Deuteronomy 30:1-5 – How to have a restored relationship with God

Be sure that God wanted His people to be truly blessed. His one desire from His people was for them to honor their covenant relationship with Him by obeying His instructions and commandments. Just as sure as the blessings would be theirs when they obeyed Him, the curse would be their experience when they chose to disobey Him. God who knew all things from the beginning saw that at some point these chosen people would fail Him and He would have to judge them. They would be driven from the promised land, scattered, and taken into captivity. Even then, there would be a way out for them. When they would repent and return to Him, He would restore them. This was the gist of Deuteronomy 30:1-5.

Here the wonderful grace of God for their lives was on display. Despite knowing how wayward His people could be, God only had the very best intention for them. Blessings were what He wanted them to experience. Think about it this way, the curses were only there to deter them from being unfaithful to Him. They were never His intention for them to experience. So these five verses instructed them on how they could return and be restored to God when they were caught in the mire of their cursed experiences.

In whatever miserable state they would be in, God’s promise of restoration stood. When they remembered their covenant relationship with Him, repented from their sin, and returned to Him to obey and love Him wholeheartedly, He would restore them. No matter at which corner of the earth they were banished to, God promised to gather them back to the land again. He would also restore their fortune and prosper them. Oh, how broad are the mercies and love of God!

From these five verses, we see the heart of God clearly. He only wants the best for His children. He prefers to bless us. The miserable experiences of disobedience are only prescribed to show us how terrible life can be without an intact relationship with Him. No matter how far we have fallen, if we recall, repent, and return to Him, He will restore us. However, do take note that we must return to Him sincerely. We must love and obey Him wholeheartedly. And we can love Him only because He first loved us. These verses show us the extent of God’s love. A moment of His love is worth more than a lifetime of love others can give to us. May our first prayer each day be:

Awaken my heart, to know and love you, O my Lord.
Awaken my heart, to know your love and to love you in return,
Freely flowing for an awakened heart.