Deuteronomy 7:8, commentary and pictures

Israel was set free from slavery in Egypt by God's powerful action because He loved His people and was keeping the promise He had made to their ancestors. He did not choose them because they were numerous, powerful or deserving, for they were the smallest of peoples. He is the faithful God who keeps covenant mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Because of that love and rescue they were made a holy people set apart above all others to obey His commandments, which were given for their lasting good and life. What was true of Israel is true of those who belong to Christ in the last days, called as a chosen, holy people to show His praises and remain distinct from the world.

Words and Historical Setting

The declaration was spoken through Moses to Israel as a holy and special people above all others. The speaker enshrouded in the pillar of cloud was Christ, Israel's invisible leader, guide, protector and physician, the same physician who later healed the sick in Palestine. He affirmed that He had not chosen them because they were more in number than other peoples, for they were the fewest of all peoples. He had brought them out with a mighty hand and redeemed them out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Their deliverance from slavery under Pharaoh's bondage and power was an act of divine power resting on love and faithfulness to covenant promise, not on the people's size.

It was given as Israel was soon to pass over Jordan and take possession of the promised land. For forty years the Lord had educated the children of Israel in the wilderness that they might glorify His name and become a great nation in the sight of the peoples round them. In that setting it portrayed the love and mercy of their Almighty Protector and presented the claims of His law.

It belongs to the instructions in Deuteronomy 4-8 concerning what was required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people unto Himself. With the whole of Deuteronomy 7 and with Deuteronomy 1 and Deuteronomy 8 it is the word of the Lord for the present time, written for the admonition of those upon whom the ends of the world are come. It is to be studied now because the day of God's great final review is near, in the present time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity. The chapter is also among the instruction parents are urged to read as they teach their children to love God and keep His commands, and its directions, great or small, are to be carefully observed by those carrying responsibilities in sanitarium work.

He especially honored His chosen people by coming down from His holy habitation upon Mount Sinai in majesty and glory and awful grandeur. He spoke the Ten Commandments in the audience of all the people and wrote them with His own finger on tables of stone.

Reason for Divine Choice

God did not set His love upon Israel nor choose them because they were more in number, powerful, great, or deserving than other peoples, for they were the fewest of all people. Their small size earned nothing, and their deliverance rested not on Israel's size or strength but on God's mighty power. The Lord chose, brought out, and redeemed Israel because He loved them. He brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and redeemed them out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt because of that love.

The Lord delivered Israel because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto their fathers, so the exodus rested on His love and faithfulness to His covenant promise. Love and faithfulness to His promise are the reasons given for their deliverance, displaying His faithfulness to His covenant and His mercy toward His people. His regard for them remained despite their errors, disobedience and rebellion, and they were still His chosen people. Their distrust, unbelief and disobedience brought hardship and delayed entry into Canaan, their fathers forfeiting favor through disobedience, but the delay was not God's fault.

God's choice was an act of goodness and love toward a people who had not sought Him. He extended His power to invite them to rely on Him for defense when as a nation newly freed from slavery they needed education and training.

God's Covenant Faithfulness

The verse reveals the Lord as God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. He chose Israel to be a holy and special people unto Himself above all people on the face of the earth, not because they were more in number, powerful, great or deserving than other peoples, for they were the fewest of all people. He chose, brought out and redeemed them because He loved them and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto their fathers, bringing them out with a mighty hand and redeeming them out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. That love and covenant faithfulness moved Him to rescue them from slavery, and His deliverance with mighty power demonstrated His love and faithfulness and His choice of a people to be holy. This requires knowing that the Lord God is God and therefore keeping the commandments and statutes and judgments commanded that day to do them, a message to be given in wisdom and righteousness to teach believers to know the Lord as the faithful God.

The same faithful God repays those who hate Him to their face to destroy them. His patience and love do not cancel the consequences of continued rebellion, so when people persist in obstinate disobedience and pass the boundary, punishment follows. These words are to be distinctly stamped upon every soul, because obedience brings its reward and disobedience its retribution. This redemption proves the Lord is God and grounds His requirement to keep His commandments and statutes and judgments, and to keep His Sabbaths as a sign that He sanctifies His people. It sets before God's people their possibilities and probabilities, calling every Christian to be a laborer together with God by giving close attention to reading and hearing the Word and by being an earnest, practical worker who labors for the food that endures to eternal life.

The deliverance portrays the love and mercy of Israel's Almighty Protector and declares that Jehovah their God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations. It helps reveal God's name and character as loving, contrary to Satan's portrayal of Him as harsh and condemnatory. It presents Him as a loving, compassionate Father who remained faithful to His promises and continued to regard Israel as His people even while their distrust, unbelief and disobedience brought hardship and delayed their entry into Canaan. Given as Israel was soon to pass over Jordan and take possession of the promised land, it presents the claims of His law and enjoins obedience as the condition of prosperity, for Israel could receive the promised blessings only by meeting their conditions and the delay was not God's fault. Israel's privileges made its guilt greater if it copied the wickedness of surrounding nations, so to represent God and receive His protection the people had to reject those nations' sins and live in purity, holiness, love, fear and obedience.

The verse is part of the call to know that the Lord is God and to honor Him. Their deliverance from Pharaoh's bondage displays God's faithful, covenant-keeping character and His mercy toward His people. God brought Israel out of Egypt and out of slavery because He loved them and kept the oath He had sworn to their ancestors, not because Israel was numerous, powerful or deserving.

Obedience and Promised Blessings

The verse declares God's purpose for His chosen people and the conditions on which they would be prospered, for obedience is the condition of prosperity. Israel could receive the promised blessings only by meeting their conditions, and God intended their obedience to bring prosperity, strength, and protection from disease and to make them an example among the nations. Their worship of the true God and righteous lives were meant to restore God's moral image in humanity and reveal His character, with blessings for that purpose and not merely their own advancement, while copying the wickedness of surrounding nations would make their guilt greater because of their privileges.

Because of that love and oath and redemption, Israel as a holy and special people was required to keep the commandments and statutes and judgments commanded that day. Those commandments are binding for a thousand generations into the kingdom of God into the presence of God and His holy angels, and will endure through all time and eternity. These words are to be distinctly stamped upon every soul, because obedience brings its reward and disobedience its retribution.

The commandments were not given as a burden but for good always that God might preserve His people alive. By obeying them they preserve their physical, mental, and moral health, and they were to live by obedience. Joined to keeping His commandments, statutes and judgments is the promise that He will keep covenant mercy, love, bless, multiply, and take away all sickness, including by protecting them from sickness. But death is the sure result of disobedience of the law of God, and disobedience brings its retribution.

The redemption grounds keeping the Sabbaths as a sign that He sanctifies His people. The Sabbath is God's enduring sign between Himself and His people and no small matter when deciding whether to obey light received. This call to obedience applies to God's chosen people as a separate people called to keep His commandments and bear the Sabbath sign.

God's covenant mercy is joined to obedience to His commandments, and His blessing rests on the obedient. Humble, earnest, persevering faith and obedience reveals a heart filled with His grace. Those who love Him supremely and remain faithful will be welcomed into the heavenly city, where there will be no second rebellion. Remembering this past deliverance strengthens faith and hope, for Israel was precious to Him.

The verse sets before God's people their possibilities and probabilities. It calls every Christian to be a laborer together with God by giving close attention to reading and hearing the Word. It calls each to be an earnest, practical worker who labors for the food that endures to eternal life.

Israel's Holy Identity

Israel was a holy people chosen to be a special people unto Himself above all people on the face of the earth, not because they were more in number than any people, for they were the fewest of all people, but because He loved them and would keep the oath He had sworn to their fathers. Because of that love and faithfulness to His covenant He brought them out with a mighty hand and redeemed them out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. That covenant love underlies their status as His chosen, holy people, and their obedience was the condition for the promised covenant blessings and prosperity. To know Him in this deliverance is to know that the Lord God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments and who repays those who hate Him to their face to destroy them. The commandments and statutes and judgments commanded that day are therefore binding for a thousand generations into the kingdom of God and will endure through all time and eternity, given not as a burden but for good always that He might preserve His people alive in physical, mental, and moral health, while death is the sure result of disobedience.

Their deliverance by His mighty power showed that their safety and strength depended on Him. As His holy, special people they were called to fear, love, and serve Him, to remain separate from rebellious nations, and to obey Him.

He brought them out of Egypt with great power and freed them from bondage so they could worship Him as a people set apart for Him, distinct from the world. For forty years He educated the children of Israel in the wilderness that they might glorify His name and become a great nation in the sight of the peoples round them, which makes it a solemn thing to be stewards of sacred truth. Their worship of the true God and righteous lives were meant to restore God's moral image in humanity and reveal His character, and their obedience was to bring prosperity, strength, and protection from disease and to make them an example among the nations, with blessings for that purpose and not merely their own advancement.

Israel's privileges made its guilt greater if it copied the wickedness of surrounding nations. To represent God and receive His protection, the people had to reject those nations' sins and live in purity, holiness, love, fear, and obedience. Their fathers forfeited God's favor through disobedience, and while distrust, unbelief, and disobedience brought hardship and delayed entry into Canaan, the delay was not God's fault, for He remained as a loving, compassionate Father faithful to His promises and continued to regard Israel as His people.

Present Application to Believers

What was spoken of Israel as God's chosen, holy people belongs to those who belong to Christ, for they are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar treasure called out of darkness into marvelous light to show forth His praises. He did not set His love upon them nor choose them because they were more in number than others, for they were the fewest of all people, but because He loved them and would keep the oath sworn to their fathers He brought them out with a mighty hand and redeemed them out of the house of bondmen from Pharaoh king of Egypt. This proves Him the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments, whose enduring commandments are for His people's good to preserve life.

The same words apply to God's people in the last days, whom He separates from the churches and the world as a distinct people under His acknowledged rule. He has not left the world without witness but still has loyal, chosen people who do not make this world their home but are here to witness for God. As long as probation lasts a living witness will be borne by these faithful messengers, while Satan and his angels with evil men confederate against them to counteract their testimony and destroy them.

The passage in Deuteronomy 4-8 setting forth what God required that they might be a holy people unto Himself, joined to keeping His commandments, statutes and judgments with promise that He will keep covenant mercy, love, bless, multiply and take away all sickness, is to be studied now. The reason is that the day of God's great final review is near, in the present time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity.

That love, choice and redemption require His people not to mingle or confederate with those who have no respect for the truth but to take special pains to be separate from them. The chosen standing requires keeping distinct from idolaters, not intermarrying with the heathen nor forming any confederacy with them. The same rule applies to Christians in every alliance brought into intimate association where harmony in spirit and action is needed, including marriage with the ungodly and connection with secret societies such as the Freemasons. Obedience determines salvation, for God keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments, bringing them at last to the mansions prepared for them.

The chapters instructing God's people about His dealings are important for those carrying responsibilities in sanitarium work, and all God's directions, great or small, are to be carefully observed. The chapter is among the instruction parents are urged to read as they teach their children to love God and keep His commands. The verse belongs to believers in the church at Portland where the message is to be given in wisdom and righteousness, teaching them to know the Lord as the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments, and therefore to keep His commandments and statutes and judgments.