Deuteronomy 7:1-11
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."
(DEUTERONOMY 7:9)
Three of us fellows with our wives were back at the Carriage Inn Restaurant. It had been more than 40 years since we had occupied a booth there during seminary where we would study and fellowship for hours and hours. Now, having returned, our discussion focused on shared memories and the stories of God's faithfulness, love and provision through the years.
It hadn't been an easy road for any of us, but God was with us, ever faithful as we confronted the challenges of life. It was also obvious that we had enjoyed the blessings of God that go in advance as we pursued our service to Him. He had prepared the way and conditioned the hearts of others whom we had ministered to. Exodus 23 reminds us how God sent His Angel in advance of His people Israel "to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared" (v. 20). Still guarding our way and leading us, our Heavenly Father is gracious, faithful, and protective, knowing our whole life picture before we have lived even one day.
INSIGHT
WE WALK CLOSE TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER NOW, SOWING THE SEEDS THAT WILL BE HARVESTED IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS SOON.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezra 3-4
Psalm 27
Mark 6
Deuteronomy 7:1-11
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Driving Out the Nations
7 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.[a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b] and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
Footnotes:
a. Deuteronomy 7:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
b. Deuteronomy 7:5 That is, symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy
THE GAMES BEGIN
With security tight and traffic snarled, the 2012 Olympic Games in London official begin. As our eyes turn to those who are running their race have you stopped to consider the race you are running?
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