Deuteronomy 7 – 9

Verse 7:1 has Moses telling the people about what is before them:

Moses: As the Eternal, your True God, is bringing you into the land where you’re going to live when you cross the Jordan, He’ll drive out many nations ahead of you—Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations that are bigger and stronger than you are. 

The people did not believe this before yet Moses reiterates what is before them. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing is without God. We somehow thing evoking God is like pressing the “Easy Button” to get our wishes. Sometimes visions take decades and not a few hours. This one was delayed for 40 years and is not any easier. They must go against seven nations of greater power. They just need faith in God. Sometimes we need to take action and do hard work before the promise of God is on us. Don’t expect it to be easy.

Verse 7:15 talks about their health:

The Eternal will keep every illness away from you. He won’t afflict you with any of those horrible diseases you saw in Egypt—He’ll put them instead on those who hate you!

Often we think God magically protected them from illness when most of the time it was their diet. If you followed God’s laws you were in great health because you were eating the best foods for you, not because it was a sin to eat pork. It was just not as healthy as eating beef since what pigs eats goes to their flesh directly with little digestion. Like during the “Black Death” of the Middle Ages, the Jews were more healthy because of their diet and cleaning laws.

Verse 8:14 talks about pride and self-absorption:

then don’t become proud and puffed up and forget Him. He brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves; 

The problem with “blessings” from God is often the become distractions and take us away from God. We get wrapped up in the things we have and sometimes think we had something to do with it. No we need to ensure “stuff” never comes from our hard work, but God’s blessing. Once we think it’s about us, our pride will eventually erode our relationship with God to the point of ignoring Him. Take the warnings to heart since they happen time and time again, just look at how the USA is going from humble beginnings to prideful self-destruction.