Êxodo 23
Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
Êxodo 23
Cole - ’ebyon is the common biblical word for ‘poor’, frequent in the Psalter with the sense of ‘pious poor’ (e.g. Ps. 9:18). It later gave the name of the Jewish-Christian sect of the Ebionites (‘God’s poor’), and had perhaps been used before as a title of the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:10).
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Cole - always a danger in a marginal society. It was important for any Israelite judge to be able to establish his position on this (1 Sam. 12:3). Samuel’s own sons failed at this point (1 Sam. 8:3). Rayburn - In context, perhaps the text concerns especially judges. We are talking about ways in which justice is perverted. The prevalence of bribery in the Near East is notorious, but, then, we are accustomed to it in the West as well. Our forms of it are often more sophisticated, but congressional “pork” is, at least very often, bribery in fact and it is a full time job in Washington and in state capitals to try to discover who is making secret payments in order to affect political and bureaucratic outcomes. Bribe (07810)(shochad) is "a masculine noun referring to a bribe, a reward, a gift. It refers to what is given in a situation to influence persons to act or think in a certain way they would not normally. It was often given to pervert justice and to blind the judgment of even good persons (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19). God does not take bribes (Deut. 10:17). The person who took a bribe was cursed by God (Deut. 27:25). The perversion of justice through bribes was a major downfall of Israel (1 Sam. 8:3). A bribe could consist of a major political gift or present to another king or nation, a glorified bribe (1 Kgs. 15:19)." (Baker) Bribe - "money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust." (Webster) Patterson - "The OT condemns bribery because it perverts justice in the judicial sphere and equity in the social sphere of the Hebrew covenant community (cf. Ex 23:8; Dt 16:19; Pr 17:23)." Subverts (05557)(salaph) means to twist, pervert, distort, overturn, overthrow. It means basically to distort, subvert, or mislead from what is normal. It is used of the effect of bribes on justice, hindering it (Ex. 23:8); and its process (Deut. 16:19); it is used of removing governmental powers as well (Job 12:19). It describes hindering or subverting the wicked and foolish in their ways (Prov. 13:6; 19:3; 21:12; 22:12). Salaph - 7v - overthrows(2), perverts(1), ruins(1), subverts(2), turning(1). Exod. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; Job 12:19; Prov. 13:6; Prov. 19:3; Prov. 21:12; Prov. 22:12 Question: What does the Bible say about bribery / giving or receiving a bribe? | Answer: A bribe is money, favor, or other consideration given in exchange for one’s influence against what is true, right, or just. The Bible is clear that giving or receiving a bribe is evil. God’s Law, given to Moses for the people of Israel, forbade the taking of a bribe, “for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8). The same rule is repeated in Deuteronomy 16:19: “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” The negative effects of taking a bribe are clearly outlined in these two passages. Bribery perverts justice. It is a blinding influence upon wisdom and discernment. It clouds the truth and perverts or twists the words of those who would be righteous in the sight of God. The Law went even further in the case of a bribe involving the killing of an innocent person. A judge who takes a bribe to condemn to death an innocent person was as guilty as a paid assassin—he was to be “cursed” (Deuteronomy 27:25). There were incidents where this law against bribery was broken, to disastrous effect. The two men who testified against Naboth (1 Kings 21:4–16) and those who testified against Stephen (Acts 6:8–14) were probably bribed; in both instances, an innocent man was killed. When high officials give and receive bribes, it causes evil in a society. “The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it” (Proverbs 29:4). Bribery is one characteristic of a corrupt society. Isaiah prophesied against the evil of Israel when they had turned from the one true God and His laws. Isaiah likened the city of Jerusalem to an unfaithful harlot; the city was once full of justice, but it had become a place of rebellion, murder, and thievery. Her leaders were those who loved bribes and chased after the money bribery brought them (Isaiah 1:2–23). The people of Israel were not to follow the ways of evil but were to emulate God in their dealings with one another: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). The most heinous example of a bribe in the Bible is the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received to betray the Lord Jesus. A direct result of Judas’s treachery was that Jesus was arrested and crucified. Eventually, even Judas realized that his acceptance of a bribe was evil. But when he tried to return the money to the chief priests and elders, they refused it, calling it what it was—“blood money” (Matthew 27:3–9). Delilah was bribed to entrap Samson (Judges 16:5). Samuel’s sons disrespected their office by taking bribes (1 Samuel 8:3). The wicked Haman bribed King Ahasuerus in an attempt to destroy the Jews in Persia (Esther 3:9). Felix left Paul in prison, hoping to receive a bribe from Paul (Acts 24:26). And the soldiers charged with guarding Jesus’ tomb were bribed by the chief priests and elders to spread a lie about the disappearance of Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:12–15). In each case, those receiving the bribes cared nothing for truth or justice.(Source: GotQuestions.org) Related Resources: Holman Bible Dictionary Bribery Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Bribery King James Dictionary Bribery 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Bribery International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Bribery The Jewish Encyclopedia Bribery Exodus 23:9 "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. NET Exodus 23:9 "You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. NLT Exodus 23:9 "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. ESV Exodus 23:9 "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. shall not: Ex 21:21 Dt 10:19 Dt 24:14-18 Dt 27:19 Ps 94:6 Eze 22:7 know: Mt 18:33 Heb 2:17,18 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries KINDNESS TO STRANGERS Related Passage: Exodus 22:21+ “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 24:14-18 “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. 15 “You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the LORD and it become sin in you. 16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin. 17 “You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge. 18 “But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. Note that this verse repeats Exodus 22:21, but here the context is legal, not social. You shall not oppress (crush) a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger - A stranger feels "strange," knowing he is not a related by blood or ethnicity to the people he is associated with. S. R. Driver notes that the oppression or "crushing" in this context would probably mean with an unfair judgment in the courts. Deuteronomy 10:19 gives us the "flip side" of this command = “So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." Instead of oppressing them, demonstrate love to them, which is a picture of God's pattern to strangers (all of us are strangers because of sin). Alan Cole on feelings - The Hebrew is not the usual word for ‘heart’ but nepes, which can be translated ‘life’ or ‘self’. Here it seems to have more the meaning of ‘desires and longings’. However it be translated, the verse is indicative of deep and true sympathy, alike the Jewish and Christian duty (Rom. 12:15). Perhaps we might translate: ‘you know from experience what a stranger yearns for.’” (TOTC-Ex)
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Cole - On the seventh day you shall rest: as in the ten commandments, but with a difference. The weekly sabbath here is not merely a reminder of God’s creative work (Exod. 20:11) or of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (Deut. 5:15). It is to be a cessation from labour for Israel, physical rest for the animals, and refreshment for the workers in slave or semi-slave status, for whom there was presumably no religious obligation. (TOTC-Ex) Cease (put an end, stop) 07673)(shabath) means to cease to repose, to rest, to rid of, to still, to put away, to put an end to, to cause to cease, to leave. Most uses refer to rest or abstain from labor (Ex 5:5), especially on the seventh day (Ex 20:8-11). It is the root verb of Sabbath the time to be set aside for rest. Of God resting after the completion of creation (Ge 2:2, 2:3 = "He rested", Ex 31:17, describing the Sabbath - Ex 34:21) The basic meaning of shabath is well illustrated in the declaration that day and night "shall not cease." (Ge 8:22). Israel will not "cease from being a nation." (Jer 31:30), a prophetic sign of God's faithfulness! The "three men ceased answering Job." (Job 32:1) In Joshua, the verb expresses a cessation of the provision of manna by God to the Israelites (Josh. 5:12). The land was also depicted as enjoying a rest (Lev 25:2, Lev 26:34, 35). The people of God are to rest (Ex. 16:30). "An end to strife."(Pr 18:18). "Put an end to the arrogance of the proud." (Isa 13:11) So that - Term of purpose Your ox and your donkey may rest - Rest for the land every seventh year and for animals (and men) every seventh day. Rest (set/settle)(05117)(nuach/nuah) means to rest or pause and essentially conveys a basic sense of absence of movement and of being settled in a particular place. In the present context nuach means to repose, to pause for rest after laboring. The Bible says that insects rest (Ex 10:14), as do cattle, slaves and even the Lord after a time of labor (Ex 23:12; Deut. 5:14; and Ex. 20:11 respectively). The Septuagint translates nuach in Ex 23:12 with the noun anapausis (from anapauo ~ refresh, give rest, permit one to cease from labor in order to recover and collect his strength <> aná = again + paúo = cease, give rest) which means a ceasing from activity, a "cessation from wearisome activity for the sake of rest." (BDAG). In Matthew 11:29+ Jesus said "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (anapauo) FOR YOUR SOULS." And the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves - Slaves and strangers (Heb - ger; Lxx = proselutos) would get a much needed rest. The Hebrew word refreshed (naphash from nephesh = soul, life) is used only 3x in the OT, here, next in Ex 31:17 where after Creating the Universe "on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed (naphash; Lxx = katapauo).” The third use describes King David in 2 Sa 16:14 "The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed (naphash) himself there." The Septuagint translates naphash here (and 2 Sa 16:14) with the verb anapsucho (ana = again ~repetition + psucho = breathe, cool) literally means to cool again, to make cool or refresh, or to experience cooling so as to recover from the effects of overheating and so to revive by fresh air. Currid comments "In Exodus 31:17 God is said to have been ‘refreshed’ on the seventh day of creation because of his resting. Thus, God’s work and rest in creation serve as a paradigm for man’s work and rest each week." I like Bush's comment on refresh - May be refreshed. Heb. ינפש yinnaphesh, may be re-spirited, or new-souled, from נפש nephesh, soul; i. e. may have a complete renewal both of bodily and spiritual health. Gr. αναψνξῃ, the same expression with that occurring Acts 3:19+, ‘Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing (anapsuxis, re-souling from verb anapsucho) shall come from the presence of the Lord.’ The very frequent repetition of the law respecting the Sabbath shows conclusively that the sanctification of that day was of great consequence in the sight of God, and that he had a special eye therein to its benign bearing physically both upon the welfare of man and beast. With this institution before us, we can no more ask the question, ‘Doth God care for oxen?’ So far from disregarding their well being, we find repeated provisions in His law breathing a most tender and beneficent concern for the brute creation subjected to the uses of man. How different from the light in which they are practically regarded by multitudes of civilized and nominally Christian men! How many thousands of patient drudging cattle and noble horses, have no Sabbath! They cannot remonstrate when called from their quiet stalls on the Sabbath, and put to their exhausting week-day toils, but the barbarous privation of their authorized rest speaks loudly in the ears of their merciful Creator, and their meek endurance reaches one heart in the universe that is not insensible to the appeal. That heart has a hand to execute judgment adequate to the wrong done to a portion of his creatures which have a capacity to suffer, but none to complain. NET Note on stranger (alien) - Such an individual would have traveled out of need and depended on the goodwill of the people around him. The rendering “hired help” assumes that the foreigner is mentioned in this context because he is working for an Israelite and will benefit from the Sabbath rest, along with his employer. Ryken says "Although the Sabbath rest was good for the land, this was not its stated purpose. The Sabbath was mainly for the people and the animals who depended on the land for food. In the seventh year the orchards, fields, and vineyards were left to grow on their own - "unpruned, unguarded, and unharvested." There is some question as to whether the whole land of Israel rested in the same year, or whether the rest was staggered field by field (the latter would seem most beneficial to the poor). However it was timed, the Sabbath year was one of the ways God provided for the hungry, and also for the animals that he created. Plenty of food was left for wild animals and the poor, who were free to gather whatever they needed." ILLUSTRATION - Of the Ten Commandments, the law of the Sabbath is mentioned more often in Scripture than any of the others. It is a serious and weighty issue. When Eric Liddell found out that his race in the Paris Olympics was to be run on Sunday, he refused to compete. Of course, he was vilified by the press of the day. Liddell did not waver in his resolution, but he ran the 400 metre race later in the week and won it. He later commented that ‘When I was about to run in the finals the trainer handed me a little note. I opened it and read the words, “Them that honour me will I honour.” ’ Liddell’s stand for the Sabbath had a great impact upon people of his day. His story was made into the film Chariots of Fire in 1981, and it also had a good effect for the gospel. What a witness for Christ are those who stand for him and his ways! (John Currid) Robert Rayburn - Interestingly the sabbatical year has been retained only in the academic world. In the law of God it was the agricultural worker who profited most from it and, even now, it is the peasant and the factory worker who need it most and are least likely to receive it. “…be refreshed” in v. 12 is literally “catch one’s breath.” Imagine how agricultural workers would have looked forward to every seventh year. Forget two weeks vacation; an entire year off! The production of the previous six years is entirely adequate to provide for everyone – owners and workers alike – in the seventh year. If the industrial revolution were produced in large part from the Protestant work ethic, its managers failed to humanize it by applying such biblical insights as these. The factory owner is likely to say that he could not compete were he to do so; Holy Scripture and history combine to prove that one who seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness finds that the other things are added to him in abundance. And the proof of that is that it was during the time that the Sabbath was kept in Western culture that the foundation for its great wealth was laid. It is God’s will that man work six days and rest a seventh and, as in so much of this legislation, the implied threat is that if God’s will is flaunted, he will see to it that the sinner will face the consequences. God is not a taskmaster and his people are not to be either. There are other things more important than maximizing profit, and one of them is a just and humane treatment of one’s workers. Part of that is a holiday every week, the Sabbath day. Here the accent falls especially on the design of this legislation – both the sabbatical year and the weekly Sabbath day, to help to give relief to various classes of people – the poor and the workers – as well as the animals who are both given time for refreshment every week and are free in the sabbatical year to take what the fields, vineyards, and orchards produce naturally, without planting or cultivation. [Ellison, 132] The produce of that seventh year did not belong to the owner of the field but to the poor and the animals. We are taught here that there are many reasons to keep God’s laws. Here the rationale for Sabbath-keeping is not God’s having created the world in six days and rested the seventh, nor as a memorial of Israel’s redemption, but for humanitarian purposes. The provision for the animals, both wild and domestic, is an expression of the fact that God is their creator too and that he provides for them. The Lord Jesus reminded us that the Lord cares for little sparrows and feeds the ravens. We may wonder about wild animals – where they go at night, what they do all day (we look for deer and elk, for bear and even for lions at our cabin in Colorado, but hardly ever see them when we are looking for them; then, suddenly, when we are not expecting to see them, there they are! We are always wondering where they are the rest of the time!) – well God watches them. He loves them and enjoys them. We love to watch them, even at a zoo, and God must too! And if he loves to watch them, he also provides for them. In any case, as religious observances, both the weekly Sabbath and the sabbatical year were expressions of faith in the Lord who promised to provide for their needs. You will remember that the later prophets saw the 70 years of exile in Babylon as the land’s rest – the sabbatical rest it had not been given as it should have been. The Sabbath was so fundamental that it was part of the Ten Words, but it is mentioned here also because the law here is dealing with days dedicated to rest, refreshment, and the service of the Lord. By the way, we know nowadays that it is responsible agriculture to allow fields to lie fallow at intervals. The farmers in that day no doubt knew this as well. But this was not the principle reason for the law, though the law also conveyed that benefit. The laws concerning clean and unclean foods can be seen to have had some beneficial results for Israel’s health. That is not the reason for the laws per se, but God’s laws often bring unannounced and unanticipated blessings just as disobedience often brings all manner of unanticipated trouble. It is no accident, for example, that promiscuous sex has all manner of grisly consequences for a person’s health. Related Resources: See more commentary notes on the Sabbath - Exodus 16:23-29, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:14-16, Exodus 35:2-3 What is the Sabbath day? How can we enter into God’s rest? What does it mean that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath? What does it mean to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy? Why does Exodus 35:2 require the death penalty for working on the Sabbath? Does God require Sabbath-keeping of Christians? Exodus 23:13 "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth. NET Exodus 23:13 "Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention the names of other gods– do not let them be heard on your lips. NLT Exodus 23:13 "Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names. ESV Exodus 23:13 "Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips. NIV Exodus 23:13 "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. KJV Exodus 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. be on your guard: De 4:9,15 Jos 22:5 23:11 1Ch 28:7-9 Ps 39:1 Eph 5:15 1Ti 4:16 Heb 12:15 not mention: Nu 32:38 De 12:3 Jos 23:7 Ps 16:4 Jer 10:11 Ho 2:17 Zec 13:2 Eph 5:12 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A CHARGE TO UNIVERSAL HEEDFULNESS Related Passages: Deuteronomy 4:9+ “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Deuteronomy 4:23+ “So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. John Currid comments that "This verse is the climax of the Book of the Covenant. It enjoins Israel to do three things: to guard the laws that God has given them, to forget false gods and to refrain from mentioning their names (all three verbs are reflexive Niphal forms = ED: THEY INITIATE THE ACT AND PARTICIPATE IN THE EFFECT OR BENEFIT OF THE ACT). The verse also serves as an inclusio for the Book of the Covenant, returning as it does to the theme of the opening verses. The section began with the pronouncement of the primary commandment of monotheism (Ex 20:22–26+). Now it ends with a return to that commandment. In addition, in Ex 20:24+ God proclaimed that ‘I will cause my name to be remembered’; in the present verse, the name of the false gods is not to be remembered. Monotheism was the first commandment of the Decalogue. Now we see it marks both the beginning and ending of the Book of the Covenant, binding the whole together, as it were. It is the principal doctrine of Israelite theology in the Torah. (EPSC-Ex-volume 2) Now concerning everything which I have said to you - This is a fairly all inclusive declaration, but in context refers primarily to the Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant. Be on your guard - NET says "The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force." The Hebrew verb be on guard is shamar which means to keep watch, to preserve, to guard, to be careful, to watch over carefully, and to be on one’s guard. It is translated in the Septuagint with the verb phulasso which means to watch, to carry out the function as a military guard or sentinel (cp Acts 28:16), to keep watch, to have one's eye upon lest one escape, to guard a person that he might remain safe (from violence, from another person or thing, from being snatched away, from being lost). The NT uses phulasso of guarding truth (eg, 1Ti 5:21,1 Ti 6:20+, 2Ti 1:14+). And in a use that closely parallels God's warning in Ex 23:13 the apostle John writes "Little children, guard (phulasso - aorist imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves from idols. (1 Jn 5:21+). George Bush (he is a distant relative of both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush) comments on be on your guard - It is a strict injunction of universal heedfulness in respect to every one of the divine precepts, but with more especial reference to those prohibiting idolatry in any of its forms; for to this sin Omniscience foresaw that they would be preeminently disposed and tempted. And do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth - The Hebrew verb mention is zakar which conveys the basic meaning ot to recall, call to mind or remember and is translated in the Septuagint with the verb anamimnesko which carries the idea of carefully thinking back and reconstructing something in one’s mind. It is preceded by NOT and in Greek the "not" (ouk) which signifies absolute negation so the thought is one is absolutely not to begin to reconstruct an image of these idols in one's mind! (cf Paul's warning in Ro 13:14+). God knows that a tempting thought (as of an idolatrous image or practice) will "percolate" in one's mind and unless "killed" will lead to an action! James said it this way "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (IN THIS CASE AN IDOL). Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (James 1:13-15+) And as we see repeatedly in the Bible the "act" associated with idolatry is immorality! So God is saying in effect "kill sin lest it be killing your," to paraphrase John Owen. God is charging Israel to develop "idol amnesia!" Jehovah repeatedly gives Israel a clear warning against the danger and deception of idolatry. He knows their (and our) hearts naturally gravitate away from the true God and towards the false gods associated with idols. Consider these related passages: Joshua 23:6-7 (SOME OF JOSHUA'S LAST WORDS! LAST WORDS FROM GODLY MEN SHOULD BE LASTING WORDS!) “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name. Psalm 16:4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips. Bush on do not mention - Make no mention, &c. Heb. לא תזכירו lo tazkiru, ye shall not cause to be remembered. They were to endeavor to blot out the remembrance of the gods of the heathen, and for this end their names were not to be heard from their mouths; or if mentioned at all, it must be only in a way of detestation. The Chal. terms these other gods ‘idols of the peoples;’ and God, by the prophet Zech. 13:2+, says, ‘In that day (Millennium) I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered.’ And again, Hos. 2:17, ‘I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.’ It was in accordance with the spirit of this precept that the Israelites seem to have made a practice of ‘changing the names’ of idolatrous places, Nu 32:38. And under a similar prompting David says, Ps 16:4, ‘Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.’ In the intercourse of society, there is no more emphatical mode of indicating hatred towards a person than not mentioning his name, shrinking from even the remotest allusion to him, and striving, as far as possible, to forget even his existence. Thus would God have his people do in regJosh 23:7ard to the gods of the heathen. He says to them in effect of idolatry, as elsewhere, ‘Thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.’ (Dt 7:26). Rayburn - A reminder that there is but one living God with whom they have to do; it is his will and the will of no other that must be our duty and his promise of blessing that must be our hope. A general statement like this serves as a kind of transition to the next body of laws. MacKay states: It may come out of the associations of the Sabbath with worship. Though that would fit this general context, it is the humanitarian aspect of the Sabbath that is mentioned here. Another possibility is that it comes from the mention made of 'the alien'. While consideration was to be given to their welfare, there was to be abhorrence for, and avoidance of, their false worship. 'Invoke' is 'cause to be remembered' and would cover use in ordinary speech as well as in worship and in taking oaths in law courts. It was indeed an act of treason even to utter the names of these false gods lest it should seem that they were being given a status comparable to that of the Great King (Psa. 16:4). Exodus 23:14 "Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. NET Exodus 23:14 "Three times in the year you must make a pilgrim feast to me. NLT Exodus 23:14 "Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor. ESV Exodus 23:14 "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. Ex 34:22 Lev 23:5,16,34 De 16:16 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries CELEBRATION OF THREE ANNUAL FEASTS REQUIRED In Exodus 23:13 God has just told Israel to "minimize" devotion to the false gods and now instructs them to "maximize" devotion to the one True God, in Ex 23:14-19 describing the 3 annual feasts where He is to be honored and worshiped. Rayburn - These feasts were also a regular interruption of the daily round of life. They are just mentioned briefly here because Israel was still in the wilderness. Their regulation will be given in detail later. Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me - Moses repeats this instruction to the generation entering the promised land - “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed." (Dt 16:16) Notice that Deuteronomy gives additional details - (1) All males (2) Place Jehovah chooses (3) Bring an offering. One might reason that all the males leaving cities across Israel unprotected three times a year would be prime targets for the pagan nations who were surely aware of these three annual pilgrimages. And yet we do not read of attacks during these times. The explanation is found later in Exodus... Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. “For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God. (Ex 34:23-24) Bush comments - Can any thing afford us a more striking instance of a particular providence? He is a wall of fire about his people as well as the glory in the midst of them. The hearts of all men are in his hands. He maketh the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of that wrath, which will not praise him, he restraineth. During the whole period between Moses and Christ, we never read of an enemy invading the land at the time of the three festivals; the first that occurs was thirty-three years after they had withdrawn from themselves the divine protection, by embruing their hands in the Savior’s blood, when Cestius the Roman general slew fifty of the people of Lydda, while all the rest were gone up to the Feast of Tabernacles, A.D. 60. We have only farther to add, that the three great Festivals were honored with three remarkable events in the Scripture history. The feast of Tabernacles was the time when the Savior was born, and also the time when, in his thirtieth year, he was baptized. The Passover was the time when he was crucified; and the Pentecost the time when the Holy Ghost descended in a visible manner upon the apostles. NET Note - The expression rendered “three times” is really “three feet,” or “three foot-beats.” Bush adds "Three times thou shalt keep a feast, &c. Heb. שלש רגלים shalosh regalim, three feet; i. e. three foot-journeys. Greek treis kairous three times." Celebrate a feast (02287)(chagag) means to hold or keep a feast, a pilgrim feast, to celebrate a holy day. Chagag usually refers to the three annual pilgrimage festivals. It is used in Lev. 23:39, 41; Num. 29:12; and Deut. 16:15, in relation to the Feast of Tabernacles. In Ex. 12:14, it is used in reference to the Passover, while here in Ex 23:14, it refers to the celebration of all three festivals: Unleavened Bread and Passover, Harvest or the Feast of Weeks and Ingathering or the Feast of Tabernacles. The remaining occurrence of the verb in the Pentateuch is Ex 5:1, where Moses cites a festival celebration as the reason why the Israelites must leave Egypt. Currid makes an excellent observation that "These three feasts form the core of Israel’s religious calendar (see Lev. 23). Yet it is important to observe that this section is closely tied to the Sabbath commands of verses 10–12. The foundation of each of the three festivals is the seven-day week which climaxes on the Sabbath (see Deut. 16:3–4, 9, 13–15). The Sabbath is at the very heart of Israel’s religious celebrations." (Ibid) Adam
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Cole - All adult males must go, presumably because such occasions are a gathering of YHWH’s war-host, though we know from 1 Samuel 1 that women could and did go up with their husbands. It is, however, plain that even the greatest of the three (passover) was observed only sporadically or on a limited scale during the time of the kingdom (2 Kgs 23:22), though no doubt kept regularly after the exile, when Ezra and Nehemiah were able to enforce the law in a small close-knit community. This of course does not prove that the regulation did not exist earlier. (Ibid) Bush proposes three reasons for these three feasts - thrice-yearly concourse of all the males of Israel at the place of the sanctuary, was well calculated, (1) To counteract all the unsocial tendencies arising from their separation into distinct tribes, and to unite them among themselves as a nation of brethren. Were it not for some provision of this kind, local interest and jealousies would have been very apt to be engendered, which in process of time would probably have ripened into actual hostilities and collisions that would have broken their commonwealth to pieces. But by being frequently brought together, the acquaintances of tribes and families would be renewed, all feelings of clannish exclusiveness repressed, and the social union more effectually consolidated. (2) It was an ordinance well calculated to perpetuate the memory of the great events on which they were severally founded. As the weekly sabbath brought to remembrance the creation of the world, so did the Passover the departure from Egypt; the Pentecost, the delivery of the Law; and the Feast of Tabernacles, the sojourning in the wilderness. Whatever of salutary religious influence was exerted by the celebration of these memorable events, it would obviously bear with most weight when it became the joint act of the whole assembled nation. Moreover, as the Law was read and instruction imparted on these occasions, the effect would naturally be, to render them faithful to their religion, and better disposed to carry out its principles in their lives and conversation. (3) Another important end which we may suppose to have been designed by these assemblages, was to afford to the people seasons of relaxation and recreation from their necessary toils. Although the weekly sabbath brought with it a welcome respite from labor, yet the Maker of our frame saw that something more than this was requisite for the highest well-being, corporeal and mental, of his creatures, and therefore ordained certain seasons of innocent hilarity in connexion with those religious observances which would tend to keep them within proper limits. It is observable, therefore, that the expression, ‘rejoicing before the Lord,’ is of frequent occurrence in speaking of those festive conventions which brought the Hebrews together from time to time during the year; and it is no doubt desirable that the precepts of Christianity should be so construed as to lay no chilling interdict upon those harmless amusements which the constitution of our nature seems to render occasionally requisite. THE SEVEN GREAT FEASTS OF ISRAEL 1st Month = Nisan Festival of Passover (Pesach) 3rd Month = Sivan Feast of Pentecost I N T E R L U D E 7th Month = Tishri Festival of Booths (Tabernacles) (Sukkot) Passover Pesach Unleavened Bread First Fruits Feast of Weeks Feast of Trumpets Day of Atonement Feast of Booths Lamb's blood on Door Ex 12:6-7, 43-49 Lev 23:5, Nu 28:16, Dt 16:1-8 Purging Leaven (Sin) Wave Offering (Promise of Harvest to come) Wave Offering of two loaves of leavened bread (promise of harvest to come) Trumpet Blown - A Holy Convocation Atonement shall be made to cleanse you Celebrates harvest, memorial of God's care in wilderness Evening of the 1st Month, 14th Day of Nisan (Abib) 1st Month, 15th Day (1st & 8th are Sabbath) Day after Sabbath 50 Days after first fruits 7th Month, 1st Day (A Sabbath) 7th Month, 10th Day (A Sabbath) 7th Mo, 15th Day 7 Days; Convocation on 8th Day Lev 23:33-44 (1st & 8th are Sabbath) Christ our Passover has been sacrificed Clean out the old leaven… just as you are in fact unleavened Christ has been raised… the first fruits Promise of the Spirit, Mystery of Church - Jews and Gentiles in one body Regathering of Israel before final day of atonement Points to Cross of Christ Israel repents and looks to Christ in one day Zech 3:9-10, 12:10, 13:1, 14:9 All families come to Jerusalem for Feast of Booths 1Cor 5:7 1Cor 5:7-8 1Cor 15:20-23 1Cor 2:13 Heb 9-10 Exodus 23:15 "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. NET Exodus 23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before me empty-handed. NLT Exodus 23:15 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. ESV Exodus 23:15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. LXE Exodus 23:15 Take heed to keep the feast of unleavened bread: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread, as I charged thee at the season of the month of new corn, for in it thou camest out of Egypt: thou shalt not appear before me empty. KJV Exodus 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:) NIV Exodus 23:15 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed. ASV Exodus 23:15 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty: CSB Exodus 23:15 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed. NKJ Exodus 23:15 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); NRS Exodus 23:15 You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me empty-handed. YLT Exodus 23:15 the Feast of Unleavened things thou dost keep; seven days thou dost eat unleavened things, as I have commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month of Abib; for in it thou hast come forth out of Egypt, and ye do not appear in My presence empty; the feast: Ex 12:14-28,43-49 13:6,7 34:18 Lev 23:5-8 Nu 9:2-14 28:16-25 De 16:1-8 Jos 5:10,11 2Ki 23:21-23 Mk 14:12 Lu 22:7 1Co 5:7,8 none shall appear before Me empty-handed: Ex 34:20 Lev 23:10 De 16:16 Pr 3:9,10 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you - This alludes to the prior directive in Exodus 12:14-20+, the purpose being to serve as a memorial of Israel's exodus orchestrated by Yahweh (Ex 12:24-28+). The fact that it was to observed for seven days ties it to the Sabbath day. Recall that the Passover was so intimately linked to the following days of "unleavened bread" that Luke records "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.." (Lk 22:1+) In Leviticus 23:5-6+ we read "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." At the appointed time in the month Abib - See the structure of the Jewish calendar. Abib or Nisan (the Chaldee name), is our March-April, you are to celebrate your deliverance and freedom. Bush calls Abib "the month of green corn." Abib (024)(abib) means "young ear of grain," ripe, but soft. Thus, it became a designation of a specific time of the year, the time of the first harvest. Others say it means barley especially when it is just rips and still soft and allows the grains to be eaten rubbed or roasted. In Lev 2:14 it was used as an offering to the LORD. Abib is the month of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and first-fruits which are still observed yearly to remind the Israelites of their deliverance from Egypt. Abib - 9x in 6v - Abib(6), ear(1), fresh heads(1), fresh heads of grain(1). Ex 9:31; Ex 13:4; Ex 23:15; Ex 34:18; Lev. 2:14; Dt. 16:1 Deuteronomy 16:1 “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. For in it you came out of Egypt - This summarizes why they are to celebrate the Passover/Unleavened bread, for it would serve as an annual reminder to the nation of the greatness of their deliverance by Jehovah. THOUGHT - How often to you go back to that glorious day or time when the Spirit of the living God swept into your heart and gave you new life in Christ Jesus by grace through faith (when you "came out of Egypt")? I wonder what it would do to our daily walk if we periodically the greatness of the time when "He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Col 1:13-14+) Would it not make us more zealous and motivated to walk blamelessly, being diligent to keep God's precepts enabled by His Holy Spirit? Just thinking! Read the opening lines of the great psalm.... Psalm 119:1+ Aleph. How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD. 2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. 3 They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. 4 You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes! And none shall appear before Me empty-handed - NLT = "No one may appear before me without an offering." Before Me is literally "My face." This is repeated in Ex 34:20+ after the covenant is renewed - "None shall appear before Me empty-handed." Why? Because it all belonged to God and this was a symbolic way (from the heart) of acknowledging His gracious and abundant provision. It is notable that this same phrase empty-handed was used in Exodus 3:21+ when God explained to Moses at the burning bush what He would do for Israel when He delivered them from Egypt - “I will grant (DIVINE PROMISE) this people favor (Lxx - charis = grace) in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed." So from the very beginning Yahweh had in effect "filled their hands" and so it was only fitting to return a portion to Him what He had given them. Alan Cole adds "Since each feast corresponded to some harvest activity, this command was easy to fulfil, by the general rule of offering of first-fruits (verse 19). Unleavened bread, for instance, fell at the beginning of barley harvest. Harvest, or ‘weeks’, was seven weeks later, squarely in wheat harvest. Ingathering (or ‘booths’, or ‘tabernacles’) was the ‘harvest home’ in autumn, when grapes and olives were all gathered in. The agricultural calendar ended then, with the cessation of all agrarian activity for the winter. (Ibid) Rayburn - The feasts of Israel’s liturgical calendar were related to the cycles of nature and then further related to events in salvation history. It was this latter feature that lifted them above the seasonal harvest feasts of other ancient Near Eastern peoples. It is sometimes argued that we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas or Easter because they originated from pagan feasts, or, at least, were observed at the same time, or as substitutions for pagan feasts. But that was true of the feasts of the OT law. Here is the Lord redeeming the culture and putting the natural practices of human beings to better use. Passover and Unleavened Bread came at the beginning of the barley harvest – the first grain harvest of the year (April) – and provided a break before the heavy work of the summer began. [Ellison, 133] But it also was a dramatic recreation of the history of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Related Resources: The Feast of Unleavened Bread What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org How do the elements of the Passover Seder point to Christ? Source: Believer's Study Bible Exodus 23:16 "Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. NET Exodus 23:16 "You are also to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you have gathered in your harvest out of the field. NLT Exodus 23:16 "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. ESV Exodus 23:16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. feast of harvest: Ex 22:29 34:22 Lev 23:9-21 Nu 28:26-31 De 16:9-12 Ac 2:1 ingathering: Ex 34:22 Lev 23:34-44 Nu 29:12-39 De 16:13-15 Ne 8:14-18 Zec 14:16-19 Joh 7:2,37 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FEASTS OF HARVEST AND INGATHERING Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field - (See description below) The Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits is also known as the Feast of Weeks (shābu‘ot in Hebrew - Ex 34:22) and Pentecost (Acts 2:1+) because the festival is celebrated fifty days ("pente-" = 50) after ‘the Sabbath of Passover’ (Lev. 23:15- 16). Currid - It is also held seven weeks to the day after the sickle has first been put to the grain (Dt. 16:9). The purpose of the celebration is to recognize Yahweh as the provider of crops, and that he is deserving of the firstfruits of produce. The rituals of the feast are described in Leviticus 23:15–22 and Deuteronomy 26:1–11. Bush on The Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits - When they offered two loaves of first-fruits, Lev. 23:17, called in Ex. 34:22, ‘the feast of weeks (or sevens’), because it was seven weeks or forty-nine days from the feast of unleavened bread, and occurring on the fiftieth day, was thence called the Pentecost, a Greek word signifying fifty. This was properly the harvest festival, in which they were to offer thanksgiving to God for the bounties of the harvest, and to present unto him the first fruits thereof in bread baked of the new corn (wheat), Lev. 23:14–21, Num. 28:26–31. As the period of this festival coincided with that of the giving of the Law from Mount Sinai, which was fifty days after the Passover, it is usually spoken of as commemorative of that event, Just as the feast of the Tabernacles is of their dwelling in tents for forty years during their sojourn in the wilderness. Also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field - (See description below) The Feast of the Ingathering IS also referred to as the Feast of Booths (Lev 23:34, Dt 16:13, 16), the Feast of Tabernacles, (Lev 23:34KJV), the Festival of Temporary Shelters (Lev 23:34NET), or the Feast of Sukkot (Succoth means "booths"). The time phrase end of the year is not the end of the normal Jewish calendar but refers to the end of the agricultural year as this festival marked the time of the final ingathering of the grape harvest. Feast of Tabernacles NET Note - The rendering booths (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional tabernacles in light of the meaning of the term sukkah, "hut, booth", but "booths" are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like "temporary shelters" is more appropriate. Bush - The feast of ingathering. Called also the ‘Feast of Tabernacles,’ Lev. 23:34. Deut. 16:13. This was the festival of gratitude for the fruitage and vintage, commencing on the evening of the fourteenth day of the seventh month, or October, called here ‘the end of the year.’ It continued seven whole days until the twenty-first, and then received the addition of the eighth day, which had probably in ancient times been the wine-press feast of the Israelites. During these eight days the Israelites dwelt in booths, formed of green branches interwoven together, which in the warm region of Palestine answered extremely well, as in October the weather is usually dry.—It may be remarked in regard to all these festivals, that the original term by which the appointment is expressed is תחג tahag, from חגג hagag, which signifies to go round in a circle, and thence in its religious application to move round in circular dances. As this was no doubt in early ages one of the leading features of their religious festivals, the term came in process of time to signify in a general way the celebration of a religious feast or solemnity. The idea, however, is prominent that these were to be seasons of joy and rejoicing; that a sanctified hilarity was to be regarded as a part of the duty connected with these festive seasons. The fact affords us an abundant indication of the Mosaic system from the charge of sullen gloom and cheerless austerity in its rites and services. Related Resource: What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible? Question: "What is the Feast of Weeks?" Answer: Described in Leviticus 23, The Feast of Weeks is the second of the three “solemn feasts” that all Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend (Exodus 23:14–17; 34:22–23; Deuteronomy 16:16). This important feast gets its name from the fact that it starts seven full weeks, or exactly 50 days, after the Feast of Firstfruits. Since it takes place exactly 50 days after the previous feast, this feast is also known as “Pentecost” (Acts 2:1), which means “fifty.” Each of three “solemn feasts”—Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles—required that all able-bodied Jewish males travel to Jerusalem to attend the feast and offer sacrifices. All three of these feasts required that “firstfruit” offerings be made at the temple as a way of expressing thanksgiving for God’s provision. The Feast of Firstfruits celebrated at the time of the Passover included the first fruits of the barley harvest. The Feast of Weeks was in celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Tabernacles involved offerings of the first fruits of the olive and grape harvests. Since the Feast of Weeks was one of the “harvest feasts,” the Jews were commanded to “present an offering of new grain to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:16). This offering was to be “two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah” which were made “of fine flour . . . baked with leaven.” The offerings were to be made of the first fruits of that harvest (Leviticus 23:17). Along with the “wave offerings” they were also to offer seven first-year lambs that were without blemish along with one young bull and two rams. Additional offerings are also prescribed in Leviticus and the other passages that outline how this feast was to be observed. Another important requirement of this feast is that, when the Jews harvested their fields, they were required to leave the corners of the field untouched and not gather “any gleanings” from the harvest as a way of providing for the poor and strangers (Leviticus 23:22). To the Jews, this time of celebration is known as Shavuot, which is the Hebrew word meaning “weeks.” This is one of three separate names that are used in Scripture to refer to this important Jewish feast. Each name emphasizes an important aspect of the feast as well as its religious and cultural significance to both Jews and Christians. Besides being called the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus 23, this special feast celebration is called the “Day of the Firstfruits” in Numbers 28:26 and the “Feast of Harvest” in Exodus 23:16. The Feast of Weeks takes place exactly 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. It normally occurs in late spring, either the last part of May or the beginning of June. Unlike other feasts that began on a specific day of the Hebrew calendar, this one is calculated as being “fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15–16; Deuteronomy 16:9–10). Like other Jewish feasts, the Feast of Weeks is important in that it foreshadows the coming Messiah and His ministry. Each and every one of the seven Jewish Feasts signifies an important aspect of God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Jesus was crucified as the “Passover Lamb” and rose from the grave at the Feast of Firstfruits. Following His resurrection, Jesus spent the next 40 days teaching His disciples before ascending to heaven (Acts 1). Fifty days after His resurrection and after ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as promised (John 14:16–17) to indwell the disciples and empower them for ministry. The promised Holy Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost, which is another name for the Feast of Weeks. The spiritual significances of the Feast of Weeks are many. Some see the two loaves of leavened bread that were to be a wave offering as foreshadowing the time when the Messiah would make both Jew and Gentile to be one in Him (Ephesians 2:14–15). This is also the only feast where leavened bread is used. Leaven in Scripture is often used symbolically of sin, and the leavened bread used in the Feast of Weeks is thought to be representative of the fact that there is still sin within the church (body of Christ) and will be until Christ returns again. On the Day of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks, the “firstfruits” of the church were gathered by Christ as some 3,000 people heard Peter present the gospel after the Holy Spirit had empowered and indwelt the disciples as promised. With the promised indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of God’s spiritual harvest under the New Covenant began. Today that harvest continues as people continue to be saved, but there is also another coming harvest whereby God will again turn His attention back to Israel so that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). (Source: Gotquestions) Question: "What is the Feast of Tabernacles / Booths / Sukkot?" Answer: The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16). The importance of the Feast of Tabernacles can be seen in how many places it is mentioned in Scripture. In the Bible we see many important events that took place at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. For one thing, it was at this time that Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord (1 Kings 8:2). It was also at the Feast of Tabernacles that the Israelites, who had returned to rebuild the temple, gathered together to hear Ezra proclaim the Word of God to them (Nehemiah 8). Ezra’s preaching resulted in a great revival as the Israelites confessed their sins and repented of them. It was also during this Feast that Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–39). The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness. As one of the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate in, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned multiple times in Scripture, sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13). As one of the pilgrim feasts (when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem), it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast. During the eight-day period, so many sacrifices were made that it required all twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial duties. We find God’s instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, given at a point in history right after God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days (Leviticus 23:34). Like all feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees (Leviticus 23:40–42). The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. Of course, the feasts are also significant in that they foreshadow the work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took place in conjunction with the Holy Feasts set forth by God. The three pilgrim feasts where all Jewish males were commanded to “appear before the Lord in the place he chooses” are each very important in regards to the life of Christ and His work of redemption. We know with certainty that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Likewise, we know that Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, was the time of Jesus’ bodily ascension. And most scholars would agree that the Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second Coming when He will establish His earthly kingdom. There are also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The strong possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also seen in the words John wrote in John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent.” Some believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate the first coming of Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ came in the flesh to dwell among us for a temporary time when He was born in the manger, and He is coming again to dwell among us as Lord of Lords. While it cannot be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back on His first coming. The Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would deliver His people from the bondage of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, consistently reminded the Jews and should remind Christians as well that God has promised to deliver His people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies. Part of God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption that will come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form. (Source: Gotquestions.org) Stephen Eyre - God’s Time God built time spent with him into the Ten Commandments. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Ex 20:8). The purpose of this gift of time was to celebrate his creation of the world as well as his redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Deut 5:15). In the course of a year five feasts were celebrated, two of which lasted a week. These feasts were Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in March/April, Pentecost and the Feast of Weeks in May, the Feast of Tabernacles in September/October, the Feast of Trumpets in late September and the Day of Atonement in early October. Not only were days and weeks set aside, but years were holy as well. One year in seven, the sabbatical year, was devoted to rest and worship. Two consecutive years, a sabbath year every forty-ninth year followed by the Jubilee year in the fiftieth year, were holy times when all debts were forgiven and all slaves were set free. What was the message of these feasts? God creates time, meets us in time and orders time. Therefore the use of time is to revolve around him. By observing those designated days, weeks and years, Israel was to experience the centrality of God over and over again. And their celebrations would teach them something essential about God. More than a burden, the days of rest were reminders of God’s saving care. They were true holidays (holy days). People were set free from toil and debts to rest, worship and celebrate. Sadly, Israel missed the significance of this gift of holy time. Because the holy days were ignored, the nation was condemned by the prophets. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God commanded the wayward nation, “Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers” (Jer 17:22). Daniel understood the essential issue. Living in pagan Babylon, he prayed three times a day—morning, noon and evening. He maintained his pattern, even when it got him thrown into the lions’ den. By Jesus’ day, the gift of holy time had been turned into a legalistic burden. People couldn’t cook or walk over a mile on the sabbath. The sabbath was no longer understood as protected time in which God could be worshiped and enjoyed. Christians of the Middle Ages ordered time around worship. The day was ordered around the prayer times of Prime, Sext and Vespers. The week was organized around Sunday. The seasons were organized around the Christian festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. And the years were organized around the birth of Christ, B.C. and A.D. Churches kept the time because they had the only mechanical clocks. Today we have lost the sense that time is ordered by God. Holidays are merely vacation times, and Sundays are days for sports and leisure. Christmas and Easter are times to exchange gifts. Our culture has lost any sense of making time to be with God. (Drawing Close to God) Exodus 23:17 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD. NET Exodus 23:17 At three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord GOD. NLT Exodus 23:17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD. ESV Exodus 23:17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord GOD. Ex 34:23 De 12:5 16:16 31:11 Ps 84:7 Lu 2:42 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 34:23; 24+ “Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 “For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God. ATTENDANCE AT THREE ANNUAL FEASTS IS MANDATORY Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD - Ex 23:14 does not specifically state the males must attend but now that is specified (also in Ex 34:23+). While the attendance by men was mandatory it is clear that women also attended (Dt 16:11-14). Note the parallel passage above in which God promises supernatural protection for their homesteads while the men are gone to Jerusalem to attend the feasts (before they entered the promised land this of course would not be necessary). What does it mean to appear before? Where did Jehovah dwell? In the midst of the camp during the wilderness wanderings, in the tabernacle once they entered the promised land and then finally in Solomon's (Yahweh's) Temple in Jerusalem. So they would bring their sacrifices (And none shall appear before Me empty-handed - v15) before the Lord God by presenting themselves in whichever venue was in existence at that time in history.
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Cole writes that this regulation regarding blood "may be either a general sacrificial regulation, or a specific reference to passover. Leaven seems to have been a stock symbol of evil (Matt. 16:6) since, like fermentation of grapes, it symbolized corruption." Currid - "The blood of a sacrifice is not to be mixed with leavened bread—although that practice is strictly forbidden in connection with Passover (Exod. 34:25; Deut. 16:4), here the prohibition applies to all the major festivals. The law probably means that all leavened bread must be removed from the house during the festival periods."
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Cole - The fat of my feast: that is, the special portion of the victim that belonged to God. Were it left till morning, it might be rancid, and so unfit for sacrifice. Any unused portion of the passover victim must be burnt in the same night (Exod. 12:10). Compare the parallel verse in Exodus 34:25, and the general rule of Leviticus 19:6. Rayburn - Here leaven may be symbolic of corruption and so of impurity as it is sometimes, but by no means always, is in the New Testament. Interestingly, there were offerings that were to be offered with leavened bread (e.g. the fellowship offering, Lev. 7:13). The fat, the richest part of the meat was the portion that belonged to God. If left over night it might become rancid and so unfit as an offering to God. Care must be taken to give God the best. That commitment lies at the bottom of all true holiness of life. Exodus 23:19 "You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother. NET Exodus 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the LORD your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. NLT Exodus 23:19 "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. ESV Exodus 23:19 "The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. LXE Exodus 23:19 Thou shalt bring the first-offerings of the first-fruits of thy land into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a lamb in its mother's milk. KJV Exodus 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. NIV Exodus 23:19 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. ASV Exodus 23:19 The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in it mother's milk. CSB Exodus 23:19 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God. "You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. NKJ Exodus 23:19 "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. NRS Exodus 23:19 The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk. YLT Exodus 23:19 the beginning of the first-fruits of thy ground thou dost bring into the house of Jehovah thy God; thou dost not boil a kid in its mother's milk. the choice first fruits: Ex 22:29 34:26 Lev 23:10-17 Nu 18:12,13 De 12:5-7 26:10 Ne 10:35 1Co 15:20 Rev 14:4 You are not to boil a young goat: Ex 34:26 De 14:21 Pr 12:10 Jer 10:3 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God - NLT = "As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God."
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Cole says "God’s ‘name’ is the equivalent of his revealed nature" which supports the supernatural nature of the angel. NET Note on My name is in Him - This means "the manifestation of my being" is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, "The 'angel' is Jehovah Himself 'in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.'" Cole agrees that "“My name is in him seems to translate the ‘messenger’ into the supernatural realm, for God’s ‘name’ is the equivalent of His revealed nature.” (TOTC-Ex) Kaiser - “Just as Yahweh’s name resided in his temple (Deut 12:5, 11; 1 Kings 8:29), so this Angel with the authority and prestige of the name of God was evidence enough that God himself was present in his Son."
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Cole - God’s blessing is here couched in material terms, easily understandable by ordinary men. The Creator promises food, health, fertility, and long life, to those who obey his laws. As a rough ‘rule of thumb’, this can be tested and found true at any level of civilization....it becomes clear to God’s saints that the deepest of God’s blessings are spiritual, not physical (Hab. 3:17, 18+): this brings us to the dawn of the New Testament. Exodus 23:26 "There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. NET Exodus 23:26 No woman will miscarry her young or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. NLT Exodus 23:26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives. ESV Exodus 23:26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. LXE Exodus 23:26 There shall not be on thy land one that is impotent or barren. I will surely fulfil the number of thy days. KJV Exodus 23:26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. NIV Exodus 23:26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. ASV Exodus 23:26 There shall none cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. CSB Exodus 23:26 No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days. NKJ Exodus 23:26 "No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. NRS Exodus 23:26 No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. YLT Exodus 23:26 there is not a miscarrying and barren one in thy land; the number of thy days I fulfil: shall: De 7:14 28:4 Job 21:10 Ps 107:38 144:13 Mal 3:10,11 the number: Ge 25:8 35:29 1Ch 23:1 Job 5:26 42:17 Ps 55:23 90:10 Isa 65:20 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BLESSING FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land - The blessing continues that Israel's obedience would guarantee fertility and birth of term children. Israel would be fruitful and multiply. Currid has an excellent observation that "Much of the religious ritual of the ancient Near East is bent towards appeasing the gods so that they would ensure fertility for man and all that he owned. Acts such as temple prostitution and child sacrifice served to manipulate the deities so that productivity would result. Israel is not to participate in such activity—it is Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, who provides fertility for humans, animals and fields. This teaching is echoed in Deuteronomy 7:14." (Ibid) I will fulfill the number of your days - A full lifespan! Here Jehovah promises the blessing of a long life. In short we see obedience by Israel would result in Jehovah's blessing from the womb to the tomb! Bush - That is, thou shalt not be prematurely cut off before reaching that good old age, which in the ordinary course of things thou mayest expect to attain. This is the blessing of the righteous, as is said of Job 42:17, And Job died, an old man and full of days.,’ where as ‘the wicked live not half their day Ps. 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
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Cole - My terror explains the method that God will use to subdue the Canaanites before Israel: a divine panic will grip them. George Bush - Will strike a panic terror into the inhabitants of Canaan before thine arrival, which shall facilitate the subsequent conquests. The words of the historian Josh. 2:9, 11, show how precisely this threatening was fulfilled. Positive example of terror on the enemies of Israel when she obeyed Deuteronomy 2:25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’ Deuteronomy 11:25 “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you. Joshua 2:9 (Rahab the Harlot) said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. Negative example of terror on Israel when she disobeyed Deuteronomy 32:25 (WHEN ISRAEL SPURNED GOD FOR OTHER SO-CALLED GODS) ‘Outside the sword will bereave, And inside terror– Both young man and virgin, The nursling with the man of gray hair. Terror (0367)(eman from ayom = dreadful, terrible) means "fear, terror, dread, or horror. The basic meaning is that of fear. It is used to signify the dread of the darkness that fell on Abraham (Gen. 15:12); a fear of hostile opponents (Josh. 2:9; Ezra 3:3); the terror of the Lord's judgment (Ex. 15:16; 23:27; Job 9:34); dread of the wrath of an earthly king (Prov. 20:2); something fierce or fearsome (Job 39:20). In a metaphorical sense, it refers once to pagan idols (Jer. 50:38)." (Baker) Eman - 17x in 17v - dread(2), fear(1), fearsome(1), terrible(1), terrified(1), terror(8), terrors(3). Gen. 15:12; Exod. 15:16; Exod. 23:27; Deut. 32:25; Jos. 2:9; Ezr. 3:3; Job 9:34; Job 13:21; Job 20:25; Job 33:7; Job 39:20; Job 41:14; Ps. 55:4; Ps. 88:15; Prov. 20:2; Isa. 33:18; Jer. 50:38 And throw into confusion all the people among whom you come - This promise ("I will" is implicit) is repeated in Deuteronomy - "But the LORD your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed." (De 7:23) The purpose of the confusion of the enemy was that they would be destroyed. Confusion is hamam (meaning first to make noise and then throw into confusion as used in Ex 14:24+ = The LORD "brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.") and in Greek is existemi which means literally the people's will stand out of themselves indicating they will be utterly amazed, astounded and confused by the nation of Israel! And I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you - NLT "I will make all your enemies turn and run." Another I will promise. God will do this for Israel. Her enemies will turn and retreat in terror and dread of Israel. Compare the effect of the terror of Israel on Jericho and the surrounding lands = "all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you." (Josh 2:9). Currid - The last clause literally reads, ‘And I will give all your enemies to you, backward.’ This is ‘a very pregnant expression’ that highlights the flight of those people. The Torah translation issued by the Jewish Publication Society (1962) puts it this way: ‘I will make all your enemies turn tail.’ Rayburn - "My terror” is an expression corresponding to the “angel of the Lord” (INDEED Ex 14:24+ At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud [THE MANIFESTATION OF THE ANGEL OF THE LORD] and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion."). It is as if “terror” were a vanguard marching in front of the hosts of Israel, as the angel of the Lord will go ahead of them in Ex 23:20. Exodus 23:28 "I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. NET Exodus 23:28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. NLT Exodus 23:28 I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. ESV Exodus 23:28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. LXE Exodus 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, and thou shalt cast out the Amorites and the Evites, and the Chananites and the Chettites from thee. KJV Exodus 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. NIV Exodus 23:28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. ASV Exodus 23:28 And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. CSB Exodus 23:28 I will send the hornet in front of you, and it will drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites away from you. NKJ Exodus 23:28 "And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. NRS Exodus 23:28 And I will send the pestilence in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. YLT Exodus 23:28 'And I have sent the hornet before thee, and it hath cast out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee; hornets: De 7:20 Jos 24:11 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Hornet - Can Be up to 5.5 cm (2.16 inches) I will send hornets ahead of you - This is almost an exact parallel of Ex 23:27 "“I will send My terror ahead of you." While this could be literal hornets, it could be a figurative description of the terror Jehovah sends. If you have ever been stung by even one hornet or wasp, you know that a swarm of hornets coming at you would be a terrifying sight! So either literally or figuratively, the result is terror in the enemies of Israel! Recall from Ex 23:23 God said " My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land." This would support that the terror was not literal hornets, but was the supernatural work of the Angel of the LORD. Clearly, the point is that Israel would be granted entrance to the promised land because of the grace and power of God going before her. The Hebrew word for hornet is used only 2 other times in the OT... Deuteronomy 7:20 “Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. Joshua 24:12 ‘Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. Comment - In this historical description (the other two uses are prophetic promises) there is no obvious Scriptural description of literal hornet attacks on the Canaanites, but that does not exclude literal hornets. Believer's Study Bible note - The "hornet" may refer to (1) literal hornets, (2) a symbol of Pharaoh, (3) a sense of panic or despair caused by God, (4) a plague, or (5) an angel of the Lord (cf. Ex. 23:27, 28; Deut. 7:20). The point is that God did it. Adam Clarke thinks the passage in Joshua supports literal hornets writing "“From Joshua 24:12, we find that two kings of the Amorites were actually driven out of the land by these hornets, so that the Israelites were not obliged to use either sword or bow in the conquest.” John
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Cole - In Malaysia, during the communist insurgency in the years following World War II, tigers increased alarmingly because no hunter had the leisure or opportunity to deal with them. George Bush - This was an immense territory, and it is obvious that its sudden depopulation would be attended by the consequences here stated. It was, therefore, wisely ordered that the extirpation of the Canaanites should be gradual, especially when we consider that the continued presence of enemies would keep them on their guard, and prevent them from settling down into that sluggish supineness to which they would otherwise be prone. Thus too in our spiritual warfare, it is no doubt ordained for our highest good that our corruptions should be subdued, not all at once, but by little and little; that our old man should be crucified gradually. We are hereby necessarily kept in an attitude of perpetual vigilance, and reminded of our constant dependence upon God, who alone giveth us the victory. (AMEN!) Exodus 23:31 "I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. NET Exodus 23:31 I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. NLT Exodus 23:31 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. ESV Exodus 23:31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. LXE Exodus 23:31 And I will set thy borders from the Red Sea, to the sea of the Phylistines, and from the wilderness to the great river Euphrates; and I will give into your hand those that dwell in the land, and will cast them out from thee. KJV Exodus 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. NIV Exodus 23:31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. ASV Exodus 23:31 And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand: and thou shalt drive them out before thee. CSB Exodus 23:31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you. NKJ Exodus 23:31 "And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. NRS Exodus 23:31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you. YLT Exodus 23:31 'And I have set thy border from the Red Sea, even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River: for I give into your hand the inhabitants of the land, and thou hast cast them out from before thee; I will fix: Ge 15:18 Nu 34:3-15 De 11:24 Jos 1:4 1Ki 4:21,24 Ps 72:8 deliver: Nu 21:34 De 3:2 Jos 8:7,18 10:8,19 21:44 23:14 24:8 Jud 1:4 Jud 11:21 1Sa 23:4 1Ki 20:13 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S PATTERN FOR SUCCESSFUL OCCUPATION DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY PRECEDES HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates - From the Red Sea would be the Gulf of Aqabah (see map), to the sea of the Philistines, the Mediterranean Sea, from the wilderness, which would be the Negev (map), to the river, which is almost certainly the Euphrates (map) on the north. A few writers make the statement that the boundaries were attained briefly under David and Solomon, but I think that is probably not the case. David Thompson - This completely coincides with the land boundaries God promised to Abraham (Ge 15:18+). Israel has never had the totality of this land. When will she have it? The day is still in the future (Millennium). She did not obey God and she rejected His Word and she rejected His Son. (Sermon) Currid has a slightly different interpretation - The extent of the land that God gives to Israel is not described in purely idealistic terms, because it was attained during the reigns of David and Solomon (1 Kings 4:21). For - Term of explanation. Explains how Israel would be able to take over an area inhabited by pagan peoples. I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand - Note first God's sovereignty. God must move first and in context He did it by sending terror ("hornets") and the Angel of the LORD. To deliver someone into another's hand is a picture of giving them over to the power of the recipient (Israel). And you will drive them out before you - Here we see man's (Israel's) responsibility to eradicate the pagan peoples from the land. Exodus 23:32 "You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. NET Exodus 23:32 "You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. NLT Exodus 23:32 "Make no treaties with them or their gods. ESV Exodus 23:32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. LXE Exodus 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them and their gods. KJV Exodus 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. NIV Exodus 23:32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. ASV Exodus 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. CSB Exodus 23:32 You must not make a covenant with them or their gods. NKJ Exodus 23:32 "You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. NRS Exodus 23:32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. YLT Exodus 23:32 thou dost not make a covenant with them, and with their gods; shalt make: Ex 34:12,15 De 7:2 Jos 9:14-23 2Sa 21:1,2 Ps 106:35 2Co 6:15 or with: Nu 25:1,2 De 7:16 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries NO INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY WITH THE PAGAN NATIONS You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods - The Hebrew phrase for make a covenant is the idiom "Karath beriyth" which more literally is translated "cut a covenant". The noun Berit/berith/beriyth is a contract or agreement, one made by passing between pieces of cut flesh. The verb Karath means to divide or cut in two or to make a covenant. Make a covenant signified the most solemn, binding, intimate contract known in the ancient world and in the Bible. See an example of what happened when Israel disobeyed this command in note below on Numbers 25. Alan Cole comments on make no covenant - "This is the end of the ‘book of the covenant’, giving the terms upon which God’s covenant was to be made with Israel. The next chapter moves on to the actual establishment of YHWH’s covenant. In view of the exclusive nature of this relationship, it is right that this chapter should end with the forbidding of any other covenant, human or divine, for Israel. Such a provision was common in the treaties of the day. (TOTC-Ex) Related Resources: Covenant: Why Study It? Covenant: Introduction Covenant: Summary Table Exodus 23:33 "They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you." NET Exodus 23:33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you." NLT Exodus 23:33 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." ESV Exodus 23:33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you." LXE Exodus 23:33 And they shall not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against me; for if thou shouldest serve their gods, these will be an offence to thee. KJV Exodus 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. NIV Exodus 23:33 Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you." ASV Exodus 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. CSB Exodus 23:33 They must not remain in your land, or else they will make you sin against Me. If you worship their gods, it will be a snare for you." NKJ Exodus 23:33 "They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you." NRS Exodus 23:33 They shall not live in your land, or they will make you sin against me; for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a snare to you. YLT Exodus 23:33 they do not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against Me when thou servest their gods, when it becometh a snare to thee.' make: 1Ki 14:16 2Ch 33:9 it will surely: Ex 34:12 De 7:16 12:30 Jos 23:13 Jdg 2:3 1Sa 18:21 Ps 106:36 2Ti 2:26 Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me - Obviously the idol worshipers could not force Israel to sin against Jehovah, but as explained below, they could be enticed or seduced and then ultimately ensnared. However the implication of this command is clear -- if Israel associates with the idolatrous peoples, they are virtually assured of committing sin against Jehovah, and would especially likely to break the first commandment "You shall have no other gods before Me." (Ex 20:3+). Why? Because they would have intimate exposure to the sensual, seductive "worship" by the pagans of their false gods. George Bush - Evil communications corrupt good manners, and by familiar converse with the votaries of idols, their dread and detestation of the sin would imperceptibly wear off, and they would find themselves, before they were aware, transferring their worship and allegiance from the true God to the vanities of the heathen. The language implies that the serving of false gods is nothing else than making a covenant with them, and that this is a very natural consequence of making a covenant with those who worship them. For - Term of explanation. Explains how Israel would be made to sin against Jehovah. if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you - Idolatry would be an ever present problem for Israel as they interacted with the pagan nations. Here it says they serve them which is the same Hebrew verb abad used above,but now the Septuagint uses a difference verb douleo which means to serve as one's master, to relinquish one's will to the will of the master (in this case the false gods). And in serving these false gods, they would become entangled or ensnared by them. We read about Israel's ensnarement by idols in the book of Judges 2... Now the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 3 “Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” (Jdg 2:1-3+) All that generation also were gathered to their fathers (THE GENERATION OF JOSHUA); and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel (NOTE: THEY DID NOT KNOW THE PERSON OR THE POWER OF THE TRUE GOD AND SO WERE A SETUP FOR FALSE GODS!) 11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, 12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. (Jdg 2:10-12+) COMMENT - How significant was the warning in Exodus 23:13? The warning became reality and cycles of apostasy and idolatry were repeated in the book of Judges. And how long did Israel's cycles of apostasy and idolatry last? The book of Judges chronicles about a 350 year period (or almost 25% of the entire Old Testament history of the nation of Israel - see map of various judges by location). One is reminded of Balaam's advice to King Balak (of Moab) on how to ensnare Israel in Numbers 25 where we see that what Balak and Balaam had failed to accomplish through sorcery, they accomplished through the seduction of Canaanite fertility worship! The association of idolatry with immorality is a clearly taught from Genesis to Revelation. The upshot is that idolatry will lead you into immorality unless you repent quickly! And so in context of a discussion of idolatry and immorality (1 Cor 10:7,8) Paul's command "Therefore, my beloved, flee (present imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) from idolatry." (1 Cor 10:14). Similarly John commanded "Little children, guard (aorist imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves from idols." (1 Jn 5:19+). While Israel remained at Shittim (LAST STOP BEFORE ISRAEL CROSSED JORDAN RIVER - Josh 2:1), the people began to play the harlot (IMMORALITY) with the daughters of Moab. 2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods (cf Ex 23:33 "IF YOU SERVE THEIR GODS..."). 3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor (IDOLATRY), and the LORD was angry against Israel. (Nu 25:1-3) NET Note - The idea of the “snare” is to lure them to judgment; God is apparently warning about contact with the Canaanites, either in worship or in business. They were very syncretistic, and so it would be dangerous to settle among them. Life is a journey and obedience to God is the key to a great journey. --- David Thompson Rayburn - The final two verses, as a summary, form a fitting conclusion to the covenant document. The sparing of Rahab and her family and their settling among the Israelites shows that this extermination of the Canaanites was for religious and moral purposes, not for ethnic purposes. Israel was the instrument of God’s judgment. Remember, God had waited many centuries to punish the Canaanites because “their iniquity was not yet full.” The deceptive danger of idolatry to ensnare one's heart was a repeated warning to Israel (and no less of a warning to us today!)... Judges 2:3 “Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare (moqesh) to you.’” Deuteronomy 7:16 “And you shall consume all the peoples whom the LORD your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare (moqesh) to you. Joshua 23:13 know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they shall be a snare (moqesh) and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. Snare (4170)(moqesh from yaqosh) is a masculine noun meaning a snare, a trap, bait. The picture is of the lure or bait being placed in the hunter’s trap, which gives rise to moqesh referring to the snare itself. Traps were used to capture birds or beasts (Amos 3:5). As used in Judges 8:27 moqesh refers to a moral pitfall (Pr. 18:7; 20:25). Moqesh can be anything that lures one to ruin and disaster (Jdg. 2:3; Pr 29:6). Septuagint translates moqesh with proskomma (Ex 23:33, 34:12) which refers to that which causes one to stumble (figuratively) as in Ro 14:13, 20, 1 Pe 2:8, etc. Moqesh - 27x - Ex 10:7; Ex 23:33; Ex 34:12; Deut. 7:16; Jos. 23:13; Jdg. 2:3; Jdg. 8:27; 1 Sam. 18:21; 2 Sam. 22:6; Job 34:30; Job 40:24; Ps. 18:5; Ps. 64:5; Ps. 69:22; Ps. 106:36; Ps. 140:5; Ps. 141:9; Prov. 12:13; Prov. 13:14; Prov. 14:27; Prov. 18:7; Prov. 20:25; Prov. 22:25; Prov. 29:6; Prov. 29:25; Isa. 8:14; Amos 3:5 Holman Bible Dictionary on snare - Trap to catch birds and animals. There were basically two kinds of snares. One used rope or cord. Either the animal stepped in the trap and was snared by the feet, or the rope fell from above and caught the animal by the neck. The most common was a trap with a net. The animal would be attracted by the bait. When the baited trigger was released, the net covered the animal and captured it. Also the opening of a pit would be camouflaged with cover. The animal would fall into the pit and be captured. Figuratively, snares spoke of peril or death and the destruction of persons (Job 22:10 ; Psalm 18:5 ; compare 1 Samuel 28:9). Related Resources: Are You Entangled? (or ensnared) Easton's Bible Dictionary Snare Holman Bible Dictionary Snare Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Snares Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Snare King James Dictionary Snare Vines' Expository Dictionary Snare Wilson's Bible Types Snare International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Snare McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Snare BIBLIOGRAPHY - Resources Quoted in Commentary Exodus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries - these are free James Bruckner - Exodus (Understanding the Bible Commentary Umberto Cassuto - A Commentary on the Book of Exodus Alan Cole - Exodus - TOTC John Currid - Epsc Exodus Volume 1 (1-18) John Currid - Epsc Exodus Volume 2 (19-40) Victor Hamilton - Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary John Hannah - The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Old Testament:) Walter Kaiser - Exodus -The Expositor's Bible Commentary John Mackay - Exodus: A Mentor Commentary Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Exodus Douglas Stuart - Exodus - An Exegetical and Theological Commentary (NAC Series) Warren