Deuteronomy · chapter 29 of 34
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Deuteronomy 29 tells of the renewal of the covenant in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant at Horeb. Moses recalls what Israel saw, gathers all the people, even children and foreigners, and warns against a root of idolatry that bears poison and brings desolation. It ends with a famous line: the secret things belong to the Lord, but the revealed things are for us and our children.
After the blessings and curses of chapter 28, Moses again convenes all Israel in Moab. Deuteronomy 29 adds no new laws but asks the people to take up the covenant personally. A generation that was born in the wilderness must make its own what their fathers swore at Sinai.
Moses says this is the covenant the Lord commanded him to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant at Horeb. He reminds them of what they have seen: the signs and wonders in Egypt, and how during forty years in the wilderness their clothes and sandals did not wear out, and they ate no bread and drank no wine, so that they would know the Lord is their God. He also recalls how they defeated Sihon and Og and took their land, which they gave to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He asks them to keep the words of the covenant so that they may prosper.
Today all stand before the Lord, leaders, elders, officials, men, children, wives and the foreigner in the camp, to enter into the covenant and its oath. Not only they, but also those who are not here today, that is, future generations. Moses reminds them how they lived in Egypt and among the nations, and he sees the idols of wood, stone, silver and gold among them.
He warns that there be no man, woman, family or tribe whose heart turns away from the Lord to serve other gods, a root bearing poison and bitterness. Whoever hears the words of the curse and blesses himself in his heart, thinking he will have peace even while walking in stubbornness, will not be spared. The Lord's anger will smolder against him. The land will be desolate, like Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, and the nations will ask why the Lord did this. The answer will be that they abandoned the covenant of the Lord. The chapter ends with the statement that the secret things belong to the Lord and the revealed things to us and our children forever, so that we may keep the words of this law.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
For forty years in the wilderness the people's clothes and sandals did not wear out. The text points to the Lord's faithful care in the midst of scarcity, so that they would know he is their God.
The covenant is not only with those present but also with those who are not yet here. Faith is passed from generation to generation, and each one has to receive it and make it its own.
Moses warns that no person, family or tribe should have a heart that turns from the Lord, like a root bearing poison and bitterness. Idolatry often begins in a heart that drifts away quietly, and it can poison a whole community.
The secret things belong to the Lord, and the revealed things are for us and our children, that we may keep the words of the law. God does not reveal everything, but what he gave us is enough to live in obedience.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: In the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant made at Horeb. — Deuteronomy 29:1
Answer: They did not wear out. — Deuteronomy 29:5
Answer: Moses and Israel defeated them and gave their land to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. — Deuteronomy 29:7-8
Answer: The leaders, elders, officials, men, children, women and the foreigner in the camp. — Deuteronomy 29:10-11
Answer: A root bearing poison and bitterness. — Deuteronomy 29:18
Answer: Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. — Deuteronomy 29:23
Moses reminds us that faith is not inherited automatically. Each generation must decide whether to enter the covenant. For a Christian family this invites us to talk with children and young people about their own relationship with God, and not only expect them to repeat ours. In a class you can ask what helped each person make faith their own.
The image of the root of bitterness teaches that a small drift, if left untreated, can poison an entire community. A healthy church watches lovingly over its members and deals in time with idolatry of the heart. And the last verse offers peace: we do not need to know everything, because what God has revealed to us is enough to obey.
Deuteronomy 29 renews the covenant with the whole people, present and future, and warns against a heart that drifts away in secret. The next chapter brings hope: even after disobedience and exile, the Lord promises to restore those who return to him with all their heart.
That there are things God has not revealed, such as the reasons for some suffering or the details of the future, and we should not pretend to know them. What we have been given is his word, which is enough to live faithfully. The verse invites humility and obedience.
Because the covenant embraces the whole community of Israel, not only its leaders. The foreigners living among them and the children also shared in the blessings and the responsibilities.
That Israel's descendants were bound to the covenant, and that each generation had to renew it. Later the prophets called the people back to that covenant.