Deuteronomy 7: Chosen by Love Alone

Deuteronomy 7 (WEB)

1 When Yahweh your God brings you into the land where you go to possess it, and casts out many nations before you, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than you;

2 and when Yahweh your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them; then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them;

3 neither shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son.

4 For he will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods. So Yahweh’s anger would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

5 But you shall deal with them like this. You shall break down their altars, dash their pillars in pieces, and cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their engraved images with fire.

6 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.

7 Yahweh didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples:

8 but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 Know therefore that Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations,

10 and repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hates him. He will repay him to his face.

11 You shall therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day, to do them.

12 It shall happen, because you listen to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Yahweh your God will keep with you the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to your fathers.

13 He will love you, bless you, multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your livestock and the young of your flock, in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you.

14 You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your livestock.

15 Yahweh will take away from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, will he put on you, but will lay them on all those who hate you.

16 You shall consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them: neither shall you serve their gods; for that would be a snare to you.

17 If you shall say in your heart, “These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?”

18 you shall not be afraid of them. You shall remember well what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh, and to all Egypt;

19 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which Yahweh your God brought you out. So shall Yahweh your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

20 Moreover Yahweh your God will send the hornet among them, until those who are left, and hide themselves, perish from before you.

21 You shall not be scared of them; for Yahweh your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

22 Yahweh your God will cast out those nations before you little by little. You may not consume them at once, lest the animals of the field increase on you.

23 But Yahweh your God will deliver them up before you, and will confuse them with a great confusion, until they are destroyed.

24 He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under the sky. No one will be able to stand before you, until you have destroyed them.

25 You shall burn the engraved images of their gods with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself, lest you be snared in it; for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God.

26 You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and become a devoted thing like it. You shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.

Deuteronomy 7 (KJV)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Deuteronomy 7 (ASV)

1 When Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

2 and when Jehovah thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show 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 he will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he will destroy thee quickly.

5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.

6 For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

7 Jehovah 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 peoples:

8 but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness 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 commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.

12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Jehovah thy God will keep with thee the covenant and the lovingkindness 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 body and the fruit of thy ground, thy grain and thy new wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

15 And Jehovah will take away from thee all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, will he put upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

16 And thou shalt consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

17 If thou shalt say in thy heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?

18 thou shalt not be afraid of them: thou shalt well remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;

19 the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby Jehovah thy God brought thee out: so shall Jehovah thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid.

20 Moreover Jehovah thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves, perish from before thee.

21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a great God and a terrible.

22 And Jehovah thy God will cast 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 Jehovah thy God will deliver them up before thee, and will discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed.

24 And he will deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish 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 covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God.

26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and become a devoted thing like unto it: thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.

Summary

Moses turns to the conquest, commanding Israel to utterly destroy the seven nations of Canaan and to make no covenant or marriage with them, for such alliances would turn their children away to serve other gods. They must instead tear down the pagan altars, pillars, Asherah poles, and idols. The reason for this separation is Israel's identity: they are a holy people, chosen by the LORD as his own treasured possession. Moses makes plain that this choice rested on nothing in Israel itself, for they were the fewest of all peoples; it rested solely on the LORD's love and his faithfulness to the oath he swore to their fathers. With a mighty hand he redeemed them from slavery. He is the faithful God who keeps covenant love to a thousand generations of those who love him. If Israel keeps his commands, he will love and bless them, multiplying their people, crops, and herds, removing sickness, and giving them victory. They need not fear the nations, however numerous, but should remember what God did to Pharaoh and trust that he will drive these enemies out little by little. They must burn the idols and not covet the silver and gold on them, treating these abominations with utter loathing.

Key Themes

The LORD's electing love — God's free, unmerited choice of Israel as his treasured possession, grounded in his love and his oath, not their worth.
A holy, separate people — Israel's calling to belong wholly to God, refusing alliances and intermarriage that would draw their hearts to idols.
The seven nations — The peoples of Canaan whose idolatry Israel must remove entirely, lest it ensnare them and provoke the LORD.
The faithful, covenant-keeping God — The LORD who keeps loving kindness to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Key Verse

Deuteronomy 7:7 (WEB)

Yahweh didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples:

Lessons Learned

God's choice of his people rests on his love, not on anything impressive in them.
Belonging to God means costly separation from whatever would draw our hearts away.
The LORD is faithful, keeping covenant love to a thousand generations.
We need not fear overwhelming odds when we remember what God has already done.
God often works deliverance gradually, little by little, as we can bear it.

We are chosen by grace, not merit. “Yahweh didn’t set his love on you… because you were more in number… for you were the fewest” (Deuteronomy 7:7, WEB). God's love is the cause, never our worth.
Holiness requires separation. “You shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them” concerning their idols (Deuteronomy 7:2, WEB). What corrupts our devotion must be removed.
God is faithful to a thousand generations. He is “the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him” (Deuteronomy 7:9, WEB). His commitment far outlasts our own.
Remember God's deeds to conquer fear. “You shall remember well what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh” (Deuteronomy 7:18, WEB). Past deliverance steadies present courage.

Why does God ground Israel's election in his own love rather than in any quality of theirs (7:7-8)? How is this a comfort to us?
What was the real danger behind the command not to intermarry with the nations (7:3-4)?
How does knowing God as “the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness” (7:9) shape our trust in him?
When Israel feared the nations were too many (7:17), what was God's answer? How can the same answer help us face daunting situations?
What “idols” or influences might you need to remove rather than tolerate, and how does God's unconditional love free you to let them go?

If God chose Israel because of their love alone and not their size or strength, then his commitment cannot be undone by their weakness. The same grace assures us: God sets his love on us not because we are impressive but because he is loving, so our standing rests on him, not us.
The concern was spiritual, not merely social: marriage alliances would turn Israel's children to serve other gods (7:4). The danger of idolatry traveled through the closest relationships. The principle warns us how the company we keep can quietly redirect our deepest loyalties.
Knowing God keeps covenant love to a thousand generations anchors our faith in his character rather than our consistency. He is dependable when we falter. This frees us to trust and obey, resting in a faithfulness that is far greater and longer than our own.
God answered fear with memory: remember what I did to Pharaoh and all Egypt, and trust that I will do the same here. Recalling specific past deliverances arms us against present intimidation. Encourage the group to keep a record of God's faithfulness to fight fear.
This is a personal-application question. Invite members to identify an influence that competes for their devotion and consider concrete steps to remove it. As leader, emphasize that secure love for God's people frees them to part with idols without fear of losing his favor.