2025.09.12 Hopewell @Home ▫ Deuteronomy 7:12–16

Read Deuteronomy 7:12–16

Questions from the Scripture text: What three things will they do (v12)? How will YHWH respond? According to what? What three primary things will He do to them (v13)? What seven things will He bless? In what land? How much will they be blessed (v14)? What will He take away from them (v15)? With what will He not afflict them? Whom will He afflict? What, then, must they do (v16)? What two things must they not do? Why not?

Why is covenant faithfulness necessary? Deuteronomy 7:12–16 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these five verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that covenant faithfulness is necessary for covenant blessing.

Unconditional election (v6–8) doesn’t eliminate the need for obedience; it requires it (v12a). For, God elects His people into covenant with Him (v12b)—in which covenant, blessings are contingent upon covenant faithfulness. Covenant faithfulness is met with covenant blessing. 

God elects in love, sustains faithfulness in love, and then blesses that faithfulness in love (v13a). God’s covenant blessing for Israel is experienced in sevenfold material fruitfulness (v13b). The nations that they are replacing treated material blessings as an end in themselves and ended up manufacturing all sorts of wickedness in false worship of that fertility. Material blessings are real blessings, and for Israel they are covenant blessings. But when Israel enjoys them (or when you enjoy them), they are enjoying not just the material thing but the covenant love of God. 

This blessing is a response to their obedience, but it is in accord with His promises. Their obedience protects them from all curse (v14–15a), but that very curse falls upon their enemies (v15b). This is the reason for complete destruction of those cursed people whom YHWH delivers to them (v16a): God is urgent with them so that they will not be ensnared to serve their gods

In what material blessings have you enjoyed God’s love and goodness to you? In what blessings do you hope to? What covenant faithfulness is required of you? What is your hope for that faithfulness?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for the covennt love in which You chose us and made promises to us. Since covenant faithfulness is required, on our part, for that blessing, make us faithful by Your grace. We thank You that Christ has been perfectly faithful on our behalf. Bless us for His sake, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

 Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed the Man” or TPH434 “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”