What Should a Small Nation Remember in Deuteronomy 7?

In Deuteronomy 7, what Israel needed to remember as a small nation was how God had delivered them from Egypt. That memory gave them reason not to fear nations greater and stronger than themselves. The chapter explains that the God who had saved them by His power in the past would remain among them and gradually fulfill what He had promised.

God Did Not Choose Israel Because They Were Numerous

Seven nations greater and stronger than Israel stood before them. God said He would deliver those nations into Israel’s hands. The Israelites were not to make covenants with them or intermarry with them. They were to tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols.

The reason is stated clearly in the passage. Intermarriage could lead Israel’s children away from the LORD and entice them to serve other gods. If the Israelites coveted and took the silver or gold covering the idols, it could become a snare to them. Israel was not simply commanded to keep its distance from other nations. They were commanded not to leave within their community or homes any gods or objects that could draw them away from God.

Israel received these commands because they were holy to the LORD and had been chosen as His treasured possession. Yet God did not choose them because they were numerous. Israel was the fewest of all peoples. The LORD loved Israel and kept the oath He had sworn to their ancestors, redeeming them with a mighty hand from the land of slavery and from the power of Pharaoh.

When Fear Arose, They Were to Remember What They Had Seen in Egypt

When Israel saw nations more numerous than they were, they might think, “How can we drive them out?” God did not respond by merely telling them to be brave. He commanded them to remember well what He had done to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.

In Egypt, the Israelites had witnessed great trials, signs and wonders, a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm. God had brought them out of Egypt. Their reason for not fearing the nations ahead of them was not Israel’s size or strength, but what they had already seen God do. God declared that He would do the same to the nations they feared and that He, the great and awesome God, was among them.

This promise did not mean that everything would be completed at once. God said He would drive out the nations before Israel little by little. If they were eliminated too quickly, wild animals could multiply and threaten Israel. Even when the process was not immediately complete, the Israelites were not to be ruled by fear. God promised to deal with those who remained or hid and ultimately deliver those nations and their kings into Israel’s hands.

Remembering Had to Lead to Obedience

God is faithful to His covenant, but simply knowing that truth does not fulfill the demands of Deuteronomy 7. The passage contrasts those who love God and keep His commandments with those who hate Him. It then repeatedly commands Israel to observe and obey His commands, decrees, and laws.

God promised that if Israel listened to all these laws and carefully followed them, He would keep the covenant of love He had sworn to their ancestors. He also promised specific blessings upon their children, the produce of their land, their grain, new wine, olive oil, cattle, and flocks. In contrast, He warned that serving other gods or bringing idols into their homes would turn those idols into a snare and could bring destruction upon Israel as well.

Therefore, the remembrance commanded in Deuteronomy 7 goes beyond simply recalling the past. Israel was to remember its deliverance from Egypt, refuse to fear powerful nations, remove the idols that could draw them away from God, and obey the commands given to them that day. Their small numbers did not cancel God’s choice, and the strength of the nations before them did not alter His promise.

For one practical step today, reread verses 17–19 of Deuteronomy 7. Try writing one sentence that summarizes what God told Israel to remember when fear arose. You might write, “Remember how the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt with His mighty hand.” This makes the passage’s foundation for faith—what Israel was to see before looking at its fear—much clearer.