Deuteronomy 29: False Assurance Ends in Ruin

Deuteronomy 29 warns that false assurance leads to ruin, but Christ gives true safety and covenant blessings to all who believe in Him.

“Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.” (Deuteronomy 29:18–20, ESV)

When Moses warned Israel about the danger of a bitter root springing up among them, he described the attitude of such a heart in haunting words: 

“When he hears the words of this sworn covenant, he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart’” (Deuteronomy 29:19, ESV). 

Here is the delusion of the bitter heart—it takes God’s solemn warnings lightly, soothes itself with empty assurances, and persists in rebellion while promising itself peace. But Moses makes clear that such a person will not be safe. Harm will surely come if he persists in his stubbornness.

This false confidence is chilling. The man hears God’s covenant, but instead of trembling at the warnings of judgment, he blesses himself. He substitutes God’s blessing with his own, speaking peace where God has spoken wrath. The self-assurance sounds confident: “I shall be safe.” But it is built on a lie, for God immediately declares that His anger will burn against such a man and that He will not be willing to forgive him (Deuteronomy 29:20). What the sinner claims for himself—safety—is the very thing he forfeits by refusing to repent. His stubborn heart leads him down a path of destruction that no self-made promise can avert.

The heart of the problem is rebellion. Moses says this man “walks in the stubbornness of his heart.” This is not a momentary stumble but a chosen way of life. It is willful defiance dressed in a cloak of false assurance. The man knows what God has said but presumes that somehow he will escape. He is deceived by sin’s flattery, convincing himself that he can have God’s blessing while clinging to his own way. Yet God’s word stands: rebellion leads to ruin, and those who persist in it will face the curse rather than the blessing.

This warning carries profound implications. It shows us that God’s judgment is certain, that sin’s deceitfulness is powerful, and that assurance must rest in God’s promises rather than in our own stubborn hearts. False assurance is one of the most dangerous states of the soul. It lulls a person into complacency, whispering “Peace, peace,” where there is no peace (cf. Jeremiah 6:14). But sooner or later, the lie collapses, and the bitterness of rebellion bears its poisonous fruit.

Yet this very passage points us forward to our desperate need for Christ. Many today still soothe themselves with the same words: “I shall be safe,” while continuing in sin, believing that God will overlook their rebellion. But apart from Christ, there is no safety—only wrath. The wonder of the gospel is that Jesus bore the curse of the covenant for us (Galatians 3:13). He faced the wrath our sin deserved, so that those who believe in Him might receive the true blessing of forgiveness, adoption, and eternal life. In Him, the believer’s assurance is no longer a self-deceiving whisper but a God-given promise. In Christ, the covenant curse is lifted, and covenant blessings flow forever.

So the invitation is clear: do not soothe yourself with false promises of safety while persisting in rebellion. God’s word exposes that lie and warns that harm will come. Instead, change your mind about your sin and your own efforts, and call on the name of the Lord Jesus. He died for your sins and rose again to secure eternal life for all who believe. Only in Him will you find true safety, lasting peace, and covenant blessings that cannot be shaken. The bitter heart that once blessed itself in vain is replaced by a new heart that rests in the sure promises of Christ.

false assurance, stubborn heart, rebellion, covenant, judgment, ruin, safety, Christ, curse, blessing, gospel, salvation