30:17Deuteronomy 30:17

Turning away begins in the heart as refusing to hear and obey God, being drawn away to worship and serve other gods, which is idolatry.Ms 66, 1902, par. 10–13+2 The warning belongs to the law Moses repeated to Israel before entering the promised land, where obedience was to bring life and disobedience death.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+2 God set before them life and death, good and evil, blessing and cursing, with heaven and earth as witnesses, so that loving the Lord, walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments with all the heart and soul would bring life, increase, and blessing in the land, while a turned heart would surely perish and not prolong its days there.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1 The commandment tied to that choice is not hidden, far off, in heaven, or beyond the sea, but very near, in mouth and heart, so it can be done, and choosing life means loving God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him, for He is life and length of days.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1 Loving obedience to the Creator is the road to life, happiness, and eternal life, while disobedience is the path to misery and death, and this unalterable covenant of life for obedience and death for transgression stands fast forever and will be brought forth plainly written in the judgment when the world stands before Infinite Justice to receive sentence.RH Nov 6, 1913+2

Turning away begins in the heart and means refusing to hear and obey God, being drawn away, and worshiping and serving other gods, which is idolatry.Ms 66, 1902, par. 10–13+3 The refusal to hear is not mere inattention but disobedience that puts a person on the side of death and evil rather than life and blessing.Ms 66, 1902, par. 10–13+2 To be drawn away is to leave the right hearing of God for false worship, placing disobedience on the path to misery in contrast to loving obedience to the Creator as the road to happiness.Ms 33, 1900, par. 42–45+2

The verse belongs to the law and its conditions that Moses repeated to Israel before they entered the promised land, where obedience was to bring life and disobedience death.Ms 9, 1903, par. 1–2 The commandment tied to this choice is not hidden, far off, in heaven, or beyond the sea needing someone to bring it, but very near, in mouth and heart, so it can be done.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1 God sets before Israel life and death, good and evil, blessing and cursing, with heaven and earth as witnesses.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1 Loving the Lord, walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments with all the heart and soul brings life, multiplication, blessing in the land to be possessed, and the Lord rejoicing over them for good.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1

If the heart turns away to other gods, Israel will surely perish and will not prolong days upon the land beyond Jordan.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1 Choosing life so Israel and their seed may live means loving God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+2 For He is life and length of days to dwell in the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Ms 122, 1897, par. 6–9+1

Turning away from God's law leads toward false worship and away from the right path.RH Nov 6, 1913 Loving obedience to the Creator is the road to life and happiness and eternal life, while disobedience is the path to misery and evil and death.RH Nov 6, 1913+1 The enemy's deception leads people to mistake which path brings happiness, and changing or misrepresenting the law can make disobedience appear to be obedience.RH Nov 6, 1913+1

The choice is between following God's word and accepting words that oppose it, for turning away from God and refusing to hear and obey leads to death, while obedience means eternal life.Ms 4a, 1898, par. 14 The same choice was given to the dwellers in Eden, whose happy state could continue only while they remained faithful to the Creator's law, in that they could obey and live or disobey and perish.Ms 140, 1903, par. 5 Israel's wilderness experience shows the danger warned of, for despite God's leading and care, neglecting His commandments brought His displeasure and punishment.Ms 57, 1909, par. 4–5

What is set before the world is God's unalterable covenant of life for obedience and death for transgression.Ms 82, 1899, par. 25 What has gone out of His lips He has not altered, and His Word stands fast forever as unalterable as His throne.Ms 82, 1899, par. 25 When every case is decided in the courts of heaven this covenant will be brought forth plainly written with the finger of God, and the world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence, a life measuring with the life of God for obedience and death for transgression.Ms 82, 1899, par. 25

A blessing or a curse, light or darkness, life or death is set before the church in Monterey.Lt 2, 1873, par. 9 The blessing comes if they are willing and obedient, and the curse comes if they rebel and do not receive the light graciously given them.Lt 2, 1873, par. 9 God will not be trifled with, and He will come near in judgment if hardness and impenitence continue.Lt 2, 1873, par. 9

The choice belongs to obedience to the commandments, including the Sabbath.Ms 110, 1893, par. 9–10+1 Parents themselves must be obedient to what is spoken and must diligently instruct their children to love and fear Him and to keep all His commandments.Ms 110, 1893, par. 9–10+1 Turning the heart away so as not to hear means walking contrary to God and doing the very things expressly forbidden by His Word from the pillar of cloud.Ms 40, 1891, par. 46–49 This applies especially to His people called by His name who have great light at the very heart of the work.Ms 40, 1891, par. 46–49 It applies especially to men in responsible positions as counselors and wise men who take up the truth without having it in heart and soul and without conversion from old hereditary and cultivated character.Ms 40, 1891, par. 46–49 They mingle their own spirit with words and actions, pervert principle, and confederate together in wrongdoing, until justice and mercy and love for God and man are fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter.Ms 40, 1891, par. 46–49 Such turning insults God, abuses His honor, and misrepresents Him.Ms 40, 1891, par. 46–49

Turning away to be drawn away to worship and serve other gods is rebellion against God and despising of His law.Ms 110, 1893, par. 9–10 It provokes Him to jealousy and anger and kindles His wrath against the teachers of earth who make sin and iniquity abound.Ms 110, 1893, par. 9–10 This transgression of the law, handed from parents to children from generation to generation, is why the world is in its present terrible state of rebellion and controversy with God, as it was in the days of Noah.Ms 110, 1893, par. 9–10