Deuteronomy 7:9 – 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.
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It makes great sense for this verse to be the first verse on the list of memory verses in a program. This passage does a wonderful job of reminding us of who our God is and what he is like. In fact, knowing who God is and what he is like is exactly the command for Israel in this verse.
What are we supposed to know as we read this text? We are supposed to know that the LORD (not simply a title there, but an actual name) is God. There is only one God. That God is the LORD, Yahweh, the God of the Bible. There are not other gods out there.
Second, we are supposed to know that God is faithful. God is trustworthy. When he promises something, he does it. He does not change his mind. He does not mess with us, pretending to be one thing and then change on us when we’re not looking. He is faithful to what is right, to who he is, and to his promises.
Third, God keeps covenant and steadfast love. He is faithful to his covenant. He is not one to renege on his promises. And he keeps steadfast love, covenant-keeping love. He loves those who are his with an unbreakable love.
Fourth, notice to whom it is that God is faithful. He is faithful to those who love him and keep his commandments. Those two things go hand-in-hand. To love God is to keep his commandments (see John 14:15, 21, & 23). If you love God, you will strive to do what he commands, and you will grieve when you fail. And God is loving and faithful to those who love him and keep his commands.
Finally, this loving faithfulness of God lasts a very long time. God is faithful to a thousand generations of those who love him. This is not to say that, if you obey, God will bless your family line for a thousand generations. Instead, it is to say that no generation will come that God is not faithful toward if they love him and keep his commands. No matter how far removed we are from this verse being written (I’d guess around 2,400 years or so), we still have the joy of knowing that, if we love God and keep his commands, he will be faithful, loving, and covenant keeping toward us.
This verse leads us to worship our God, because he is the only true God who exists. It calls us to praise God for his faithfulness and his covenant-keeping love. It challenges us to love our God and keep his commands. And it encourages us to remember that God is faithful for thousands of generations. Let us learn to love this great and faithful God.
Pastor Travis Peterson 
I am not trying to blow your cover, but are you using the Desiring God Fighter Verses? I have that set and Deut. 7:9 is the first verse in it as well. If it is, perhaps we can memorize together? Also, I noticed you are in Olney, IL. My wife grew up in Kinmundy, IL where her dad was states attorney of Marion County for 12 years. I grew up in O’Fallon, IL. It is nice to meet “locals” on the Internet. God bless.
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You are correct about my use of Piper’s “Fighter Verses.” There is a site, http://www.biblememory.us, that cleverly helps you work through scripture memory plans. I recently heard that they had added the “Fighter Verses,” and I thought I’d give it a try. So, I’m working through plan A of the “Fighter Verses” on the site.It’s also interesting to meet a fellow Illinoisian on-line. Feel free to stop by the Blog anytime, and join in the scripture memory plan as well.BlessingsTravis
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