A People Holy to YHWH I. Base Text: Deuteronomy 7:1-26 II. Context A. Moses is exhorting Israel thoroughly before they enter Canaan, the land of promise: Deuteronomy from Greek words for “second law” B. Deuteronomy 1:1-3:29: Moses rehearsed what the Israelites had experienced in the Wilderness to that point C. Deuteronomy 4:1-6:25: Moses began exhorting Israel regarding their God the Law (Hebrew Torah, instruction) He had given: do not serve idols; consider the glory of their God; the Ten Commandments; YHWH is one; love and fear YHWH; Torah to be kept because YHWH brought them out of bondage in Egypt D. Moses now turned to explain to Israel what they were to do once they entered the land, and why God is doing all of this (Deuteronomy 7:1-26) III. Interpretation A. A People Holy to YHWH (Deuteronomy 7:1-6) 1. Moses warned the people solemnly: when they enter the land of Canaan and encounter the seven nations greater than they, YHWH will deliver them into Israel’s hand, and Israel must make no covenant with them, show them any mercy, or intermarry with them, but entirely destroy them (Deuteronomy 7:1-3) 2. Moses explained why this is so: fraternization with the people of the land would induce the Israelites to serve other gods, and then YHWH’s anger would be kindled against them (Deuteronomy 7:4) 3. Thus Israel was to destroy all their vestiges of religious service, their altars, pillars, Asherim, and graven images, for Israel is to be a holy people to YHWH their God, who chose them of all the nations of the world and above all peoples of the earth to be His possession (Deuteronomy 7:5-6) 4. We today are struck at the horror of the command to commit ethnic cleansing, and for understandable reasons; but we do well to understand why this command is set forth 5. Israel will prove only half faithful to this command, for many Canaanites would be left in the land after they conquered it, and, lo and behold, they induced Israelites to serve their gods and abandon their sole dedication to YHWH (Joshua 9:1-2 Kings 25:26)! 6. Israel was to be holy, a set apart nation, yet they chose to be of and like the nations around them, and suffered the same fate as the nations around them B. YHWH, Faithful, Loyal to Covenant (Deuteronomy 7:7-10) 1. Moses wanted to make sure Israel understood the basis of their standing before God: YHWH had not loved them or chose them because they were numerically superior to all the nations; quite the contrary, for they are the least of the nations, but He loved them because of His covenant loyalty to their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and for that reason He delivered them out of bondage with a powerful hand (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) a. This passage a major reason why many have issues translating ‘eleph as a “thousand” in the Torah, since a nation featuring 603,550 men of war, beyond women, children, and older men, according to all we understand about the time, could never be considered “the least” of nations (e.g. Numbers 1:44-46) b. And yet throughout the concern also includes stature: no matter the population, Israel was an enslaved nation in the land of another, and thus of little consequence c. Egypt and Babylon had long histories; Assyria would become very powerful; God did not choose them 2. Israel was to know their God: YHWH, faithful, keeping covenant and hesed with those who love Him and keep His commandments, repaying those who hate them by destroying them (Deuteronomy 7:9-10) 3. YHWH proved who He was by doing what He was doing for Israel, delivering them out of slavery in a way only He could, bringing them into the land of promise and devastating their enemies in a way only He could, in every way demonstrating His loyalty to covenant for generations 4. Meanwhile, Israel had no ground of boasting, for they did not deliver themselves from Egyptian servitude, and they certainly were not going to defeat the Canaanite host by their own strength, either; they were completely dependent on YHWH and His power C. Blessings of Faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:11-16) 1. Since YHWH is such a great God, and Israel was to be a people holy to Him, they should be careful to do the commandment, statutes, and rules Moses gave them, and YHWH would keep covenant and hesed with them as He swore to their fathers: He would love, multiply, and bless them; they would increase in children and livestock in the land of Canaan; they would be blessed, and sickness would be taken from them and laid on those who hate them (Deuteronomy 7:11-15) 2. Such is what “salvation” looked like in the days of the old covenant 3. Moses reiterated how Israel should consume all the peoples YHWH gave over to them, not pitying them or serving their gods which would be a snare to them (Deuteronomy 7:11-16) D. Dispossessing the Nations (Deuteronomy 7:17-26) 1. Moses knew the Israelites might despair, thinking to themselves how the nations of Canaan are greater than they: he encouraged them to not be afraid, but to remember what YHWH did to Egypt, and to know that YHWH will do the same against the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:17-19) 2. YHWH would send hornets among them; Israel would not be in dread of the nations, for YHWH would be in their midst, and He is a great and awesome God (Deuteronomy 7:20-21) 3. Yet YHWH would not entirely destroy them at once, causing complete collapse; He would drive out the nations little by little (Deuteronomy 7:22) 4. YHWH would certainly deliver them up and destroy them, delivering kings into the hand of the Israelites, and they would all perish and have no more name for themselves (Deuteronomy 7:23-24) 5. Israel was to burn their idols and not seek the gold or silver from them, since they are abominable to YHWH, and they should not bring such abominations into their dwelling places, but should detest and abhor them (Deuteronomy 7:25-26) 6. YHWH did indeed give victory to Israel in stages, as set forth in Joshua 1:1-24:33; nevertheless, Israel did not entirely cast out the nations, and they became a snare E. Israel was thus to be a people holy to YHWH, devoted to Him, set apart for His service, dispossessing the Canaanites thoroughly; they did not prove fully faithful in this endeavor IV. Application A. Holy to YHWH 1. From beginning to end, Deuteronomy 7:1-26 is a clarion call to complete devastation of all the nations living in Canaan a. This is no mere “driving out” to make them refugees in other lands: it is a call to wipe out their names from the world, to completely kill off the Canaanites b. People today wonder how God could have made such a call for genocide and ethnic cleansing c. Many seek the easy ways “out”: a different time and place; a different covenant; an emphasis on the sinfulness of the Canaanites; a denial of God’s goodness or love for all d. But we do better to sit in the difficulty: if we truly believe that God loves everyone and wishes for all to be saved, how powerful must be the motivation and drive to allow such an elimination of nations to take place! 2. Moses makes the logic plain from beginning to end: association with those in the nations would induce Israel to serve other gods and compromise their relationship with YHWH 3. Thus, God’s concern was for their holiness, their separateness from those around them, understanding the power of influence 4. God’s concern was well merited, for Israel’s history testified to how they were led astray to serve other gods and not give the honor due to YHWH as their God 5. Christians are not to kill anyone, let alone participate in ethnic cleansing; Christians are to proclaim the good news of Jesus to everyone, and pray for all to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Timothy 2:1-4) 6. And yet God maintains the same concern for Christians and holiness: the recognition of how it is easier to be influenced than to influence, and the ease with which Christians can again be like the nations and participate in idolatry (1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 1 John 2:15-17) 7. A concern easily overstated: we must still be in the world, and thus will have some association with those in the world (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:9-12); thus, not a call to eliminate all worldly friends, flee to the hills, or any other such thing 8. 1 Peter 2:9: God is making of us a holy nation, set apart for His purposes; we cannot participate in that holy nation while reflecting the values of the corrupted, idolatrous world! 9. Thus, where Israel did not live as a holy people to YHWH, we in Christ must if we would obtain the resurrection of life! B. Electing a Small Nation 1. In Deuteronomy 7:6-8, Moses made sure Israel understood that their standing was not based on being large or impressive, for they were the least of the nations; God chose them because He is faithful to His promises 2. Both dimensions of this instruction feature powerful lessons for Christians! 3. We have tended to embrace the universalistic aspect of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to the point of neglecting the power and importance of election: God has chosen to send His Son, to reconcile Jewish and Gentile people into one man, and to save us, all from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-2:22); without this election, we would have no basis of standing before God, and no hope in the world 4. God has chosen us; a compelling theme indeed! 5. Meanwhile, the danger of an emphasis on election, as seen very prevalently in Israel (and even among the people of God to this day), is conviction of one’s superiority to others because of election, or belief that one is elect because of some merit or virtue they have: such is why Moses must remind Israel that they were not chosen because of their virtue, or their superiority, but despite how low, little, and pathetic they were, and because God is faithful to His promises; likewise, we, as Christians, are not chosen because of any virtue we have, or because of some superior heritage, but quite the contrary; we have no heritage, we were children of wrath like the rest, and God has chosen us and saved us because He is faithful to the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Israel and the Christ (Ephesians 2:1-22)! 6. It is also worth pointing out how God has worked with a small group of people throughout time: redemption came through one man, Abraham, and manifest in a nation in the midst of much bigger and more powerful nations; for the vast majority of time, those who knew of God in any way, shape, or form seem to be very few 7. As Christians, we should not expect to be in the majority, or that following Jesus would really appeal to a majority: Matthew 7:13-14 remains for a reason 8. The issue is less about our size or clout, and more about confidence in our God who is able to act powerfully! C. YHWH Gains the Victory 1. Another prominent theme in Deuteronomy 7:1-26 involves YHWH’s victory over the nations: YHWH rescued Israel from Egyptian bondage; YHWH brought them to the land of Canaan; YHWH would dispossess the nations before them; YHWH would bless them in the land 2. It is for Israel to fulfill YHWH’s purposes for them, to go and do the work which He would empower them to do, and to remain faithful to Him 3. The temptation for Israel was to consider themselves bereft of God’s power and see themselves on their own, as small, unable to stand, and to compromise and conform to the ways of the nations 4. And so it is for Christians today (Ephesians 1:1-6:20) 5. It is for us to fulfill God’s purposes for us in Christ, to go and do the work which He would empower us to do, and for us to remain faithful to Him 6. Our temptation is to consider ourselves bereft of God’s power and see ourselves on our own, as small, unable to stand, and to compromise and conform to the ways of the powers and principalities over this present darkness 7. Israel did not save itself; neither did we; YHWH has always been, and always will be, the hero of this story! D. The victory over sin and death is in Jesus; may we put our trust in God in Christ, follow His ways, become His holy people, and enjoy the blessing of eternal life in the resurrection! E. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: For he will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of YHWH be kindled against you, and he will destroy thee quickly (Deuteronomy 7:4). We have a hard time with the idea that God would command His people to purge the land of all of its inhabitants. That difficulty persists no matter what explanation we give. But we do well to dwell in that difficulty: if God has made everyone, and loves everyone, and allowed plenty of other idolaters to survive, why did He insist on the purge of the Canaanites? Moses explained: to remove those influences from His people which would turn them away from Him. We are not to participate in purges as Christians, but we also are to give thought to avoid influences which turn us away from our God. May we serve God and obtain the resurrection of life! 2: For thou art a holy people unto YHWH thy God: YHWH thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6). Israel was to be a holy people to YHWH their God. They were to be set apart from the other nations. Their holiness was not earned by their own efforts; He had chosen them and He made them His on account of the promises He made to their forefathers. Yet they did not prove faithful to God; they became like the other nations, and did not embody the blessing to the world God had intended for them to be. Today, in Christ, Christians are to be a holy people to God, embodying His Kingdom to the world. Our holiness is not earned by our efforts; God has chosen us and made us His own because of the promises God had made to Israel. Will we prove faithful to God, and obtain the promise, or will we be as Israel and serve the powers of this world? 3: YHWH 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: but because YHWH loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). God could have chosen great and majestic nations, like Babylon or Egypt. He did not; He chose Abraham, and proved faithful to Abraham’s descendants in Israel. Israel was small in comparison, yet their God was far mightier than any other, and their God had liberated them from bondage. To this day those who serve God in Christ are comparatively few; we should not expect to be in the majority. Even if we are small, our God is great, and has liberated us from the bondage of sin and death. May we put our trust in God in Christ and obtain the resurrection of life in Him! 4: Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for YHWH thy God is in the midst of thee, a great God and a terrible (Deuteronomy 7:21). Israel would be easily tempted to look at themselves on their own and see their small size and pathetic standing. They might, in their fear, turn and compromise with the ways of the world. Israel ultimately did such a thing to their ruin. Israel ought to have looked to God as their strength and remained distinct. Christians have the same temptation. It is easy to look at ourselves on our own and see how small and pathetic we are, and feel consigned to follow the ways of the world. We do better to put our confidence in God as our strength, and submit to His power so He may work through us to accomplish His purposes to His glory!