Biblical Commentary

INVESTIGATION
Deuteronomy is Moses’ retelling of what God had done for the Hebrew people. Arranged around three of Moses’ great sermons, Deuteronomy reminded the people of the Law God had given them, of the protection God had offered them, and of the covenant expectations God had placed upon them. It is a beautifully written account of the loving relationship God had with the Hebrew people and how that relationship influenced their lives. Deuteronomy is essentially a love story about God and His chosen people.

This week’s passage forever established the dependence of God’s people upon the love of God. God never chose people because they were the biggest or the best. The passage made it clear that God would protect the Israelites because He made a promise to their ancestors. God is a gracious, loving God. The Israelites’ future as a people depended on their response to God’s love and faithfulness.

IMPORTANCE
This lesson teaches us the Essential Truth, God Is. While we seek to understand that God is, we must understand that “God is love” (I John 4:16). Love is not just one form in which God manifests Himself; God’s love is one of His essential characteristics. This is exemplified in Deuteronomy 7:8–9. In verse 8, Moses said that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt because He loved them. Because of this, the people could know that God was powerful, faithful, and loving: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (v. 9). Motivated by His unfailing love, God lavished blessings on the Israelites. Out of the same love, God sent His Son so that we might have a relationship with Him, a relationship with eternal implications.

Another Essential Truth supported by this passage is that People are God’s Treasure.

INTERPRETATION
Deuteronomy 7:6 Moses had been giving instructions on how the people were to live once they moved into the land God had promised. They were to destroy places of pagan worship throughout the land. They were not to marry into the pagan families living in the land. Why should they follow such rules? Of course, God does not have to justify what He commands. Here, however, God did give reasons. God desired for His people to be holy. They were not to be like all the people around them. They were to be set aside, different, special. They were to stay away from everything that might influence them to be unfaithful to God.

Only God is truly holy. When He sets something aside for His purposes, it is designated as holy or sacred. God desired for the Hebrew people to be His holy, treasured possession. According to Exodus, this treasured nation was actually set aside to be a kingdom of priests to the rest of the world (Exodus 19:5–6). As God brought His people through the desert, He gave them instructions for creating a system of worship. They constructed a moveable tabernacle, made worship items from precious metals, and built an ark of the covenant. The people understood what it meant for an item to be holy, to be consecrated for use in worship. These special things were protected and treasured. They were used for nothing other than worship. Here Moses was telling the people that God wanted to consecrate and treasure them as holy possessions, like those gold tabernacle worship treasures.

The Israelites were a traveled people by the time they arrived at the border of the Promised Land. They had come north out of Egypt, one of the most powerful nations on earth. They had encountered various tribes and nations along the way. They had heard of other dominant nations to the north and east. They now prepared to take Canaan from the people living there. God, however, had chosen the Hebrew people from among all the nations. Why? Simply put, because He loved them.

Deuteronomy 7:7 God did not select the Hebrew people by the standards we might employ. Americans are aware of their nation’s status as a superpower. The United States has a mighty economy, powerful military, great universities, a highly developed justice system, and prevailing influence over the entire world. People often refer to the United States as a Christian nation. God did not choose the Hebrews because of these kinds of things. Some nations are known for their great arts, ancient history, or humanitarian traditions. Some nations are massive, having over one billion citizens. God did not choose the Hebrews because of any of these things.

The Lord loved and chose the Israelites because they were “few.” Israel was certainly smaller than Egypt to the south or Assyria to the north. This verse does not say the Hebrews were the most powerful or the most industrious. God did not love Israel because they loved Him. God loved Israel simply because He chose to. This is a powerful expression of the loving nature of God.

Deuteronomy 7:8 This passage states the two reasons why God had chosen to bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. First, He chose them because He loved them. Second, He was keeping an oath. God is faithful to His own word. The Hebrew people were in this place at this time because God is loving and faithful, not because of who they were.

Deuteronomy 7:9–10 In a way, these two verses bring good news and bad news. The good news comes first: God really is God, God really is faithful, and God keeps His covenant love for generations to come. We have already seen that God did not choose the Israelites because they were the most faithful. But, once they were chosen, God expected His holy people to love Him and keep His commandments. Here Moses gave a clear, simple explanation of the covenant relationship. God would bless His chosen people and expect them to respond with love and obedience.

The bad news was for those who chose not to love and obey God. Moses said those who disobeyed and did not love God actually hated Him. Many years later, Jesus would use similar language in discussing faithfulness to God (Luke 16:13). Those who hated God would be cursed. Destruction would come to them, and it would not be long in coming.

Deuteronomy 7:11–13 There is no uncertainty in these verses. Moses reminded the Israelites to “take care” in following these commandments. Why? For the Israelites, the blessings of life hung on how well they followed these laws. Since Israel wanted a blessing and not a curse, they would have to follow all God’s commands. The link between covenant and blessing was unmistakable.

To make this promise clear, these verses rely on two of the most powerful words in the Bible. The phrase covenant of love reminded God’s people of why God should be trusted to keep this loving promise of blessing. The phrase encompasses two distinct words representing God’s foundational characteristics. First, God is a God of covenant. God is faithful to this enduring relationship established by His own initiative. He was faithful in the past and can be trusted to be faithful in the future. Second, God is a God who shows love. This most powerful descriptor of God is used multiple times throughout the Old Testament to explain that God is always loving, always merciful, always gracious, and always loyal. His love is not fickle or changing but is that on which we can always rely.

When Jesus came, He showed in a new way what God had always shown His people. God loves us so much that He would even give His Son to die. God’s love is truly steadfast.

IMPLICATIONS
Moses took time to review that God had blessed His people, that God had established a covenant relationship with them, and that He would continue to bless them because of His love. Do we even stop to remember how God has shown His love to us? Do we even know how to say, “Thank you for loving us?” What would life be like if we were not so fortunate to have a God who chose to love us just because He is God?

It may be difficult for us to put ourselves in the traveling sandals of the Hebrew people as they prepared to move into the Promised Land. What an electric moment this must have been! Yet, in Christ, every day is our Promised Land. How do we respond to the multiple ways God shows His love to us everyday? A good starting point might be to heed John’s words by loving others around us (1 John 4:7–9). Because of God’s love we, too are to be a priestly Kingdom.

God wants us to be different from the world around us. Moses said He wanted us to be holy instruments, set aside for His use. Have we carefully protected our lives in order that we might be holy treasures for His glory? This passage makes it clear that God’s love makes a serious claim on our lives. Are we casually dismissing it?

 

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