Theme: Holy People - Privileges
Text: Deuteronomy 7:1-10
Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever!
In our family prayer, now we are reading the Song of Songs or the Songs of Solomon. I just looked at her and said this we could have done when we were young couples, by then we didn’t have time now we don’t have mood. So, the readings brought a lots of Spiritual meanings and strength.
1. Deuteronomy 7:1-5: You shall conquer them (v.2)
You shall conquer your enemies. The word of the Lord came to Israel through Moses and reminded them that they were weak, powerless, but chosen by God with a special privilege. This privilege had come to them because of the Love of God and because they were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The promise to them was that they would conquer the most powerful seven nations, such as, the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, who were larger and stronger than Israelites. These nations have been long rooted in Canaan but Israel came as strangers. These nations were well organised and had a treaty with one another for idolatry, immorality, and wickedness. They were more in numbers, men were much more bulky and more expert in war. However, all this shall not prevent their being cast out before Israel because the Lord is the LORD of HOST (Mathew Henry).
“Hittite” means terror, dread, fearfulness. Girgashites means dwelling in clayey soil, unstable and who run from the power of God. Amorite means self-exaltation, fame-seekers, seekers of human glory and greatness. Canaanite means a trafficker, a peddler, lover of money and covetousness. Perizzites means unprotected, an unwalled village, an unguarded opening in your life. Hivite mean tent-dweller or conflict lifestyle, conflict with the Kingdom of God. Jebusite means to trod down with the feet, to trample, to put your foot on the neck pollution and defilement of the temple (body, soul, and spirit).
Moses made the children of Israel to acknowledge that the seven nations of the Canaanites were greater and mightier than Israel. At the same time they were not greater and mightier than Yahweh, the LORD, the covenant God of Israel(David Guzik).
These nations are greater and stronger in numbers, stronger in military capability and ability to defend against attack of Israel who were less trained in military forces. Israel must understand that they can’t rely on their finite might, weak arm of flesh, but they have to yield to and depend on the infinite, all-powerful arm of Jehovah to defeat their enemies.
They had to recall their experience of conquering power of Yahweh in the land of Egyptians. Egypt was so powerful nation among the nations on those days, when Israel was budding. So, here ‘Israel might know the bounds and limits of their commission’(Mathew Henry).
One thing is sure that the seven nations listed did not acknowledge the sovereignty of Yahweh. Moreover they had occupied the land of Canaan, which Yahweh allotted to Abraham and to his descendants Isaac, and Jacob, and these redeemed slaves (Thomson). “The Lord himself would therefore drive them out and deliver them over to Israel, who would defeat them.” (Merrill). God’s people are also motivated to conquer anything that would damage their relationship of love with God. We need to conquer self, and carnality. We need to conquer the WORLD which is full of Lusts, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of Life.
The judgment of God over the nations would be carried out in due time, but the Lord would like to use Israel to carry out his judgement upon these nations, so Israel became an instrument of judgment (David Guzik). Hence, Moses uses the word “When” instead of “if” ‘When the LORD your God delivers them over to you, destroy them’.The Lord communicated very clearly that there is no compromise, and let them not go free. We can conquer by the power of the Blood, and by the power and victory of Jesus Christ. To whatever extent the believer is active in this battle, to that extent they can “occupy” and live in what God has granted to them.
2. Deuteronomy 7:6-7: A Holy Race (v.6)
"For you are A HOLY PEOPLE to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”(Deuteronomy 7:6).
As we read the word chosen, we are excited and elated. The word chosen means chosen for a task or a vocation with a special privilege. God had selected people of Israel to be instruments not only to Judge the nations but to sanctify the earth. Their election was not simply to enjoy the privilegesbut to serve God.
God has personal ownership and treasured value for the Israelites, because they are “A holy people unto Jehovah” (ASV), “His very special treasure” (AMP), “A special people to Himself” (AMPC), “Be his peculiar peopleof all peoples” (DRA), “To be his very own as his treasured/special possession” (EXB), and “To be a precious people unto himself” (GNV) as mentioned in Exodus 19:5.
The choosing power asserts the sovereignty of God in all of life. It affirms divine omnipotence and capacity for choice and in so doing declares that purpose and personality, expressing itself in agape love. The unmerited, undeserved mercy, grace, and love of God flows to his chosen.
There are two reasons for choosing Israelites. First of all, Yahweh loved them among all the peoples of the earth and not by their meritorious act. The second reason was God's oath to Abraham through Covenantal relationship (The oath which He swore in His name because no one was greater than him does exist). This promise came to Abraham because when the whole earth was laying in wickedness, Immorality, lawlessness, and violence swept the earth, he remained faithful to God through his Obedience and love.
This privilege of the call demanded a different attitude than the godless, idolatrous pagans. “Why God loved them is not stated in the Pentateuch, but the focus of thought is obvious—it is the character of God rather than any excellence in the people that accounts for the choice.” (Kalland). The author of the Jerusalem Targum passes too great a compliment upon his nation in his reading this, you were humble in spirit, and meek above all people; quite contrary: they were rather stiff-necked and ill-natured above all people. All that God loves he loves freely (Hosea 14:4), but those who perish, perish by their own merits. No one can bring loss to God because they do not love him or obey him, but can ruin their lives.
“A very strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those that are taken into communion with God must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Mathew Henry). The Lord expects that his people had to maintain a Holiness in marriage contract, holiness in sexual conduct, holiness in cracking jokes, holiness in conversations. Israel's priestly purpose was to bring all nations to God through their example. God’s election of Israel was a free gift, is unconditional, and irrevocable but based on the response.
3. Deuteronomy 7:8-10: A faithful God (v.9)
‘Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God’ (DARBY).‘He is a strong and faithful God’ (DRA). ‘You can trust him’ (ERV). ‘Your God is the only true God’ (CEV). ‘The trustworthy God’ (LEB).
The Hebrew word ‘aman’ means faithful, it conveys the basic idea of providing stability and confidence, firm, trustworthy,and speaks of certainty and thus can mean to confirm or to affirm. So the word applies to a steward, a friend, or a witness. It’s most wonderful and sublime application is to God. It presents to our adoring love. The faithfulness of God is established by placing Israel into possession of Canaan after many centuries after the promise to Abraham, and at such cost in miracle and divine manipulation of human events.
The equivalent Greek word ‘Pistos’ means trustworthy, dependable, trust or faith. Therefore the fact is that Yahweh's hand was stronger than Pharaoh's hand, and He delivered Israel, something only He could have accomplished. In other words they are to know that Yahweh is the only true God and He is their God.
The Lovingkindness (hesed/chesed/heced) is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel. God's hesed denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy.
We are exhorted in Scripture to KNOW that the LORD is God, to KNOW that He is the true and living God, to KNOW He is faithful, and to KNOW that He keeps His covenant promises for ever and ever.
