Deuteronomy 30:6
6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
New Bible Commentary:
- The new element is that the Lord is seen here taking a decisive new part in their fortunes.
- It will be by his power that they will be restored to their land.
- (This is the meaning, in effect, of the phrase restore your fortunes; v 3, see also Je. 29:14; 30:3.)
- Not only this, however, but he will create in them a new ability to be faithful.
- This is implied by the phrase: The LORD your God mill circumcise your hearts (6); the same figure of speech in 10:16 had simply been an exhortation.
- In some mysterious way the Lord will renew the relationship to make his people faithful (though their own need to repent is not bypassed; v 2). This is without lessening the need for their real obedience-, they are still responsible for their life with him.
- The point may be understood in the light of the NT teaching about the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling Christians to overcome their sinful nature (Rom. 8:9-27; Gal. i:16-25).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary:
- 30:1-10 In this chapter is a plain intimation of the mercy God has in store for Israel in the latter days.
- This passage refers to the prophetic warnings of the last two chapters, which have been mainly fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and in their dispersion to the present day; and there can be no doubt that the prophetic promise contained in these verses yet remain to come to pass.
- The Jewish nation shall in some future period, perhaps not very distant, be converted to the faith of Christ; and, many think, again settled in the land of Canaan.
- The language here used is in a great measure absolute promises; not merely a conditional engagement, but declaring an event assuredly to take place.
- For the Lord himself here engages to circumcise their hearts; and when regenerating grace has removed corrupt nature, and Divine love has supplanted the love of sin, they certainly will reflect, repent, return to God, and obey him; and he will rejoice in doing them good.
- The change that will be wrought upon them will not be only outward, or consisting in mere opinions; it will reach to their souls.
- It will produce in them an utter hatred of all sin, and a fervent love to God, as their reconciled God in Christ Jesus; they will love him with all their hearts, and with all their soul.
- They are very far from this state of mind at present, but so were the murderers of the Lord Jesus, on the day of Pentecost; who yet in one hour were converted unto God.
- So shall it be in the day of God’s power; a nation shall be born in a day; the Lord will hasten it in his time.
- As a conditional promise this passage belongs to all persons and all people, not to Israel only; it assures us that the greatest sinners, if they repent and are converted, shall have their sins pardoned, and be restored to God’s favor.
