This small group Deuteronomy 29 Bible study guide contains commentary, discussion questions, cross-references, and application to encourage life change. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Deuteronomy 29 Bible Study – The Covenant Renewed – Be Careful of the Poisonous Root
Outline
I. Remembering God’s goodness in their history (1-15)
II. A warning against idolatry (16-29)
I. Remembering God’s goodness in their history (1-15)
Discussion Questions
• Why did Moses summon the people again (2)?
• What had the people witnessed of God’s goodness during their lifetimes?
• What are some highlights of God’s goodness to you over the years?
• Why is it useful to regularly review history and remember what God has done in our lives?
• What does verse 4 show us about the people’s response to God’s miraculous provision?
• Since it says that “the Lord has not given” them this heart, were they culpable? Was there anything they could do to receive this heart of understanding?
• What actions can you take to get this heart of understanding?
• Is verse 5 literal or figurative? What does this show us about God’s faithfulness to them?
• What does the statement, “It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant,” mean?
• Who were the ones who were “not here” in verse fifteen?
Cross-References
Psalms 119:130 – The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Lamentations 3:22-23 – The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Psalms 36:5 – Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Moses summoned all Israel – There is a transition between chapters 28 and 29. Moses finished the address to the people in regard to renewing the covenant and the blessings and curses in chapter 28. Here he calls the people together for another national meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to once again exhort the people to remember God’s goodness while warning them against rebellion and idolatry.
2. You have seen all that the Lord did – The people had personally witnessed many miracles. The older generation had died off and it had been forty years since they left Egypt. Therefore, for almost their entire lives they had been experiencing God’s supernatural faithfulness. The older ones, as children, had seen the ten plagues. They had gone through the Red Sea, some of them on their parents’ backs. The pillar of fire and cloud had protected and guided them. For forty years, they had gone out in the morning and collected manna from heaven. This manna was a miracle, a daily reminder of God’s faithful provision.
For them, these events were not just stories they heard from their parents or in Sunday School. They had personally experienced these things. They had seen them with their own eyes. They drank the water from the rock. They ate the meat God miraculously sent to the camp. They tasted the manna. Some of them had probably been personally healed when they looked at the bronze serpent. Some of the people Moses was addressing had not experienced one single day in their entire lives without a miracle.
Moses goes on to tell them that during all of this time, their clothes and footwear had not worn out. This in itself was another miracle, perhaps one they had never even realized. It is possible they took this for granted, never stopping to think about why they didn’t have to make new clothing.
Reflect – Consider God’s goodness in your life. What miracles have you seen? How has He answered your prayers? In what special ways has He shown Himself to be faithful to you over the years?
It is a very good thing to slow down from time to time and take a step back to meditate on the blessings God has bestowed upon you. Our lives get very busy. Sometimes, our memories are very poor and we easily forget God’s blessings.
Application – Taking time to intentionally remember His faithfulness will help us to have a joyful spirit. It will remind us to praise Him and thank Him. At the same time, it will strengthen our faith. Knowing He has taken care of us in the past helps us trust that He will continue to do so in the future.
3. The Lord has not given you a heart to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear –
Though the people had witnessed so many miraculous things, they lacked spiritual understanding. In some ways, they were blind. They did not appreciate God as they should. Neither did they understand the meaning or importance of what they had seen.
It appears that there was some degree of indifference or apathy about these amazing things. Perhaps the very fact that they experienced these miracles daily made them less sensitive and appreciative of their magnitude.
Most of us have never seen anything like what they did. Looking at it from a distance, we marvel. But for them, it was a normal thing. Collecting manna was just another Tuesday.
Mark 6:4 – And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.
A prophet is not honored in his hometown because people know him. They grew up with him. Familiarity can breed contempt. In a similar way, the people of Israel were very familiar with miracles.
The passage says, “The Lord has not given you a heart to understand.”
Reflect – Was it their fault they didn’t have understanding or God’s?
The Lord gave them message after message. He revealed Himself to them through Moses. But the people still didn’t “get it.”
Here is the conundrum between God’s sovereignty and people’s responsibility.
This passage in Proverbs can help us understand.
Proverbs 2:1-5 – My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
The issue was that the people were not treasuring His commands as they should. They were not attentive enough. There was a lack of desire and hunger. If they would sincerely and zealously seek for that wisdom and understanding, God would have given it to them. It was readily available, but they had to want it.
Jesus put it like this.
Matthew 5:6 – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
The person who hungers for righteousness will realize he doesn’t have it himself and will go to the Lord for help. That hunger drives Him to God. God will satisfy that hunger.
This generation of Israel was so close. But some missed it. Will you?
Steve Lawson said, “Many will miss heaven by 18 inches, the distance from their head to their heart. They know about Christ but do not know Him.”
God has a heart transplant waiting for us and ready to go (Ezekiel 36:26). Contrary to heart transplants in this world, the spiritual transplant He offers is free. What He wants us to do is recognize we need it and ask Him for it.
4. Keep the words of the covenant and do them that you may prosper in all you do –
There was still hope for the people. All was not doom and gloom. The blessings were still possible if they would obey. Obedience is the theme of Deuteronomy, repeated over and over throughout.
5. The one who chops the wood and the one who draws your water – This little phrase is a reminder that the people were not just doing nothing for forty years. It was still necessary to work to survive. Millions of tasks were done in the camp each day. Different people had different roles. God provided for them supernaturally, but that did not alleviate their responsibility to work. Work is a good thing.
At every point in human history, past, present, or future, God desires us to work. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had work (Genesis 2:15). Even in the wilderness, when God sent free food daily, they had to work. In heaven, we will still have work to do (Revelation 22:3). When we work for the Lord, it is not a burden. It is satisfying.
Application – In the camp, everybody had a job to do. The same is true in the church. What is your job in the church? Are you faithfully doing it?
2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 – For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
6. That He may establish you as His people and that He may be your God – Here we see God’s desire. He wanted success for them. He hoped to build them up.
Application – Let us learn from God and treat others like this, seeking to build them up.
7. Whoever is not here with us today – The covenant was between God and Israel. It included all of those present at this meeting. It also included everyone who was alive at that time but absent (perhaps because of sickness or some duty taking them away from the camp). Finally, it includes all of Israel’s future descendants who were not yet born.
II. A warning against idolatry (16-29)
Discussion Questions
• What term does Moses use for the Egyptian idols?
• In what ways are they detestable?
• What does the word “beware” mean?
• What is the relationship between a root and fruit (18)?
• If you want to have better fruit, where can you start?
• How can you make your roots healthier?
• How might such a rebellious person convince himself, “I shall be safe?”
• Why do people think they can be safe even when they are in sin?
• What lies might Satan and the world and the flesh tell a person like that?
• What is the result of this rebellion for the individual? For the nation?
• How do brimstone and salt affect the fertility of the land?
• How would even God’s judgment act as an object lesson to the nations (25-28)?
• What does verse 29 mean?
• What secret things belong to the Lord?
• What revealed things belong to us?
Cross-References
Colossians 2:6-7 – Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Matthew 7:17 – So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 11:24 – But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Luke 8:17 – For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
Daniel 2:22 – He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
Revelation 10:4 – And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. You know… you have seen (16-17) – The experiences they faced firsthand and the miracles they saw should have strengthened their face and their walk with God. God did not do these things for them randomly. He had a clear purpose. All that He did on their behalf was meant to motivate them to trust in and follow Him.
Reflect – What have you seen and experienced that motivates you to trust and obey Him?
2. Beware – This begins a section filled with warnings to the people. It is similar to the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28. These curses are even mentioned again in verse 21.
The word “beware” means to “be wary, cautious, or careful.” Knowing the consequences of idolatry and rebellion should cause them to be wary. A soldier has to be wary of the enemy so that he is not caught by surprise and killed.
What were they to be wary of?
The danger was not something outside the camp. It was within. The danger was in themselves. The temptation stemmed primarily from their own hearts (19).
James 1:14-15 – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
They were to beware of their own hearts.
Jeremiah gave the same warning.
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Application – We should regularly pray and ask God to give us a clean and new heart (Psalm 51:10). At the same time we should “keep guard over your heart for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
3. A root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit –
A root is something that is unseen and underneath the surface.
My boys and I were helping someone pull weeds from his yard. The weeds had thick and woody roots which burrowed far underneath the surface. If you only removed the visible part of the root, ninety percent of it remained lurking underneath the surface and would grow back over and over again. The only way to fully eliminate this annoyance was to go deep and remove every single root.
Moses warned the nation of Israel about the unseen threat of a lone person who rebelled against God in his heart. Even a single person who wasn’t committed on the inside, though everything looked fine from the outside, would spread and infect the whole. That is why such strict punishments were detailed for individuals who even mentioned idol worship (Deuteronomy 13:6-11).
Jesus said that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:17). You could also say that a good root brings forth a good tree which bears good fruit and a bad root brings forth a bad tree which bears bad fruit.
If you want to have good fruit, the root must be healthy. A person can try to fake it for a while. You could try tying nice-looking fruit onto a dead tree with a fishing line. But without life flowing through the root, up the tree, into the branches and finally the fruit, that fruit will decay and turn into an eyesore.
So from this, we learn two key lessons.
A. Negative peer pressure is infectious. Sin that is not dealt with in an individual can spread to the whole group. This is true in a family, a church, or even a nation.
That idea is shown in the saying, “One bad apple spoils the bunch.”
Paul taught the same thing.
1 Corinthians 5:6-7 – Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.
B. We need to be mindful of our roots. Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. You can try to change your external behavior through sheer willpower, but if the heart has not been regenerated and transformed, those efforts will fail.
Therefore, we need Christ in us.
John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
We need deep roots in Christ, like a tree planted by streams of water (Psalm 1).
Application – What can you do to strengthen your roots in Christ?
4. The consequences of breaking the covenant –
Moses warns again of the consequences of breaking their side of the deal. Here are some of the things that he said would happen.
• The sweeping away of moist and dry alike – Some innocent people would be affected by the judgment poured out on the nation. It is a stark reminder that our sin affects others.
• The Lord will not be willing to forgive him – That is a terrifying thought.
• The anger of the Lord and His jealousy will smoke against that man – God has a righteous jealousy. It is right for a husband to be jealous if his wife is unfaithful. Indifference would be shocking. God is jealous for our loyalty, which in turn is also good for us.
• The curses in this book will settle upon him – These curses can be seen in Deuteronomy 28.
• The Lord will blot out his name from under heaven – He will be put to death.
• The Lord will single him out for calamity.
• The land itself will become desolate – This is a supernatural judgment upon the land, a land that was supposed to flow with milk and honey.
• It will be a testimony to their neighbors of God’s righteous judgment – Even the peoples around them would know why the Lord sent these judgments.
• They will be exiled (28).
In essence, this passage is a reminder of the curses that God would send on the nation as they willfully broke the covenant and refused to follow Him.
5. The secret things belong to the Lord, but the revealed things belong to us –
There are many things that God knows that we do not know. This is true of most knowledge in the universe. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is eternally existent in the past and will exist for eternity in the future. There is not one fact, real or theoretical, that God does not know. He not only knows every piece of information about the future, but He also knows every permutation of how every decision of all seven billion people in the world would affect that future.
One Scripture that makes this evident is Revelation 10. A lot of things happen in this chapter, but John is told not to write them down. They are secrets that God knows, but we cannot.
As humans, we need to accept this truth and acknowledge that there are many things we will never know. While it is good to seek answers to questions we have and try to understand the world and His Word better, it is presumptuous to think that we should understand it all. It is also presumptuous to judge God for things we do not know or refuse to place our trust in Him unless we understand every single detail.
Imagine if your child would not trust you unless you explained to him every single thing you did in terminology he could understand. That would drive a parent crazy. Yet some people act this way toward God.
The theological term for this statement that the secret things belong to God is His transcendence.
Although the secret things belong to God, the revealed things belong to us. There are many things that we can know. God has graciously revealed much about Himself and His plan to us. He has revealed Himself to us through the world He made, prophets, Scripture, at times angels, and through His Son.
Hebrews 1:1-2 – Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Application – Diligently study those things that He has revealed and that we can know. In the other areas, humbly trust in Him.
