Deuteronomy 26:18
And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;
The Lord on that day declared Israel to be His own promised and treasured peculiar people. The covenant was mutual, for Israel avowed the Lord to be its God and pledged to walk in His ways under His rule, and He in turn avowed them to be His people. That standing was joined to keeping all His commandments, whose principles are the life of His people, and to being a holy people set apart to serve Him in righteousness. Obedient Israel would be set high above other nations in praise and honor, and obedience was the condition for the health, prosperity and public witness God intended for their present and future good. God is faithful to fulfill His part, giving special help and blessing to those who honor Him by unswerving obedience, unity and faithful testimony, while turning aside like Solomon did forfeits that distinct calling.
Covenant People and Terms
The Lord on that day avouched Israel to be His peculiar people, His promised, treasured and special possession, appointed and claimed as His own in fulfillment of His promise. That standing as His treasured people was joined inseparably to keeping all His commandments. Their calling to be a holy people set to receive praise, honor and distinction among the nations belongs to the same covenant declaration.
The covenant is mutual and reciprocal. Israel on its part avowed the Lord to be its God and promised to walk in His ways and obey Him, accepting His sovereignty and rule, while the Lord in turn avowed Israel to be His own people. God claims them as His people and they are to obey Him.
That belonging is joined to keeping all His commandments, whose principles are to be the life of His people and state the principles of His kingdom. The commandments and directions were spoken plainly by Christ from the pillar of cloud so the people would not be left uncertain, and His claims remain binding. Deuteronomy 27 and 28 set out the blessings of such obedience, and obedience carries a continuing obligation to acknowledge His goodness publicly.
God faithfully fulfills His part of the covenant. His acceptance of His people is joined to their obedience and holiness, and He gives special help and blessing to those who obey. Those set apart to serve Him in righteousness as a holy people He will bless.
Blessing, Holiness and Duty
The verse appoints Israel to be a holy people, set apart to serve God in righteousness and to keep all His commandments as His promised, treasured possession. That holiness is joined to exaltation, for God makes His commandment-keeping people holy and raises them above other nations. Their calling to obedience is inseparable from their calling to be honored and distinguished among the nations.
Joined to the next verse, the covenant promises that obedient Israel will be set high above all other nations in praise, in name, in honor, in distinction, and in holiness. Obedience was the condition for the prosperity and public witness God intended for them. Their unity and faithful service bring praise to God, and He honors those who honor Him above those who transgress His law.
That obedience was for their present and future good, bringing prosperity, while disobedience brings a curse. Had they followed His instruction they would have stood before the world as a public example of health and prosperity, spared the diseases afflicting other nations and blessed with exceptional physical strength and intellectual vigor. Those blessed by God remain continually obligated to obey and to acknowledge His goodness publicly, glorifying His name and testifying that His word is true.
God's commandment-keeping people exalt His name by faithful obedience and praise even in a world of apostasy and idolatry. They honor Him by guarding one another's interests and using the resources and advantages entrusted to them to serve one another, and such unity and service bring praise to God and open the way for Him to bless them with further temporal and spiritual advantages. God has set this people apart as His own and placed them above every other people on earth, and that distinct standing is reason not to abandon the work He has established among them.
Unswerving obedience was to distinguish Israel as God's special people. Solomon's growing disobedience and adoption of the customs of neighboring nations led him away from that calling.