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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Tuesday, 29 April 2025:
Deuteronomy 7:2 — …you must devote them to complete destruction.
God does not compromise with sin. When God forgives you and frees you from sin, He expects you to completely remove that sin from your life; this involves removing, as much as possible, those things in your life that would tempt you to sin. You might actually need to turn that TV and radio off and disconnect from social media. You might have to choose Christian friends. You might have to change habits in your life that you know are destructive. None of it is hard to do, but sometimes your divided heart makes these things seem impossible. The jelly doughnut doesn’t cause you to break your diet; it is the desire within you that does. Until you get better control of your desires, don’t bring home the jelly doughnut. When you get control of your desires, you no longer want to bring home the jelly doughnut.
Deuteronomy 7:3, 4 — You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
The purpose of marriage is to teach us to love like Christ, to represent God’s love for His church to the world, and to raise up godly children. (Ephesians 5; Colossians 3; Malachi 2:15; 1 John 4) Since a person’s primary purpose in life is to know Jesus (be one with Him) and make Him known (John 17), since the marriage is intended to represent to the world Christ’s love for His church, since God calls a man and woman to be “one” in marriage, and since the marriage is to serve as God’s primary institution for discipleship of the next generation, a Christian must marry a person who will partner with them wholeheartedly, in mutual support, to know Jesus, make Him known, and to raise up godly children.
Deuteronomy 7:6-8 — For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you.
God chose you to be holy, not because of who you are but because He loves you. So, in response to His unmerited love, be holy.
God’s people are chosen, not because of their greatness, but purely because of His love and covenant faithfulness. Christians are reminded that they are God’s holy people through Christ, set apart to reflect His character to the world. This truth should create deep humility, gratitude, and a sense of responsibility. Being chosen is not a mark of superiority, but of calling — to live differently, to love faithfully, and to keep oneself from the spiritual compromises of the world.
Deuteronomy 7:9, 8:6, 8:11 — Know therefore that the Lord your God is God…. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him…. Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes.
Notice how much emphasis the Bible places on the criticality of obeying God’s commands, a mandate repeated over and over again. God knows our weaknesses and gives us clear guidance and direction, along with the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin. We give in to temptation and sin when our “Yes” is bigger than our “No,” when the thing in front of us is bigger, more real, more powerful in our minds than the awesome reality and power of God. At the moment of decision, we make God small, insignificant, irrelevant, distant, or non-existent. We dethrone the LORD and worship the idol of our passions. For at least a moment, we forget God. The last “fruit of the Spirit” is self-control which comes from the reality of Christ in our lives. The power of self-control comes from truly knowing that the Lord our God IS God, from truly knowing Jesus, by glorifying (magnifying) Him in our hearts, by making Jesus bigger than any temptation or idol out there. We must walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh, practicing the presence of God. We must truly understand the implications of having the Spirit within us, of being the Temple of God. You are holy ground. God’s love is not determined by our obedience, but our obedience reveals our love for Him. God knows we are not perfected in love, and gives us His commands, in part, to reveal to us (not to Him – He already knows) where our hearts are still not right. God’s commands are intended to draw you closer to Him, not further away. Grace enables us to fail forward, always confident in God’s unchanging love for us.
Deuteronomy 7:13 — 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.
Blessings are the natural result of obedience to God.
Deuteronomy 7:16 — 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.
God’s command to Israel to remove the Canaanite nations was not about ethnic hatred but about protecting Israel from spiritual corruption. The “no pity” language underscores how dangerous idolatry and false worship are. In the Christian life, this translates not into hostility toward people but into ruthless opposition to sin and idolatry in one’s own heart. Christians must take seriously the warning that tolerating little compromises can become spiritual snares. God’s people must eliminate what tempts them to turn from wholehearted devotion, dealing firmly with sin rather than excusing it.
Deuteronomy 7:21 — You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
One of the most, if not the most, repeated commands in the Bible is, “Don’t be afraid.” Fear is the opposite of faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Facing overwhelming challenges, Israel is told not to fear because God Himself is with them. For Christians, fear often creeps in when obstacles seem insurmountable, whether in personal battles or cultural pressures. Yet the promise that God is present — mighty and awesome — offers courage that does not rely on human strength. Believers can face spiritual battles, discouragement, or overwhelming tasks with confidence, knowing that the decisive factor is not their own adequacy but God’s powerful presence.
Deuteronomy 7:22 — The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.
The challenges you are experiencing are there for a bigger reason you cannot understand, working together for good (Romans 8:28). Trust God’s plan through personal crisis. When life gets hard, get closer to Jesus, and keep your spiritual eyes open. God is doing something big in your life.
“When God led His people into the Promised Land, He did so step by step. If He had allowed them to annihilate their enemies at once, the land would have been too difficult to manage. So He allowed some of the enemies to remain for a time in order to maintain the land and suppress the wildlife. In doing so, God taught His people to trust Him step by step. He gave them only as much responsibility as they could handle at one time.
As God leads you in your Christian growth, He will allow challenges that match your character and relationship to Him. God will not totally change your character at once when you become a Christian. Rather, He will lead you through a process to become more like His Son. He will keep working in an area in your life until it is controlled by the Holy Spirit. You may eagerly desire maturity in every area of your character, but steady, gradual growth is more lasting. God will not take shortcuts in His process of making you like Christ. He sees your life from eternity and will take as long as necessary to produce lasting spiritual growth in you.
Do not become impatient while God is producing Christ-likeness in you. Do not seek more responsibilities than those He has given you. Obey all that you know He has asked, and He will lead you at a pace that fits your present character and His purposes for you.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Deuteronomy 7:25 — The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire.
God does not respect other religions, nor should you. Yes, we treat people with respect, and respect a person’s right to have a viewpoint, but we don’t respect false claims. We should always treat everyone with love, but that doesn’t mean we placate false narratives from false gospels. If you truly love someone, you must speak the truth to them in love.
Deuteronomy 7:26 — And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
This closing warning highlights how easily corruption can enter through seemingly small compromises. For Christians, it is a call to guard their homes, hearts, and habits from anything that aligns with the world’s rebellion against God. It reminds believers that what they allow into their lives can shape their affections and loyalties. Vigilance, discernment, and a hatred for sin are necessary not just on a public or large scale, but even in private, personal choices.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 29 April 2025: Today, clean house. Eliminate from your life the things that are unholy or impure — the things that might misrepresent God’s character and truth or that might tempt you to sin. Set the conditions in your life for fidelity and holiness. If you are like most today, you will have to change your habits of entertainment. (Deuteronomy 7:2)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 