They are not loved because of their value, rather their value comes only from His gracious declaration of who they are to Him. Israel’s character had nothing to do with God’s choice or declaration.
What a great text to preach during the season of Pentecost. As we grow in our faith, we begin to see more and more that the message of the scriptures remains clear and consistent. It is the statement that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ’s shed blood and resurrection alone. Jesus Himself demonstrates how the entire Old Testament is grounded in the revelation of the Messiah who is revealed in the New Testament. In Luke 24:27 it says: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Therefore, the main point of this sermon’s text is to speak the plain truth, beginning with Moses, that the Gospel of Jesus remains the same throughout all of scripture.
In this sermon you will need to demonstrate this consistency with a brief walk through the Old and New Testament. If done well, we will see, like the Emmaus disciples did, how Christ is truly the key to the scriptures. In Deuteronomy 7, the truth that Israel was a holy people because of their relationship to God is clear. In fact, their being called “holy” by God is what “separated them or cut them off (apparently the original sense of the root קָדוֹשׁ֙, (kaw-Dosh) “holy”), from other peoples and practices. Their holy character does not indicate inherent merit, but rather divine choice. God had chosen Israel to be a people prized more highly than all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”[1]
This point is emphasized by a key descriptor in our text. The word segulla סְגֻלָּה (se-gul-Lah), which is often translated as “treasured possession,” is a key word to dig into in the sermon, so we can mine the Gospel out for preaching. The word occurs in the Old Testament eight times: Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Malachi 3:17; Psalm 135:4; Ecclesiastes 2:8; 1 Chronicles 29:3.[2] This is one of the kindest adjectives God uses to describe His people in the Old Testament. He speaks this word over them while they are acting and talking to Him in exactly the opposite manner of a treasured possession. After all, there was no end of complaint and resistance from Israel to Moses in the wilderness. Here God calls them His “priceless treasure,” not because they are valuable in and of themselves, but because they are loved by Him. They are not loved because of their value, rather their value comes only from His gracious declaration of who they are to Him. Israel’s character had nothing to do with God’s choice or declaration. Instead, it was God’s character of love and faithfulness which drove His choice of Israel. This is a remarkably consistent message in the Bible. Even more, Deuteronomy 7:6-9 clearly reminds us of Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
In order to emphasize the connection between the graciousness of God in choosing the least and lowliest from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we can list off in the sermon, rapidly, a serial depiction of this graciousness of God throughout the Bible. This would be to demonstrate how God has always been consistent with His choice in the Bible. You could start earlier in the narrative of scripture, but starting with Moses keeps the list grounded in our specific text. After Moses, you can speak of Gideon, then David, and Zerubbabel. When you move to the New Testament, you can speak of Mary, Jesus (John 1:46), and Paul. In each instance, briefly unpack why the person is a surprising choice. With the obvious exception of Jesus, you can highlight the lowly nature of their character and the oddity that God would work through such an inauspicious choice. Also, with each person highlight a “treasured” passage especially for them. For instance, Moses (Exodus 33:11) had a treasured relationship with God. Gideon (Judges 6:22-23) had a special peace from God. Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:6) knew the might of the Lord in a special way. Mary (Luke 2:19) treasured up all these things about Jesus in her heart. Jesus (Luke 12:34; 2 Corinthians 4:7) is the treasure beyond compare. Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9) knew the perfect power of the grace of God. Now, consider how this glorious grace of God has called, named, and declared you His “treasured” possession (Matthew 13:44), even though He found you buried six feet deep, dead in your sins and trespasses. Indeed, “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.”[3]
Now, consider how this glorious grace of God has called, named, and declared you His “treasured” possession, even though He found you buried six feet deep, dead in your sins and trespasses.
To get at the straightforward meaning of our text, we can utilize a structure called “Puritan Plain Style.” Please note, this style has nothing to do with Puritan theology and is used by many different theological traditions. It is simply a structure for a sermon made popular by the Puritans. “As the term ‘plain’ implies, this approach to preaching is simple and to the point. The purpose of this style is to help the congregation encounter the Gospel as directly as possible.”[4] There are five parts to the structure of this sermon.
- Beginning - In this section, the preacher gives the main point of the sermon. This is best done by presenting a clear and simple declaration of the direction of the sermon. It is the focus statement and also the clearest statement of the theological teaching. “The clarity of Scripture refers to the Bible’s clear presentation of its teachings. For example, Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God’s word makes things clear.”[5] Today we are going to see that the whole Bible is clear about one thing: We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ’s shed blood and resurrection alone.
- Exposition – We now address the text assigned for the day, paying special attention to and highlighting the word segulla סְגֻלָּה, “treasured possession.” Here you will make special mention how this teaching is consistent throughout the Old and New Testament using a serial depiction/list (Moses, Gideon, David, Zerubbabel, Mary, Jesus, Paul, and us).
- Theological Analysis - Here is where the preacher unpacks the theological connection to Ephesians 2:8-9. We will want to continue to demonstrate that the theology of the Bible has always been clear and consistent between both Testaments.
- Applying the Interpretation - We grow in our reading of the Bible as a community when we use this guiding theological teaching. Just as the Emmaus disciples grew in their faith when Jesus was revealing the central teaching of Scripture to them and when he revealed Himself to them in the Supper, we also grow stronger together by grace through faith in His Word and Sacrament.
- Conclusion - Help the congregation continue the conversation started by the sermon. It is best to use a powerful story here to drive the point home.
The Puritan Plain style is a deductive structure which emphasizes a specific teaching of the faith. It is similar to a Text Application structure with the noticed difference of exploring a teaching of the faith in a somewhat expository fashion. The main point of the sermon is the main point of the text, which is the main point of the teaching that has a significant impact on our everyday lives.
This structure, when done poorly, can come off as a lecture or as possibly too wooden or mechanical. In order to avoid this trap, you can make use of imagery and story in the sermon to demonstrate how the teaching clearly and directly applies to the lives of your hearers. The excellent use of imagery and story will help the hearers to see the implications of this text and teaching to their own everyday lives. “The task of each part of the sermon is clearly defined. Further, this style helps the community consider forthrightly the implications of the Gospel for their everyday world.”[6]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out our previous articles on Deuteronomy 7:6-9.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Deuteronomy 7:6-9.
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[1] Peter C. Craigie. The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.), 1976. 179.
[2] Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann. Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997). 792.
[3] Stuart Townend. Copyright ©1995. Thankyou Music. (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com) found at https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/how-deep-the-fathers-love-for-us/
[4] Ronald J. Allen. Patterns of Preaching: A Sermon Sampler. (St. Louis MO: Chalice Press, 1998). 7.
[5] Steven P. Mueller, ed. Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology, vol. 3. Called by the Gospel. (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005). 43.
[6] Ronald J. Allen. Patterns of Preaching: A Sermon Sampler. (St. Louis MO: Chalice Press, 1998). 8.
