Bible Commentaries
Deuteronomy 7

Verses 1-26

Deuteronomy 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;

Deuteronomy 7:1 “seven nations greater and mightier than thou” Comments - The number seven was always an indication of God’s divine providence in the affairs of mankind. The Israelites realized the significance of seven nations and believed that God’s hand would be with them in conquering these seven.

Deuteronomy 7:9 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;

Deuteronomy 7:9 Comments - Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us that God keeps His covenants and shows mercy to a thousand generations towards those who love Him and keep His commandments. I have seen a practical application of this in my family’s Christian heritage. My Grandfather was converted to Christianity when the Lord spoke to him out of a bright light that shone upon him while riding his bicycle to work one morning in the early 1940’s. He later desired to become an ordained minister, but was not allowed by the Southern Baptist church because he has been married twice. However, he preached on a number of occasions when invited. He had a son, which he hoped would become a preacher. Unfortunately, he strayed away from the Lord for about forty years before coming back to Jesus, so he never entered the ministry. My mother gave her life to Jesus about the time of his conversion, being around seven years old. She grew up and began to raise a family, but longed to become a missionary. The Lord helped her to understand that her mission field was her home. On my father’s side, his mother desired her son to go into the ministry, but he resisted this notion his entire life. But God was not going to let these desires go unheard. My brother and myself eventually because ordained ministers of the Gospel and I became a missionary. God answered the prayers of my grandparents and mother, despite the fact that it took several generations.

Deuteronomy 7:17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?

Deuteronomy 7:18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;

Deuteronomy 7:19 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.

Deuteronomy 7:17-19 Comments Israel is to Remember God’s Mighty Deliverances of the Past - The children of Israel need proof that God was with them and would give them the victory over their enemies in the land of Canaan. Therefore, God provided proof by showing Himself strong against the mightiest nation on earth during this period of ancient history. The ten plagues that God sent upon the Egyptians and deliverance of the children of Israel stands as an eternal monument of God’s willingness and ability to guide His people to victory in any circumstance. In Deuteronomy 7:17-19 God reminds them of these miracles so that they would not be afraid. This event is mentioned throughout the history of Israel for the same reason, and it will become a part of the message of the New Testament Church. The Exodus stands unique as an eternal reminder of God’s delivering power for His people.

Deuteronomy 7:26 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 7:26 Illustration When Achan stole silver and gold from the battle of Jericho, God told Joshua to cast lots to determine who had taken the accursed things (Joshua 7:10-26).

Joshua 7:11, “Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.”