Deuteronomy chapter 7

After reading chapter 7:

*We shall call this the "sanctioned genocide" chapter. Here, Moses tells the Israelites that God will deliver 7 nations stronger than they are into the Israelite's hands. When that happens, they are to show no mercy and take no prisoners alive. Total destruction is the name of the game. All symbols of the worship of other Gods are also to be destroyed.

*God picked the Israelites as his special people because he loved them best. Why? Who knows. There is a caveat: they better keep his commands if they want to stay in his good graces. If they do, they will be blessed with an increase of population and material goods. No couple, animal or human, will be childless. As for the people who hate the Israelites, they will come down with horrible diseases, if they aren't slaughtered first.

*Moses tells the Israelites to remember what happened 40 years ago when they left Egypt. He tells them they saw it with their own eyes. However, we must remember that everyone who was over twenty at that time is now dead, except Joshua, Caleb and Moses.  Plus, surely half of the Israelites alive at this time were not even born yet.

*Anyway, they are told not to be afraid, God will deal with the people they will drive out, the same way he dealt with the Egyptians. He will even send " the hornet" to find any survivors who may be hiding. This passage is a reiteration of what Yahweh told the Israelites in Exodus 23:23-30. The hornet appears there also and seems to be an agent of Yahweh's that is not very pleasant. As in Exodus, they are told it will take some time to drive all the people out. That is so the land won't become overrun with wild animals. In the meantime, everything will be in confusion, until the destruction is complete.

*Also, they are not to take any silver or gold from the people they conquer. It must be "set apart for destruction." The cynic in me wonders if that means it was supposed to be given to the priests.