September 18, 2013
HOPE FOR THE UNDERDOGS
Deuteronomy 7:12-26
Meghan Lamberth
Central Truth
The Israelites, and believers today, are both ultimately seeking the same thing -- a closer relationship with God. When we encounter battles as we are pursuing God's will for our lives, God tells us not to fear because He is with us, He is mighty, and He will win.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 7:21
"You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God." (Deuteronomy 7:21)
Deuteronomy 7:12-26
12 And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. 13 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. 15 And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you. 16 And you shall consume all the peoples that the LORD your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
17 If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ 18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. 21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, 1 7:22 Or quickly lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. 23 But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction 2 7:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); twice in this verse like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 7:12-26
As the Israelites journey to the Promised Land, God commands them to prepare for battle with seven larger and stronger tribes. In Deuteronomy 7:7, God emphasizes that Israel is the smallest nation, the kid no respectable captain would select for their dodge ball team. Israel looks at God and says, "Really?" (Deuteronomy 7:17) As God loves to do, He uses the least likely of characters to accomplish His will, so that the glory will reside not with the human(s), but with the mighty God they serve.
God then encourages Israel to "[n]ot be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt" (Deuteronomy 7:18). What Israel and I frequently forget is that God is a great and mighty God. He created the heavens and the earth, He parted the Red Sea, and He loved me so much that while I was still a sinner living in rebellion to Him, He sent His one and only Son to die for me (Romans 5:8).
When I am following God's will (obeying His commands with the goal of knowing Him more deeply) and hit a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, my first instinct is fight or flight. Fight -- to try as hard as I can in my own power to overcome it, or flight -- to give up and flee. Why is my first instinct not to go to God, the mighty Father who is capable of all things? If it is His will, it will be accomplished no matter how impossible it may seem at the time. It is my prayer for you and me that we would fear not -- and instead depend on our great and awesome God.
Discussion Questions
1. What battles are you currently facing that stand between you and God's will for your life?
2. How are you currently fighting those battles?
3. Looking back, list the ways that God has provided for you thus far in your life. How has God shown you personally that He is a great and awesome God?
4. How might you go about turning the battles of question 1 over to the God who has proven to you over and over again that He is able to handle anything you can throw at Him?