Deuteronomy 30:12
It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
The commandment is not hidden or far off, and it is not in heaven so that someone must go up to heaven to bring it down in order for the people to hear it and do it. It is also not beyond the sea so that someone must cross the sea to bring it. The word is very near, in the mouth and in the heart, so it can be heard and done and can be consistently obeyed by all. In Israel's setting this assurance accompanies the promise that after scattering and curses the people can return to the Lord with all their heart and soul and obey His commandments.
The command is to hearken to His voice, keep His commandments and statutes and judgments written in the book of the law, turn to Him with all the heart and soul, love Him, walk in His ways, obey His voice, and cleave to Him, for He is life and length of days. With it God sets before the people life and good and death and evil, blessing and cursing, calling heaven and earth to witness, and calls them to choose life so they and their seed may live. Obedience brings life, multiplication, and plenteous blessing in the land, but if the heart turns away and will not hear, being drawn away to worship and serve other gods, they will surely perish from the land and not prolong their days.
God's laws impose no meaningless customs or clumsy restrictions. The passage gives principles plainly defined that remain in force as sacred truth and expressions of the law of God, to be acted out in all religious service toward God and toward one another in justice and mercy and love for God and man and equity. Walking contrary to them while holding responsible positions and bearing His name insults God, abuses His honor, and misrepresents His character, and joining together to do what God there forbids causes justice and mercy to fall in the streets so equity cannot enter, showing that having great light without a converted heart and practice leaves men walking outside the light.
When the Lord tells parents what He requires, He means literal obedience. God gave His law to all the world to govern human minds, and parents are to instruct their children diligently to love and fear God and obey all His commandments. Disregard for the laws of God and despising of His Sabbath puts the world in rebellion against God and in controversy with God. From generation to generation parents have transgressed the law, and His wrath is kindled against the teachers of the earth because they make sin and iniquity abound. If parents had obeyed and trained their children to know and obey the law, the world would not be in its present terrible state, as it was in the days of Noah. The verse's language is applied to the word of faith: no one must ascend to bring Christ down, because salvation is received by believing in Christ and confessing Him. This faith is personal trust in Christ as the sinner's Saviour, not mere intellectual agreement; it works through love and shapes the believer's character. The nearby promise that God will circumcise the heart shows that He changes the heart to love Him.