Deuteronomy 7-9 God’s Chosen

Thoughts

Deuteronomy 7 How to Enter the Land

God will bring Israel into the land and drive out seven nations (Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites). They are greater and mightier than Israel, but not God.

Israel is to destroy them completely, make no treaties, and show no mercy.

The hebrew here is hachrem tacharim הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים (“destroy(or devote), you must destroy/(or devote)” Biblically hachrem means to destroy or to devote- today’s Hebrew it means ‘boycott the competition’ (always remember to check Biblical over modern!)

Do not intermarry with these nations as intermarriage will lead to turning away from God to idols. Instead, destroy their altars, idols, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles.

Israel as God’s Chosen People

• Israel is a holy, chosen people set apart by God.
• God’s choice was based on His love and covenant, not Israel’s greatness.
• God is faithful to His covenant and shows love to those who love Him and keep His commands

If Israel obeys, God will bless them: Blessings on crops, livestock, health, and children. Freedom from sickness and the diseases of Egypt. God will also destroy Israel’s enemies.

Verse 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed – Hebrew is actual word for hornet- could be literal or metaphorical

If Israel fears the strength of these nations, remember what God did in Egypt!

God will deliver them little by little to avoid the land becoming overrun by wild animals.

Burn their carved images and do not covet silver or gold from them and bringing idol materials into their homes would make them cursed.

Deuteronomy 8 How to Live in the Land

Israel is commanded to carefully follow God’s commands so they may live, multiply, and possess the land. God has tested them and humbled them.

Remember your wandering in the wilderness – it wasn’t for nothing! He allowed them to hunger, then fed them with manna to teach dependence:
“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word from the LORD” (8:3).

God disciplines us as a father disciplines His child. With obedience they will enter a land with streams, wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olive oil, honey.

When they prosper, they must not forget the LORD by thinking their wealth is their own doing. Pride leads to destruction. A quote from John Trapp: “Solomon’s wealth did him more hurt than ever his wisdom did him good.”

If Israel follows other gods, they will perish like the nations before them. Their survival depends on loyalty to God.

Deuteronomy 9

You are to cross over the Jordan TODAY- This is it!

God reminds them that these people and cities are mightier than Israel, but not God.

God Himself will go ahead as a consuming fire to destroy them, and Israel will defeat and drive them out.

Canaanites religion revolved around sex: sexual acts were part of their ‘worship’. Asherah poles (wooden symbols of the goddess) and Baal statues often had explicit shapes. And I won’t get into their horrifying practices around sacrificing children.

AGAIN: Israel must not think their success is due to their own righteousness. God is driving out the nations because of their wickedness, to fulfill His promises.
•Israel is a stiff-necked people and not receiving the land because they’re good.

In fact, Moses recounts their rebellion including:

• The golden calf at Mount Sinai
• Provoking God at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaavah
• Rebellion at Kadesh-barnea when they refused to enter the land

Moses is reminded of when he fell before God for forty days and nights. He prayed for God to spare Israel, appealing to God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Questions

When God commands Israel to “utterly destroy” the nations (haḥrēm taḥarim), does this mean kill every person, or could it also mean drive them out? How would Israel know which to do in each situation?

Why does God send hornets (7:20)? Are these literal insects, a plague, or symbolic?

Would God have destroyed Israel without Moses’ intercession?

What happened to the broken tablets?

Application

There’s a lot of overlap in these three chapters with the ones before. We’re reminded again how much God values righteousness and calls us to be a distinct people, staying away from sin. Over the past years, I’ve noticed a big shift in my own life. Since I started diving deeper into the Bible, my focus has changed in such a good way. I’m not drawn to “worldly things” like I used to be. Nothing scandalous, but certain TV shows, music, and even desires tied to vanity and self-image just don’t hold the same pull anymore. Sin itself feels less appealing. I hope that God will continue to mold me and point me in the right direction.