Weekly Bible Study - Deuteronomy 30:10-14

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God asked much of Moses, and Moses responded in great faith.  Courageously leading his people through the trials of the wilderness, Moses dealt with their incessant grumbling and impatience, and called them back numerous times to faithful observance of the law.  In today's reading he is on the last leg of his journey. Here we see Moses facing a new challenge from the Lord: he will not see the Promised Land. For forty years he has worked so hard to lead his people to their homeland, and he doesn’t even get to share in the fulfillment of the promise!  It is a true test of Moses' fidelity.

The Book of Deuteronomy is set, by the biblical author, as a series of farewell addresses given by Moses on the threshold of the "Promised Land." It is a beautiful testimony to God’s continued care of his people, and it is well worth pondering. Actually written about six centuries after Moses' death, Deuteronomy calls the Jews of his time back to remembrance of God’s plan for their salvation, their livelihood and worship, and their identity as a chosen people.

If we put ourselves into the sandals of the then-struggling Jewish community, we might be tempted to have sympathy with these people. Imagine how easy it would be to forget the religion of the ancestors in the face of destruction and exile at the hands of the Babylonian conquerers.

But the biblical author has no sympathy for those who turn aside!

In today’s reading we are called to imagine the Jews making excuses for not taking the word of God to heart. “Is it out in the sky, or across the sea?” they ask. Moses simply tells them that it is not too mysterious nor too remote. “It is very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts, you have only to carry it out.” No excuses, it's right there in front of you!

How much like the Israelites are we, as we ourselves so often place God outside of our minds and hearts? How quickly the excuses can tumble over each other, racing from out of our mouths! How often does God remain somewhere outside of our everyday awareness?

Yet that life of God is very near to us, planted within our hearts. We have only to reach deep within, to acknowledge that quiet voice that continually calls us to deeper life. And our praise is already upon our lips. We have only to carry it out!

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.