THE CALL TO KEEP ‘HOLY’ – Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on April 26, 2011 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; April 26, 2011

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Theme: This chapter describes the God’s call to the people of Israel to keep themselves holy by staying separate from the sinful people around them.

This chapter underscores God’s call to the second generation of the people of Israel to keep themselves a holy and distinct people unto Him. God had already made them a holy people to Himself (Exodus 19:4-6) through His act of mercy to them (Exodus 20:2). And now, as the second generation prepares to enter the land, God reminds them of the importance of their faithfulness to stay the separate and distinct—that is “holy”—people that He has called them out to Himself to be.

I. THE CALL TO STAY A HOLY PEOPLE (vv. 1-5).

A. Moses begins by looking ahead to the people of the land that the children of Israel would cast out of Canaan. Note that there are seven nations that will be cast out—which suggest a number of completion; all of whom were mightier than the people of Israel (v. 1).

B. The Lord promises that these seven nations will be delivered over to the people of Israel. When that happens, they were not to make any kind of covenant with them; but were to utterly destroy them. To make a covenant with them would be to violate the covenant with God; and would be as much as to declare that they are no longer His special people. God also warns that an alliance with those other nations will turn the hearts of their sons away from Him (vv. 2-4).

C. In destroying the people, they were to be careful not to allow any element of their pagan worship to remain (v. 5). Allowing those elements to remain would tempt their children to turn from God to worship of the false gods—utterly inappropriate for a special, called-out people.

II. THE REASONS FOR THE CALL (vv. 6-11).

A. Because of God’s loving choice of them (vv. 6-8). God lets them know that they were not chosen by Him because of anything worthy in themselves; but rather because He loved them and intended to keep the promise He made to their fathers.

B. Because of God’s own covenant faithfulness (vv. 9-11). Not only does God let them know that His choice of them was not because of anything in themselves; but also that it was because of what is true of Him. He is a covenant-keeping God; who rewards those who love Him and punishes those who hate Him.

III. THE BLESSINGS OF FAITHFULNESS TO THE CALL (vv. 12-16).

A. If they are true to Him, He would prove to be true to them (v. 12). He would keep for them the promise He made to their fathers.

B. They would then experience the blessings of His loving care in every aspect of life—in prosperity (v. 13), and offspring (v. 14), in health (v. 15), and in defense (v. 16).

IV. THE PROMISE OF GOD’S HELP IN THE CALL (vv. 17-26).

A. They may be tempted to fear that they could not defeat the nations they were going in to conquer. But if they committed themselves to stay a separate people, they could be assured of God’s help in doing so. They had only to remember how God had delivered the previous generation from Pharaoh in the past (vv. 17-19).

B. Moreover, they needed only to remember God’s sovereignty in the present. He was even able to send the hornet out among the seven nations to drive them out before His people (v. 20). They need not be terrified of them if they were justly reverent toward God (v. 21). God’s sovereignty would even be shown in that the people would not be driven out all at once—so that the land would become overwhelming to care for (v. 22).

C. They would indeed conquer, if they would only go in with faithfulness to God. He would deliver their enemies over to them (vv. 23-25). They must be careful, however, not to take any of the things that God had commanded be destroyed (v. 26).

* * * * * * * * * *

This is a reminder to us that God has brought us under a new covenant by faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Through Him, we are now the people of God (1 Peter 1:9-10). But as His people, we are called to be separate and holy unto Him. “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” 1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

And this is also a remind that we—like the Israelites of old—are called as God’s separate people to go forth and conquer. Today, however, we don’t conquer people. Rather, we conquer ideas and philosophies that set themselves up against God’s word and imprison people in unbelief. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

May we, by God’s grace, keep ourselves separate from the sins of this world; and boldly confront this world with the life-transforming word of the gospel—knowing that, as we go, the almighty God goes with us!