Deuteronomy 7
BBCDeuteronomy 7:1
C. Instructions on Dealing with Idolatrous Nations (Chap. 7)7:1-5 The people of Israel were strongly warned against mixing with the heathen, idolatrous nations which were then inhabiting Canaan. To punish these seven nationsthe Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusitesfor their unspeakable sin and to preserve Israel from contamination, God decreed that these Gentiles should be utterly exterminated and that every trace of idolatry should be destroyed. Perhaps verse 3 anticipates the failure of the Jews to obey verse 2, because if they destroyed all the inhabitants of the land, obviously there would be no threat of intermarriage. 7:6-11 God had chosen Israel to be a people who were separated to Himself. He did not want them to be like the other nations. He did not . . . choose them because of their superior numbers (they were the fewest of all peoples). He chose them simply because He loved them, and He wanted them to obey Him in all things. A thousand generations means forever. The Lord hated the Canaanite nations because of their evil deeds. He loved the nation of Israel not because of any good but simply because He loved them and would keep the oath which He swore to their forefathers. Who can understand the electing grace of a sovereign God! 7:12-26 If God’s people would be faithful to Him in the land, He would bless them with numerous children, abundant crops, large herds, health, and victory over their enemies (vv. 12-16). If they were ever tempted to fear their enemies, they should remember God’s mighty deliverances in the past, especially the deliverance from Egypt (vv. 17-19). As He had done in the past, He would do for them again, sending the hornet to destroy their foes. The hornet may be literal or a figure of speech for a conquering army (vv. 20-24). He would not destroy their enemies all at once lest the land be overrun with wild beasts (v. 22). (Unpopulated areas become breeding grounds for wild animals, whereas urban areas serve to control their numbers.) Another reason victory was not to be immediate can be found in Jdg_2:21-23 : God would use the remaining heathen to test Israel. All idols were to be utterly destroyed lest they become a temptation to Israel (vv. 25, 26).
The most serious threat to Israel was not the people of Canaan but their idols and the gross immorality associated with these idols. The battles which they needed to prepare for most were spiritual, not physical.