Tuesday, September 15 — The God Who Multiplies Faithfulness
We're quick to believe God can forgive us. We're slower to believe He actually wants to bless us. Moses spends a whole passage insisting that obedience and blessing are tied together in the heart of a loving God.
Deuteronomy 7:12-26 — KJV
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. 16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? 18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; 19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. 22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. 24 And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
Deuteronomy 7:12-26 — WEB
12 It shall happen, because you listen to these ordinances and keep and do them, that Yahweh your God will keep with you the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to your fathers. 13 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your livestock and the young of your flock, in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed above all peoples. There won't be male or female barren among you, or among your livestock. 15 Yahweh will take away from you all sickness; and he will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, on you, but will lay them on all those who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them. You shall not serve their gods; for that would be a snare to you. 17 If you shall say in your heart, "These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?" 18 you shall not be afraid of them. You shall remember well what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which Yahweh your God brought you out. So shall Yahweh your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover Yahweh your God will send the hornet among them, until those who are left, and hide themselves, perish from before you. 21 You shall not be scared of them; for Yahweh your God is among you, a great and awesome God. 22 Yahweh your God will cast out those nations before you little by little. You may not consume them at once, lest the animals of the field increase on you. 23 But Yahweh your God will deliver them up before you, and will confuse them with a great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under the sky. No one will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. 25 You shall burn the engraved images of their gods with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself, lest you be snared in it; for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God. 26 You shall not bring an abomination into your house and become a devoted thing like it. You shall utterly detest it. You shall utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.
Explanation
Yesterday Moses told Israel who they were: chosen, loved, holy. Today he tells them what happens when a chosen people actually walks with God. The word that dominates the opening verses is generous — He "will love you, bless you, and multiply you." God ties His blessing to their faithfulness, not because He's stingy, but because He knows that a people who forget Him will drift into the very idolatry that destroys them. The commands here are stern, but the heart behind them is a Father protecting His children from what will ruin them.
Then Moses does something pastoral. He anticipates the exact fear that would rise in their chests: "If you say in your heart, 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?'" He names their anxiety out loud. And his answer isn't a pep talk about their own abilities. It's a memory: "Remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt." Don't measure the size of the obstacle. Measure the size of the God who already brought you out of slavery. The same hand that split the sea is the hand going before you now.
There's also a quietly realistic promise tucked in verse 22: God will drive out the nations "little by little," not all at once, so the land wouldn't fall into ruin before they could tend it. God's timing often feels slower than we'd like, but His pace is mercy, not neglect. He knows what we can handle and what would overwhelm us. The gradual victory is still a real victory.
This is the second step toward Sunday's "complicated promise." The promise came with fear attached — the enemies really were bigger. And God's answer to fear, all week long, will be the same: I have done this before, and I am with you now. For us, the enemies aren't Canaanite armies. They're the diagnosis, the overdue bill, the addiction, the strained marriage, the fear that our small faith isn't enough. And God still says, remember what I've already carried you through. He is a God who multiplies faithfulness — small obedience, over time, into something abundant. You may only be able to take the next step. Take it. He clears the land little by little, and He is with you the whole way.
Thought for the Day
Don't measure the obstacle. Measure the God who brought you out.
Reflection Question
What "nation" feels too big for you right now — and how has God already proven Himself in your past?
Prayer
Lord, I confess how quickly I size up my problems and forget Your power. Remind me today of what You've already brought me through. When the road ahead looks too big, steady my heart with Your presence. Thank You that You bless faithfulness and clear the way little by little. I'll take the next step, trusting You for the rest. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: God's Complicated Promise.