Deuteronomy 30:20
That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Standing beside the Jordan with the law repeated, Moses closed his appeal by setting before Israel life and blessing against death and cursing and urging them to choose life for themselves and their children. To choose life is to love God, listen to His voice, walk in His ways and hold fast to Him in loyal faithfulness. He Himself is the source and length of life, so that loving Him and clinging to Him is itself life. Obedience to His commandments brings life, prosperity and continuance in the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, while turning away to other gods brings cursing and perishing under His unalterable covenant of life for obedience and death for transgression. That obedience lays hold on divine strength for health of body and spirit, prosperity in temporal and spiritual things, and the diligent training of children to know, love and obey Him.
Moses Closing Call to Choose
This is the impressive close of Moses' appeal to the generation raised during the forty years in the wilderness as they stood beside the Jordan ready to enter the land promised to their ancestors, with the law and the conditions for possessing the land repeated so they would know them. He calls heaven and earth to witness that he has set before Israel life and good with blessing against death and evil with cursing. He urges them to choose life so that they and their children and seed may live. The same choice of life and death is to be set before all people near and far with the strongest motives to move them to choose life.
The commandment is not hidden, far off, in heaven, or beyond the sea, but very nigh in mouth and heart to be done. Choosing life means loving the Lord, obeying His voice, walking in His ways, and cleaving to Him. It means holding fast to Him and remaining loyal and faithful to Him. He Himself is their life and the length of their days, the source of life and length of life. So loving, listening to Him, and holding fast to Him is itself life.
The promise is that by this love and obedience they may live and multiply and be blessed. They may dwell and remain in the land which the Lord swore by oath to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Obedience would bring the blessing of dwelling in that promised land, while turning away would bring curses. The words belong to a song that was not merely historical but prophetic. While it recounts God's wonderful dealings with His people in the past, it foreshadows the great events of the future and the final victory of the faithful when Christ shall come the second time in power and glory.
Obedience Means Life and Death
Obedience to God's law, commandments, statutes, and judgments brings life and prosperity, living and multiplying and blessing in the land, while turning away in heart, refusing to hear, being drawn away to worship and serve other gods, and disregarding His law brings curses, certain and sure perishing, and failure to prolong days in the land. Choosing life means loving God, walking in His ways, obeying His voice, and remaining loyal and holding fast to Him, because He Himself is the source of life and the length of life. Life and good with blessing against death and evil with cursing, life and death, blessing and cursing, are set before Israel with heaven and earth called to witness, with the urge to choose life so they and their children and seed may live, and the same life and death are to be set before all people near and far with the strongest motives to move them to choose life.
What God speaks as His requirement demands obedience, for to love God and listen to Him and hold fast to Him is to keep His law. That law was given to govern all human intelligences, and people are called to understand and follow God's requirements, with obedience as the way of life and essential to eternal life while disobedience leads to death. The whole matter centers here: obedience means eternal life and disobedience means death, even eternal death. God invites people to come to Him and receive eternal life rather than lose heaven through worldly pursuits, and obeying Him requires an intelligent knowledge of His commands gained by studying the Bible to understand His will, denying self, and conforming life to its requirements. Gaining an understanding of the will of God must be made a life-work, bringing every word and action into harmony with His Word irrespective of the opinions and practices of those who refuse to obey Him, and only in this way can children be trained aright.
The verse sets forth God's unalterable covenant of life for obedience and death for transgression. His word stands fast forever, as firm as His throne, and what has gone out of His lips cannot be changed. When every case is decided in the courts of heaven this covenant plainly written with the finger of God will be brought forth, 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. The same doing-and-living requirement was restated by Christ on earth, and Christ declared from the pillowy cloud that obedience is life itself. The principles plainly defined by the Word of God from the pillar of cloud still bind His people.
Love for God is expressed through obedience and loyalty to Him, and the same choice to obey and live or disobey and perish applied in Eden, where its dwellers could retain their happy state only by remaining faithful to their Creator's law. God erected a signpost for those journeying through this world, with the road to happiness as clearly defined as was the road to the city of refuge under the Jewish dispensation. One finger of the signpost points out loving obedience to the Creator as the road to felicity and happiness, while its other arm indicates disobedience, or sin, as the path to misery and death. In an evil hour for the race the great enemy turned the signpost round, so that ever since multitudes have mistaken the true road to happiness. Obedience is not forced and none of God's commandments are grievous, so no one suffers in obeying them. People can choose to defy God, but loving and obeying God and holding fast to Him are the way to find life and lasting joy, and submission to His will brings the highest joy human nature can know.
Health Prosperity and Training
To love the Lord, obey His voice, and cleave to Him is to lay hold on divine strength, for He Himself is life and the length of days. Obedience to His commandments and to His laws of life and health supports life, prolongs days, and brings health and prosperity. That obedience blesses both body and spirit and brings life into harmony with heaven.
Sickness and death are not afflictions He willingly brings. Physicians, helpers, and ministers are therefore to cooperate with Him in combating disease, not only by using the natural remedial agencies He has provided and the advantages of outdoor life, but by teaching the sick and suffering to obey His law. Temporal and spiritual prosperity are conditional upon obedience to His law, and obedience to His Word is life and happiness. Disobedience degrades His law and brings wickedness, violence, and a groaning world, with blessing withdrawn from orchard and vineyard. His judgments for such transgression are stayed and mercy extended because of His commandment-keeping people and the righteous who love and fear Him and live upon the earth.
Though He led and protected Israel in the wilderness and set them apart from other nations, that generation became lax in keeping His commandments, including the Sabbath, and He permitted punishment to come upon them. The requirement binds especially men in responsible positions at the heart of the work to walk in the great light given, with heart and soul converted to practice the truth and not merely take it up. It calls them to lay aside old hereditary and cultivated character, and it forbids mingling one's own spirit with counsel and actions, perverting principle, and confederating to do what He has expressly forbidden. It demands justice and mercy and love for God and man, and to walk contrary to it insults Him, abuses His honor, and misrepresents Him by people called by His name.
Parents must obey His word and diligently train their children to know the law and to love and fear Him and obey all His commandments. The blessing is for all who hearken diligently to His law and teach it diligently in their families. Obeying Him requires an intelligent knowledge of His commands gained by studying the Bible to understand His will, denying self, and conforming life to its requirements. Gaining an understanding of His will must be made a life-work that brings every word and action into harmony with His Word irrespective of the opinions and practices of those who refuse to obey Him, and only in this way can children be trained aright.
To love Him, obey His voice, and cleave to Him is to rest in His love and depend on Him, as spoken to Israel by a gracious Saviour. His promises and commandments cheer the pathway, and keeping them brings blessing and provision, including the finest wheat, honey out of the rock, and food from the tree of life. They were to be set to music and taught to children by singing them through the wilderness, lest they be lost out of life, while disobedience brings His displeasure. Disregard for His laws and despising of His Sabbath and transgression from generation to generation brings rebellion against Him, controversy with Him, and the present terrible state of the world as in the days of Noah.