Deuteronomy 7 Footnotes

7:2 This is a directive for so-called “holy war,” a conflict led by the Lord against hostile and irredeemable foes who have an implacable resistance to God and his people (1:30).

7:6 God in his sovereign grace makes decisions based upon his omniscient wisdom in line with plans and purposes known, and knowable, only to him. What seems arbitrary and even unfair to us must be understood as the best possible action for God to take. This was true of his election (choice) of Israel, but one people out of the myriads from which he could have chosen. To impose human “standards” of fairness on a righteous and all-wise God is the height of arrogance. He is answerable to no man (Rm 9:20; see Ex 19:5-6; Dt 4:34; 14:2; 26:18.)

7:7-8 In a covenant context such as this, love does not refer to the emotional or providential aspect of God’s character. In those senses, he loves all people equally (see Mt 5:45; Jn 3:16). Here the term is synonymous with choice. The Lord is saying that he chose Israel simply because he chose her; his “love” is his loyalty to the covenant he has granted. This sheds light on the difficult statement “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau” (Mal 1:2-3; see Rm 9:13). “Love” and “hate” do not signify emotions of attraction or revulsion but are expressions of the presence or absence of a special bond of loyalty (see Lk 14:26).

7:16 In fulfillment of God’s directive for holy war (v. 2) the Israelites must destroy the Canaanite peoples. The reason for such severe action is made clear when the command to destroy the wicked is followed immediately by the prohibition from worshiping their gods. To allow the Canaanites to survive would be to leave Israel vulnerable to idolatry (2:34).