Sunday, May 27, 2007

Exodus 24

Review "Feast of Weeks" in the Rose Publishing booklet "Feasts & Holidays of the Bible".


   Shavuot (pronounced shu voo ot) occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (May 22 - 25, 2007
this year). It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer and the day the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. It is one of the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals mandated by the Torah. The Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover and culminating on the 50th day, Shavuot. At Passover, the Jewish people were freed from being slaves to Pharaoh; at Shavuot they accepted the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.


   Shavuot (Hebrew for weeks) is called by several names. In the Torah it is called Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10); Festival of Reaping (Exodus 23:16), and Day of the First Fruits (Numbers 28:26). Since Shavuot occurs 50 days after Passover, Christians gave it the name Pentecost ("fiftieth [day]"). However, the actual Christian commemoration of Pentecost occurs on the seventh Sunday after Easter. Fifty (50) is the number of Jubilee - the year when all slaves were set free.


   Besides its significance as the day on which the Torah was given by God to the Jewish nation at Mount Sinai, Shavuot is also connected to the season of the grain harvest in Israel. In ancient times, the grain harvest lasted seven weeks. It began with the harvesting of the first fruits of barley during Passover and ended with the harvesting of the wheat at Shavuot. Shavuot began the harvesting of wheat and was another first fruit festival. During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, an offering of two loaves of bread from the wheat harvest was made on Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-21).


Leviticus 23:15-21: “From the day after the Sabbath—the day you bring the bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special offering—count off seven full weeks. Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the Lord from the first of your crops. Along with the bread, present seven one-year-old male lambs with no defects, one young bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the Lord. These burnt offerings, together with the grain offerings and liquid offerings, will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Then you must offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering. “The priest will lift up the two lambs as a special offering to the Lord, together with the loaves representing the first of your crops. These offerings, which are holy to the Lord, belong to the priests. That same day will be proclaimed an official day for holy assembly, a day on which you do no ordinary work. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation wherever you live. - Why do you think that this is the only time that God wanted an offering of bread with leaven (yeast)?


   All harvest festivals are symbolic of resurrection. Jesus said in Matthew 13:30: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (KJV)


   The Book of Ruth corresponds to the holiday of Shavuot both in its descriptions of the barley and wheat harvest seasons and Ruth's desire to become a member of the Jewish people, who are defined by their acceptance of the Torah. Moreover, the lineage described at the end of the Book lists King David as Ruth's great-grandson. According to tradition, David was born and died on Shavuot.


   According to the Midrash (a traditional Jewish interpretation of Scripture), the night before the Torah was given, the Jews went to sleep to be well-rested for the big day ahead. However, they failed to rise early, and Moses had to come to wake them up to meet God, Who was already waiting atop the mountain. To make up for this error, religious Jews stay up all night to study Torah. In many communities, classes and lectures in the wee hours of the morning are offered for men and women. In Jerusalem, thousands of people finish off the nighttime study session by walking on foot to the Western wall - Wikipedia - Shavuot: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot



Messianic Significance


   The New Testament recalls something very remarkable which took place during this festival in the year that Yeshua ascended to the Father. Jews and proselytes from throughout the known world were gathered at Jerusalem. The talmidim or disciples of Yeshua were there too, of course, with more than the usual holiday excitement, as only 10 days earlier they had watched their teacher physically ascend into the clouds. According to the second chapter of the book of Acts, they were all gathered at one house, or building, when there was a sudden sound like a violent wind, then something that looked like tongues of fire came down and rested on each of them, and they began to prophecy in languages they had never learned. Hearing the noise, many of the out-of-towners came around to investigate, and were astonished to hear this crew of mostly uneducated Galileans speaking the various languages of their respective countries. Visitors from Rome heard Latin, and visitors from Egypt heard Coptic; those from Arabia heard Arabic, and those from Parthia heard the language of the Parthians and so on, so that everyone present heard the message in the language with which he was most familiar.


   Amazed, the people began to ask each other what all this could mean. Some made fun, and said the young men must be drunk, but Simon Peter got up and explained that no one was drunk, being as it was only 9:00 in the morning, (in any case, drunkenness would not explain such a phenomenon,) and then proceeded to tell them everything that had taken place concerning the one called Yeshua. His entire speech is recorded in Acts 2:14-36. Three thousand native-born Jews and proselytes did exactly that, and so the church was born. Shavuot is the day of the sacrifice of the firstfruits, where the first loaves from the new grain were offered on the altar. In the New Testament, Yeshua is called, "the firstfruits of many brethren." "But the Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." -- I Corinthians 15:20 He is called the "firstfruits" because many others will be raised from the dead -- all the believers who have been "born again" (Yeshua's own words, John 3:3) into God's family through the Messiah, the "Second Adam." - www.amfi.org/shavuot.htm



(1) Then* the Lord (Elohim) instructed Moses: “Come up here to me (Yahweh), and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy** of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance***.


*Then: After God has give Moses the "Book of the Covenant" in chapters 21-23.


**seventy: The number in the Sanhedrin


***from a distance: Ephesians 2:13: But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.


   Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s two oldest sons, had been greatly honored by being included with Moses and Aaron and 70 elders to go up Mount Sinai at the Lord’s command. They had been given national recognition and God-ordained spiritual leadership. But, all this did not protect them from the consequences of their disobedience. These two newly ordained priests died before the Lord, when they offered strange (unlawful) fire before the Lord (in His presence), in the wilderness of Sinai (Numbers 3:4). They presumed to burn incense, symbolic of the prayers of the people, with unauthorized fire, that is, fire not kindled by God on the Brazen Altar (Leviticus 9:23-24; 10:1-2). God never overlooks disobedience to His Word whether one is a popular spiritual leader or just an ordinary Christian.


(2) Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord*. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”


*Lord: Yahweh


   These seventy-four people were to go up the mountain to a certain point. Then they were to prostrate themselves and worship Yahweh as Moses went further up into the presence of Yahweh. Moses occupies the lofty position of mediator (as Christ in the NT), for he alone ascends “to Yahweh” while everyone waits for his return. The emphasis of “bowing down” and that from “far off” stresses again the ominous presence that was on the mountain. This was the holy God – only the designated mediator could draw near to him.


(3) Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations* the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded*.”


*instructions and regulations: Words and Law - that is, the Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant (chapters 20-23).


**We will do everything: The 2nd time they's affirmed they would do EVERYTHING the Lord had commanded. Did they?


Twice in these verses (verses 3, 7), the Israelites have verbally committed themselves to keep this covenant. If this is not enough, they have said virtually the same words before, in chapter 19, verse 8. There has been great care taken to communicate the covenant clearly, and over a period of time, so that this verbal commitment is based upon a clear understanding of the conditions of the covenant. God spoke verbally, in the hearing of the Israelites (cf. 19:9; 20:18-19), and several times through Moses (cf. 19:3-7, 10-15, 20-25). Moses conveyed the contents of the “book of the covenant” to the Israelites, which the people committed to keep (24:3). Then, Moses put the “book of the covenant” into writing (24:4), which he later read to the Israelites, and they again committed themselves to keep the covenant (24:7). Finally, God will Himself write the covenant in stone, and have it placed in the ark of the covenant, so that Israel will not forget it. The commitment which the nation Israel makes here in chapter 24 is one which is based upon a clear understanding of the covenant which is put before them. - The Magnificent Meal on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:1-18): www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=157


   The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.


   Israel here is perhaps guilty of tremendous over-confidence. The way they seemed to easily say to God, "we will keep Your law" seems to lack appreciation for how complete and searching God's law is. However, a nation that had been terrified by God's awesome presence at Sinai was in no state of mind to do anything but agree with God.


(4) Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.


   Since the Israelites have verbally ratified this covenant, Moses now carries out the ratification process, which we have seen previously in the Book of Genesis, by the use of symbols and representatives. Symbolically, Moses offered covenant sacrifices (note: these are not sin offerings), making an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. The blood of the sacrifices is sprinkled upon the altar and upon the people, thus linking the people with the covenant sacrifices. Israel has truly ratified the covenant which God gave through Moses. - The Magnificent Meal on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:1-18): www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=157


(5) Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.


(6) Moses drained half the blood* from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.


*blood:
Hebrews 9:9-10:4: ... For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age] to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.


   There was nothing "magical" about blood, but because it represents the life of a being (For the life of the flesh is in the blood, Leviticus 17:11), blood represents the outpouring of life, of one life being given for another. Almost a thousand years later, God did not forget the blood of this covenant: Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. (Zechariah 9:11). The blood of Jesus' covenant saves us: this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28) The blood of Jesus' covenant is also the foundation for all our growth and maturity in Christ: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)


(7) Then he took the Book of the Covenant* and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”


*Book of the Covenant: Chapters 20-23 of Exodus


   The book would be the scroll just written containing the laws of chaps. 20-23. On the basis of this scroll the covenant would be concluded here. The reading of this book would assure the people that it was the same that they had agreed to earlier. But now their statement of willingness to obey would be more binding, because their promise would be confirmed by a covenant of blood.


(8) Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”


   The people and Yahweh through this will be united by blood, for half was spattered on the altar and the other half spattered on/toward the people


(9) Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up* the mountain.


*up: Fourth time Moses went up the mountain.


(10) There they saw* the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli**, as clear as the sky itself.


*saw: Hebrew ra ah, meaning simply to see, view or look upon. Verse 11 is the Hebrew word hazah.



HAS SEEN:


Genesis 17:1– “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty ; Walk before Me, and be blameless;


Genesis 18:1 - Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.”


Exodus 6:2-3– “God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty , but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.”


Exodus 24:9-11– “Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.”



Exodus 33:20: But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”


Numbers 12:6-8– “He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision . I shall speak with him in a dream. "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses ?"


Acts 7:2 - "And he [Stephen] said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. . . "


HAS NOT SEEN:


Exodus 33:20–“But He [God] said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live !"


John 1:18– “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”


John 5:37– “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.”


John 6:46 - "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.”


John 14:8-9: Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?


1 Timothy 6:15-16 – “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”


   It is evident above that God was seen. But, considering the "can't-see-God" verses, some would understandably argue that there would be a contradiction. One explanation offered is that the people were seeing visions, or dreams, or the Angel of the LORD (Numbers 22:22-26; Judges 13:1-21) and not really God Himself. But the problem is that the verses cited above do not say vision, dream, or Angel of the LORD. They say that people saw God (Exodus 24:9-11), that God was seen, and that He appeared as God Almighty (Exodus 6:2-3).



    At first, this is difficult to understand. God Almighty was seen (Exodus 6:2-3) which means it was not the Angel of the Lord, for an angel is not God Almighty, and at least Moses saw God, not in a vision or dream, as the LORD Himself attests in Numbers 12:6-8. If these verses mean what they say, then we naturally assume we have a contradiction. Actually, the contradiction exists in our understanding, not in the Bible--which is always the case with alleged biblical contradictions.



    The solution is simple. All you need to do is accept what the Bible says. If the people of the Old Testament were seeing God, the Almighty God, and Jesus said that no one has ever seen the Father (John 6:46), then they were seeing God Almighty, but not the Father. It was someone else in the Godhead. I suggest that they were seeing the Word before He became incarnate. In other words, they were seeing Jesus.



    If God is a Trinity, then John 1:18 is not a problem either because in John chapter one, John writes about the Word (Jesus) and God (the Father). In verse 14 it says the Word became flesh. In verse 18 it says no one has seen God. Since Jesus is the Word, God then, refers to the Father. This is typically how John writes of God: as a reference to the Father. We see this verified in Jesus' own words in John 6:46 where He said that no one has ever seen the Father. Therefore, Almighty God was seen, but not the Father. It was Jesus before His incarnation. There is more than one person in the Godhead and the doctrine of the Trinity must be true.


-- Has anyone seen God or not?: www.carm.org/diff/Exod6_3.htm



   This is indeed a most unusual incident hidden away in the middle of the Book of Exodus. Seventy-four men beheld God and ate a festive meal in His presence. There is no question that this is God and that these men all looked upon Him in some fashion. The wonder is that they lived to tell about it. But if one were to describe God solely on the basis of this description of a most unusual encounter with God, how much would you know about the way God looks? The only thing this text tells us is that when they saw God, they saw feet (verse 10). We are told more about what was under God’s feet than anything else. This is surely a most vague description. God may have been visible here, but certainly not fully so.


   One of the great texts of the Old Testament describing an appearance of God to men is found in Isaiah 6:


In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs (Isaiah 6:1-6).


   Isaiah most certainly saw the God of Israel, and it had a tremendous impact on him. But what do we know about how God looks from this passage? How would you describe God based upon Isaiah’s description of Him? Isaiah himself has more to say about the appearance of the angels than about the appearance of God. God was seated on a throne, and He wore a robe. The angels did not proclaim what God looked like, but what He was like. They proclaimed the character of God. They spoke of His holiness and of His glory. The impact on Isaiah was an enhanced awareness of his own wretchedness as a sinner. This revelation of God’s character caused Isaiah to see how woefully short of God’s glory he fell. As Isaiah grew in his knowledge of the character of God, he grew in his knowledge of himself. The picture Isaiah saw of himself was not pretty.


   In those instances where men are said to have seen God, surprise is expressed that they lived to tell about it. Jacob marveled that his life had been preserved (Genesis 32:30). Moses noted that God “did not stretch out His hand” against the 74 men who are said to have seen the God of Israel (Exodus 24:10-11). God informed Moses that He could not see Him and live (Exodus 33:20). When Gideon realized he had seen the “angel of the Lord face to face” (Judges 6:22), he was encouraged with the assurance that he would not die (verse 23). Manoah and his wife, soon to become the parents of Samson, were amazed they did not die for having seen God as the “angel of the Lord” (Judges 13:21-23). Paul seems to be saying that men cannot see God and live when he declares that God dwells in “unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). Getting close to God is like drawing near to a blast furnace. It is dangerous to one’s health (see also Exodus 33:2-5).


   God was “seen eye to eye” by the Israelites. In the context, this means that God made His presence known to the Israelites by the cloud which led them and which became a pillar of fire at night. It does not mean God has physical eyes and that the Israelites saw these eyes. God’s presence was with His people, and He made that presence known. But nowhere did anyone see the face of God, because God has no face. God is Spirit and is not made of flesh. He is invisible to men because He has no body, and He becomes visible to men by various means. He appeared as a mere man, which was the angel of the Lord. He made Himself known by means of a cloud and through various other appearances, but none of these were the full revelation of God. And none were an occasion where men saw God’s face.


-- The Invisibility of God: www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=267


-----------------------


Revelation 4:6a: In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal...


**lapis lazuli: sapphire.
Ezekiel 1:26: Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. Ezekiel 10:1: In my vision I saw what appeared to be a throne of blue lapis lazuli above the crystal surface over the heads of the cherubim.


 (11) And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon* God**, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!


*gazed upon: Hebrew hazah, meaning to see with the mental eye, or in a vision.


**God: Elohim


   The covenant meal, eaten by the 75 leaders of Israel in the presence of God, is the final act of ratification. As God had summoned them in verses 1 and 2, now Moses (attended by Joshua) and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders went up on the holy mountain. Here, we are told, they “saw the God of Israel” (verse 10), and yet He did not strike them dead (verse 11). In the light of the way covenants were made, it is not unusual to find the leaders of the nation Israel eating the covenant meal in the presence of God, for both parties were present at the covenant meal. What is unusual is that men saw God and did not perish, and that the vision of God is indeed rare, unlike all other manifestations of God in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Precisely what did these leaders see? Well, we know that they saw God. We also know that the God they saw had feet (cf. verse 10). All that is described, to our dismay, is the feet of God and the sapphire-like clear blue pavement under them. Why does our text describe only the feet of God and the pavement under them? One might think that this is all one would have seen stretched out on one’s face before God, since most of those who had such visions of God fell before Him in terror or in humility (cf. Ezekiel 1:28; Rev. 1:17). I believe that there is another explanation, however. - The Magnificent Meal on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:1-18): www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=157


(12) Then the Lord* said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone** on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”


* Lord: Yahweh


**tablets of stone: Exodus 32:15: Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.


The Ten Commandments


   These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.



(13) So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.


(14) Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”


(15) Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.


(16) And the glory of the Lord settled* down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.


*settled: The Hebrew verb is sakan, which is the verbal of the noun miskan, which means tabernacle, dwell or abide. From this is derived the term “the Shekinah Glory,” the dwelling or abiding glory. The “glory of Yahweh” was a display visible at a distance, clearly in view of the Israelites. To them it was like a consuming fire in the midst of the cloud that covered the mountain. That fire indicated that Yahweh wished to accept their sacrifice, as if it were a pleasant aroma to him, as Leviticus would say. This “appearance” indicated that the phenomena represented a shimmer of the likeness of his glory. This word also gives an inkling of the next section of the book, the building of the “tabernacle,” the dwelling place, the mishkan. The vision of the glory of Yahweh confirmed the authority of the revelation of the Law given to Israel. This chapter is the climax of God’s bringing people into covenant with himself, the completion of his revelation to them. It ends with the mediator going up in the clouds to be with God, and the people down below eagerly awaiting his return. The message of the whole chapter could be worded this way: Those whom God sanctifies by the blood of the covenant and instructs by the book of the covenant may enjoy fellowship with him and anticipate a far more glorious fellowship. So too in the New Testament, the commandments and teachings of Jesus are confirmed by his miraculous deeds and by his glorious manifestation on the Mount of the Transfiguration, where a few who represented the disciples would see his glory and be able to teach others. The people of the new covenant have been brought into fellowship with God through the blood of the covenant; they wait eagerly for his return from heaven in the clouds. - BibleGateway - Exodus 24: www.bible.org/netbible/exo24.htm


(17) To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.


(18) Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.


Exodus 34:28: Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.


   The forty days of Moses’ absence provide a test, one which Israel failed.


1Cor. 6:19 "Your body, you know, is the Temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you"



   Under the 'Old' Covenant, the ancient Tabernacle and Temple had a Most Holy inner Chamber where the Stone Tablets of the Law were stored in the Ark of the Covenant. Under the 'New' Covenant, the body of the professing believer forms a Temple for YHVH to dwell in - with the Law of YHVH now written on "the tables of the heart", in the inner 'chamber of the body': 1 Corinthians 6:19: Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,




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Sunday, May 06, 2007

Exodus 23

Exodus 23 - Conclusion of the "Book of the Covenant" (the Mishpatim)


Justice: People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9). - www.bible.org/netbible/exo23_notes.htm#231


(1)“You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.


   So, gossip, slander and false testimony in a courtroom are put in the same category by God.


(2) “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.


Psalm 1:1: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.


(3) And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.


Leviticus 19:1 : “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.


   The symbol of "justice" in this country and in imperial Rome is the same - a blindfolded woman. She held a sword in one hand and scales in the other.


(4) “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.


(5) If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help


   If you see your neighbor's donkey, and it's just sort of collapsed under the burden, and you just walk by, that's not right. God wants you to be kind towards the animal. You're to help it even if the neighbor hates you; and you've got a big feud going with him, that animal hasn't got a feud going with you. You should be merciful towards the animal. God wants us to be merciful towards animals. - www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd023.html


(6) “In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.


(7) “Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.


(8) “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.


(9) “You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.


Sabbaths and Feasts: This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19). - www.bible.org/netbible/exo23_notes.htm#231


   Are we required to keep the feasts as laid down in this chapter? And again the answer is clear. We do not keep the feasts because we do not possess the land. We owe no ‘rent’. We do not offer the sacrifices because they have been superseded in the one Sacrifice made for all for all time. But we should and do give thanks for our harvests and bring to Him of our produce in gratitude for all His goodness. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


   The spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits are a portrait of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He sacrificed Himself on Passover, was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and was resurrected on Firstfruits. The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost) was the day the Holy Sprit fell on believers. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are held in immediate sequence. The lamb was slain on the fourteenth and the Feast of Unleavened bread began on the fifteenth day of the first month. And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten (Num. 28:16-17). This passage might account for why Jesus began His Passover seder on the fourteenth. These are distinctly different holidays falling on different days; however, due to their closeness they are usually treated as one festival. (The scriptures seem to teach that these are two names for the same festival. See Exodus 13:3-8.) As you study the Spring Festivals, you will see the plan of God fulfilled in such dramatic detail that you cannot help but be stricken by the awesomeness of our Eternal King. The spring festivals clearly prophesy the first coming of Messiah and the fall festivals are prophetic of His second coming. - biblicalholidays.com/spring_holidays.htm


   Three agriculture-related pilgrimage festivals are mandated in Exodus 23:14-17: a seven-day springtime festival of Unleavened Bread, around the barley harvest; an early summer festival of Harvest, when the wheat ripens; and an autumn festival of Ingathering, when olives, grapes, and other fruits are harvested. (cf. Exod 34:18-23).
The book of Leviticus gives regulations for feast days that are to be celebrated "with a sacred assembly," including the weekly sabbath (Lev 23:1-4) and seven annual feast days: Passover (7 days, incl. unleavened bread), First fruits, Pentecost or Weeks, the New Year, the Day of Atonement, the first day of Booths, and the eighth day of Booths (Lev 23:5-44)
.These festivals are later transformed and combined with commemorations of historical/religious events; originally the people could bring their offerings to any major sanctuary, but later they are required to go to the Jerusalem temple, esp. for three main pilgrimage festivals (see Deut 16:1-17).


(10) “Plant and harvest your crops for six years,


(11) but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.


   Obviously, this looks forward to the day when they are settled in the Promised Land, and anticipates that they'll be arriving their very soon. But, their disobedience and fear of the inhabitants and lack of faith prevented their entry for forty years.


   Failure of Israel to give the land its Sabbaths determined the certainty and duration of the Babylonian exile (Leviticus 26:32-35, 2 Chronicles 36:21).


2 Chronicles 36:21: So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.


(12) “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.


Exodus 34:21: “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.


Deuteronomy 5:14-15: but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.


   This is a repetition of the fourth commandment. But here the stress is twofold. Firstly on the benefit to beasts and servants, and secondly on its provision as a means of meditating on God. It is stressed that those who have no say in the matter should be able to rest, the oxen and the asses who bore the burden of the work and the sons of handmaids (either sons of concubines or sons of servants) and resident aliens who would have no land and would therefore be laborers. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


   Of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, only nine of them were reinstituted by in the New Testament. (Six in Matthew 19:18, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honor parents, and worshiping God; Romans 13:9, coveting. Worshiping God properly covers the first three commandments) The one that was not reaffirmed was the one about the Sabbath. Instead, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).


(13) “Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.


(14) “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.


   As they heard these regulations read out, it assured them that, although the going was tough now, in the not too distant future there would be harvests, there would be ingatherings, they would have fields to leave fallow, for this is what the regulations guaranteed. It was worth struggling through the wilderness for. It was worth going on for, it was worth fighting for. And later the outline would be filled in as they neared their final goal. (Moses was not expecting it to take forty years. That would be due to disobedience). - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


1. The feast of the Passover was celebrated to keep in remembrance the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.

2. The feast of Pentecost, called also the feast of harvest and the feast of weeks, Exodus 34:22, was celebrated fifty days after the Passover to commemorate the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, which took place fifty days after, and hence called by the Greeks Pentecost.

3. The feast of Tabernacles, called also the feast of the ingathering, was celebrated about the 15th of the month Tisri to commemorate the Israelites' dwelling in tents for forty years, during their stay in the wilderness." (Clarke)


NOTE: Next time, we'll study these feasts in more detail in our Leviticus 23 blog: leviticus-study.blogspot.com/2007/04/leviticus-23_6949.html
. It wouldn't do justice to them to make them a small part of this study!


(15) First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib*, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.


*Abib: This first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of March and April.


   This first feast was closely connected with the Passover and has already been outlined in chapters 12 and 13. It was the time when the harvesting began (Deuteronomy 16:9). It would ever remind them of their deliverance from Egypt when they had to eat unleavened bread because of the haste in which they came out. It would include the waving of the sheaf before Yahweh (Leviticus 23:11). - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


   Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are held in immediate sequence. These are distinctly different holidays falling on different days; however, due to their closeness they are usually treated as one festival.


(16) “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest*, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest “Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest** at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.


*Festival of Harvest: Or Festival of Ingathering. In Exodus, this is called the Feast of Weeks. It was held 7 weeks (49 days) after the Passover. This was later called the Festival of Shelters (or Booths) or Festival of Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23:33-36). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth). This was called in the New Testament the Festival of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). It is celebrated today as Shavuat (or Shabuoth). Compare 34:22 where it is the Feast of Sevens. This feast would be held seven sevens plus one day after the feast of unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:15-21; Numbers 28:26-31; Deuteronomy 16:9-12), and would celebrate the wheat harvest. It would include the waving of two wave loaves of fine flour baked with leaven as firstfruits to Yahweh, and celebrated the firstfruits of their labors (34:22 has ‘the firstfruits of the wheat harvest’). It was later called the Feast of Sevens (weeks), and Pentecost. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


50 days after the barley sheaf was offered (v25). It was called the Feast of Weeks being seven weeks later


The older "Wheat-Harvest" festival was later mandated to be held 7 weeks (=50 days in Hebrew counting) after the Passover (Lev 23:15-21; Num 28:26; Deut 16:9-12; 34:22).
Later it also became a commemoration of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai (Exod 19-20).
In the NT it is called "Pentecost" since it is held "50 days" after Passover (cf. Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor 16:8).
In modern Judaism, the Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue services during the Feast of Shavuot.


**Festival of the Final Harvest: This was celebrated in the seventh month and was later called the feast of tabernacles. This was the final celebration of the whole harvest including the grapes and olives, the vintage was gathered in and the threshing was over for another year (Leviticus 23.33-44; Numbers 29.12-38; Deuteronomy 16.13-15). - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html.


The third feast was the Feast of Ingathering or the "Feast of Tabernacles."


The older "Ingathering" or "Fruit-Harvest" festival became a commemoration of the 40 years that the Hebrew wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters like tents or "booths" (Lev 23:33-36, 39-43; Deut 16:13-15).
In the Second-Temple period, it was an 8-day festival involving the imagery of water and light; water was brought daily from the Pool of Siloam (cf. John 9:1) up to the Temple and poured over the altar; light was provided by large lamps that were lit nightly in the temple courtyards.
The eighth day of Sukkoth, considered the last and greatest day of the feast, included an assembly of all the people (Lev 23:36).

In modern Judaism, the Book of Qoheleth is read during the feast of Sukkoth.




(17) At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.


(18) “You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.


(19) “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house* of the Lord your God**. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk**.


* house of the Lord: Wherever God revealed Himself could be called ‘the house of God’ (Genesis 28:17 - Jacob's ladder), for it meant a dwelling-place, where God had revealed Himself. Here it therefore meant the place where God was approached, the Tent of Meeting and later the Tabernacle (34:26).


**Lord your God: Yahweh Elohim.


***mother’s milk: Now from this little scripture the Jews have created the whole interpretation of not eating dairy products with meat products at any meal. Because the law said, "You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk." So they refuse to eat any meat and dairy products together because of this little scripture. Now what is the scripture actually prohibiting? If you kill a little goat to eat it, you're not to boil it in its own mother's milk. That's what the law has prohibited. But they say that if you eat a shish kabob, and you're also eating cheese at the same meal, you don't know but what that cheese was made from the mother's milk. And that in your stomach the churning and boiling, the meat of the kid is being seethed in its mother's milk in your stomach.


   That's what Jesus was talking about when He said to the Pharisees, "Hey you strain at a gnat, and you swallow a camel"(Matthew 23:24). Now why would they strain at a gnat? Because you're not to eat anything that hasn't been thoroughly bled. So if you're jogging along and a gnat gets in your mouth and gets stuck in your throat, you see these guys putting their finger down their throat, and trying to heave, and do everything coughing and carrying on horribly, trying to get that gnat out. Because man, if you eat that gnat that hasn't been bled thoroughly, you've violated the law. There's no way they're gonna swallow that gnat. You see them really coughing and heaving, and doing this big thing and Jesus said, "Hey you're straining at a gnat, but you swallow a camel". You know, they in other areas just gloss things, change things, misinterpreted things to where they could get by with horrible things, and yet on the little, little issues, oh, did they get so picky on the little insignificant issues. But the major issues of justice, and mercy, and that, you know they just interpreted right around those. So Christ was after them on these things. - www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd023.html


   The probable reason would seem to be that it was seen as unseemly that a calf should be boiled in what should rather have been seen as maintaining its life, that is, that it was seen as a contradiction in Creation that was unacceptable. It made the mother destroy her kid rather than sustaining it. It was an attack on the conception of motherhood that could not be allowed. If we cannot see that to seethe a kid in its mother’s milk could be seen as unseemly then there is little to be said for us. It would demonstrate a lack of appreciation of motherhood, and a lack of the sensitivity that all God’s people should have, that could only condemn us. For this example stresses proper consideration of relationships, and that all distortions of motherhood are an abomination to God.

- www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


   According to various Bible commentaries, the pagans of that era and of that area had a fertility rite, which involved boiling a kid in its mother's milk and sprinkling the broth as a magic charm on their gardens and fields. They did this in the hope of increasing the yield of their crops.


The Angel of the Presence: This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.
- www.bible.org/netbible/exo23_notes.htm#231.


   This Angel of the Lord is found in Genesis 16:7-13 where He speaks to Hagar and in Genesis 22:11-14 where He tells Abraham not to kill Isaac.



   This Angel of God was generally regarded by the early church Fathers as the Logos or Word of God (John 1:1), the one who declared God and whose glory we have beheld (John 1:14,18; cf John 12:45; 14:9; II Corinthians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Hebrews 1:3). Below is a list of verses where this Angel/Logos appears:



  • Genesis 16:7-14; 21:17-19; 22:1-2,11-18; 31:11-13 with 28:13 & 35:1,3,7,15; 48:15-16
  • Exodus 3:1-6; 13:21-22 w/ 14:19 & Numbers 20:16; 23:20-23. Cf Acts 7:30-38

  • Numbers 22:21-35. Cf 22:9,20; 23:3-5,15-16; 24:2,4,16

  • Judges 2:1-5; 6:11-24; 13:2-23

  • Isaiah 63:8-9

  • Hosea 12:3-5. Cf Genesis 32:24-30

  • Zechariah 1:7-12: 2:3-5,8-11; 3:1-10; 12:8

  • Malachi 3:1 (messenger of the Covenant = angel of the covenant)


   This Angel/Logos is primarily called the Angel of Jehovah (Malak Yahweh), but is also referred to as the Angel of God (Elohim), the Angel, my Angel and an Angel. Sometimes, however, these expressions are used of other figures (Exodus 32:34-33:4; Ecclesiastes 5:6; Malachi 2:7; 3:1 ‘my messenger’), and sometimes it is uncertain whether the Logos or a normal angel is intended (Genesis 24:7,40; Judges 5:23; II Samuel 24:16-17; I Kings 19:5-7; II Kings 1:3,15; 19:35; I Chronicles 21:11-30; II Chronicles 32:21; Psalm 34:7; 35:5-6; Isaiah 37:36; Daniel 6:22).


The logos also appeared in the Old Testament in various human forms (Genesis 18:1-19:22; 21:1 with 18:10; 32:24-30; Joshua 5:13-6:2; Ezekiel 1:25-2:4; 8:1-4; Daniel 3:25,28; 8:15-16; 10:5-9,16-11:1; 12:6-9; Zechariah 11:4-17; 13:7). The man who wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32:24-30) is specifically called "the Angel ... even Jehovah" in Hosea 12:3-5, the commander of the Lord's army (Joshua 5:14) is almost certainly the angel of Exodus 23:20-23 & Numbers 22:21-35, and probably all of the other figures are likewise to be equated with the Angel of the Lord. - answering-islam.org/Who/angel_of_the_lord.html



(20) “See, I am sending an angel* before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.


*angel: Who is this angel? Is it Jesus or is it Michael? Some say that since it is Elohim speaking, it can't be the incarnate Christ. Others say it was Michael. However, Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4 says and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.


Exodus 14:19-20: Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.


   You remember when Joshua was going out looking over the city of Jericho, he saw the captain of the Lord's host, and he said, "Are you for us or against us?" The angel answered, "As the captain of the Lord's host have I come"(Joshua 5:13-14). The Lord's host, the angel of the Lord going before them to lead them in. Many Bible scholars accept this as one of the appearances of Christ, Theophany, the appearance of God in the Old Testament, actually in the person of Christ. - www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd023.html


   The same principle is true of our life with Jesus today. Not only is it true that Jesus goes before us to prepare a place for us in heaven (John 14:2-3), but the place we walk in today was prepared by God, and where we will walk tomorrow is prepared by Him also.


(21) Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative*, and he will not forgive your rebellion.


*he is my representative: Literally, My name is in Him.


   The Old Testament reveals Yahweh in three ways, under His Own name, as the Angel of Yahweh (Yahweh in personal, close revelation) and as the Spirit of Yahweh, (the invisible Yahweh seen in powerful and visible action). But each is Yahweh and reveals His nature and being. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


(22) But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.


(23) For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely.


   Now in this we find the principles of God's victory and the way He brings forth victory in our lives. For these Jebusites, and Hivites, and so forth, are a type of the giants in our flesh; coming into the promised land is coming into the life of the Spirit, and the victory of the Spirit. The overcoming life, coming out of the wilderness, out of the yo-yo Christian experience, where you're up and down, and up and down, into a beautiful, victorious overcoming life in Christ Jesus. A life of victory, a life after the Spirit, not after the flesh. These enemies that were in the land represent those aspects of our flesh, where it so often has defeated us and conquered us. But God is promising victory over anger, over anxiety, over fears, over temper, over any area of the flesh where you are in bondage to your own flesh. God is promising you the victory, but it comes one area at a time. "Little by little, I won't drive them out in one year." God doesn't just give you instant perfection. But we're growing in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So the processes of God's victory are reiterated for us here. "Until we inherit the land." - www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd023.html


(24) You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.


   This is where Solomon fell short and his failure destroyed the nation.


(25) “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I* will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.


*I: Hebrew reads he.


(26) There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.


   Yahweh Himself will provide for all their needs of food, water, fertility and long life. The gods of rain and storm and the fertility gods were a regular feature of Canaanite life and religion. But they will be irrelevant. For what Yahweh will do will be far better than anything that the Canaanites claim for their gods. He can ensure that they have food and water in abundance, that all their women are fertile and that they live long lives. This was a picture of a new Eden but it would fail in its fulfillment because of the disobedience of the people. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


(27) “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.


(28) I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.


(29) But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.


(30) I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.


(31) And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.


    The southern borders will be the "Red Sea", that is, Egypt, and the desert. The western border will be the Mediterranean. The northern border will be the Euphrates ("the river" in Hebrew). While no explicit eastern border is given, the Jordan River is probably what was intended (Joshua chapter 3). The reference to the Red Sea may be a reference to the Gulf of Aqabah, as we discussed before. Israel never achieved occupying this entire area, not even under Solomon.


Genesis 15:18: So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River


    Of course the ideal was never achieved. Israel failed to enter the land and conquer it as they should have (Numbers 14), and when they did enter and multiply they did not wholly rid the land of its inhabitants (Judges 1.27-33). Because of their unbelief the great vision never came to fruition. Even the successes of David and Solomon could not hide this (1 Kings 4.21). While they were glorious they did not fulfil the conditions or the promises. They never entered into the new Eden. They never became the kingdom of priests in the fullest sense. - www.geocities.com/genesiscommentary/exodus4.html


    But it was partially fulfilled, for the later history in Joshua and Judges does partially follow this picture. While their first triumphant entry into the hill country was rapid and widespread, pictured as a great series of victories (as indeed they were) so that they were established in the land (Joshua 11:23 - but that this was partial in terms of the full picture comes out in the previous verse), it was also seen as partial and leaving much to be done. The land was divided up, but its full possession was another thing (Joshua 13:1-14). This would occur gradually until the claim in 1 Kings 4:21 could be made: Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. But they would still only be second best. The result would not a be ‘holy’ people totally dedicated to Yahweh.


(32) “Make no treaties* with them or their gods.


*treaties: Joshua Made the mistake of making a treaty with the Gibeonites.


(33) They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”


   The worshipping of other gods was why Israel was sent into exile.


   And doesn’t that speak to us today of how human relationships can still be a snare to the people of God? A young Christian woman falling in love with a pagan; she loves him, he loves her. They serve different Gods. She consigns herself to a life of misery. He is a snare to her because she made a covenant with someone who did not love the Lord, her God. And we could repeat that story in 5,000 variations.



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