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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 'And it hath been, when all these things come upon thee, the blessing and the reviling, which I have set before thee, and thou hast brought [them] back unto thy heart, among all the nations whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee away, |
Shall come to pass – Under the New covenant. R5047:2, R1729:6
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| 2 and hast turned back unto Jehovah thy God, and hearkened to His voice, according to all that I am commanding thee to-day, thou and thy sons, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul |
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| 3 then hath Jehovah thy God turned back [to] thy captivity, and pitied thee, yea, He hath turned back and gathered thee out of all the peoples whither Jehovah 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 'If thine outcast is in the extremity of the heavens, thence doth Jehovah thy God gather thee, and thence He doth take thee; |
Gather thee – The basis for Nehemiah's prayer. (Neh. 1:4-11) R1496:4
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| 5 and Jehovah thy God hath brought thee in unto the land which thy fathers have possessed, and thou hast inherited it, and He hath done thee good, and multiplied thee above thy fathers. |
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| 6 'And Jehovah thy God hath circumcised thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, for the sake of thy life; |
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 Jehovah thy God hath put all this oath on thine enemies, and on those hating thee, who have pursued thee. |
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| 8 'And thou dost turn back, and hast hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and hast done all His commands which I am commanding thee to-day; |
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 Jehovah thy God hath made thee abundant 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 Jehovah turneth back to rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers, |
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| 10 for thou dost hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep His commands, and His statutes, which are written in the book of this law, for thou turnest back unto Jehovah thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. |
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| 11 'For this command which I am commanding thee to-day, it is not too wonderful for thee, nor [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, saying, Who doth go up for us into the heavens, and doth take it for us, and doth cause us to hear it that we may do it. |
It – Christ. R1970:3
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| 13 And it [is] not beyond the sea, saying, Who doth pass over for us beyond the sea, and doth take it for us, and doth cause us to hear it that we may do it |
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| 14 For very near unto thee is the word, in thy mouth, and in thy heart to 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 to-day life and good, and death and evil, |
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 in that I am commanding thee to-day to love Jehovah thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, and His statutes, and His judgments; and thou hast lived and multiplied, and Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in the land whither thou art going in to possess it. |
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 'And if thy heart doth turn, and thou dost not hearken, and hast been driven away, and hast bowed thyself to other gods, and served 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 have declared to you this day, that ye do certainly perish, ye do not prolong days on the ground which thou art passing over the Jordan to go in thither to possess it. |
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| 19 'I have caused to testify against you to-day the heavens and the earth; life and death I have set before thee, the blessing and the reviling; and thou hast fixed on life, so that thou dost 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 Jehovah thy God, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave to Him (for He [is] thy life, and the length of thy days), to dwell on the ground which Jehovah hath sworn to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them.' |
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