Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Deuteronomy 4:30-40
Their Return Is Certain Because Of The Graciousness and Uniqueness of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 4:30).
When they find themselves in tribulation and these things come on them in the latter days, they will return to Yahweh their God and listen to His voice. Here Yahweh's sovereign purpose for Israel comes out. They were to be God's means of blessing to the world, therefore until they had been so He would not allow them finally to cease, but would ensure that they returned to Him.
And this is evidenced by the fact of the greatness and mercifulness of God as evidenced by what He has already done to them and for them. The result will be that they will keep His statutes and commandments in the land and will enjoy wellbeing and live long in His everlasting kingdom.
This passage may be analysed as follows:
a When they are in tribulation in the latter days and all these things have come on them, they will return to Yahweh their God and listen to His voice (Deuteronomy 4:30).
b For He is a merciful God and will not fail or destroy them or forget the covenant He has made with their fathers (Deuteronomy 4:31).
c For they may ask of ancient days whether since the day that God created man on the earth, or alternately they may ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any such thing as this great thing has been heard (Deuteronomy 4:32).
d That God spoke to men out of the midst of the fire and they lived? (Deuteronomy 4:33).
e Or has God delivered any other nation by signs and wonders and mighty power as He did them from Egypt? (Deuteronomy 4:34).
c It was shown to them so that they might know that Yahweh is God and there is none beside Him (Deuteronomy 4:35).
d From heaven He made them hear His voice, on earth He made them see His great fire, and they heard His words from the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 4:36).
e For because He loved their fathers He chose their seed after them and brought them out of Egypt with great power, to drive out great nations from before them and bring them into the land of His inheritance as at this day (Deuteronomy 4:37).
b They are therefore to know Yahweh is God in both heaven and earth, there is no other (Deuteronomy 4:39).
a And they will keep statutes and His commandments that it may go well with them, so that they might prolong their days on the God-given land for ever (Deuteronomy 4:40).
We may note here that in ‘a' their certain final return to God is promised, and in the parallel it is to lead on to them keeping His statutes and His commandments and having wellbeing and long life for ever in the land. In ‘b' they are told that He is a merciful God and will not fail or destroy them or forget the covenant He has made with their fathers, and in the parallel they are therefore to know Yahweh is God in both heaven and earth, there is no other. In ‘c', ‘d' and ‘e' we find what is really one continuous idea. They are to ask earth and heaven whether such a thing has been heard, that God spoke to men from the midst of fire and they lived, or that God delivered any other nation by signs and wonders and great power. And the parallel says that it was so that they might know that Yahweh is God and there is none beside Him, and that He did speak to them from the midst of fire and that He did remarkably deliver them from Egypt.
For such a threefold continuous series in the midst of a chiasmus compare Numbers 22-23 where such a situation occurs twice (see our commentary on Numbers).
‘ When you are in tribulation, and all these things are come on you, in the latter days you will return to Yahweh your God, and listen to his voice,'
For what would bring them to seek Yahweh would be the unbearable tribulation that they would face. ‘All these things' refers to their perishing from the land and being scattered and resorting to the worship of gods who could not respond (Deuteronomy 4:27). Thus in ‘the latter days', that is the final days of this period of chastisement, they would return to Yahweh their God and listen to His voice, as previously they had closed their ears to Him.
This return was necessary for the fulfilment of God's purposes. For from the returned people He would raise up His chosen One and through Him and them bring blessing to the world.
‘ For Yahweh your God is a merciful God. He will not fail you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which he swore to them.'
And all this would happen because ‘Yahweh your God is a merciful God'. It was because of His mercy that He would not fail in His activities towards them, nor would He destroy them utterly, nor would He forget the covenant He had sworn to with their fathers. Thus in His mercy He would carry through His purposes.
The promises to their forefathers had burned themselves deeply into Moses' soul. It had made him aware that whatever they did Yahweh would not allow it to thwart His purposes. He would chastise Israel until at last His purposes succeeded. But He would never forget His mercy in the end.
‘ For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and from the one end of heaven to the other, whether there has been any such thing as this great thing is, or has been heard like it?'
By a series of questions He now brings home to them why their Overlord has a right to expect their obedience. The first question is concerning the ‘days that are past' from creation onwards, and concerning events happening from one end of heaven to the other. Can anyone, he asks, name any time or place where such a great thing has happened elsewhere as has happened to Israel? Can anyone say where such a thing has even been heard of?
‘ Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?'
For example, Have any people ever heard God speaking from the midst of fire and lived? For that is what Israel have heard, and they have still lived.
‘ Or has God made the attempt to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, in accordance with all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?'
The next question is, For what other nation since the beginning of creation or anywhere else in the world has God made the attempt to go and take them from the midst of another nation by trials, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, an outstretched arm and by great terrors, in the way that Yahweh has by what He had done for Israel in Egypt?
Note the expanded sevenfold explanation. God had used trials in order to spur His people on, signs with which to convince them, and even more to convince Pharaoh; wonders in order to bring home His supreme power; war because Pharaoh understood nothing else and had finally to be convinced by the destruction of his troops; by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm, because Yahweh had personally extended His own powerful action on their behalf; and by great terrors because Pharaoh and his people had proved so obstinate that in the end they needed the terrors of continual darkness and then of the night of the firstborn in order to be convinced. He had acted in a divinely perfect way.
‘ To you it was shown, that you might know that Yahweh, he is God, there is none else besides him.'
But it had been shown to them so that they might know that Yahweh truly was the only God, and there is none other. If nothing else could convince them, this should have done. The so-called gods of Egypt, even Pharaoh himself, had proved powerless. They were as nothings before Yahweh.
‘ Out of heaven he made you to hear his voice, that he might instruct you, and on earth he made you to see his great fire. And you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.'
And he goes on to answer his own questions. Yahweh had made them hear His great voice from heaven, so that they might be instructed, and He had made them see His great unearthly fire on earth. And it was out of the midst of that great fire that they had heard His words. Thus they must recognise that their experience in Horeb as they gathered round Mount Sinai was unique, and a powerful revelation of Yahweh their God which they must ever carry with them.
‘ And because he loved your fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought you out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt,'
And he also had brought His people out of Egypt with His presence (manifested) and His great power. And why did He do it for them? The answer is because he loved their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That was why He had chosen them as the seed of their fathers, and brought them out of Egypt by His presence and with His great power.
And why had He done this? It was because their forefathers were loved. Although previously revealed in many ways (it was inherent, for example, in God's description of Israel as His firstborn - Exodus 4:22), this is the first reference in Scripture to God's love for His own. The patriarchs, we are told, were beloved by God. The principles of elective love by God (see Deuteronomy 7:7; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 10:15; Deuteronomy 23:5; Deuteronomy 33:3; Deuteronomy 33:12) and responsive love by His people (see Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 7:9; Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 19:9; Deuteronomy 30:6; Deuteronomy 30:16; Deuteronomy 30:20) are central to the message of Deuteronomy. And it is also made clear that because of that He loves His people (Deuteronomy 7:7; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 10:15 (by implication); Deuteronomy 23:5; Deuteronomy 33:3; Deuteronomy 33:12). The whole of their deliverance, and of the mercies shown to them, since were manifestations of that love.
‘ To drive out nations from before you greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as at this day.'
And that was why He would drive out from before them nations greater and mightier than themselves, in order to bring them into the land and give it to them for an inheritance as He was about to do at this time.
So all was as a result of His covenant love for Abraham and his sons, and his descendants. That was why even their sins would not finally change His purposes. Rather if necessary He would use tribulation and suffering in order to fulfil His purposes. But His love would not fail. And it was through that love that He would finally save a multitude of Jews through the ministry of His Son, so that they became the foundation of His work throughout the world in bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).
‘ Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that Yahweh, he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is none besides.'
Thus considering all this they should now on this very day know and lay to heart Whom and What it reveals Yahweh to be. It reveals Him as the God of heaven and earth, beside Whom there is no other. It reveals that He is the great Overlord of heaven and earth with Whom none can compare. We have here a clear statement of monotheism.
‘ And you shall keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh your God gives you, for ever.'
Knowing this then they must keep His statutes and His commandments which they have received from Moses, and which he, Moses, now commands them, in order that it might go well with them and with their children after them, and so that they may prolong their days in the land which Yahweh their God has given them into the distant future.
And here he finishes his words at this time, leaving them to ponder on what he has said. But the situation has been made clear. The great God, Yahweh, has amazingly revealed Himself and has delivered them and has determined to give them this land because of His promises to their forefathers, and because they have responded to His covenant, and while they continue to respond to that covenant and obey His commandments and statutes all will go well. But if they turn to sin and idolatry, then this land will no longer hold them, for it is God's holy land and is not available in the long term for the use of such sinners. They will be turned out from it until they can return to it again purified and restored. But that that restoration would happen was also sure. Because it would be the result of His faithful promises made to their forefathers.
If what had happened to Israel was wonderful, how much more wonderful is what has happened to those who are His. What other peoples have had the Son of God die for them, so that for His sake they are blessed? And we can therefore have the confidence that He will do good to us far beyond our deserving, as we respond in love and obedience to Him. And in view of this, if we do not trust Him and obey Him how can we possibly speak of knowing Him?