January 15, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Deuteronomy and Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
Deuteronomy 7 (NIV)
Driving Out the Nations
1 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally……Continue Reading
Deuteronomy 7, class text, God directs the complete destruction of people groups, without mercy or care. The world would recoil at this genocide. True, I may wonder. “Why God would you ordain this?”
I cannot give a convincing answer that all will accept, that the unsaved would not accuse God of murder, an excuse to reject His salvation. I say only this, (quoting Scriptures seldom convince the hardened) that should the days of the Flood, or Sodom and Gomorrah reappear, we would see how evil the heart can be. I cannot imagine the depths of this level of evil. I see a glimpse in America today, where our very laws promote, even exalt perversions, under disguise of being kind, gentle, accepting of a few who practise depravity. Love them? Yes, as our Jesus did. Approve of their perversions? No, but reprove them. Lead them to our God who has a better plan for them, that is to die to self, bury the old man, and be raised in newness of life in Christ. May I have the answer ready for the lost.
Deuteronomy 7
As is for the Hebrew nation to not defile themselves with other godless nations. So it is with each one of us individually
This is one of those time in the OT where it may be hard to hear of a whole people man, women, and child being slaughtered, however, we must trust that the Canaanites were an evil people that hated God. If left there for the Israelites to live among them, inter-marry, and have children together; the tendancy would be to reduce to their level rather than believing you will lift them all up. So while hard to hear that they were to destroy these people we know that God always has a plan and God’s heart is always to work things out for good.
Deuteronomy 7
God promises great things for the Israelites if they follow His commands.
Deuteronomy 7
They are promised greatness in all things.
Deuteronomy 7
People are often skeptical of God commanding the Israelites to wipe out the surrounding nations. But for the rest of the Old Testament we see He was ultimately right. These people are kept around and end up leading Israel to idolatry time and time again.
Deuteronomy 7
The thought of God commanding other nations to be destroyed may sound unethical for a loving God but He actually was showing mercy to Israel. Here`s what The Bible Knowledge Commentary says about it. [First, they deserved to die for their sin. Deut. 9:4,5. Studies of their religion, literature, and archeological remains reveal that they were the most morally depraved culture on the earth at that time. Second, they persisted in their hatred of God. Deut. 7:10. Had they repented, God would had spared them as He spared the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah. Yet repentance seemed to be out of the question for these people. Third, the Canaanites constituted a moral cancer. Deut. 20:17,18; Num. 33:55 ; Josh. 23:12,13. and even one of them, even a child left alive had the potential of introducing idolatry and immorality which would spread rapidly among the Israelites and bring about destruction of God`s own people. Fourth, —-In some ways the death of a Canaanite child could have been a blessing. For if a child died before reaching the age of accountability it is likely that his or her eternal destiny would have made secure in Heaven.] I thought that this might help us understand better. God bless you all.
I find it interesting that God didn`t choose Israel because they were great for they actually the smallest and not powerful at all. He chose them because He loved them and made a promise to their fathers. He is faithful to His promises to Israel. Therefore such are we as children of God special in His sight and He will always be faithful to us. Let me clarify. Only those that have put their trust in Christ alone and what He did on the cross dying in our place for our sins can be a child of God. God bless you. How unworthy are we all to be His.
It appears to human thinking that God is not just in telling the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites, but it is one of those places we need to be still and know that He is God and thereby knows what is best. In fact how depraved, evil and mean do a people need to be to have our God of love say the only answer for these people is to eradicate them from the earth? And I think of the innocent victims who suffered under religions that would sacrifice children for the sake of their gods and also victims of the brutality and wantonness that was part of these people groups. And I certainly believe that those children who died would be accepted into Abraham’s bosom, probably the only way for any of those people to be saved. But it was out of these nations that God called Israel and desired for them to bear the mark of this great God of creation. They would show that mark in the way they followed His commands as well as how they received His blessings. And yes, God did know what He was saying because the Israelites didn’t destroy them and they were led away from God by them.
Deuteronomy 7
DEUTERONOMY 7
Deuteronomy 7
Have faith and trust God. Follow His plan and will. You will be blessed. That seems to be a continuing message for Israel. It is also a blueprint for all of us!
”“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;“
Deuteronomy 7:9 NKJV