–that thou shouldest say, Who will pass over for us, to the other side of the sea, that he may fetch it for us, that we may hear it, and do it? |
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| 14 But, near unto thee, is the word, exceedingly,–in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. |
The word – The truth which we preach. R1970:3
Nigh unto thee – Reasonable and plain. R1970:3
In thy mouth – The first outward evidence given of a faith in the heart. R3071:6
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| 15 See! I have set before thee, today, life and prosperity,–and death and calamity; |
See I have – Moses, type of the Great Prophet (The Christ, Head and Body). R2611:5
Set before thee – Israel, type of the whole world of mankind. R2611:5
Spiritual Israel now, the world in the age to come. R401:5*
This day – Type of the 1000-year day of trial, the Millennial age. R2611:5
For the Church, the Gospel age. R401:3*
Here the words "this day" are used in the same sense as in our Lord's words to the dying thief. (Luke 23:43) F669
Life ... and death – A choice for the whole world through Israel, their type. R401:2*
Eternal life or the Second Death. R2611:5
In the 1000-year day all will be called upon to decide under that most favorable opportunity for righteousness and life or sin and death. A choice must be made. R2611:5
Not heaven or hell, but life is the promise of the Law. Q328; R822:3*
It was only in the typical sense that the Jewish nation was on trial for life or death. R4598:3
Death is not a friend, but an enemy. R625:6*
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| 16 for thou must keep the commandments of Yahweh thy God, which I am commanding thee, today, to love Yahweh thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes, and his regulations,–so shalt thou live and multiply, and Yahweh thy God will bless thee, in the land which thou art entering to possess. |
Command – In the sense of laying out plainly and distinctly God's only terms for life eternal. R3072:3
That thou mayest live – Jesus' life would have been protected had he not voluntarily submitted and laid it down. R4642:4
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| 17 But, if thy heart shall turn away, and thou wilt, not hearken,–but shalt be drawn away, and shalt bow thyself down to other gods, and serve them, |
Drawn away – Deceived or allured. R401:6*
Worship other gods – For spiritual Israel, the gods of wealth, fame, family circle and home, or self. R3072:5
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| 18 I declare unto you, today, that ye shall perish,–ye shall not prolong your days, upon the soil which thou art passing over the Jordan to enter and possess. |
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| 19 I call to witness against you today, the heavens and the earth, that life and death, have I set before thee, the blessing and the curse,–therefore shouldest thou choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed; |
I call heaven and earth – Such words are very forceful at this time, for Moses was about to die. R5528:1
Life and death – Typical of the great second trial and its issues of life and death-second (or restored) life and Second Death. R892:3
Blessing and cursing – There is a curse for every one who loves unrighteousness; there is a blessing for every one who loves righteousness. R5247:3
Life is the blessing; death is the curse. R5747:4
Choose life – By complying with the conditions on which God said they may have it. R363:1
Typical of the individual trial of the whole world during the great 1000-year day. R2611:5
Israel was already under condemnation of death through Adam's disobedience and could not be placed on full trial again until redeemed. R892:2, R2611:4
In the present time the Lord himself declares that it is a narrow way we walk and "few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:14) HG160:6
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| 20 to love Yahweh thy God, to hearken unto his voice, and to cleave unto him,–for, he, is thy life, and thy length of days, that thou mayest abide upon the soil which Yahweh sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give unto them. |
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