“For this mitzvah which I am giving you today is not too hard for you, it is not beyond your reach. It isn’t in the sky, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will go up into the sky for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ Likewise, it isn’t beyond the sea, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ On the contrary, the word is very close to you — in your mouth, even in your heart; therefore, you can do it!”-Deuteronomy 30:11-13
In verse 10 (or verse 11 depending on which translation you’re using), Moses reassures Israel that IF they will repent, return and restoration is possible.
They don’t have to remain in a state of permanent exile.
And the next verse informs us of something that completely refutes one of the most insidious and false doctrines ever promoted by the gentile church.
Moses says that the commands of the Torah are NOT too hard for Israel to do.
The Torah is neither unintelligible nor is it inaccessible.
In other words, the Torah is NOT part of those hidden things of the Lord.
Israel doesn’t have to go up into the sky to get it.
God Himself has come down from the heavens and plainly revealed His Will to His people.
All Israel has to do is obey.
Recall in an earlier chapter Moses instructed that at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, the Israelites were to take two huge flat stones, coat them with plaster, inscribe the words of the Torah onto them, and then set them up in a standing position for all to see.
There’s an important point being expressed here.
The idea is that the priests and Levites are only the teachers and administrators of the commands of the covenant.
They are not the source of the Law.
This means they are not the only folks capable of understanding the Torah or properly observing its instructions and commands.
So let’s get’s this clear.
Right here in verses 11-14, Moses makes it crystal clear that the Torah is knowable, accessible, AND DOABLE.
And you better believe the Lord fully expects it to be done.
The gentile church teaches that the New Covenant was established because the Mosaic Covenant was impossible to keep.
They are WRONG.
For we just read Moses clearly telling us the Law is NOT too hard to keep.
In fact, a God who hands down commandments to His People that are impossible to obey would be quite a perverse being indeed if you ask me.
Let’s take a look at verse 15.
“Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil.”
In a nutshell, this is a summation of what the Torah is all about.
On the one hand, blessings and the other curses.
The choice is yours.
You can have life and prosperity or death and adversity.
Choose LIFE!
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