enjoying life in the land in the short term is indeed to follow the words of Yahweh as spelled out in Deuteronomy. But this is tempered with a pessimism springing from the realization that Israel is by nature a rebellious nation. Obedience cannot last for long. The ultimate function of the law is not, then, to enable obedience, but to expose disobedience, paving the way for the divine intervention which will eventually enable real obedience, and a new intimacy with God himself. As the book ends,