I Declare – Study Guide for Deuteronomy 30:18

Deuteronomy 30:18

“I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.”

1.  I Declare

If X happens, then I will do Y.

If/then planning is a surprisingly motivating strategy. This is the second time in our verses that Moses used it. What was the “if” part of this setup (v17)? What is the “then” result in v18? What if/then scenario are you currently experiencing in your own life? What would you like to change?

2. Today

This is the fourth of five times we’ll memorize “today” in this section of verses. List the things Moses did “today” in:

Deuteronomy 30:11
Deuteronomy 30:15
Deuteronomy 30:16
Deuteronomy 30:18
Deuteronomy 30:19

Read other verses when no waiting was required. What is happening in these “today’s”?

Luke 19:9
Luke 23:43
Hebrews 3:13
Hebrews 13:8

3. Perish

Look up “perish” (H6 – abad) in Blue Letter Bible or another Hebrew lexicon. What does it mean?

Who else is declared to perish in the Old Testament?

Psalm 1:6
Psalm 9:5
Psalm 73:27
Proverbs 21:28

What do we learn in the New Testament about how God views perishing?

Matthew 18:14
John 3:16
John 10:28
2 Peter 3:9

4. Enter and Possess

What is the difference between entering a land and possessing a land? The Israelites were promised both for obedience. What is the equivalent of our inheritance today?

Romans 8:16-17
Colossians 1:12-14
Ephesians 1:11
1 Peter 1:3-4

5. Not Live Long

Adam and Eve were also told they would surely die if they disobeyed (Genesis 2:17). But they continued to “live” afterwards. What did God mean? What did Moses mean in Deuteronomy 30:18 that the Israelites would not live long in the land? Have you wandered in and out of the land that God set up for you to enter and possess? Where are you living today?