DEUTERONOMY - WEEK 7
BIG IDEA: God’s people are to be distinct from those around them.
Read aloud the following introductory paragraph:
Israel was called to be a nation that was distinct from those around them. They weren’t meant to emulate the religious practices of the nations around them but were to establish a new way of living, reflecting the unique calling that God had given them. From the very beginning God wanted them to understand that they were to be different. The laws of Deuteronomy flesh out what exactly it means for them to be holy and set apart.
Deuteronomy 7 begins by Moses noting that God will drive out in judgement not one, but seven nations, all of which are larger and stronger than the Israelites, and provides instructions for how the Israelites are to set themselves apart as holy.
Pray to begin
Read Deuteronomy 7:1-9
When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.
6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Discuss
1. What reason does God give for the complete removal of the previous religious culture from the land? ( v 4)
2. Why was remaining distinct important for the israelites? (v6)
3. What is different about Israels situation and ours? Why are we not commanded to destroy the people around us?
4. What does this passage reveal about God’s motivations for giving the Israelites the land? (v7-9)
5. What does this passage reveal about God himself?
Read Matthew 5:13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Discuss:
Read the the following paragraph before discussing the questions below:
There are two ways that the church could fail to live out its calling to be salt & light. Firstly, by losing its saltiness, becoming so similar to the surrounding culture that its indistinguishable in its beliefs, values or behaviours. Secondly, by hiding the light, maintaining distinction, but by seeking to remain unseen out of fear of discomfort or persecution, keeping the world at arms length.
1. Where do you see your inclination to conform to the world around you?
2. Where do you see your inclination to hide away?
3. Where have you seen Christians / The Church be seen in such a way that points people to the goodness and glory of God?
Reflect & Pray
What are some of the ways you could imagine City Light continuing to grow as a light to our City?
Pray that God would grow as as a holy people having an impact across Sydney.