19 the great trials which thine eyes have seen, and the signs, and the wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched-out arm, with which Jehovah thy God hath brought thee out; so doth Jehovah thy God to all the peoples of whose presence thou art afraid. 20 'And also the locust doth Jehovah thy God send among them, till the destruction of those who are left, and of those who are hidden from thy presence; 21 thou art not terrified by their presence, for Jehovah thy God 'is' in thy midst, a God great and fearful. 22 'And Jehovah thy God hath cast out these nations from thy presence little 'by' little, (thou art not able to consume them hastily, lest the beast of the field multiply against thee), 23 and Jehovah thy God hath given them before thee, and destroyed them—a great destruction—till their destruction; 24 and He hath given their kings into thy hand, and thou hast destroyed their name from under the heavens; no man doth station himself in thy presence till thou hast destroyed them. 25 'The graven images of their gods ye do burn with fire; thou dost not desire the silver and gold on them, nor hast thou taken 'it' to thyself, lest thou be snared by it, for the abomination of Jehovah thy God it 'is'; 26 and thou dost not bring in an abomination unto thy house—or thou hast been devoted like it;—thou dost utterly detest it, and thou dost utterly abominate it; for it 'is' devoted.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Deuteronomy 7:19-33
Commentary on Deuteronomy 7:12-26
(Read Deuteronomy 7:12-26)
We are in danger of having fellowship with the works of darkness if we take pleasure in fellowship with those who do such works. Whatever brings us into a snare, brings us under a curse. Let us be constant to our duty, and we cannot question the constancy of God's mercy. Diseases are God's servants; they go where he sends them, and do what he bids them. It is therefore good for the health of our bodies, thoroughly to mortify the sin of our souls; which is our rule of duty. Yet sin is never totally destroyed in this world; and it actually prevails in us much more than it would do, if we were watchful and diligent. In all this the Lord acts according to the counsel of his own will; but that counsel being hid from us, forms no excuse for our sloth and negligence, of which it is in no degree the cause. We must not think, that because the deliverance of the church, and the destruction of the enemies of the soul, are not done immediately, therefore they will never be done. God will do his own work in his own method and time; and we may be sure that they are always the best. Thus corruption is driven out of the hearts of believers by little and little. The work of sanctification is carried on gradually; but at length there will be a complete victory. Pride, security, and other sins that are common effects of prosperity, are enemies more dangerous than beasts of the field, and more apt to increase upon us.