Today’s post focuses on Deuteronomy 7. Again, God will do the work.
““When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.”Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV
From the above, there is a particular prayer need of discernment for me regarding a few things in my life presently especially concerning the above verses. I still don’t know what falls under the Deuteronomy 7:2 jurisdiction and what doesn’t (specifically regarding earthly things and worldly people). But what I can do is think on all this some more.
“But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.”Deuteronomy 7:5 NKJV
I skipped verses 3 and 4 because it talks about not giving ourselves in marriage with pagans (worldly people, basically), and I’m already married to another believer. It’s still important to note but it’s not the focus area for today.
““For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;”Deuteronomy 7:6-9 NKJV
The above passage is the “why” for all the commands He has been giving His people. Why should we utterly destroy our enemies? Why should we not spare them let alone marry them, etc.? It’s because we are His chosen and because He loves us. He loves us too much to give us an opportunity to backslide and reject Him all over again.
Another reiteration of God’s promises:
““Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.”Deuteronomy 7:12-15 NKJV
In sum:
Coming off yesterday’s post, it is God who is the provider, and not we ourselves. Only God can provide the above. It is not our responsibility to take care of what is God’s. But it is our responsibility to believe and obey the Lord in all that He says both to do and not to do.
The book of Deuteronomy is a pretty rich book. I don’t know how many blog posts I will ultimately devote to this particular book during this year’s read-through, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be a lot.
- God will keep His side of the covenant He has made with you.
- God will love you, bless you, multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruits of your field.
- He will bless even the offspring of your flocks and herds.
- No one will be barren among you.
- God will take away all sickness and instead lay them on your enemies.
Coming off yesterday’s post, it is God who is the provider, and not we ourselves. Only God can provide the above. It is not our responsibility to take care of what is God’s. But it is our responsibility to believe and obey the Lord in all that He says both to do and not to do.
The book of Deuteronomy is a pretty rich book. I don’t know how many blog posts I will ultimately devote to this particular book during this year’s read-through, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be a lot.
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