Introduction

Last week we dealt with one of the most controversial commands in the Old Testament: God’s command that Israel engage in ḥērem warfare against the Canaanite nations and to utterly destroy them and their idols. Now, we also saw that this was not God’s ordinary law of warfare for Israel; definitely not a standing rule for modern militaries; and definitely not a mandate for ethnic hatred. It was a unique redemptive-historical act that foreshadows not only the final judgment, but also Christ's spiritual conquest of the world leading up to the end of history, and our joining him by engaging in a spiritual ḥērem warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Theme - Because God freely chose, loved, redeemed, and covenanted with His people, they must respond with exclusive loyalty, grateful obedience, and holy fear.

Elective love explains why God demands exclusive loyalty — “For”

But in verses 6-11 Moses tells us why. Verse 6 begins with the word “For,” or as some translate the Hebrew word כִּ֣י (ki), "Because." That little word is the hinge between verses 1–5 and verses 6–11. Why must Israel have such exclusive loyalty to God as we looked at last week? Why must Israel refuse covenant compromise? Why must Israel tear down even the structures of false worship?

And Moses' answer was to describe God's incredible electing love that was placed upon Israel. And the deeper into this passage that we get, you can understand why this does indeed motivate us to sanctification.

Now, granted, some people have had difficulties with the doctrine of predestination, but when God first opened my eyes to this glorious doctrine in my early twenties, it made me fall in love with God to a far greater degree than I had ever loved God before. And this is one of many passages that beautifully describes God's sovereign election of some to life and His sovereign reprobation of others to eternal damnation. (Predestination covers both sides - election and reprobation.) And it was not the damnation that surprised me. I knew that I deserved damnation. It was God's election of an utterly undeserving Phil Kayser to eternal life that brought me to my knees in worship and adoration.

I've given you a much longer outline than I usually give, but please - do not get lost in the outline this morning. The movement of the passage is actually very simple: God chose you, loved you, redeemed you, treasured you, warned you, and therefore calls you to be wholly His. But I do want to dig deeper than that because I think there is so much cool stuff here.

The “For” grounds holy separation in divine election

The word "For" indicates that verses 6–11 are not a detour from the previous paragraph. The doctrine in these verses is the theological foundation which makes sense of the previous five verses. God does not say, “Fight so that I might love you.” He says, “I have loved you, chosen you, redeemed you, and bound Myself to you by covenant; therefore, fight everything that would steal your hearts away from Me.”

The “For” shows that election is not an abstract doctrine

And that word "For" also shows that the doctrine of election is not supposed to be simply a speculative doctrine to debate in the classroom. There have been a lot of fruitless debates on this doctrine. Instead, God revealed some of His elective purposes to transform us and to motivate us to love Him and to love the new covenant responsibilities that He has ushered us into. It actually transforms those duties from drudgery into joyful service. And this is what I long for all of you - to discover why 1 Peter 1:8 says that knowing God's electing love can give us "joy inexpressible and full of glory" no matter what our circumstances might be.

Nor does the doctrine of election produce passivity. It produces consecration. It does not weaken obedience. It strengthens obedience. It does not say, “Since God chose me, holiness does not matter.” It says, “Since God chose me, I want to be wholly His.” So we are not going to lose sight of verses 1-5 as we go through this section phrase by phrase.

God’s electing love gives His people a new identity — “you are a holy people”

Verse 6 goes on to say, “For you are a holy people…” Here's the immediate question that might come up in some people's minds: "How on earth could the Israel described in the books of Exodus through Numbers ever be considered a 'holy people?'' They failed God over and over again, right? Well, in God's decree, He didn't elect them because they were holy. Instead, He chose them to make them holy - first of all legally in Christ and then secondly, to make them holy practically by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.

The word “holy” simply means set apart. Israel was separated from the nations and separated unto God. Holiness points to both sides of that equation.

God’s people are separated from the world

Let's consider the negative side first. God's election called Israel to be separated from the world. We saw last week that Israel was not to be absorbed into Canaanite culture. They were not to adopt Canaanite worship, Canaanite marriages, Canaanite assumptions, or Canaanite gods.

Likewise, the church must not be absorbed into the world. We may live among unbelievers, work among unbelievers, witness to unbelievers, and love unbelievers; but we must not be discipled by unbelief. That's the connection to last week's sermon.

The question is not, “Can I physically escape the world?” No, no, no. The question is, “Does the world live in me?” And I dealt with that extensively last week.

But how is that possible? It is only possible because God planned everything we would need to enable us to be separated from the world - and He planned it from eternity past.

God’s people are separated unto God

Let's look at the positive side. God's election not only produces this separation from the world. More gloriously, it produces separation unto God. And that's the focus of these verses. Election draws sinners to Himself. This means that holiness is not merely being against something. It is being claimed by Someone. And that's the main focus of this paragraph.

Israel was holy because God had claimed her. The church is holy because Christ has purchased her. The believer is holy because he is not his own; he has been bought with a price.

So holiness is not a dreary negative. Holiness is the privilege of belonging to God! Hallelujah! And in context of this whole paragraph, it is one of the fruits of God's plan from eternity past, known as election.

God’s electing love is covenantal and personal — “to the LORD your God”

The next phrase shows how personal and relational this doctrine of election is supposed to be. It says, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God…”

Israel was not merely chosen for a program. She was chosen for God Himself. God's choice of Israel was designed to produce a love relationship with God.

Election brings us into covenant relationship

The close covenant relationship that election guarantees can be seen in both the word "LORD" and in the words "your God." It says, “the LORD your God.” When you see LORD in all capital letters, it is the covenant name Jehovah - and I prefer the more literal pronunciation, Yehowah. Yehowah binds Himself to His people. They are His people and He is their God. He does not merely rule them from a distance. No. He enters into covenant with them.

This means that election is not bare, unfeeling, arbitrary selection. That's the way some people think about election. Instead, it is covenant love that produces an unbreakable bond between God and His elect. God chooses a people to know Him, worship Him, serve Him, obey Him, and enjoy Him. And in turn God promises His covenant faithfulness to them, and God finds delight in His people.

In fact, so close is this relationship, that God later likens it to a marriage. God marries His people. That's astonishing - that the God who created the universe would not only choose to save us, but to draw us into a love relationship with Him that is so close, it is likened to a marriage. That is stunning! This whole passage shows God's election of us as being an electing love. And God wants us to be so amazed by His condescending love to us that it is easy for us to reciprocate love back to Him. The more I meditate on the doctrine of election, the more my love for Him grows.

Covenant relationship demands covenant fidelity

This is why verses 1–5 make sense. A wife who belongs to her husband must not entertain rival lovers. A people who belong to Yehowah must not entertain rival gods.

And God’s marriage jealousy is not petty insecurity. God is never insecure. Never. Instead, He wants us to experience the intense love for Him that He has for us. He wants us to benefit from the doctrine of election.

God’s electing love is sovereign — “the LORD your God has chosen you”

And now comes a synonym for election - the word "chosen." Verse 6 goes on to say, “the LORD your God has chosen you…” Moses is taking us to the fountainhead of Israel’s identity. It wasn't when they were brought out of Egypt. It wasn't even when Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. It went back to His eternal counsels before there was a world. It was election. God chose Israel. And Israel is holy because God chose her.

God’s choice precedes Israel’s choice

Israel did not first choose God. God first chose Israel.

This is true throughout Scripture. Even in history this was true. God chose Abraham out of Ur. God chose Isaac, not Ishmael. God chose Jacob, not Esau. God chose Israel, not Egypt. God chose them before they were mighty, attractive, or faithful.

And the New Testament does not soften that doctrine at all. In John 15, Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” But was it a loveless choice? No. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Praise God!

Some of you have testified about your regeneration—that one moment you could not see God in anything, and the next moment you suddenly saw God in everything. But your regeneration was the fruit of His prior choice. God’s choice preceded your choice. God’s love preceded your love. God’s grace preceded your faith.

God’s choice humbles human pride

And one of the glorious fruits of election is that election thus destroys all boasting. If you hate your own pride like I hate my pride when it raises its ugly head in my heart, meditating on God's eternal decrees is something that crucifies pride. If God chose us because of something in us, then we could boast. But if God chose us freely, then all boasting is excluded.

Israel could not say, “We are holy because we were wiser, stronger, larger, or better.” No. They were holy because God chose them.

The same is true of us. We are not Christians because we were smarter than others, more tenderhearted than others, more spiritually perceptive than others, or more deserving than others. We are Christians because of God's elective grace. Period.

God’s choice strengthens assurance

But this doctrine is comforting as well. If salvation began with my choice, then it could possiblyfail with my choices too, couldn't it? And that's why five point Arminians sometimes struggle with assurance of their salvation. So much of their salvation depends on their free will. But if salvation began with God’s eternal choice, then my assurance rests in Him and what He has done.

That does not produce carelessness. We will see that in a bit. Instead, it produces gratitude, humility, worship, and perseverance. But we will get to that in a bit.

God’s electing love makes His people His treasured possession — “to be a people for Himself, a special treasure”

Verse 6 goes on to say, “…to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”

This is absolutely stunning language. God did not merely choose Israel for service. He chose Israel as His treasure.

Think of what this would have meant to Israel. They had been slaves. They had had taskmasters. They had heard Pharaoh say, in effect, “You exist only for my projects, my cities, and my comfort.” But now the living God says, “No. You are Mine. Not as disposable labor. Not as a nameless mass. Not as bricks in Pharaoh’s empire. You are My treasured possession.”

That is astonishing. The God who owns heaven and earth speaks as though His redeemed people are precious to Him. And they are!

And beloved, in Christ, that is what God says of you. Not because you were impressive. Not because you were easy to love. Not because you had no shame, no failure, no stubbornness, no wandering. He loved you in order to make you lovely. He treasured you in order to make you His treasure.

One of the things that I started repenting of after preparing for last week's sermon was my tendency to speak poorly of a few Christians (especially difficult pastors) from other denominations who are God's treasure. And actually, this past Monday, someone brought that hypocrisy to my attention - praise God! And I have spoken poorly of them because they are so theologically different from me. But God reminded me that I need to treasure what God treasures. I do not want to value people differently than God values them.

But this phrase should also be a comfort to those of you who despise yourselves, or are discouraged with yourselves, or think poorly of your giftedness, your what you look like, or something else that you wish was different. God's elective love did not first of all say, "Wow! I want that person because he or she is so cool." No, He chose you before you were a treasure in order to make you His special treasure.

God chose His people “for Himself”

And notice the phrase, “for Himself.”

The goal of election is God. God saves us for God. He redeems us for Himself. He sanctifies us for Himself. He glorifies us for Himself.

And I should point out that both reprobation and election glorify God by showcasing attributes that we would never have known about had sin never entered this world. In verses 1-5 we see that God's attributes of wrath, justice, and hatred for sin are clearly showcased. Those attributes would never have been glorified without rebels to have wrath, hatred, and justice against. And thus, reprobation glorifies God by manifesting those attributes.

In these verses we see that God's attribute of mercy is highlighted by election, as well as the depths of His amazing love. No one would have known the depths of God's love or mercy until they had seen from what depths God has saved us.

This guards us from a man-centered view of salvation. God did not choose us primarily so that we could feel important about ourselves. He chose us so that we would belong to Him and bring glory to Him. But that very fact also gives us comfort and security.

God calls His people His “special treasure”

But let's meditate a bit more on that phrase, "special treasure." According to the Hebrew dictionary, that term has the idea of a treasured possession, a royal possession, something very, very precious to the king.

Israel was not impressive in their own right. Israel was often stiff-necked. Israel grumbled. Israel rebelled. Israel provoked God. And yet God says, “You are My special treasure.” How is that even possible? It is possible first of all because He sees us lovely in Christ. That's the legal foundation. Second, it is possible because God’s grace loves the unlovely into a state of loveliness. Eventually the entire church will be a bride without spot or wrinkle. He treasures those whom grace alone makes into a precious treasure.

Malachi 3:17 uses similar language when God says of His people, “‘They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels.’” That is how God speaks of His people. Not because we were naturally jewels, but because His grace makes us His jewels. That verse says, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels.’ Is that not reason to bow down and worship our electing God?

Privilege increases responsibility

It goes on to say that Israel was treasured “above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” That does not mean God had no concern for people from other nations. He did. We've already taken note of numerous Gentiles whom God saved and brought into Israel. Deuteronomy itself anticipates a time when various people from other nations will see Israel’s wisdom and will be drawn to love God, His people, and His law. They would come to see that Israel had a unique covenant privilege and to become jealous of that and to want that privilege for themselves. It had an evangelistic purpose.

But those who are already saved need to remember that privilege increases responsibility. The more God gives, the more God requires. Israel’s election was not a license to flirt with idols. It was the reason they must not flirt with idols. Verses 6-11 are the reason why they were called to engage in a spiritual and physical herem warfare in verses 1-5.

God’s electing love is not based on human greatness — “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number”

Verse 7 says: “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples…”

Moses is now going to tell them what election was not based on.

God did not choose Israel because she was impressive

God did not choose Israel because she was impressive. Israel was not chosen because she was large, powerful, advanced, noble, wealthy, or strategically useful to Him.

Moses says that they were “the least of all peoples.” That may refer to their smallness numerically, their unimpressive origins, or their weakness among the nations. Whichever reason was in mind, its point is clear: God did not choose them because they were naturally desirable.

If Israel had submitted a résumé to God (which, I know, seems ludicrous - but if Israel had submitted a résumé to God), it would not have been an impressive résumé. What would be on it? Slavery, fear, grumbling, unbelief, idolatrous tendencies, repeated complaints, and no military greatness. And God says, “I know. I know. That is not why I loved you.” That is why you needed My grace. Grace is not God discovering the impressive. No matter how much you try to impress God and gain His favor, that is going about it backwards. Grace is about God setting His love on the unimpressive so that His love gets all the glory.

God’s love is not explained by something lovely in us

This is the great humbling truth of the passage. God did not look down the corridors of time and say, “There is a people worthy of My covenant affection.” No. He set His love on the unworthy.

Of course, this makes the doctrine of election offensive to those who are filled with pride because it says God’s love is not finally explained by us. It is explained by God alone.

Charles Spurgeon once said,

"I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love."¹

That is not cynicism. That is humility. He knew his own heart well enough to know that the final explanation for grace could not be found in him. And once your pride is destroyed, you will then be enormously comforted by this doctrine.

God delights to magnify grace through weakness

God chose a weak people so that His grace would be obvious. He often does that. Scripture says that He chooses the weak things to shame the mighty. He chooses the foolish things to shame the wise. He chooses sinners so that grace gets the glory.

Some people think, “God cannot use me because I am so weak and because I stumble so often.” But that is missing the point, isn't it? Weakness is not an obstacle to grace. Weakness is often the stage on which grace displays its power. So if you feel awful about yourself, starting focusing on God and worshiping Him for His worthiness.

God’s electing love is rooted in God Himself — “but because the LORD loves you”

But the next phrase in verse 8 goes on to explain why God set His love upon Israel. It had nothing to do with anything in us. It says, “But because the LORD loves you…” Now, consider the grammar here. This seems like a strange answer to a lot of people.

Why did God love Israel? Because God loved Israel. That's the main answer that He gives. It's the only answer that can be given.

I know it sounds circular, but it is not empty. It means the ultimate explanation of God’s love is found in God, not in Israel. Point by point God is encouraging the faith of the people to not be in themselves, but in God alone.

God’s love is self-moved

God’s love was not awakened by Israel’s attractiveness. It was not purchased by Israel’s obedience. It was not even earned by Israel’s future performance.

God loved them simply because it was His nature to freely love. That is the deepest foundation of grace. Arminianism robs God of His glory by subtly inserting some dignity into man that can make God want to elect him. But God's love is 100% self-moved.

God’s love is free

The next subpoint says that this means that God's love is free - totally free. If God’s love were based on Israel’s worthiness, it would not be grace. If God’s love were based on foreseen obedience, it would not be grace.

God did not even foresee faith as a reason to love us, since faith is also a gift of grace according to Philippians 1:29 many other Scriptures.² God gave you your faith to believe in Him. Apart from grace you couldn’t have believed in Him. So in this verse Moses is pressing the freeness of divine love. We could never earn His love. Do you have a hard time receiving a free gift? That is pride. Pride gets in the way of entering into the joyful reception of God's free grace and free love.

God’s love creates what it delights in

But since none of this denies that God delights in us, that means that God's love creates what He delights in. Human love often finds something lovely and then loves it. God’s elective love sets itself upon the unlovely and makes them lovely by grace. It conquers. It changes. It transforms.

And when we are called to imitate God's love, He is calling us to love the undeserving and the unlovely. Like God, we are called to overcome evil with love. God did not love us because we were holy. He loved us in order to make us holy.

Can you see why this is a doctrine that makes me love and adore God in return? It's an amazing doctrine! Absolutely amazing!

God’s electing love is faithful to His oath — “and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers”

He goes on in the next point to say, “…and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers…” And when you study those fathers, you realize that they were a mess too. But this phrase emphasizes that even though God’s love was free and undeserved, it is not fickle. This phrase balances the previous one. God's love is always covenantally faithful because it is part of God's very nature to be faithful to His promises. He is a promise-keeping God.

When we imitate God's love in our marriages and in our families, we too should love freely - not because the other person deserves our love. God's grace amazingly enables us to keep our marriage vows by loving the other person even when that love is not returned the way we wished; by loving in order to prosper those that we have bound ourselves to by covenant. That's the kind of love that genuine grace produces in us.

God’s election is tied to covenant promise

These verses remind Israel that God had sworn promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised land, seed, blessing, and ultimately blessing to all nations through Abraham’s Seed, Jesus. We will be looking at those promised blessings next week. They are stunning. But God's promises show that Israel’s redemption from Egypt was not a random rescue. It was covenant fulfillment of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And since God always keeps His promises, they could commit their hearts to God unreservedly, knowing that if God was for them, who could be against them?

But you know what? Many Scriptures speak of a promise God made long before the one He made to Abraham. Titus 1:2 says, "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began..." Who did God make that promise to before time began? There was only the Triune God in existence before time began. Well, Scripture says that God the Father made that promise concerning His elect to God the Son. That is why Jesus can say in John 6,

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

No wonder Paul could have the confidence to say in Romans 8:38–39:

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's love resides in His beloved Son, and if you are united to Jesus, He can love you as a treasure just as He loves His Son as a treasure. And because He keeps His promises to His Son, He will keep His promises to all who are united to His Son.

Well, this makes God's call to imitate His love seem like an impossible command. How can we love others in the same self-sacrificial way that God has loved us? How can we display the kind of love to our enemies that the Sermon on the Mount commands us to display? And the answer is, Only through Christ and the grace that He purchased for us. All the way through this passage, the doctrine of election is humbling, yet encouraging.

God keeps His promises across generations

Now, what he has said so far would have been incredible enough. But Moses keeps building on this doctrine in remarkable ways. These words indicate that God keeps His promises across the generations long after the ones He made the promises to were dead. He did not forget Abraham when Abraham was dead. He did not forget Isaac when Isaac was dead. He did not forget Jacob when Jacob was dead. He remembered His oath. And long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were dead and wrapped in God's bosom in paradise, God kept remembering His promises to them. Not only can He not lie, He cannot forget His promises.

That should encourage parents and grandparents to pray with confidence. God’s covenant faithfulness is bigger than one generation.

God’s oath gives stability to His people

And this not only gives stability to our relationship with God when we have let Him down; it gives stability to all of our covenant relationships. Our feelings rise and fall. Feelings are not reliable. Our obedience is inconsistent. It is not reliable. Our zeal fluctuates. But God’s oath stands forever.

This is why covenant theology is so powerful. It teaches us to look away from the instability of our own hearts and the instability of the hearts of those that we love, and to imitate the faithfulness of our covenant God.

God’s electing love redeems from bondage — “the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand”

Verse 8 goes on to say, “…the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand…” Election does not stay hidden in eternity. It breaks into history in redemption. What God planned in eternity past, He brings to fruition in history. His predestined purposes always come to pass.

God’s love acts

He always acts. God did not merely feel compassion for Israel in bondage. He acted. He brought them out.

Love that never acts is not biblical love. God’s love moves Him to act. God’s love redeems. God’s love rescues. And we cannot say that we have genuine love if our love never moves us to do the things God wants us to do.

God’s redemption is powerful

But notice also that it says He brought them out “with a mighty hand.”

Egypt was stronger than Israel. Pharaoh was stronger than Israel. Israel could not emancipate herself. But Pharaoh was not stronger than God.

That is true with regards to our salvation. Sin was stronger than we were. Satan was stronger than we were. Death was stronger than we were. But none of them are stronger than Christ. God is mightier than the strongest oppositions that we face, and He has bound Himself in covenant with us. Praise God! That should encourage us to follow Him, and even to say with Job (when we are feeling miserable), "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

Redemption creates obligation

You see, God's elective love and His redemption creates obligation to reciprocate His love. Because God brought Israel out, Israel now belongs to Him. Redemption does not lead to autonomy. Redemption leads to loving covenant service. The redeemed do not say, “Now I am free to live for myself.” They say, “Now I am free to live for and love the God who redeemed me.”

God’s electing love liberates us from cruel masters — “and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt”

Point 9 says that God's electing love liberates us from cruel masters. Verse 8 goes on to say, “…and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Moses piles up the language: brought out, redeemed, house of bondage, hand of Pharaoh - to magnify His electing love.

Sin is bondage

Egypt is a picture of slavery. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt becomes one of the great Old Testament patterns for salvation. Every person whom God elected to salvation was elected out of bondage to sin, to fleshly desires, to Satan, and to the world's ways of thinking. But God elected us to be freed from that bondage.

Too many people think of sin as freedom. The world says, “Serve your desires and you will be free.” But sin always overpromises. Sin is a Pharaoh. It demands bricks without straw - like Pharaoh did. It takes your sons and daughters. It promises pleasure and yet puts you into chains.

Lust is a Pharaoh. Bitterness is a Pharaoh. Pride is a Pharaoh. Addiction is a Pharaoh. The fear of man is a Pharaoh.

Christ does not redeem us from bondage in order to bring us into another kind of abject slavery. He redeems us from slavery into the freedom of belonging to God and serving Him out of the same love with which He loved us. It's like a marriage covenant. And Christ did not shed His blood to give Pharaoh weekend visitation rights. Too many Christians allow Pharaoh to have weekend visitation rights in their hearts. It's foolishness.

Redemption requires payment and power

And the word “redeemed” all by itself implies deliverance at a cost. Israel’s redemption involved judgment, blood, substitution, and divine power. The Passover lamb died, and Israel went free. That pictured the sacrifice of Jesus. So there was a great cost to electing love. We were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. There could be no election if Jesus was not willing to be our substitute.

And when we imitate God's love - when we love our spouses, our parents, our children, and those in the world that we are seeking to evangelize - there is a cost. He does not deny that. But He empowers us to be able to endure that cost.

The redeemed must not return to Egypt

This ties back to verses 1–5. Why must Israel not covenant with Canaan? Because they had already been redeemed from Egypt. Why go from one bondage to another?

In the same way, why would a Christian redeemed by Christ return to the sins that enslaved him? Why would a man rescued from Pharaoh ask for a vacation home in Egypt? Why would someone freed by Christ preserve the idols that once mastered him?

When I phrase it that way, you recognize how ludicrous that is. But sadly, our minds are able to think of Pharaoh and Egypt as better than it is. Israel previously did that. They longed for the leeks and garlics and meat pots of Egypt. But God's elective love was designed to deliver us so that we might freely serve Him - and do so out of love.

God’s electing love reveals His character — “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God”

Verse 9 goes on to say, “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God…” All of these things we have talked about reveal who God is.

Election should lead to knowledge of God

He says, “Therefore know…” -not just know a doctrine about God, but know God Himself. The doctrine of election is not given merely to solve theological puzzles. It is given so that we may know God and come to delight in Him. The more you meditate on God's sovereign reprobation and election, the more you see the beauty of His attributes.

• Both sides of predestination (election & reprobation) reveal His sovereignty and other attributes. • Redemption reveals His power. • Covenant reveals His faithfulness. • Grace reveals His mercy. • Judgment reveals His justice.

All of those things help us to know who God really is. And the more accurate our view of God is, the more we love Him and cherish Him.

The LORD alone is God

Verse 9 goes on to say, “He is God.” This continues the exposition of the first commandment. Remember that all of chapters 6-11 are an exposition of the first commandment, and chapter 12 will move on to the second commandment, etc. If Yehowah alone is God, then He alone deserves ultimate loyalty. If He alone chose you, He alone owns you. If He alone redeemed you, He alone must be worshiped. If He alone is faithful, He alone must be trusted.

And this is not selfishness in God. Far from it. Within the Trinity, self-giving love has existed from all eternity. The Father selflessly loved the Son. The Son loved the Father. The Spirit searched and delighted in the depths of God the Father and God the Son. God did not create us because He was lonely. He has never been lonely. He did not elect us because He lacked love. The Triune God overflowed in love long before there was time. He elected us because that election reflects His already existing self-giving love. And the more you study God’s eternal decrees, the more you will want to imitate His utterly unselfish nature.

Theology must become loyalty

To know that the LORD is God is not merely to pass an exam. It is to bow, trust, worship, obey, and refuse all rivals. But bad theology is not harmless. If you misunderstand God, you will misdirect your loyalties. And if you want to dig deep into a practical exposition of systematic theology that will draw your heart out to God, I recommend Joel Beeke's three volume systematic theology. (Maybe it is premature for me to recommend it since I have only made it halfway through one volume, but hey - if all three volumes are like the one I am reading, that is the way systematic theology should be written. It makes you want to worship and serve God.)

God’s electing love is covenantally reliable — “the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy”

Verse 9 goes on to describe God as “…the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy…” This shows that God's electing love is covenantally reliable. He is the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy.

God is faithful

He is not like the idols. He is not like Pharaoh. He is not like fallen men. He is faithful. That means He does not forget His promises.

We tend to get discouraged over how unfaithful we are, how shortlived our obedience is, and how shallow our love for God is. But that's a wrong focus. You will never grow in those areas by focusing on your inadequacies. Election forces us to realize that our security does not rest in how reliable we are, but in how reliable He is. He does not abandon His people. He does not change His covenant love with every fluctuation of our hearts. And the more we worship this true God, the more it will stir up consistency of love within us.

God keeps covenant

And notice too that God does not merely make covenant with us. He does do that. But this says that He keeps covenant with us.

Men break covenants. Nations break treaties. Spouses break vows. Churches break commitments. But God keeps covenant. Hallelujah!

This is why Israel’s future does not ultimately rest upon Israel’s strength. It rests upon God’s faithfulness.

God keeps mercy

The phrase “covenant and mercy” holds together both law and grace, obligation and love. God's love is not a lawless love, and ours shouldn't be either.

On the other hand, God’s covenant faithfulness is not cold legalism. It is full of mercy. And His mercy is not sentimental softness. It is covenantally faithful mercy. The more we meditate upon how reliable God's covenant and mercy is (and there is much more that could be said about it than I am going to say), the more we realize that no matter how sanctified we might become, we still must daily depend upon His grace and His reliability, not our own.

God’s electing love embraces covenant generations — “for a thousand generations”

And how far does His elective love take us? Verse 9 says that it is “…for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments…” Promises like this are hard for me to fathom.

God’s covenant mercy is generational

This phrase should thrill covenant parents - especially those whose children have wandered away from the covenant. God speaks in generational terms. His mercy is not thin. It is not momentary. It stretches to a thousand generations.

That does not mean every covenant child is automatically saved apart from faith. But it does mean God delights to work covenantally, generationally, and faithfully. And this is one of many promises that parents can claim by faith. Have some covenant children proved faithless? Yes they have. But can God’s elective love break through that covenant faithlessness and still fulfill His promises? Yes! Absolutely yes!

You see, when God gives parents and grandparents deep burdens to pray for wandering children, they should not treat those burdens as meaningless. God does not burden us without a reason. Take those God-given burdens to pray as invitations to plead His covenant promises. You do not know God’s secret decree, but you do know His revealed character: He delights in mercy, He keeps covenant, and He teaches us to pray for our children and grandchildren with hope. Don't give up.

If you love God and are seeking to keep His commandments, claim this promise. Just as God chose you despite your weaknesses, plead with Him to set His sovereign love upon your children and grandchildren despite their weaknesses.

Covenant mercy calls for covenant nurture

But beyond that, if God speaks of thousand-generation mercy, then parents must think beyond one generation. We must raise children with covenant succession in mind. We must teach them diligently. We must pray for them. We must warn them. We must train them to love God and hate idols.

So Deuteronomy chapters 6 and 7 belong together. There is a logic in the flow of these chapters. Chapter 6 called us to teach our children diligently, and to not allow Canaanite idols to catechize them. But at the same time, do not think that your past failures in catechizing your children are stronger than God’s thousand-generation covenant mercy.

Love and obedience belong together

But notice that same verse shows that love and obedience belong together. Verse 9 ends by saying, "with those who love Him and keep His commandments." This is not legalism. It is covenant life. Love obeys. Obedience proves that we have love. Jesus says the same thing: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Jesus Himself said that because He loves the Father, He always does the Father's will. Love obeys and acts.

Election does not bypass love and obedience. Election produces love and obedience. If there is no love for God and obedience to His laws, we may be fooling our own hearts.

God’s electing love does not cancel His justice — “and He repays those who hate Him to their face”

Verse 10 goes on to say, “and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them.” Moses now balances covenant mercy with covenant justice. We can’t pick and choose which of these we will believe; we must believe both. Reprobation and election are two sides of God's sovereign decrees, but (and it's an important "but" for those of you who are grieved over wandering descendants - but) God's sovereign decrees do not operate with disregard to the faith and pleadings of parents on behalf of their children. Nor are there any reprobate who do not deserve to be reprobate.

But the point is that Moses will not let us turn electing love into sentimentality or passiveness. The same God who keeps covenant mercy also repays those who hate Him. His love is not morally indifferent. His mercy is not weakness. His patience is not permission.

God distinguishes between those who love Him and those who hate Him

Notice too that the Bible does not divide humanity into nice people and not-so-nice people. It divides humanity covenantally: those who love God and those who hate Him.

That sounds severe, but Jesus uses exactly the same categories. He said

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Whoever is not with Christ is against Him. He might think he is loving, but if he is not loyal to Christ, it is a false love.

God’s justice is personal and direct

But let me make another comment on that phrase, “He repays those who hate Him to their face.”

God’s judgment is not mechanical and cold. It is personal. Men sin before His face, and He repays to their face.

That should make us tremble. The unbeliever is not merely breaking abstract rules. He is personally opposing the living God - no matter what excuses and rationalizations he may make.

God’s judgment is not inconsistent with His love

Modern people often pit love and judgment against each other. Moses does not. The same God who speaks of electing love also speaks of covenant wrath.

God’s holiness requires judgment against His enemies. God’s covenant faithfulness includes both mercy and justice.

God’s justice is certain — “He will not be slack with him who hates Him”

Verse 10 continues: “He will not be slack with him who hates Him…”

Delayed judgment is not absent judgment

According to the dictionary, the word "slack" refers to taking longer than a deadline that was set. God had waited four hundred years before judging the Amorites. And He told Abraham that it would take exactly four hundred years before He destroyed the Amorites. He was not slack. He was right on time. That delay did not mean indifference. It meant patience.

This is important in our day. Men often mistake God’s patience for approval. They say, “Nothing has happened; therefore, God does not care.” But that's a misreading of His providence. As we saw last week, God’s delay is mercy calling sinners to repentance.

God’s patience has a limit

But it also shows that God’s patience has a limit. Scripture says that there does come a time when repentance is no longer possible. The phrase, “He will not be slack,” shows that there is a day when patience ends. With any given nation, we don't know when that day is, and we cannot presume that God will be as patient with that nation as He was with the Amorites. There is a day when judgment comes. That was true for Canaan. It was true for Jerusalem in AD 70. It is true for nations. It is true for individuals. And it will be true at the final judgment. This should motivate us to repent on behalf of our nation, [yes, that is a thing] because it is only as God grants repentance that such judgments can be averted. That’s why I am motivated to repent on behalf of our nation.

This should make covenant compromise terrifying

But in terms of the logic in the flow from verses 1-11, we should ask, "If God repays those who hate Him, why would Israel join hands with God's enemies? If Canaan is under judgment, why would Israel marry into Canaan? If idols provoke God’s wrath, why preserve them?"

This again ties back again to verses 1–5. Election gives comfort, but it also gives holy fear. Where the fruits of election are absent, it may be an indication of reprobation. To the truly elect, God's electing love always eventually brings His elect to godly fear, and that in turn brings repentance, and that in turn draws people back into faithful adherence to the covenant. Where the fruits of election are absent, you cannot presume that you are safe. There is such a thing as false faith - faith that has no godly fruits.

God’s justice is personal — “He will repay him to his face”

But notice that Moses repeats himself in the last phrase in verse 10. He says, “He will repay him to his face.” He already started with that phrase in the beginning of the verse, so why repeat Himself? I believe that the repetition intensifies the warning, and reinforces the fact that God's justice is personal.

God deals with persons, not abstractions

Judgment is not merely upon “systems” or “cultures” in the abstract. It comes to persons. Each man stands before God. Each woman stands before God. Each ruler stands before God. Each parent stands before God. Each covenant child stands before God. We either despise His electing love or we learn to love His electing love and become thankful for it.

No one can hide behind the crowd

These phrases indicate that no one can hide behind a crowd. A Canaanite could not say, “Hey, everyone else is doing it, so it must be OK.” An Israelite could not say, “This is just the culture.” A modern Christian cannot say, “This is just the age we live in.” Forget about what the culture is saying, Scripture says that God repays “him” to his face. Each one of us is personally accountable to God. Covenant theology does not evaporate the individual. We need to press each child to embrace Christ.

The only safe place is Christ

And this warning should continually drive everyone to Christ. Apart from Christ, we deserve judgment to our face. But at the cross, Jesus bore God's wrath in the place of His people. He was treated as the condemned one so that we might be received as God’s treasured possession.

God’s electing love calls for obedient response — “Therefore you shall keep the commandment…”

Verse 11 says, “Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.”

You will remember from last week that the chiastic structure of this entire chapter makes this verse the central pivot. Why did God set His elective love upon us? To make us more and more like Him. It is an election that changes and transforms people so that, where they once hated God's laws, they now love His laws. So in verse 11 Moses gives the practical conclusion of His elective love.

“Therefore” means doctrine must become obedience

Election leads to obedience. Love leads to obedience. Redemption leads to obedience. Covenant mercy leads to obedience. Holy fear leads to obedience.

Moses does not say, “Therefore, speculate about God's sovereign decrees.” No. His secret decrees are not our business - only the eternal decrees that He has revealed in the Bible are our business. There is too much speculation about God's eternal decrees that go beyond God's revelation. But what God commands is our business. And He says, “Therefore, keep.”

The doctrine of election is not meant to make us stare into heaven trying to read the secret decree and ask, “Am I elected or not?” No, we are to read His revealed will, which is to repent and believe. It is meant to make us look at our idols and say, “How can I keep what my Redeemer rejects and hates?”

“The commandment” likely keeps the first commandment in view

Once again, the singular word “commandment” is used. It fits the larger flow of Deuteronomy 6–11 as an exposition of the first commandment (just one commandment). God is pressing the meaning of exclusive loyalty: no other gods, no covenant compromise, no idolatrous marriages, no preserved altars, and no rival loyalties. Those are all an exposition of the first commandment. And then He speaks of the plural “statutes and judgments” that logically flow from the first commandment. Every other commandment is a logical consequence of the first commandment. The first commandment calls us to loyalty to God and loyalty to His entire law. The law was not given so that we could pick and choose which ones we like and which ones we will discard. It calls us to the exclusive loyalty that I preached on last week.

Obedience is the grateful response to grace

This is not works-righteousness. Israel is not obeying in order to be chosen. Israel is called to obey because she has been chosen.

The order is crucial:

God chose. God loved. God swore. God redeemed us out of bondage. God then revealed His faithfulness. Therefore, keep His commandments.

Grace comes first. Obedience follows. When you reverse that order, you lose all security. But when you focus on what God has done, and is continuing to do, and has promised He will continue to do forever, security is once again restored. In 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul says, "for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

Augustine prayed, “Give what You command, and command what You will.” That is the logic of Deuteronomy 7. God commands holiness, but He also gives the grace that makes holiness possible.

“Today” presses immediate application

And let me mention the word "today" in verse 11. He says, “Which I command you today…”

Obedience must not be postponed. Israel could not say, “We will deal with idols later.” Delayed obedience is often disguised disobedience.

So, if God has been working in your heart (as he has been working in my heart since the last sermon) to diligently seek out any inner sins that need to be crucified, examine your hearts once again and resolve to deal with those things today. Not next week, but today.

What idol must come down today? What compromise must end today? What spiritual discipline must be restored today? What relationship must be re-evaluated today? What supply line to sin must be cut off today? What rival loyalty must be confessed today?

Conclusion

I hope by now you can see that election is not a cold doctrine. It is the fire of covenant love. It tells us that before we loved God, He loved us. Before we sought Him, He chose us. Before we obeyed Him, He redeemed us. Before we could preserve ourselves, He bound Himself to us by oath.

And if that is true, then how can we give our hearts to His rivals?

Keep in mind that Christ is the only human who has perfectly kept God's law and perfectly responded to God's covenant love as we all should. He perfectly loved the Father. He perfectly kept the covenant. He perfectly resisted every idol. And then He bore the curse for covenant-breakers so that rebels could become God’s treasured possession.

So when you see your failures, do not run away from God in shame. Run to Christ. When you see remaining idols that keep reappearing in your heart, do not despair. Bring them to Christ. When you feel your love is weak, look again at His electing love. Realize that when you walk by faith in what Christ has done for you, then you are covered in His blood, and His righteousness makes you a special treasure.

The call of this passage is not merely, “Believe the doctrine of election.” Obviously, it is that; but it is more than that. It is also this: because God has loved you, chosen you, redeemed you, and treasured you in Christ, be wholly His. Amen.