Deuteronomy 7 is Moses’ address to Israel as they stand on the edge of the promised land. It covers the command to drive out the nations living there, the warning against making alliances and taking on their worship, and the reason God gives for choosing Israel: his own love and faithfulness. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each set moves from what the text says to what it means and then to how it shapes daily life.
Deuteronomy 7 at a Glance
The chapter opens with God’s instruction about the seven nations in Canaan and what Israel must do when they face them. Verses 3 and 4 explain the danger of intermarriage and idolatry, and verses 5 and 6 describe how Israel is to deal with their altars and images and why, as God’s holy people, they are set apart.
From verse 7 onward Moses turns from command to motivation. He reminds the people that God chose them not because of their size but because of his love and his oath to their ancestors, and he calls them to keep his commandments with the promise of covenant blessing. The chapter closes with assurance that God will drive out these nations little by little and warns against coveting the gold and silver of idols.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first to slow the group down and read the text carefully before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask someone to read the verses aloud, then invite quick answers that stay close to the wording on the page.
Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
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Read this early in the session to establish the central identity claim of the chapter. It frames everything that follows, including the commands and the promises, as the response of a people already belonging to God.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8
7 The LORD didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples: 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
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Reading these two verses together shows that God’s choice rests on his love and his oath, not on Israel’s numbers or merit. It is a helpful passage for groups who may struggle with the sense that they must earn God’s favor.
Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations…
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This verse describes God as faithful and loving toward those who love him. Reading it aloud gives the group a clear picture of the character of God before the group turns to harder passages.
Deuteronomy 7:18-19
18 You shall not be afraid of them. You shall remember well what the LORD 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 the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
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Read these verses when the discussion turns to fear or anxiety. They call the hearers to remember concrete acts of deliverance, which gives the group a practical way to face present challenges.
Deuteronomy 7:21
You shall not be scared of them; for the LORD your God is among you, a great and awesome God.
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This verse reminds the people that the LORD is among them, a great and awesome God. It makes a fitting closing reading before the group turns to prayer, because it points to God’s presence as the source of courage.
Memory Verse for Deuteronomy 7
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as a people you have chosen and loved, not because of anything we have done but because of your faithful character. Thank you that you keep your promises and that your loving kindness reaches generation after generation. Show us where we have allowed other things to take the place that belongs to you alone. Give us courage when we feel outnumbered, and help us remember the ways you have already acted on our behalf. Make us a people who belong to you in our ordinary days. Amen.
