“When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;”
Cross references: : Deut. 31:8
“And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:”
Exod. 23:32 ; Exod. 34:12 Into thy power.
“But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. their images: Heb. their statues, or, pillars”
God would have his service pure without all idolatrous ceremonies and superstitions, Deut. 22:3 .
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Deut. 14:2 ; Deut. 26:18 , 19 Exod. 19:5 ; 2 Pet. 2:9
“But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Freely, finding no cause in you more than in others so to do.
“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”
And so put difference between him and idols.
“And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.”
Meaning, manifestly, or in this life.
“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: if: Heb. because”
This covenant is grounded upon his free grace: therefore in recompensing their obedience, he hath respect to his mercy and not to their merits.
“And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.”
We ought not to be merciful, where God commandeth severity. Exod. 23:33
“The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid .”
Or, plagues, or trials, Deut. 29:3 ; as Exod. 15:25 and Exod. 16:4 .
“Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.”
There is not so small a creature, which I will not arm to fight on thy side against them. Exod. 23:28 ; Josh. 24:12
“And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. put: Heb. pluck off”
So that it is your commodity that God accomplish not his promise so soon as you would wish.
“The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.”
And be enticed to idolatry. Deut. 12:3 ; Exod. 23:24 Josh. 7:1 , 21