Deuteronomy 7:6-11
Chapter 7
6
You are a people consecrated to the Lord, your God. The Lord has chosen you from among all the peoples on the face of the earth, that you may be his people.
Divine Gratuitousness and Israel’s Responsibility
7
It was not because you are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the smallest of all peoples.
8
Rather, he has chosen you because of his love for you and to fulfill his oath to your fathers. Therefore, with a firm hand, the Lord brought you out from slavery in Egypt, from the power of Pharaoh.
9
So know that the Lord, your God, is the true and faithful God. He keeps his covenant, and his love reaches the thousandth generation for those who love him and fulfill his commandments.
10
But he punishes those who hate him in their persons and repays them without delay.
11
So keep the commandments, the norms, and the laws that today I command you to practice.
Commentaries
Warnings Against Idolatry.
By the time these warnings were written, Israel had already fallen into idolatry. Remember that, although it concerns the Israelite generation about to enter the promised land and it seems Moses is speaking to them, it addresses another generation, a different scenario, and a distinct “preacher” who encourages the people to follow the commands and norms of the Lord. All had fallen short. The purpose of these commands is for the people of Israel to act as a people dedicated to the Lord, specially chosen by him to be a unique people among all other nations (6).
Divine Gratuitousness and Israel’s Responsibility.
Israel can never boast of having enough merits to be a specially chosen people, as it is neither significant nor essential. The reason for their election is solely due to God’s love, grace, and goodness; Israel must never forget this. They must reflect on their past of slavery and oppression, remembering that this was the reason God loved them and committed Himself to them. God listened to them (cf. Ex 3:7-9) and elevated them to the rank of his partners, granting them the ability to enter into a covenant: that of being his people, listening and obeying all that the Lord commanded them. Thus, the gift from God comes with a responsibility, a solemn duty for Israel.