God Calls for Decision
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Key Verse: “The LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Selected Scripture: |
DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE was manifested in the prediction that Israel would violate its covenant with God and be carried away into exile. It was promised further that God’s mercy and compassion would be bestowed upon them and they would ultimately be regathered into their land.—Deut. 30:1-5
Our Key Verse points to the time when the people’s hearts would be purged from wickedness and idolatry and enjoy a renewed relationship with God as they render obedience to his laws. As a faithful servant who was concerned about his people, Moses continued to set before them the blessings of obedience, and the fact that God would do all the good that he promised on their behalf if they would keep his commandments.—vss. 7-10
Moses also reminded the people that the covenant they had been given was not too hard for them to comprehend and all that was necessary was for them to commit themselves to obedience. As a closing exhortation, he indicated that the Israelites could choose to obey God and receive his blessings. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”—vss. 19,20
Many years later, as a result of continued disobedience, God permitted various Gentile powers to dominate Israel, beginning with Babylon. The promised regathering of Israel from distant lands has been in process for some period of time. It became a sovereign nation once again during the mid-twentieth century, but it still faces persecution and hostility from surrounding enemies.
At the time of his First Advent, Jesus Christ came to the nation of Israel and offered himself as their Savior and King. As a nation, they were given the opportunity of becoming a part of the spiritual seed of Abraham to help bless all the nations of the earth. (Gen. 22:18) After being blinded to the import of this offer, they were cut off from this special opportunity which has now been given to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, all the promised earthly blessings will begin to flow to the nation of Israel in God’s kingdom, when they may manifest obedience to his law and profit from the many bitter experiences they have had throughout their history.—Acts 15:14-17
This will be the promised time for Israel’s restoration to God. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall by my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—Jer. 31:31-34