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DEUTERONOMY
CHAPTER 7

1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, 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 thou; 2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

Moses, up until chapter 5, has been belaboring on the point "learn" God's Word and "do it." This is part of God's Word: destroy the present inhabitants, make no covenant with them. Though it may seem inhumane, it was God's expressed will for that time. And there was a purpose for those instructions (see verses 4-5).
How can we apply this to us today? If we truly believe the Bible is God's express Word to us, are we going to be a merciless people? Not at all! We are cautioned in Ephesians 5:11 to have nothing to do with the "unfruitful works of darkness." But we are also told to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20).
The people who inhabited Canaan at the time Israel went into the land, were a people of gross idolatry. Israel did not comply with God's commandment and God's Word came true. Eventually they were corrupted with the idol worship of those people and God took Israel away into captivity.
Today, Christians are to fight not against flesh and blood, but against "spiritual wickedness" (Ephesians 6:12). And the proper manner for our warfare is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ - and GIVE NO QUARTER!
When Christians preach the gospel, God sends His Holy Spirit to "discomfort" the lost, much the same as He sent the "hornet" to discomfort the enemy for Israel (see Deuteronomy 7:20). ((See also John 16:7-11)

6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God CHOSE the people of Israel for a specific purpose: to be a holy people (verse 6).
They were not the strongest or mightiest nation in the world (verse 7). God chooses the weak things of the world to reprove people (1Corinthians 1:27-29). In fact God named "seven nations mightier" than Israel in verse 1.
But God chose Israel because of His LOVE (verse 8). And He kept His promise to Abraham and Jacob to bring Israel to the land.

9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

Therefore, they are cautioned to remember that God is faithful, and to remember to keep His Word (or BE faithful to Him).

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. 16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

Just look at the blessings God promises if they will keep His Word: faithfulness, mercy, multiplication, showers of love, economic prosperity. Indeed, God promises them blessings above all the people on earth (verse 14), along with health and strength (verse 15).
You see, God was teaching something about civil government of people that the forefathers of the USA realized. Samuel Adams once summoned this principal by saying, "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."
Somehow, we must teach obedience to God in order for people to have character. He promises them the ability to overcome all enemies. (verse 16)
There are many blessings promised to the obedient children of God (Matthew 28:30, John 8:31-32, John 14:21, etc.).

17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? 18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; 19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.

Christians face this problem today. The world seems to be so very corrupt, and there's more of those who love evil than those who love God and good. Many times we ask ourselves how we can make a difference.
First we should not be afraid (vese 18), because God is still a miracle-working God. Second, as stated before (see notes on verses 1-5), God sends His Holy Spirit to "discomfort" the wicked. When we just SPEAK the WORD of GOD in love, His Holy Spirit convicts people (John 16:7-11, Ephesians 6:17).

22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.

Though we may not convince ALL the world through preaching the gospel SOME will hear and believe (verse 22). And those who refuse, God will reserve for His judgment (verse 23).

24 And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

If we remain obedient, God will do amazing things through the preaching of the gospel. Even people of world power will believe and be converted by the power of God's Word and His Holy Spirit.
And all frivolous human ideas of religion will be proven false with the preaching of the gospel of truth.
The satanic "strongholds" are pulled down by the weapons of our warfare: preaching, praying. (2Corinthians 10:4)

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