Deuteronomy chapter 7

vs 14

That is a huge promise. None will be childless. Imagine Samuel's mother Hannah holding onto that promise when she couldn't bear a child for her husband. And as I have said so many times in the past, children (especially sons) mean a retirement fund. The more children, the more earning potential in your old age. The better you will be looked after.

The breeding capacity of livestock is an obvious benefit.

vs 15

Are these promises for real? Will people really not get sick, at all? This is almost a heaven on earth promise here. Of course, he doesn't promise any salvation from death, though. That is important.

Still, how easy for people to get sick and then look at this promise and lose faith - regardless of the fact that they are breaking God's laws.

vs 16

The snare is in their gods, but also their cultures and their lack of respect and love for God. It is interesting to see God's take on temptation. We would say that it is up to the Israelites to be strong enough to not be tempted by the other things going on around them - they live in a fallen world, after all. God says, "Not good enough. Get rid of all temptation, to the point of killing those who proffer it. Your holiness is worth more than their lives to me."

That's pretty potent. Of course, God has not sanctioned the systematic killing of those who sell chocolate and other tempting goods, so we'll just have to deal with it.

vs 17

A fair question. Just imagine, for a moment, we were going to wage war on every person who sold pornography, every drug dealer, every purveyor of temptation in our age. They're not going to go without a fight, either. And they've got big budgets to help them, too. Imagine all the security guards and other less saintly figures that they could muster.

vs 18

No matter how big the nations around the promised land are, they're nothing compared to Egypt. And God brought Egypt down to her knees. So what's to be afraid of?

vs 19

The same! Wipe out their armies, cause them fear and trembling, hit them with plagues and other kinds of menace and evil.

vs 20

One thing God did not do is completely wipe out Egypt. That was not his aim. But for these people, whom God has marked for death, he promises even to aid Israel in their demise by sending killer bees after them. Killer bees! Makes me imagine one guy hiding in a cave as the Israelites march past killing all and sundry. He thinks he's going to get out of this alive... then he hears the buzz...

vs 21

God is among them, and he is great and awesome. They should already know that, but even when you've got a nuclear bomb and all they have is sticks and stones, you still wonder if the button's going to work before you press it.

vs 22

What an interesting verse. I swear I've read Deuteronomy about three times in the last couple of years, but can I remember this verse? No way. What an interesting thought. God knew full well that this was going to be a long and drawn out project for them. A difficult route for them to go. He goes so far as to tell them that while they will have his help, but that it will not come to them in the way they will expect - that is, all at once to make things over quickly.

His reason is also novel. Wild animals. I assume it's literal, and it just means that human populations keep down populations of things like lions and bears.

vs 23

Even if it does take over a hundred and fifty years, or perhaps even longer.

vs 24

There is a final goal in mind. Even the kings, powerful men of these nations, can't stand up to this people. They know that, too - they've defeated a couple of kings already.

vs 25

God brooks no competition. He holds a holy monopoly. You can't even keep the gold and silver of their idols - that is too much of a link to them. The level of separateness God demands from his holy people is very high. Just to begin to think about applying this to modern day causes trouble.

vs 26

That copy of the Financial Review? A testimony to idolatry. Seriously, though, I imagine that the regular presence of an idol in the house could be a comforting thing for those who worship a God who is completely unseen and mostly reveals himself through chance encounters and abstract successes, or second hand through an old man like Moses.