He is the faithful God
Deuteronomy 7:9 - Love for God and obedience to Him show that we have hearts aligned with God’s will.
Moses speaks to the Israelites on the Plains of Moab. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“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.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV
Today we’re taking a quick trip back to Deuteronomy, one of the Books of the Old Testament. It’s part of the Torah (the fifth and last book of the Jewish Pentateuch), and the first 30 chapters of this book (which contains a total of 34 chapters) consist of three long sermons made by Moses to the Israelites on the Plains of Moab before they enter the Promised Land.
The first sermon — which today’s verse is part of — recounts the 40 years that Moses and the Israelites have spent wandering in the wilderness, and ends with Moses reminding the people to follow God’s Law.
This verse begins with a phrase that emphasizes that the Lord is the one true God — “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God”. Moses is reminding the Israelites of their special relationship with God — THEY are His chosen people. This statement from Moses also has the purpose of reminding the Israelites that they are to be loyal to God and not follow the polytheism (belief in many gods) of the nations that surround Canaan, the land they are about to enter.
God is not only THE God, but He has been faithful to His people. If anything has been learned by the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness, it is that God always keeps His promises. Even to this day, we can have trust and hope in God’s unchanging nature.
That faithful God keeps “his covenant of love” with those who believe in Him. In the original ancient Hebrew, this phrase is הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד (ḥeseḏ bᵊrîṯ — “His covenant and His lovingkindness”). That indicates a loving devotion to His people, and it started when God first made His promises to Abraham (Abram):
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.””
God initiated this relationship with mankind, and He maintains His covenant with humanity despite our tendency to be unfaithful to Him.
The next part of the verse — “to a thousand generations” — could be misinterpreted . God is not counting the number of generations that have passed and then planning on breaking His covenant. The number isn’t literal; it’s just a way to demonstrate God’s eternal commitment to His people. This phrase works its way into Psalm 105:8 as well — “He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,”
The final phrase of the verse reminds us that God’s covenant is not a one-way street — it requires us to “love him and keep his commandments”. These two actions are woven together tightly, as even today we can show our love for God through keeping His commandments. In John 14:15, Jesus repeats this requirement for the benefit of all of His followers: “If you love me, keep my commands.”
Love for God and obedience to Him show that we have hearts aligned with God’s will. This is still true, nearly 3,000 years after the words of Moses were first captured on parchment.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for being the faithful God who keeps Your promises. Help me to love You and follow Your commandments every day. AMEN.