lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood,
Moses is renewing the covenant with Israel. Here he turns from the nation as a whole to the single hidden heart inside it. The warning names a man, a woman, a family, a tribe. Then it changes the picture to a plant with a poisonous root. How does one person's private drift become everyone's problem?
One commentator shows how far this covenant reached, and what verse 18 guards against.
The covenant was to extend also to all Israel, those not standing there at the time, which would include all who were later born into the nation (vs. 14-15). Israel had seen and known the idolatry of the nations, from Egypt all the way to where they now stood. So the warning comes: any one of them is in danger of wanting such idols and turning from the living God to these empty things (v. 18).
Notice what Moses watches for: not an act of worship, but a heart already turning. Commenting on the same danger earlier in Deuteronomy, one writer traces the order of the fall.
"Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them." Sad progress downward! The heart deceived. This is the beginning of all declension. "And you turn aside." The feet are sure to follow the heart. So there is deep need of keeping the heart with all diligence. The heart is the citadel of the whole moral being. Keep it for the Lord, and the enemy can gain no advantage. Surrender it, and all is gone.
A Bible dictionary explains the word behind "poisonous," which older translations render as "gall."
rosh: some extremely bitter or poisonous plant, never identified for certain. Scripture uses this word as a symbol of "bitterness." To turn to idolatry was like "a root that bears gall and wormwood." Deut. 29:18. God gave them His judgements as water of gall to drink. … Gall was mixed with the sour wine the Roman soldiers drank and given to men about to be crucified. It was offered to the Lord, but He refused it.
after_note: none
A root works out of sight, and it spreads. Explaining the star called Wormwood in Revelation, one writer turns to this verse.
This picture stands for a person in high authority, though under a higher one still. He falls from his place, and so corrupts and poisons the very springs of life. This seems to be a spiritual falling away rather than a political one. It spreads a deadly falsehood, which works like poison in the heart and conscience. It produces moral death rather than physical death. Such is the figure used by Moses to describe the bitter fruits of idolatry among the Israelites.
Hebrews 12:15 picks up Moses' image for the church: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." One commentator ties the two passages together.
Deuteronomy 29 applies everything that goes before to the conscience of the people, as a nation and one by one, so that there may be no bitter root of sin. Compare Hebrews 12:15, which applies the same warning to the discipline and the loving care of believers now.
Hebrews names the soil the root grows in: a heart that has missed the grace of God. Another writer asks what grows when grace is missing, and points to two men in Israel's history.
If grace is lacking, some bitter root of self-will is bound to come up. The bitter root is in the flesh, and it is only grace that can keep it down. When it springs up and troubles us, how many does a bitter root defile! Achan did not suffer alone, and widespread murmuring went with Korah's rebellion.
Moses says "Beware lest" — so this root can be stopped. And the duty does not fall on leaders only.
Might we not cultivate and exercise a loving, prayerful interest in one another? Might we not exercise a holy watchfulness and care that would prevent many a root of bitterness from springing up? … The passage just quoted from Hebrews 12 says nothing about pastors. It is a most stirring call to all Christians to care for one another, and to watch against the springing up of any root of bitterness.
- Root — the danger starts underground: a heart turning away, before any outward act. The feet follow the heart, so the heart is the place to guard.
- Poison — gall and wormwood are bitter, poisonous plants. They picture a falsehood that poisons the springs of life.
- Reach — no one drifts alone. Achan did not suffer alone, and Korah's rebellion carried widespread murmuring with it.
- Remedy — the root grows where the grace of God has been missed; only grace keeps it down.
- Responsibility — Hebrews 12 gives Moses' warning to every Christian, not to leaders only. Watch over one another in love and prayer, and many a root is stopped before it springs up.
and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to sweep away the drunken with the thirsty.
Moses has just read out the curses of the covenant. He pauses over one danger: not the open rebel, but the listener who hears the curse and decides it cannot mean him. Commentators call this a fatal delusion — a man who blesses himself while God says the opposite.
(The writers quoted here used older translations: "I shall have peace" where the ESV has "I shall be safe," and "the imagination of my heart" where the ESV has "the stubbornness of my heart.")
This hearer is present for the warning. He takes in the words, then applies them to everyone but himself.
Verse 19 points to a danger. A man hears these curses spoken against evil, yet blesses himself in his own heart. He feels the curses cannot apply to him, even while he follows "the dictates of his own heart." So a drunkard thinks he is no different from a sober person! But the Lord would not spare him (v.20). He would let His righteous anger and jealousy fall on the man instead, bringing these curses to bear with terrible force, to blot out his name from under heaven and separate him from all the tribes of Israel (v.21).
The word "peace" here is the man's own claim. The next verse answers it.
Fatal delusion! Crying peace, peace, when there is no peace, but wrath and judgement close at hand. "The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and" — instead of the "peace" he had promised himself in vain — "all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." A terrible warning to all who act as roots of bitterness among the people of God, and to all who support them!
The self-blessing rests on a false use of God's mercy. The man reasons from mercy to safety.
God has depth of mercy: it reaches as low as sinners. It has height of mercy too: it reaches above the clouds. … Take care not to abuse the mercy of God. Do not suck poison out of the sweet flower of God's mercy. Do not think that because God is merciful, you may go on in sin; this is to make mercy your enemy. To sin because mercy abounds is the devil's logic. He who sins because of mercy is like a man who wounds his head because he has a bandage. He who sins because of God's mercy shall have judgment without mercy. Mercy abused turns to fury.
The picture does not stop with one man. One writer links this boast to a root, and a root bears fruit for others too.
In Deuteronomy 29:19-20, the man who hears the curses of the law and says, "I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart," is like a root that bears gall and wormwood.
The same image of a root comes back in Hebrews 12, and one writer applies it to every Christian.
We should keep as far away as possible from those contemptible evils we have just mentioned. But could we not also cultivate a loving, prayerful interest in one another? A holy watchfulness and care might prevent many a root of bitterness from springing up. … One thing is clear: the passage just quoted from Hebrews 12 says nothing about pastors. It is a stirring call to all Christians to care for one another, and to watch against the springing up of any root of bitterness.
This self-spoken peace is not only an old problem. One writer describes a calm that can last a lifetime and break too late.
For many a long day a man may go on in false peace, thinking all is right when all is wrong… That is a false peace. It is the devil's lullaby for souls deceived by sin, and often helped hell-ward by a Christless religion. Thank God if you are troubled now about your sins and your lost condition. Far better for a man to be in soul-trouble now, and so get the peace which God gives. The other road is to go through life in the deceptive peace the devil supplies, and then wake up in eternity to the terrible discovery that the peace was a fraud, and that God's judgment of sin lasts for ever.
- Hears — the man in this verse is not ignorant. He listens to the curse read out and concludes it applies to others, not to him.
- Blesses — he speaks the blessing himself, inside his own heart, treating God's mercy as permission to keep walking his own way.
- Peace — God answers the peace he claims with anger, jealousy, and his name blotted out.
- Root — he is like a root bearing gall and wormwood, and the bitterness reaches others, not only him.
- Watch — Hebrews 12 gives this warning to all Christians, not only pastors. Watch over one another, so no such root springs up.
Jehovah will not pardon him, but the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will then smoke against that man, and all the curse shall be upon him that is written in this book; and Jehovah will blot out his name from under the heavens;
Moses has just warned of a man who hears these curses read aloud and quietly congratulates himself, sure his own path will end well. Verse 20 is God's answer to that private confidence: no exemption, no sparing, and a name erased from under heaven.
Older translations of verse 19 read "I shall have peace," where the ESV has "I shall be safe." Either way, what the man promises himself is what he does not get.
Fatal delusion! Crying peace, peace, when there is no peace, but wrath and judgment close at hand. "The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and," — instead of the "peace" he vainly promised himself — "all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven." A solemn warning to all who act as roots of bitterness among the people of God, and to all who support them!
The offence is not ignorance. He listens to the warning and then reasons his way out of it, treating his own inclination as a safe guide.
Verse 19 refers to a danger. Someone acts so perversely that he hears these curses pronounced against evil, yet blesses himself in his own heart. He feels the curses cannot apply to him, even though he follows "the dictates of his own heart." So a drunkard thinks he is no different from a sober person! But the Lord would not spare him (v. 20). He would pour out His righteous anger and jealousy against him, bringing these curses to bear on him with terrible force. He would blot out his name from under heaven and separate him from all the tribes of Israel (v. 21).
Two things smoke against the man: anger and jealousy. The second word belongs to love.
He is jealous because He cannot allow any rival a place in the hearts of those He loves. He must have the whole heart, because He alone is worthy of it, and He alone can fill and satisfy it for ever. And if His people turn away from Him and go after idols of their own making, they must be left to reap the bitter fruit of their own doing.
The man in verse 19 is not counting on his goodness. He is counting on God's kindness — the very reasoning this verse destroys.
Take care not to abuse the mercy of God. Do not suck poison out of the sweet flower of God's mercy. Do not think that because God is merciful you may go on in sin; that is to make mercy your enemy. To sin because mercy abounds is the devil's logic. Someone who sins because of mercy is like a man who wounds his head because he has a bandage. Whoever sins because of God's mercy shall have judgment without mercy. Mercy abused turns to fury.
Verse 20 sentences a man, but verse 18 has already named what grew in him — a root bearing gall and wormwood. Those bitter plants stand for one thing in particular.
Some extremely bitter or poisonous plant, not definitely identified. The word is used as a symbol of "bitterness." To turn to idolatry was like "a root bearing gall and wormwood," Deut. 29:18.
The damage never stays with the one man.
How terrible those roots are! How bitter they are! How widely their damaging tendrils spread at times! What irreparable harm they do! How many are defiled by them! How many precious friendships are snapped, and how many hearts broken by them! ... How often we have felt sure that a little wise pastoral or even brotherly care, a little loving, godly counsel, might have nipped the evil in the bud.
Judgment is not the last word in Deuteronomy 29. The chapter closes by pointing past the law to a secret God has not yet disclosed.
When the people have completely and publicly failed, grace can bring out from God Himself the only suitable remedy... "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." ... Grace hints at an unrevealed secret, though in a distant and puzzling way. The people have utterly failed on the ground of law. Even so, God will not fail to find ways and means of justifying them by faith.
- Root. It starts hidden: a heart turning away, pictured as a root bearing gall and wormwood — the symbol of turning to idolatry.
- Reasoning. The root grows an argument. He hears the curses, then blesses himself, treating the dictates of his own heart as a safe road.
- Rival. God answers with jealousy. He cannot allow any rival in the hearts of those He loves; He must have the whole heart.
- Reckoning. Mercy abused turns to fury. The man promises himself peace and gets the curses, a name blotted out, and separation from the tribes.
- Remedy. The chapter still ends in grace: a secret way to justify by faith where law found only failure — and care for one another that nips the root in the bud.
and Jehovah will separate him for mischief out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
A whole nation stands together in covenant with God. Yet the LORD singles out one man for disaster, and He measures that judgment by curses already written in the book. Who is this man? Why does God mark him out alone? And what does one hidden heart have to do with everyone else standing there?
The man in view has just heard the curses read aloud and decided they do not apply to him. One writer traces the path from that inward blessing to the judgment of this verse:
Verse 19 warns of the danger of someone who hears these curses spoken against evil, yet blesses himself in his own heart. He feels that the curses cannot apply to him, even though he follows "the dictates of his own heart." So a drunkard thinks he is no different from a sober person! But the Lord would not spare him (v. 20). He would pour out His righteous anger and jealousy against him, bringing these curses to bear on him with terrible force. He would blot out his name from under heaven, and separate him from all the tribes of Israel (v. 21).
The man's own verdict on himself is peace. One commentator names what is really coming, and who else is in danger:
Fatal delusion! Crying peace, peace, when there is no peace, but imminent wrath and judgment... An awful warning to all who act as roots of bitterness among the people of God, and to all who go along with them!
Nothing here is invented on the spot. The judgment matches "all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law" — terms written down before anyone broke them. One commentator hears God's love in these written warnings:
Moses now takes up the blessing and the curse, and spreads them out before the people's eyes. He dwells above all on the curse, which has had a long, sad fulfilment for many generations. They needed to see it set before them, so that it would convict them and turn them to God when it overtook them. It was already a prophecy of the fruit the legal covenant would bear. God's love for His people speaks in these terrible warnings — yet it was not enough to turn the unbelieving generation back from the path of ruin.
The same writer adds why calm weather proves nothing about God's favour.
As with the one who is at peace with God all things are at peace, so, on the other hand, with the enemies of God all things are really hostile — never more so than when things look most prosperous, and gentle breezes and calm skies lure the ship on to destruction.
The warning about a bitter root does not stay in Moses' day:
These searching words are taken up by the apostle in his letter to the Hebrews in a very emphatic way. He says: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled."
So whose job is it to watch for such a root?
Might we not cultivate a loving, prayerful interest in one another? Might we not show a holy watchfulness and care that would stop many a root of bitterness from springing up? We cannot doubt it... One thing is clear: the passage just quoted from Hebrews 12 says nothing about pastors. It is simply a most stirring call to all Christians to care for one another, and to watch against the springing up of any root of bitterness.
One commentator turns from Israel's history to the church today:
How solemn all this is! What a powerful illustration of the apostle's words, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" And again, "Our God is a consuming fire!" How important that the professing church should pay attention to such warning notes! She is surely called to learn much from the history of God's dealings with His people Israel. Romans 11 is clear and conclusive about this... "Note then the kindness and the severity of God."
- The root — the sin starts hidden. A heart turns away while the man still stands inside the covenant.
- The boast — the root's first fruit is self-made peace. The man hears the curse read aloud and assumes it is meant for someone else.
- The book — God does not invent the penalty. He applies curses already written down — warnings given in love, so the people would turn back when trouble came.
- The reach — one root defiles many. So the New Testament turns this warning into a call for every Christian, not only pastors, to watch over one another.
- The result — what began in secret ends in public. God singles the man out and blots out his name. The church must read that history and fear.