How does Psalm 106:34 connect with Deuteronomy 7:1-2 about conquering nations? The Command to Purge the Land (Deuteronomy 7:1-2) “When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess … you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.” • Seven specific nations—larger and stronger than Israel—were named. • The order was total destruction, not coexistence. • Purpose behind the command: – Prevent idolatry from infiltrating Israel (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). – Display God’s righteous judgment on entrenched wickedness (Genesis 15:16). – Preserve the distinct identity and mission of God’s covenant people (Exodus 19:5-6). Israel’s Historical Response (Psalm 106:34) “They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them.” • Psalm 106 looks back on Israel’s history from the vantage point of exile, identifying key moments of disobedience. • Verse 34 pinpoints their failure to obey the clear word given in Deuteronomy 7. • The psalmist immediately lists the chain reaction: – “but mingled with the nations” (v 35) – “learned their works” (v 35) – “served their idols” (v 36) – “sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons” (v 37) How the Two Passages Interlock 1. Same Command, Two Perspectives • Deuteronomy 7: forward-looking instruction before conquest. • Psalm 106: backward-looking lament after Israel ignored that instruction. 2. Cause and Effect • Deuteronomy sets the cause: obey and be protected. • Psalm 106 records the effect: disobey and be corrupted. 3. Legal Requirement vs. Historical Record • Deuteronomy is covenant law. • Psalm 106 is covenant lawsuit—showing how Israel broke the law. Additional Biblical Echoes • Joshua 23:12-13—Joshua warns of snares if nations remain. • Judges 1:27-36—tribes fail to drive out inhabitants, confirming Psalm 106’s summary. • Deuteronomy 20:16-18—reiterates the same total-destruction mandate for Canaanite cities. • 1 Kings 11:1-8—Solomon’s foreign wives and idolatry trace back to incomplete conquest. Consequences of Partial Obedience • Spiritual contamination: idolatry became normalized (Judges 2:11-13). • Moral decline: child sacrifice and occult practices (Psalm 106:37-38). • Political subjugation: God “gave them into the hand of the nations” (Psalm 106:41). • Exile: ultimate covenant curse fulfilled (Leviticus 26:33; 2 Kings 17:6; 25:11). Timeless Principles for God’s People • Obedience must be complete, not selective (1 Samuel 15:22-23). • Compromise with sin corrodes faith (1 Corinthians 15:33). • Separation from idolatry remains essential (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). • God’s warnings are grounded in love and wisdom; ignoring them brings loss of blessing (Proverbs 14:12). Key Takeaway Deuteronomy 7:1-2 delivers the divine directive; Psalm 106:34 exposes Israel’s refusal to follow it. The linkage underscores a consistent biblical truth: wholehearted obedience safeguards God’s people, while half-hearted measures invite the very destruction God sought to spare them from. |
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