Deuteronomy 7:1-6 – Living an uncompromising life

As God’s chosen nation, the Israelites were His uniquely set apart people. They must be a holy people to the Lord their God. They were specially chosen out of the world and their covenant relationship with Him had made them His distinctive people. Of all the people in the world, they were chosen to be God’s own possession. No doubt this exceptional relationship would ensure blessings, but God also expected many responsibilities from them. Here Deuteronomy 7 describes what God would do for them as well as what He expected of them.

This chapter opens with the certainty that God would bring them into the promised land. The word used, “When” implies certainty. It did not say “if the LORD your God…” but “When the Lord your God…” The first gave a sense of uncertainty. God even stated that seven greater and stronger groups of people He would clear out of the land for them. Those seven formidable groups listed were, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

God would certainly deliver these seven groups of daunting people into the hand of the people of Israel and they on their part must destroy them utterly. No favor was to be shown and no covenant was to be made with them. Not only should there be no political alliance, but there must also not be any intermarriage between them.  The reason was clearly stated. God did not want them to be so emotionally tied up till they become influenced into following the gods of those pagans. God wanted them to worship and serve Him only. Hence, they must destroy everything that had to do with their pagan worship. Here God even went to the extent of delineating the items He expected the Israelites to destroy, all the religious artifacts, altars, sacred pillars, Asherim, and graven idols. Intense words such as: tear down, smash, hew, and burn with fire suggest how much God detested everything associated with and used in pagan worship. All must be obliterated with intensity. If Israel ever turned to any of those debased things, it would provoke God to extreme wrath, and they would be dealt with and destroyed.

Compromise is always the first step to our spiritual downfall. We need to be vigilant and be alert to areas that can subtly cause us to be unfaithful to God and affect our walk with Him. The word “favor” in verse 2 could be better translated to mercy. Here we see a suggestion that we must not be soft when it comes to dealing with sources of temptation. We must show no favor or mercy to any of those formidable foes. An attitude of no tolerance must be adopted with regard to temptation. These verses challenge us to live a consecrated life, maintaining what has uniquely marked us out as God’s people. We must also do all to preserve pure worship to God alone. Be sure to be committed to God only!