A Faithful & Loving God | Sunday, February 7, 2021

When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, 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 you, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show them mercy, nor shall you make marriages with them... (Deuteronomy 7:1–8)

A challenging passage about utter destruction turns out to be a revelation of a faithful and loving God who chooses His people not by merit but by love.

A Challenging Passage and a Common Objection

Admittedly, the passage before us this morning is a challenging one, primarily because of our modern sensibilities. We tend to read passages like this through the lens of our 21st-century Western world, and inevitably we read into the text things that may not be there at all in our time and culture.

One of the big objections to the Old Testament is that passages like this one seem to sanction genocide—or if not sanction it, to command it from God. I will grant that at a first reading of this section, and of others in Deuteronomy and in the books that follow, Joshua and Judges, one could be led to believe this. I'm not convinced that it is true. Furthermore, these objections tend to distract from the passage as a whole and from some very important aspects of the text.

Seven Nations Greater and Mightier

It is true that God, 3,400 years ago, called His people Israel to conquer the land of Canaan, which was held by seven nations or tribal peoples. Deuteronomy 7 names them: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

The words that trip us up are "you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them." Those are heavy words, and they're repeated with even more punch in Deuteronomy 20:16:

But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them.

When we read those words in 2021 they seem completely culturally out of place—and culturally they are. But we have more than a cultural problem; we also have a historical one.

A Historical Clue: They Were Not Wiped Out

When you read Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges through as one unit, you learn very quickly that these peoples—the Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, and so forth—remained alive in the land for most of Israel's history after the conquest. Joshua 10 and 11 say that Joshua and Israel fulfilled Moses's command to utterly destroy all their enemies. Yet these people were not actually wiped out. Israel was victorious in battle and conquered the land, but they did not annihilate all these peoples.

So how could Joshua have fulfilled Moses's command to utterly destroy them if they were not ultimately destroyed? That's a challenging question—unless this "utter annihilation" language is hyperbole and not literal.

The Language of Hyperbole

Historians tell us that in this period, hyperbolic language about the comprehensive defeat of one's enemies was typical war rhetoric, never intended to be taken literally. We use the same kind of hyperbole today. In just the last few days you may have heard things like, "Patrick Mahomes is going to destroy Tom Brady," and someone else responding, "No way, Brady and the Bucs are going to annihilate the Chiefs." Are any of those words meant literally? Of course not. The point is victory.

Recently a sitting U.S. congresswoman accused a senator from the opposing party of trying to murder her. Was that literal? I don't assume so, but it was used for a purpose. So in reading this passage, I'm of the opinion that it is biblical hyperbole, used for a purpose. Moses commanded Israel to utterly destroy their enemies; Joshua records that Israel fulfilled the command; yet those peoples remained. Either the Bible contradicts itself, or this is non-literal hyperbole.

Does God Endorse Genocide?

The big question is: does God endorse or command genocide? I do not see any sanction for genocide in the Bible. If God were to give such a command, it would contradict His nature as revealed in those same Scriptures, and God would not do that. The Scriptures reveal the nature and character of God, and as He is revealed, He would not command the total annihilation of a people. He's not into genocide.

So if someone tells you the Bible endorses ethnic cleansing, genocide, or even slavery, that shouldn't pass the smell test. You should know immediately there's more to it, because these things don't fit with the nature of God.

The Impossible Odds

Several things in the passage help us understand what it actually means. First, note the words in verse 1: "seven nations greater and mightier than you." Israel was preparing to enter unmapped, uncharted territory to take possession of Canaan, which was held by seven nations greater and mightier than them—dwelling in fortified cities, firmly established for generations, knowing the land that Israel did not know.

The likelihood of a bunch of tent-dwelling shepherds coming into foreign territory and overcoming firmly established, fortified nations is incomprehensibly low. It would be like my twelve-year-old son Ethan signing up to fight Tyson Fury, who is six-foot-nine. More amazing victories have happened—Gideon's 300 against the Midianites, or David against Goliath—but apart from a massive miracle of God, Israel's odds were about as close to zero as you can get.

"When the Lord Your God Delivers Them Over to You"

The second important thing is in verses 2 and 3: "when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them." That opening clause is crucial. God did not say, "Go into the land and slaughter everyone in a mass genocide." Rather He effectively said, "When their armies come out against you and I deliver them into your hands in battle, you shall engage them and fight against them."

Why would a sojourning, tent-dwelling group of shepherds with no homeland engage seven nations greater and mightier than them on their own home turf? The only reason is that the Lord had promised to be with them, to fight for them, and to deliver their enemies into their hands. The word from God is this: when I deliver them over to you, you are to fight, and you'll be victorious, because I am going to empower you.

The Real Point: A Holy and Separate People

Why no covenants, no mercy, no intermarriage? Verse 4 tells us:

For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods... but thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars... for you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

The point of all this strong language is that Israel was to be a people completely separate and holy unto the Lord. As we've seen in chapters 5 and 6, our God is a jealous God; He doesn't want to share His people with others. This is the principle of separateness, of consecration, of holiness.

And it isn't only in the Old Testament. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, surrounded by pagan immorality:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers... For you are the temple of the living God... Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6)

Is God an Ethno-Nationalist?

This passage causes heartburn not only over the perceived genocidal words but also over verse 6: "the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth." People in our day read this and say the God of the Bible endorses ethnocentrism or ethno-nationalism—that He only likes Israel, and if you believe this book you'll become a genocidal racist too. I'm not overselling this; you may have had such conversations with family members or coworkers. Are they right?

Look at verses 7 and 8:

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of bondage.

Why did God choose Israel? Because they were superior, bigger, better? Absolutely not—exactly the opposite. They were the least, kind of nothing. God chose them because of His love and His faithfulness to His covenant.

Chosen Because of Love and Faithfulness

God swore an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because of His love and faithfulness to that promise, He redeemed their children out of Egypt and now brings them into the land He had promised back in Genesis 12, 15, and 17—because Abraham trusted God, believed Him, and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Now, 400 years later, God makes good on His promise, because of His love and faithfulness.

In response, verse 9 says:

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; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them.

God is faithful to His covenant and merciful to His people. Yes, He punishes those who hate Him, evidenced in the judgment upon the seven nations of Canaan. But to those who are His, He is good, merciful, gracious, and loving. The faithfulness and love of God are the basis of His expectation of love and faithfulness from His people.

How This Applies to Us

How does a passage at least 3,400 years old apply to us in 2021? In the same way that God chose Israel according to His love and faithfulness, God has chosen you to be His own special people, set apart and holy unto Him.

Why has God chosen you? Is it because you're smarter, taller, better-looking, or better than everyone else? Some people think that, and they would be wrong. Why did God choose Israel? Verse 7 gives the answer, and the New Testament echoes it: "For God so loved the world." He chose you because of His love, and He will remain faithful to His covenant with you in Christ.

Love First, Then Obedience

It's vital that we understand the logical progression here. We don't keep His commandments so that He will love us; we keep them because He loves us, saves us, and redeems us. Just as He redeemed Israel out of Egypt, He redeems us out of sin and death, out of a broken and fallen world—because He loved us. Therefore we should be faithful to Him.

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." He did not say, "If you keep My commandments, then I will love you." And why would we love God? John tells us in 1 John that we love God because He first loved us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The love of God and His faithfulness to His covenant are the compelling factors that should stir us to want to be faithful to Him.

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray that You would cause these things in this challenging Scripture to be in our hearts and minds this week. I pray that those hearing this message would meditate upon them, not just today but throughout the week, and that You would continue to do a work in our hearts and draw us into a deeper level of commitment and devotion to You as we grasp more fully Your love and faithfulness. Lord, we love You because You first loved us, and You have shown that love to us in the most wonderful and awesome way. Help us to be thinking about this, and let Your love continue to transform us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.