In The Word
Read: Exodus 23:20–24:18
Conquest of the Land
20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since My name is in him. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their memorial stones in pieces. 25 And you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 There will be no one miscarrying or unable to have children in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you. 29 I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. 30 I will drive them out from you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 I will set your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will drive them out from you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it is certain to be a snare to you.”
People Affirm Their Covenant with God
24 Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone, however, shall approach the Lord, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”
3 Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 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. 11 Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the Law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses got up along with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, have him approach them.” 15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18 Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Moses delivered a great analogy on how modern day Christians are to follow God. He told Israel that God was sending an angel before them. As long as Israel obeyed God’s voice, they were to walk in the blessings of God.
The angel represents the Holy Spirit which goes before us today. Much like Israel, we also have God’s written Word, which is a guideline. However, it is important to be led by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:18 says, “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” Even with the written Word of God, we are led by the Holy Spirit because the law was never able to address specific circumstances or details of a matter. It was only a guideline to work within the confines of. That’s where the Pharisee’s erred. They applied a right law to a wrong situation. The Holy Spirit only works within the confines of God’s will and His Word. This teaches us God’s law is good and holy. The Holy Spirit just teaches us how to use that law. Israel had the laws of God, yet Moses still said they had to listen to and obey “The Voice.” God expects the same from us today. Not just to obey the written Word, but to be led by the Holy Spirit in how to obey it.