It was the winter of my 8th grade year. We were heading into tournament season, and the coaches decided to combined the AAU A-team and B-team for a practice and scrimmage. I loved the game of basketball. It was the game I most enjoyed to play, and I was on the B-team. When it came to basketball, I was always on the B-team. I seemed to lack whatever was needed to jump to the next level. It didn’t stop me from longing to play with the upper level guys, but by 8th grade, the idea that I was short, both in physical stature and in skill, had set in.

The coaches had decided to have a competition within the teams. They picked two captains, the coach’s sons of the A team. This was a natural choice, as those were the two most skilled and developed players. We lined up. The captains flipped a coin to see who would pick first, and I sunk into the crowd of boys, expecting it to be while before I heard my name called. It’s the greatest fear of any athlete, or any person, to be picked last, to be the left over, the unwanted. My defense mechanisms kicked in. I started adjusting my expectations. I looked around, and began to calculate at what point my name may or may not be called.

Within seconds, I was deep calculations, and it was then I heard my friend call my name, “Gaither.” He was one of the coach’s son, a captain. Not realizing what had just happened, I responded, “What?” I was calculating my 8th-grade AAU fantasy basketball draft in my head. He responded, “What do you mean, ‘what?’ I pick you!” My face went flush. I calculated myself 9th at best, maybe closer the 12th, or the 14th pick. I respond— “Me? Why?”  The team chuckled. Ryan responded, “Because your the fastest one on the court and this drill requires speed!”

Friends, I know I wasn’t the best player in the draft, or the fastest person on the court; but that night felt like I was! My legs moved faster than they ever had. I flew like a jet during the rest of that practice! But I must be honest: The truth of the matter wasn’t that I was fast. I wasn’t chosen because I added to Ryan’s team. There were 8 more A-team players to choose from, not to mention the other guys on the B-team, who could be chosen ahead of me. The truth of the matter was that my friend chose me because he loved me. It was 8th grade guy-love, but none-the-less, love. It shocked me, honored me, and I’ve never forgotten it. I didn’t earn it, I didn’t deserve it, but it changed the way I played that night. 

Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent. We celebrate advent with the following themes: Love, Hope, Joy, Peace, and Christ. In the Season of Advent, we look back to the promises of God in Scripture, which have been fulfilled in His Son, and in looking back we are reminded of His faithfulness to His promises as we look forward to His coming, the King’s return, when He who was, and is, will finally come and reign on the earth. 

So, we begin by looking back. Our passage today is in Deuteronomy chapter 7. Deuteronomy is the last book of the Pentateuch, the books of Moses. Moses was the mediator between Yahweh— God, and the people of Israel. He was a prophet, and had spoke on God’s behalf to the people. He led them out of Egypt, brought the 10 commandments down from the mountain, and met with God on behalf of the people. At this point in scripture, 39 years and 11 months of wandering in the desert had passed. They were about to enter the Promised Land. Moses could not enter the land because of former disobedience. So, before they entered without him, Moses gave them what we could see as his last words. It was a reminder of the covenant they had made with Yahweh. You may recall from world history, the term Suzerainty Treaty. A Suzerainty Treaty between two unequal parties. It would be like one who is Lord, making a covenant with a vassal. The security of the treaty was dependent upon the faithfulness of the more powerful party. This is essentially what we see in Deuteronomy.

Would you stand and read with me.

Deuteronomy 7:6–11

[6] “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. [7] It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, [8] but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. [9] Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, [10] and 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. [11] You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. (ESV)

[pray] 

We are going to look at the passage under the following headings:

Chosen to be treasured, Love is the why, The Demands of Love, Obedience born of Love, The King of Love

First, we were…

Chosen to be Treasured

Look at verse 6 with me: [6] “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth…

The word we translate as treasured carries a specific connotation to it. It has the sense of being carefully preserved, and privately possessed. It’s not shared with others, but alone is to be enjoyed by the one who possesses it. It is exclusive to the one who possesses it. It is precious, and to be kept as such. Men and women, this use of the word would aptly apply to our marriage relationship. There are things we only share with our spouse; them, and no one else. There are thoughts, dreams, affections, that belong to them alone. This is why we make a covenant in marriage; its intimacy demands that only the closest of persons should have, see, and know this relationship. 

Moses had told the people of Israel that they were a treasured possession, to belong exclusively to the God of Gods. This is further iterated in the phrase, “you are a people holy to the Lord your God.” Holy, or set apart, consecrated, for a singular purpose or entity. And that entity was, and is, the LORD!

Do you notice the capital letters of the word LORD? When you see the name LORD in all capitals, you should think, Tetragrammaton. No, this is not the name of the original transformer, this is the term for the distinct personal name of God. It is sacred. It is so sacred, Hebrew people will not pronounce it, but simply say, “the name…”

Here, we read that the people of Israel are the personal possession of YHWH, the LORD. God had called the people of Israel to an exclusive, personal relationship with himself, and He used His personal name. He called them to know Him—personally, and to be known by Him. 

The people of Israel were chosen to be treasured by God. They were chosen, them and only them, out from all the peoples on the face of the earth.

Why? Why them? Love is the why

Why can be the most offensive of questions, and it can also provide the most powerful of answers. Within why is the purpose for which one exists. You and I both have our why, our purpose. It is while living in our why that we are most alive, and our soul sings with the heavens. Listen to the given why of God’s choosing Israel:

[7] It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, [8] but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

It was not because they were great in number. What would a great number of people indicate? Power, for they would have a mighty army. It was not because they had land and possessions, for they had been slaves for the past 400 years, in a foreign land! Friends, without land, and without people, you wont beat your 10 year old son at the game of Risk! Land and people are a necessity! The people of Israel were the last logical choice for the Fantasy Draft of Nations! 

Furthermore, Verse 7 tells us that “the LORD set His Love on them.” The rendering “set His love” expresses the idea to cling, or to want strongly. This is a loving response to a desire. The same term is used to describe romantic love between man and wife, and it is also used between close friends, as in the case of David and Jonathon. 

So, why?

Verse 8 tells us: “It was because the LORD loves you…” Love is the why. It was the primary reason for His choosing. This is consistent with the character and nature of God. 1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Galatians 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” And His love is genuine- Romans 12:9. And His love is steadfast: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23).

His love is rooted in His character! This is good for us, friends! Because if it were rooted in my performance, God would be a hot mess trying to figure out what to do with me! My spiritual fantasy draft position is low, fluctuates little, and rarely — if ever, does it improve. 

Here, we see God, in covenant relationship with His people Israel, because He loves them, which is rooted in His character. 

Furthermore, that love is secure. This is a steadfast love because it is rooted in His character, and because he keeps His covenant. Verse 8, “becayse the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers…”

In Genesis, God promised land, people, and blessing to Abraham (12, 13, 15, 17, 26, 28…). That is the reason He brought the people of Israel out of slavery, out of Egypt. He redeemed them with His mighty hand out from Egypt, the largest and most powerful empire that existed at that time, and over Pharaoh, the most powerful king who was worshiped as, and called himself, a god.

So, the LORD took the least of nations, and rescued them from the most powerful of nations, and called them His treasured possession, because he loved them. He didn’t leave them in the desert, but he made a covenant with this people. Friends, there are demands of love. There would be no security in intimacy if there were not. When my wife and I made a covenant to be married, we pledged to love and care for each other, we pledged our affections, our finance, our bodies, to each other, and no one else. Those were the demands of love. There is no true relationship, no true knowing each other, unless there are demands of love. 

What were…

The Demands of Love

It’s baffling that the first demand is to know… and not only to know, but to know something about God, the one with whom Israel was making a covenant.

[9] Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…

The people of Israel are called to know that this personal God, YHWH, whom is their God, is the ultimate sovereign God. There is no one higher. There is none more powerful. There is none who can sway or move him. If there is no one higher, then there is no one who can coerce him, change him, move him. This is the God who loves you! 

Furthermore, He is faithful! He is not going to renege on his promise! This is not a bate and switch! This promise is based on divine love, not human love. It’s born out of His character, not your worthiness. And his promise is to keep the covenant to a thousand generations. Moses wasn’t exacting a number of generations, but expressing a faithfulness that was never ending. The first demand of love is to know and believe God, and to trust in his love, his power, his faithfulness to His promises.

Because He is God of Gods, LORD of all the earth, the second demand of love is to know He exacts judgement against all who hate him. 

[10] and 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. 

The holy, perfect, God of the universe is deserving of love from all that he has created. This is only just. Truly, we have nothing by which we can compare this to, for we could never sit in the place of God, nor could we deem ourself worthy of the honor, love, and respect He deserves. The closest situation we can imagine would be a good king, who hired poor and wayward beggars, brought them into his house, fed and clothed them, and the beggars rebelled. Instead of gratefulness, they were spiteful. Instead of loving, they were hateful towards the king of the house. 

We were made in the image of God. We are His children. We have been given the earth to have and enjoy, to nurture, to eat from, to steward, and in large part, humanity has rejected its King. They have ignored the owner, and ransacked the house. They were given love, and have returned with insult.

The King of Love will also be just. There are proper demands to the Love of God. And, there is a proper response. Obedience is the proper response. It’s only right… it’s only fair… it’s only just, for a beggar, like you and I, who were loved and brought into His Kingdom. It’s only natural to obey His rules. It’s only fitting to honor Him in His house.

This is

Obedience born of Love

Love is the basis for the choosing of God. Love is also the basis for which commands of God are upheld. That is what we’ve established in our passage thus far. Then we read:

[11] You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. (ESV)

Now, Moses had already reiterated the 10 Commandments. Then, just before this chapter, he gives additional instruction, and sums up the commandments in chapter 6. The first commandment given should be the most logical, the easiest to keep. Furthermore, it is the basis of keeping all other commands. Turn back to chapter 6:1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules— that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you…

4:The first commandment: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

His love for the people of Israel gave birth in the true believer, the Israelite who understood their lowly position, and the great love that caused their God to choose them, a love for Yahweh, the personal God of Israel, the God of Gods. This was a love that motivated and empowered them to keep the statutes of God. I want you to see the grace and mercy of God, friends, that was wrapped up in the sacrificial system. The LORD knew His people could not keep the covenant perfectly. If one party breaks the covenant, the covenant is broken! The other party does not have to make good on their promise. But God provided mercy and forgiveness through sacrifice, which externally sanctified the people until the Ultimate Sacrifice would come. In love, He made provision in the covenant for those whom he knew would break the covenant. 

Remember, the genesis, the source of His covenant love, is His character, not ours! But the blood of bulls and goats and sheep could not atone for the sin the people of Israel had committed against the holy King of Kings. In order for this grievous sin to be atoned for, a sacrifice of the same value, dignity, and worth, had to be made. Friends, we are in the same position. The payment for our sin must be equal to the value, dignity, and worth of the one we’ve sinned against. In order for you and I to be God’s treasured possession, to be given life, God had to send His Son, whom He loved, to redeem a fallen people.

Who would do that? Which one of us would die for people who turned against us, whom we brought in our house and yet they spurned our love, ignored the rules of our house, and in spite, broke our belongings. Only one person. Only one King.

The King of Love

At Advent, we look back in order to look forward. God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. We see his loving character in the book of Deuteronomy, and then now we see His loving character in the book of John. Would you turn with me to John 15:9–17.

Jesus, the only Mediator between man and God, shortly before he went to the cross to die, had these words for His disciples:

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

He continued in John 15:

[9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. [10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. [11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

[12] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

How has he loved us?

[13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

He is the King of Love! The disciples surely were not the projected fantasy draft of the day either! And yet, he tells them no one has greater love for you than me. He is the King of Love. He laid His life down for his friends, because He loved. Love is the Why.  Friends, it’s only fitting that we love in return. Jesus statement to his disciples is a litmus test of our love for God: to know Him, and love as He loved. 

This is why Advent is celebrated among the Church. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because He came and proved the Love of the LORD for the church, His people. We celebrate His first advent, but we look to the Day the King of Love will reign on the earth. We look to the day when all evil and hatred will be removed from the earth. We look to the Day our faith will be sight. We look to the Day we, the Bride of Christ, will be with the groom, our King. We look to the day we will fully be in the arms of the Lord, as His treasured possession.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come, King of Love.