Ex. 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Ex. 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
Ex. 23:3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
Tell the truth; do what is right. Don’t give in to peer pressure to testify with the intent to overthrow righteous judgment.
I like the CJB for verse 2b: “…don’t allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause if the effect will be to pervert justice.”
Don’t give favorable judgment to a poor man based on his need. Be no respecter of persons.
Ex. 23:4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Ex. 23:5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
You can have differences with someone to the point that you consider him your enemy, but you are still to treat him with respect and provide assistance when the situation calls for it.
Ex. 23:6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Don’t take advantage of or abuse your privilege in passing judgment on the poor. He should stand on equal footing with the privileged in the court of law.
Ex. 23:7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Champion the cause of truth and justice. God will personally hold you accountable if you put someone to death unjustly.
Ex. 23:8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Don’t accept bribes. It will cloud or distort your vision, judgment and discernment.
Courson: Our judicial system allows for the buying of ‘expert’ witnesses—a practice prohibited in God’s economy.
Ex. 23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Be kind to strangers. Remember your experience as strangers in the land of Egypt and act accordingly.
Courson: “Because we were all strangers and aliens, cut off from the blessings of God before He adopted us into His family, there is no room for oppression or prejudice in the heart of any believer.”
Ex. 23:10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
Ex. 23:11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
Ex. 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
The principle of the Sabbath applies to the land (in terms of years) as well as to humans and work animals (in terms of days). God is establishing a principle that will keep them, their animals and the land healthy and productive.
This is another way that the LORD made provision for the poor.
Ex. 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
The people are warned again to be very careful regarding ALL the instructions God has given them. They are not even to mention the names of other gods.
I think that would be the same as acknowledging that these false gods have some type of credibility—which we know is untrue. To acknowledge a false god is the first step to justifying your sins in light of appeasing them.
Ex. 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Ex. 23:15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Three feasts are to be kept in obedience to God each year.
First, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, initiated by Passover.
They were to eat only unleavened bread for seven days.
This is a command, not a request, for a specific time each year.
It is a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt.
Everyone is to participate.
We were given more details in chapter 12. The homes were to be cleaned of all leaven. No work was to be done on the first and seventh days of the feast. Nothing was to be eaten that contained leaven.
Ex. 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Ex. 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Ex. 23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
Ex. 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
The Feast of the Harvest (aka Pentecost): Rejoicing for the first crops of the year.
The Feast of the Ingathering: Rejoicing for the final crops of the year.
One must work hard to enjoy a harvest.
Every male is to appear before the LORD at these three times each year.
Leavened bread is not to be offered with a blood sacrifice. Leaven represents sin and sacrifices are to be without blemish.
No fat is allowed to be left over from a sacrifice until the next day.
God is to be given the first portion of every harvest. This would not only reflect an obedient spirit, but would show gratitude to the one supplying the harvest.
A young goat is not to be cooked in its mother’s milk. I was listening to Zola Levitt on a podcast interviewing Nehemiah Gordon, a Karaite Jew (one who follows the Hebrew scripture vs. the teaching of the Rabbis from the Talmud). He explained that this was a practice associated with a Canaanite fertility ritual for the goddesss Ashtoreth. In my mind, this connects with the teaching to avoid even the appearance of evil.
1Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Ex. 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Ex. 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Ex. 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
Ex. 23:23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
Ex. 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
God is sending an Angel to go before them. This affirms that YHWH is providing their direction. I believe this angel is Jesus based on 1Corinthians 10:4: “…And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
“My name is in him”—This also supports the identity of the angel as Jesus. Matthew 1:20–23 “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The angel will not tolerate your sins.
“The place which I have prepared” – indicates advance planning, predetermined purpose and deliberate readiness on their behalf.
They are to listen to and obey the angel, being careful not to provoke him (make him bitter toward them).
The angel has the power to pardon sins; another strong affirmation that the angel is the LORD Jesus.
Whatever the angel speaks is from the mouth of God.
Obedience would result in strength, protection, and victory.
God’s intention is to CUT OFF the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites.
The Israelites are not to show any respect for the false gods of these people. They are not to serve them in any way. Their images are to be completely destroyed.
Ex. 23:25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Ex. 23:26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Ex. 23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
Ex. 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Ex. 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Ex. 23:30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
They are only to serve “YHWH Elohiym” and serve Him as willing bonds laves.
If they serve Him, God will bless them with plenty of food and water and keep them and their livestock healthy and fruitful.
Their enemies will recognize the awesome power of their God and be fearful when they see the Israelites coming, and He will give them victory.
It appears that God is even going to use the insects (hornets) to send their enemies running.
God is going to give them the land a little at a time to ensure that the land doesn’t become desolate, allowing the beasts of the field to multiply and become a threat to them. Little by little he will allow them to take over the land and multiply as they make the land their own.
It is emphasized that it is only by God’s power and strength that they will be victorious.
Constable quoting Meyer: “‘Little by little’ does the work of God proceed through the individual soul. ‘Little by little’ do the conquests of the Cross win over the world. ‘Little by little’ is the unfolding purpose of Redemption made manifest to men and angels."
Ex. 23:31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
The boundaries of the land will be from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and from the desert (the Negev) to the Euphrates. Again, point is made that it is God that will drive out those who are living in the land.
Constable: “God further promised a wide land area. It stretched from the Red Sea (probably the Gulf of Aqabah, the southeastern boundary) to the Mediterranean Sea (the western boundary). It also ran from the wilderness (probably the northeast edge of the Sinai wilderness, the southwest boundary) to the Euphrates River (the northeastern boundary; cf. Genesis 15:18).”
Genesis 15:18 “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:”
David Guzik made an important observation: “God may grant, but we must possess. He withholds our possession of many things until we partner with Him in bold faith and obedience.”
Ex. 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
Ex. 23:33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Again, they are warned not to make a treaty or pact with the people of the land or with their gods. The people are to be destroyed or driven out completely. Why? Because they will lead you into sin if you don’t. They will ensnare you by luring you to serve their gods—a sin against the LORD God. Another word in the Hebrew for snare is trap. You usually trap something to destroy it or to utilize it for service in some way for self benefit.
This principle is very applicable to Christians today. We need to be diligent to get rid of sin and things that tempt us to sin. We need to avoid fellowship (close communion) with the unsaved—with anyone or anything that would negatively impact our relationship with God.
God couldn’t have been more specific and emphatic in His instructions or more inspiring and awesome in His acts on behalf of the Israelites. Still, we know that the people will turn away from Him. It just emphasizes to me how powerful the “prince of this world” is and how clever he is at getting us to fall for his deceptions by appealing to our sinful nature—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1John 2:16)
Ex. 24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
Ex. 24:2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.
Only Moses was allowed intimate contact with the Lord.
Isn’t it interesting that Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, are specifically identified as part of this group. This makes it even harder for me to understand how they could even think about disobeying God in their role as priests.
Numbers 3:4 “And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.”
Ex. 24:3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.
Moses told the people ALL the words of the LORD. The people agreed to obey everything God had said. It seems at this point that God’s purpose in Exodus 20:20—to cause a healthy fear that would encourage the people to obey—was succeeding.
Ex. 24:4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Ex. 24:5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
Ex. 24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
Ex. 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Ex. 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. (This had to be through the work of the Holy Spirit because no man would be able to remember so much detail.
Moses sent “young” men to make offerings unto the LORD. Some of the first thoughts I have are that Adam was “young” when he first sinned, and Jesus was a young man in His prime when He was sacrificed for our sin. The young men would be more representative of the future of Israel. It was important for these representatives of Israel’s future to recognize the holiness of God and how intertwined the well being of the nation was with the condition of their relationship to God.
“the book of the covenant” – I would assume this to be all the words that he had written that God had given him. I am reminded that Moses was “near the thick darkness where God was” (20:21) when he received the contents of the book of the covenant.
Again, the words were read aloud to the people and they agreed to be obedient to God in every way.
I guess the sprinkling of the blood on the altar and on the people was representative of the covenant being publicly affirmed between them and God.
Ex. 24:9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
Ex. 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Ex. 24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
The thing about journaling is that it makes you examine each phrase. This is the first time I’ve actually “heard” these verses. These men saw the God of Israel. They saw what appeared to be a pavement made out of sapphire stones that were as clear as the sky under His feet.
We know the Bible has no contradictions, so they couldn’t have seen His face. Even Moses was only allowed to view His glory from the back. It would seem to me that they were allowed enough of a vision of His feet on such a foundation as to assure them it was GOD. He allowed them to see enough that would have justified His striking them with His hand—but He didn’t. Maybe they saw God in the form of the preincarnate Jesus in all His glory as He appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Instead it says that they saw God and ate and drank—sounds like a time of fellowship to me. I think God was demonstrating His desire to have fellowship with His people.
Ex. 24:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Ex. 24:13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
Ex. 24:14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
Ex. 24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
Ex. 24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
Ex. 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Ex. 24:18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
The LORD called Moses to come up the mountain to get: 1) tables of stone, 2) a law (as described in the preceding chapters), and 3) commandments written by the hand of God.
His purpose in giving them to Moses was so that he could teach the people.
Joshua went with Moses partway up the mountain; but only Moses was allowed to enter the presence of God. (What did Joshua do for the 40 days and nights?)
The people weren’t left without leadership—Aaron and Hur were to serve as leaders, as judges.
Moses was up in the mount for six days before the LORD spoke to him on the seventh. (What was Moses doing during that time of waiting? What was going through his mind?)
The glory of the LORD looked like a huge fire on the top of the mountain to the people down below.
Moses was in the presence of God 40 days and nights. We know that all God had to do was speak and the tablets would have been finished. We are told, however, in Deuteronomy as well as verse 12 above that they were written with the finger of God. Why is this emphasized? It seems that the important thing is that they are from the heart of God.
Deuteronomy 9:10 “And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”
I usually think of these two tablets as containing only the Ten Commandments, but the following chapters indicate that Moses was also given instructions for the building of the tabernacle and its furnishings. According to 25:9, God was instructing Moses according to a pattern. This would account more for the 40 days and nights it took Moses to absorb the teaching.
Interesting thought from Coffman: “The period of six days waiting must have been a trial for Moses. Men have a great deal of trouble with their impatience. Men are always in a hurry, but God is never in a hurry. Moses may have felt that he needed to be with Israel; and, as events developed, it is certain that such a need was there. But the duty of Moses was to wait, as patiently as possible, until God revealed for him his next duty.”