As we come to chapter 30, nearing the end of Moses’ farewell sermon to the children of Israel, I can almost hear Moses pause, sigh, and look the congregation in the eye as he begins to share with them from his soul.

He’s been going on and on, repeating the commandments of the Lord. And now he says God’s commandment is not secret, mystical, abstract, or hard to reach. It’s not in the heavens, but is very near to them. How near? As close as it can be. It’s embedded in their hearts and on the tips of their tongues.

After twenty-nine chapters of preaching, Moses pauses and essentially says, “You know what to do. And you know that it’s true.” People do know. They might not want to admit it, but deep within, they know that the best way to live is to love God and keep His commandments. After all, who does even the unsaved person want to move into the vacant house next to him or her - a person who loves God and honors the Ten Commandments, or one who hates God and believes that murder, adultery, stealing, lying, and killing are acceptable?

Or think of it this way . . .

You run out of gas in the middle of a big city just before midnight. You leave your car by the side of a poorly lit street and begin walking to the nearest gas station. After a block or two, sensing you’re not alone, you look over your shoulder and see four big guys following you. Would it make a difference if you knew they were coming out of an evening Bible study and prayer meeting rather than out of a bar?

In our hearts, we know the right way to live is to love God and obey the commands He’s given us. “So choose life,” Moses says. “Don’t violate what you know is true, what you know you ought to do, what you know is best for you.”

Jesus said all of the commandments are summed up in a single word: love. “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” He said. “And . . . love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). We’re to love God passionately and love our neighbor compassionately. It’s just that simple.

“I know what to do,” you might be saying, “I know God’s ways are true, that they’re best for me and you. But here’s the problem: I don’t come through. There are times when I don’t do what I know is the right thing to do. And there are times when I do things I ought not to do. I understand what is right and good and true. But I fail in so many ways, on so many days.”

Wait. There’s hope because this very passage pops up again in the New Testament. Paul reaches back to Deuteronomy 30 and look what he says concerning these very things . . .

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into Heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) . . . - Romans 10:6–7

Inspired by the Spirit, Paul says, “There’s another way. Not the word of the law, but the word of faith . . .”

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:8–10

There’s no need to try to attain a spiritual high or dig into the depths of your soul, for salvation is in none of those places. Where is it? It’s on the tip of your tongue, if you’ll simply confess that you want Jesus to be your Lord.