Deuteronomy 7:12

My Notes

What Does Deuteronomy 7:12 Mean?

"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." The promise is CONDITIONAL: IF you hear, keep, and do — THEN God will keep the covenant and mercy He swore to the fathers. The hearing, keeping, and doing are the HUMAN CONDITIONS. The covenant-keeping is the DIVINE RESPONSE. The three human verbs (hearken, keep, do) produce the one divine verb (keep). The human obedience triggers the divine faithfulness.

The phrase "if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them" (eqev tishme'un et hammishpatim ha'elleh ushemartem va'asitem otam — because/if you listen to these judgments and guard and do them) uses THREE verbs for obedience: HEARKEN (shama — hear, listen, attend to). KEEP (shamar — guard, watch over, protect). DO (asah — perform, execute, carry out). The three verbs cover the FULL RANGE of obedience: HEARING (receiving the instruction), KEEPING (guarding it in memory and attention), and DOING (executing it in behavior). All three are required. Hearing alone is insufficient. Keeping without doing is incomplete.

The "the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy" (veshamar YHWH Elohekha lekha et habberit ve'et hachesed — the LORD your God will guard/keep for you the covenant and the loyal-love) makes God's KEEPING responsive to Israel's KEEPING: the same verb (shamar — keep, guard) is used for BOTH sides. Israel KEEPS the judgments. God KEEPS the covenant. The keeping is MUTUAL. The guarding is RECIPROCAL. The same word operates in both directions: you guard. God guards.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What hearing, keeping, and doing on your part would trigger God's covenant-keeping?
• 2.What does the SAME verb (keep/guard) being used for both human and divine faithfulness teach about reciprocal covenant?
• 3.How does the three-verb sequence (hear, keep, do) describe complete obedience engaging ears, memory, AND hands?
• 4.What patriarchal oath has God ALREADY sworn that your obedience ACTIVATES?

Devotional

IF you hear, keep, and do — THEN God will keep the covenant and mercy He swore to your fathers. Three human verbs produce one divine verb. Your hearing, guarding, and doing trigger God's keeping. The obedience is the condition. The covenant-keeping is the response. The same verb (keep/guard) works in BOTH directions.

The THREE human verbs cover the FULL RANGE of obedience: HEAR (receive the instruction — the ears take it in). KEEP (guard the instruction — the memory preserves it, the attention protects it). DO (execute the instruction — the hands carry it out). All three are REQUIRED. Hearing without keeping FORGETS. Keeping without doing HOARDS. Doing without hearing FREELANCES. The complete obedience engages ears, memory, AND hands.

The 'the LORD thy God shall keep' uses the SAME VERB as Israel's keeping: Israel KEEPS (shamar) the judgments. God KEEPS (shamar) the covenant. The SAME WORD for BOTH sides of the relationship. The keeping is MUTUAL and RECIPROCAL: you guard Mine, I guard Yours. The covenant operates through MATCHED guardianship. The human keeping and the divine keeping use the same Hebrew word because they're the same KIND of faithfulness.

The 'covenant and mercy which he sware unto thy fathers' grounds God's keeping in the PATRIARCHAL oath: the covenant God keeps isn't NEW. It's the covenant He SWORE to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The MERCY (chesed — covenant-love, loyal-kindness) is the same chesed God has been demonstrating since the PATRIARCHS. The conditional obedience triggers the UNCONDITIONAL oath. The IF-THEN of the human side activates the ALREADY-SWORN of the divine side.

What hearing, keeping, and doing on YOUR part would trigger God's covenant-keeping on HIS part?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture