Deuteronomy 7-8

CHAPTER 7:
       Moses continues to expand on his initial point about the first and second commandments. After stressing the importance of obedience to the law as a key to long life, blessings, and happiness after conquering the promised land, Moses now stresses the importance of obeying God’s command to utterly destroy the heathen nations that currently inhabit Canaan. If the Israelites do not follow God’s specific instructions – which Moses lays out before them in this passage – the consequences for them will be disastrous.
 
        Verses 1-5: Moses begins by listing seven nations that currently reside in Canaan: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (v.1) (Exodus 33:2) We know from the later books of the OT, especially those of Samuel and Kings, that there are other nations besides these seven inhabiting the promised land, so this list is by no means a complete one. It’s likely that these groups listed here are the mightiest and largest of Canaan, and thus the most important ones to conquer first. Moses confirms at the end of verse 1 that all these people are greater in number and more powerful than the Israelites.
         But he also confirms God’s plan to deliver all of them into Israel’s hands. (v.2) He then outlines exactly what Israel is to do to their enemies. They are to utterly destroy them, showing no mercy and making no agreements with them. (v.2) (Exodus 23:32-33, Numbers 31:17, Deuteronomy 20:16, Joshua 2:14) Nor are the Israelites to intermarry with any of them (v.3), lest this result in the children of Israel turning away from God and falling back into idolatry and apostasy. (v.4) (Exodus 34:15-16, Joshua 23:12-13, 1 Kings 11:2, Ezra 9:2) Disobedience of this command will bring upon them God’s wrath. Therefore Israel is to “…destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves…”. (v.5) (Exodus 23:24, 34:13, Deuteronomy 12:3) They are to burn it all completely.
      The Canaanites, remember, are descendants of Noah’s grandson, Canaan (Genesis 9:25-27, 10:6), and we also know from that incident at the end of Genesis 9 that some form of wickedness and perversion had been committed by Canaan against Noah. That’s the reason for Noah’s curse upon him and all his descendants. We also know from passages such as Genesis 19 and the first thirteen chapters of Exodus that most of the major nations of the world at this time were extremely wicked and depraved. They practiced all manner of idolatry, immorality, child sacrifice, and other such abominable sins. We also know this from God’s commandments to Moses throughout the rest of Exodus and all of Leviticus. God revealed to Israel the rebellion and wickedness of the heathen nations around them, and that’s why He had already pronounced judgment against them.
            Just as in Numbers 31, we are confronted once more by the reality of a loving and just God who is also a jealous and holy God. He will not share His glory with any other, and He will only allow mankind to live in open rebellion against Him for so long before bringing the full measure of His righteous wrath down upon them. That’s the reason for His command to Israel which Moses is repeating again here. Yes, even the children of these nations are to be exterminated, even though that is not explicitly stated here. God had allowed these people to continue for hundreds of years in their sin, giving them multiple opportunities to repent and turn to Him. They knew of Him, yet they rejected Him time and again, and now He is using His promise to Abraham and his seed to also bring judgment against these people who have so long rejected Him.
            The simple truth of our existence is made clear by passages such as this one. We are at enmity with our holy, righteous, and perfect Creator from the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb. Without God, we are on our way to Hell, and He has lovingly, graciously, and providentially provided for us a way of salvation. But if we reject it and Him, we will face His righteous, jealous wrath and eternal condemnation for our sin! (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
 
         Verses 6-11: The other reason for the commands against idolatry is because the children of Israel are a holy nation, specially chosen by God and consecrated unto Him. This elected status places them above all other nations and peoples of the earth. (v.6) (Exodus 19:5-6, Amos 3:2, 1 Peter 2:9) God did not choose Israel because they were the mightiest or largest nation on the earth. (v.7) Abraham was one man with a relatively small family. He and Sarah were old and had no children. There was absolutely nothing that Abraham did, nor was there anything special or unique about him, that set him apart from the other men on the earth at that time. God chose him, of all the people on the earth, simply because He wanted to. Abraham and his seed were set apart for God’s pleasure because that’s what God desired of His own free and divine will.
            It is precisely because of all that God had done for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and all of their children – especially with their deliverance from Egypt and the covenant at Sinai – that Israel should love God and cleave to Him and His law! (v.8) God had made a covenant with Abraham, and because the Lord is perfect – meaning that He cannot commit a sin by reneging on His promise or violating His own spoken word – He redeemed Abraham’s seed by delivering them from their bondage in Egypt and creating a new covenant with them at Mount Sinai. (Luke 1:55, 72-73)
          This is why Israel can put their whole trust and faith in God. (v.9) He is faithful, and He will always keep His word! (1 Corinthians 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:13) Those who love Him in return and keep His commandments will be blessed for “…a thousand generations.” (Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10, Nehemiah 1:5, Daniel 9:4) But those who reject Him will suffer His divine wrath and judgment. (v.10) The LORD “…will not be slack to him that hateth Him…”, meaning the ungodly who persist in unbelief will receive their just reward for the wages of their sin. (2 Peter 3:9-10)
         For all these reasons Israel therefore has no excuse for not keeping “…all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments…” (v.11) of God’s law that Moses has relayed to them.
 
       Verses 12-16: Once again, Moses expounds on the infinite rewards of obeying the word of the LORD and keeping all of His law. God will love them, bless them, and cause them to be fruitful and multiply. (v.13) (Psalm 146:8, Proverbs 15:9, John 14:21) Their labors in the fields of the promised land will yield bountiful harvests, and their livestock will also be fruitful and multiply. The nation of Israel will be blessed above all other nations on the earth, increasing in great number with every generation. (v.14) Both the people and the cattle will never suffer a lack of offspring. That last is a unique promise, indicating that it is ultimately the hand of God that causes – or prevents – every single conception in the womb ever since Adam and Eve.
        It’s important to note here that when Moses speaks of the promise of God’s love in verse 13, he is not saying that Israel must earn God’s love by obeying Him. Remember that God’s love is unconditional. There is nothing we can do of our own ability or merit to earn or deserve God’s love. Just like a parent with his/her child, their love for their child is unconditional, even when that child disobeys and must be punished. The parent’s love doesn’t change based on what that child does or doesn’t do. The same goes for God and the love He has for the children of Israel. Instead, “love” in this context is referring to God’s blessings for Israel. Their obedience to Him would result in extra blessings and provision that they would otherwise forfeit by disobedience. Just as a parent will withhold special privileges or gifts from a child because of disobedience, God will not bless or honor disobedience in His children.
          Simply put, Israel’s faithful obedience would earn them God’s obligations for His part of the covenant. (v.12-13) “…the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers…” (v.12) Furthermore, all of the plagues and diseases that had been inflicted upon the Egyptians as judgments would fall upon Israel’s enemies. (v.15) (Exodus 9:14, 15:26, Deuteronomy 28:27, 60) Israel will have complete victory over her enemies because of this, and they are to have no pity or mercy on them. (v.16) Rather, they are to destroy them and all their idols in order to eliminate any temptation to turn from the LORD. (Judges 8:27, Psalm 106:36)
 
         Verses 17-24: Moses now reminds Israel of how exactly God will give them the victory over these other nations of the promised land. That same doubt that condemned their fathers could be experienced by their sons. (v.17) Moses is anticipating this, and thus reassures the people of God’s sovereignty and power. He starts by reminding them what God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. (v.18-19) The LORD had performed such signs and wonders for both the Egyptians and the Israelites! (Deuteronomy 4:34, 29:3, Psalm 105:5) Based on what God has done for His people in the past, the Israelites can have faith that He will continue to do more of the same as they enter the promised land. Throughout these sermons, there is a note of fatherly concern in Moses’ words, for he knows the people. He knows all too well their penchant for doubt and fear and backsliding. He doesn’t want this second generation to make the same mistake of their parents. The same way in which God laid low the mighty Egyptians is the same way in which He will deliver the heathen nations of the promised land into the hands of Israel.
         Moses quotes God’s promise at Mount Sinai. (v.20) He will send a hornet among the nations to prepare the way for Israel. (Exodus 23:28, Joshua 24:12) What exactly this is referring to is not clear. As I noted earlier in my commentary of that book, the hornet is a metaphor, and the exact form and nature of this judgment is unclear. What is clear, however, is that the survivors would be so few that they would be running in terror from the oncoming army of Israel, seeking a hiding place to escape destruction. (v.20) Israel shouldn’t be frightened of these nations, but instead remember that “…the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.” (v.21)
            Israel would not have to conquer all the nations at once, for that would be too much for them to handle. Instead, God will send His judgment upon them piecemeal, giving Israel the victory one by one. (v.22) (Exodus 23:29-30) The kings of these nations will see their lines end with this current generation, for they and their children will be utterly destroyed. (v.24) (Joshua 10:24, 42, 12:1, 23:9) God promises His people that not a single man will be able to resist their army because He has declared it so! (v.24) They can have faith in His word because of who God is, because of what He has promised, and because of all that He has done for them ever since their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.
 
         Verses 25-26: Moses then returns to the theme of this whole passage. After God has given Israel the victory over her enemies, they are to completely destroy the altars and images of the false gods that will be found throughout the homes and palaces of the cities of these heathen nations. (v.25) That word “desire” appears again in verse 25. Those idols are carved with gold and silver and other precious metals that are abundant in the promised land. But the Israelites are not to be tempted to take that gold and silver for themselves. (Proverbs 23:6) God, through Moses, is giving a specific warning to His people, forbidding them from taking as spoil whatever was used to make those graven images. Since the gold and silver would not be consumed in the fire, it’s unclear what is to be done with it after all else is burned away. The verse doesn’t say, and it ultimately doesn’t matter. The point is that the people are to leave that precious metal alone, lest it be a temptation for them to turn away from God.
        Moses reminds the Israelites once more that any form of carved image representing any deity is “…an abomination to the LORD thy God.” (v.25) If any Israelite disobeys by bringing such an idol into their home, he and all his family will suffer the same wrath and judgment from God that He will soon be bringing upon the nations currently inhabiting the promised land. “…lest thou be a cursed thing like it…” (v.26) Idolatry is the primary sin that earned those nations God’s judgment, and Israel is to “utterly detest” and “utterly abhor” such a “cursed thing”. (v.26) (Deuteronomy 13:17)

CHAPTER 8:
       Moses now expands on his earlier point about the blessings that will come from obedience to God and all His commandments. He reminds the people of what God has already done for them in the forty years that they spent wandering in the wilderness. (v.2) (Deuteronomy 2:7, 29:5, Psalm 136:16, Amos 2:10) Moses then gives another reason for that judgment against the first generation: “…to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart…”. (v.2) (Exodus 16:4) It wasn’t that God was ignorant of what lay in the hearts of His people, but He desired to expose their commitment to Him or lack thereof. For the children of that first generation that came out of Egypt, the forty years of wandering in the desert was an opportunity for them to prove their devotion to – and their faith in – the LORD.
           Moses gives a specific examples of this in verses 3 and 4. God allowed the people to suffer a lack of food so that He could demonstrate His power and providence in providing manna for them. (v.3) This also demonstrated that the Israelites they should “…not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD…”. (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4) Nor did their clothing or their shoes wear out, and, aside from the specific judgments of disease that caused the death of the first generation for their disobedience, the physical health of the Israelites also was providentially maintained by God. (v.4) (Deuteronomy 29:5, Nehemiah 9:21)
          As a father disciplines His son, so the Lord God disciplined His chosen people. (v.5) (2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 89:30, Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:5, Revelation 3:19) This was a necessary response to the disobedience of the parents of the ones listening to Moses’ sermon now. The example of their fathers and mothers was not to be repeated by them. Because of how God took care of them for the last four decades they could trust and believe that He would give them the victory over their enemies in the promised land. But if they did not fear God and keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the precepts of His law, they could expect to be chastened by the LORD their God. (v.6) (Deuteronomy 5:33)
          Moses then gives a more detailed description of the promised land. It is more than just a land flowing with milk and honey. The scene pictured in verses 7-9 must have surely whetted the hearts and imaginations of the people listening to Moses. In stark contrast to a barren, dry desert, the promised land as described by Moses is filled with fountains of fresh water; fertile, green hills that are perfect for planting all manner of bountiful crops and vineyards as well as providing pastures for livestock; mountains that will yield forth stones for building and precious metals that will bring wealth to the nation. The Israelites will have more than enough to satisfy not only their physical needs, but their hearts as well. It is a land wherein they can settle, put down roots, and rear their children in happiness and peace. And for all that they must remember to always thank the LORD their God, because it is only He that can provide all of that. (v.10) (Deuteronomy 6:11-12)
        The inherent danger, though, in receiving such rich and bountiful blessings from God is that Israel could become complacent and prideful. Moses warns them to “…forget not the Lord thy God…” (v.11), nor the keeping of His law. In contrast to the harsh conditions of the desert where Israel had to depend on God for every basic need (v.15-16), life in the promised land would be one of comfort and ease. (v.12-13). If they weren’t careful, the children of Israel could easily forget where they came from and all that God had done for them. (v.14) (Psalm 106:21, Proverbs 30:9, Hosea 13:6)
            Too often in this life, when God has been good and blessed us with many things, we forget that it is only by His hand that we prosper at all. We begin thinking of our success and our wealth as our own achievements rather than gifts from the LORD. (v.17) Moses warned the Israelites to never forget that it is God who provides all things, and that the wealth of the promised land was being given to them because of the covenant He made with their father, Abraham. (v.18) (Proverbs 10:22, Hosea 2:8) If Israel does forget God and falls back into idolatry, then they will suffer the same fate as the heathen nations which they are about conquer and destroy. (v.19-20) (Daniel 9:11-12)