Deuteronomy 7:10
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Good evening. Go ahead and open up your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 7 so you can see a little bit more beyond just the verse here. It's page 152 if you're grabbing one of those pew Bibles. So most of us have learned to be skeptical about messages that we hear in our culture, especially hard or difficult ones, right? So for instance, if you get the text message that says you owe such and such overdue parking ticket in a city that you've never visited, you know to be skeptical of that, right? Or is that just me that's gotten those types of text messages? We know to not trust hard or difficult or unusual messages that come our way. Our world tells us these types of messages all the time, and we've learned not to trust them, to understand that they're not being honest with us. The soundtrack of life that kind of just plays behind everything that we see and encounter isn't right. The Bible, however, is different. In fact, the Bible is shockingly honest about everything in this world that we live in. It tells us plainly in every way that there are
things that in this world that we encounter that should not be, that evil exists, that injustice exists, that people reject God. We see it in the world around us, and if we're being honest, we see it even in our own hearts. And when we see those things, we know instinctively that they should not be, that those things should not exist, that the world shouldn't work this way. But the Bible doesn't just diagnose that. You and I can diagnose that. The Bible doesn't just diagnose that. The Bible goes further and tells us what God is going to do about that. And so in light of that, let's look at our passage tonight. One short verse here, very straightforward verse.
This is talking about God. God repays to their face those who hate him by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. This verse, as straightforward as it is, is telling us something important about God. It's making this incredible claim, as a matter of fact, about who God is. one that should bring us hope, one that should bring us comfort in the midst of a world where evil does indeed exist. And I think the thing that this verse is trying to tell us is this, very simply, God will make things right. God will make things right. But if that's true, if that's what this verse is getting at, then that raises some questions, right, that we really need to think through. So as we look at the verse together, just in the next few minutes, going to have us think through three different questions. I'll give those to you as I go to help us think about what this verse is getting at. So question number one, what is wrong? What is wrong?
If we're saying that God is making things right, if we're going to assert that, then that assumes that something is wrong, right? If God needs to make something right, that there's something actually wrong. Well, what is it? Well, if you take a closer look at this verse, you can see that's structured as we've talked about in many different sermons and different lessons you've heard over the years as a chiasm that's a very fancy way to say that it's all pieced together it's all organized together in such a way to highlight something so look back at the verse again you can see it even there in your bible or there if you're looking at it on the bulletin you've got repays and hating and destruction and then it works back out from that as well it's just a way to highlight something we'll talk about a little bit more of that here in just a second but what's important right now is that there's a repetition of hating you see it there those who hate him and then the one who hates well the key point there is that there's someone or some ones who hate god there are people who hate god well what does that mean what what does it mean to
hate god we use hate in a lot of different ways after all right i hate running or as we learned today, I guess I hate all things athletic, right? So I hate running, I hate losing, I hate evil, right? Those are all kind of different ways, different nuances to the word of hatred. So what does hate mean here then in our verse? Well, look at the context. What does verse 9 show us? Verse 9 tells us about what the Lord does for those who love him, and then verse 10 tells us what he does to those who hate him. There's a clear contrast between the two that's happening right there. Do you see that in verse 9 and verse 10? Notice something else important between those two. There aren't multiple categories. It's not like you've got A, B, C, D, and E to pick from.
There's only two options. You either love God or you hate him. Those are the two options presented to us. So what does it mean then to hate God in this context? Well, it means very simply rejecting the covenant love of God. It means rejecting finally and ultimately God himself. Verse 9 shows us what love for God looks like, right? That he's going to love those who love him, but because he's loved them first, especially. But then verse 2, or verse 10 rather, is the opposite of that. If verse 9 shows us these are those who love God and this is what they do, then verse 10 is showing this is what those who hate God do. They reject Him. They reject Him and His Word and finally His authority.
Friends, that's something that you as a Christian have heard from day one. That's also your experience in this world. You don't have to think long and hard about evil. Does it exist? Yes, it exists. You know it very well, both from your own heart, but even just from those around you, from the world around you. But friends, anything that is not love for God is wrong, period. It shouldn't exist. It should not be like that. And yet, we see it all around us. But you're not crazy for feeling that it exists. You're not making it up in your mind. It's true. It does exist. But Notice here that hating God seems to have a different tone to it than maybe kind of big, grand-scale evil that we would think about.
Hating doesn't always have to look like an intense emotional response against God. It doesn't always have to look like you're balling up your fists and you're kind of pounding your chest and raising your arms up against the Lord. Sometimes hating God is more like a cool indifference. to God. It's acting like he's not even there, like he doesn't matter, like he has no relevance to your life whatsoever. Living like that is actually, according to this, hating God. Friends, for some of you in here, that probably describes you. Oh, sure, you're not outwardly appearing to hate God.
You don't go around rallying against God, but inwardly, you're completely settled against his word, not seeking to please him in any way. Friends, stop telling yourself you can be neutral on this issue. You can't be. Look, if you live like God isn't important and doesn't matter, if you think that you're in some sort of safe, neutral zone with the Lord, friends, stop lying to yourself. This verse shows you that you are now hating God by the way you live.
So what is wrong? Well, the fact that some hate God, that's what's wrong. But if that's where this verse left us, we'd be in quite some difficulty, right? That would be a horrible spot. There's a tension, though, that this verse leaves us in. It shows that there's some that hates God, but that's not where it leaves us. what what needs to be done about that or question number two and then how is this made right what is wrong now how is this made right well look back at the structure of the verse remember i said it's a chiasm it just means there's something for us to observe about the middle of it but also it's pointing us to something you see on the edges it's talking about repayment you see that there in verse 10 right on both sides of it it's talking about repaying then you move in a little bit closer, those who hate. And how's that going to happen? How does it happen? What does the verse say? It says, God will destroy them. And actually, this is, I don't think the best translation. He will not be slack with them. Really could be translated, he will not delay. He will do this
quickly. He will make sure this happens like that at the right time. Friends, those who hate God will be repaid with destruction. Well, that sounds drastic. Maybe a little overdramatic, like, Lord, destruction? I'm not sure that was the right answer. I'm not sure that we fully understand what's going on, if that's where our heart takes us. Think about it like this. Years ago, I was in a car wreck, right? Thank God, not a horrible car wreck, but one that totaled my vehicle. And all I wanted after that was restitution. I just wanted a car that would drive again and I didn't have to pay a dime for it because it was not, it was 100% the other person's fault, not my fault. She ran right into me, T-boned me, totaled my car. I just wanted another vehicle.
Look, I was driving an old beater at the time and all I wanted was another old beater to drive. That's all I needed. We get that. That makes sense to us. That seems in fact totally fair and normal to us to want that type of restitution. Friends, that's precisely what's happening here. In fact, this is perfectly what's happening here. God, in his infinite holiness, has been hated by some. You've got the perfect king of kings who's been treated in evil ways by people who are not perfect. There needs to be repayment. Just like in the car wreck, there needs to be some restitution for this, but the problem is God is not an old beater of a car. And so when he is treated in evil ways by people, making restitution is not so simple as just get another car. Something else has to be done, and that's where our text takes us, that he must destroy. God will repay. It's clear
from our verse, but what does it mean to repay? Well, that word, it's interesting, is related to the word for repay it's related to the word shalom if you've been around christianity and know anything about christianity you've probably heard that word and maybe you've got it like thrown on your you know wall in your house and maybe maybe if you're really hip you've got it like tattooed in hebrew letters on your arm something like that but shalom which we typically translate as peace but it's not just the absence of conflict shalom shalom means something more like wholeness completeness, things as they should be, things the way that we're meant to be. And this word is basically God saying, I'm going to make things how they should be. That's what type of repayment is coming. Friends, that means we don't have to grow anxious about the evil that we see and that we face. God will make it right. He will repay. We don't have to take every matter into our own hands and pretend like we have to go get justice for ourselves because God will repay. He will make
it whole and right and complete once again. But even more from this, what do we see here? God's repayment will be precise and accurate, right? There's not going to be any collateral damage when God levels his justice on his enemies. It's going to be, what does it say? To their face, meaning individual and personal and exact. Look back at verse 9, right above our verse. The Lord has said here to keep covenant love to what? To a thousand generations. It's as though blessings were just flowing all over, like a river that's flooded its banks and just kind of spilling out onto every one of God's people forever and ever and ever. But look at the repayment, as it's described here in verse 10. This repayment isn't broad. It's to his face, to the person himself. It's laser focused on the subject. God's repayment will be precise and exactly what is demanded.
Friends, take comfort in this. God won't let a single injustice go. God won't let those who hate him and work evil against him and his people to go unpunished. Every single one of those injustices, every single one of those acts of evil against our God will finally get what they deserve. They will get the destruction they deserve. Look, at one level, that sounds harsh, but at another level, for being honest, that sounds great, right? We serve a God who will get what he deserves. We serve a God who hates evil and will actually do something about that. He will actually work it out so that those who physically hurt others, so that those who take advantage of others, so that those who lie and manipulate and do whatever it takes to get ahead of others in this life get what they deserve. Look, if you're not a Christian in the room, maybe that actually sounds appealing to you. Maybe you go, I want that. I want a God who hates evil like I hate evil.
I want a God who will work against injustice like I want to work against injustice. Because after all, we've all been done hard by others, right? The evil has come to us as well. But friend, if that's you, if you're not a Christian and that is you, and you go, yes, I want a God like that, There's two problems that you've got to deal with. Number one, you're not actually free from that repayment yourself. The Bible makes it very clear that you fall under the judgment of that repayment, and that's something you have to reckon with. But also, number two, that repayment is not just something you can finally, eventually pay off and walk away from scot-free.
Friends, this payment is too big. It's like we heard this morning. It's the box jump that you could never make yourself. Look, God is just. He will make things right, but that in and of by itself is not great news for you if you're not a Christian. But God is also merciful. He keeps covenant love with his people, as verse 9 tells us, and we know from the rest of scripture that he provides a sacrifice, someone who would take the repayment that our hatred actually deserves. That is the good news of the gospel of Jesus, that God sent His Son who came to earth and loved the Father perfectly and earned everything there from verse 9, that He earned the Father's love forever. He now has the Father's love forever, but in a stunning act of mercy, this same one then turned around and offered Himself on the cross, taking the repayment on His face that should have fallen on ours.
Friend, if you're not a Christian, that's the wonderful and incredible news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But you need to put your faith in that as well. You'll never earn your way or work your way around the repayment that's coming to you. But you can put your faith in the one who's already taken that repayment for you. And look even more. Verse 9 talks about this love that stretches on to a thousand generations. Friends, a thousand generations isn't enough to describe the type of love that we as God's people will experience.
It stretches on into eternity. That's the hope that we have, that the God will make repayment and we will experience his blessing for all of eternity. So that's the problem. We see what God's going to do to fix it. Question number three, so what? What about us? What do we do today? What happens for us? Well, this passage doesn't end in verse 10. Look to the next verse, verse 11. Basically, you can summarize it by saying you shall obey God's word.
What are we doing in light of all of this? You need to obey God's word. Look, it's not complicated. Sometimes I think we try to overcomplicate God's word and what our reaction to a simple and clear message of it needs to be. Friends, in light of the fact that there's a problem and that God has fixed it, that he's going to judge his enemies, what are you supposed to do? Seek to live a holy life. You live in light of the grace and mercy that's been shown to you. You don't live despite the grace and mercy that's been shown to you. You love because he first loved you.
You don't hate because he first loved you. And two really quick ways maybe you can think about this. Number one, you know the places in your life right now where it looks more like you're hating God than loving God. If we define hate as this verse defines hate, you know the areas in your heart and your life where you're more prone to that. Brother, sister, kill those sins tonight. Don't wait until you've tasted of the deceptive pleasures one more time to try and kill them.
Friends, turn away from them now. That's what this verse tells you to do. This is what this verse commands of you. But number two, and maybe more appropriate even for a verse, trust that God will make all things right. Look, there's real pain, there's real suffering, there's real heartache in this room alone. Much of it is known by brothers and sisters. A lot of it probably isn't even known by the brothers and sisters in this room. There's honest and hurtful things that you have encountered. There's chaos at a general and larger level throughout our world.
There's kind of a chaos that reigns that seems to just rule our day. Friends, every single bit of that will one day be made right by God. Not by your money, not by pleasure, not by freedom from wants or even your needs, not by the right political system, not by even enough water under the bridge and just enough time, but by God. Trust him to do what he's promised he'll do.
You know, passages like this in the scriptures seem hard. You look at that and you go, why is that in there? and what am I supposed to learn about God? This doesn't seem to square with my understanding of who God is and what he's like. Friends, I hope even in just a few minutes here you can see that this is actually a truth we need to hear. We need to be reminded that God will make things right, that he will take the evil that exists, the evil even that you've done, and he will one day make everything right.
Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you that you are a God who is powerful enough to make all the wrong right. God, we thank you that when there are those who are your enemies and who do evil against you and who hate you, that they don't finally get away with it. Because God, that would say something about your justice and your power. But God, we also praise you that you are merciful and that through the gospel of Jesus, we have been spared from that same repayment. God, tonight, remind us of your holiness, of your justice, and of your power. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.