Exodus 23

1 [The LORD continued,] "Never spread false rumors. Don't join forces with wicked people by giving false testimony.

2 Never follow a crowd in doing wrong. When you testify in court, don't side with the majority to pervert justice.

3 Never give special favors to poor people in court.

4 "Whenever you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering loose, be sure to take it back to him.

5 Whenever you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, don't leave it there. Be sure to help him with his animal.

6 "Never deny justice to poor people in court.

7 Avoid telling lies. Don't kill innocent or honest people, because I will never declare guilty people innocent.

8 Never take a bribe, because bribes blind those who can see and deny justice to those who are in the right.

9 "Never oppress foreigners. You know what it's like to be foreigners because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

10 "For six years you may plant crops in your fields and harvest them,

11 but in the seventh year you must leave the land unplowed and unused. In that way the poor among your people will have food to eat, and wild animals may eat what the poor people leave. You must do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

12 "For six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must not work. Then your ox and donkey can rest. The slaves born in your household and foreigners will also be refreshed.

13 "Be careful [to do] everything I told you. "Never mention the names of other gods or let them be heard on your lips.

14 "Three times a year you must celebrate a pilgrimage festival in my honor.

15 "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread: For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because that was when you left Egypt. No one may come into my presence without an offering.

16 "Celebrate the Festival of the Harvest with the first produce harvested from whatever you plant in your fields. "Celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the year when you harvest your crops from the fields.

17 "These are the three times each year that all your men must come into the presence of the Master, the LORD.

18 "Never offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. The fat sacrificed at my festivals should never be left over in the morning.

19 "You must bring the best of the first produce harvested from your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Never cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

20 "I'm going to send a Messenger in front of you to protect you on your trip and bring you to the place I have prepared.

21 Pay attention to him, and listen to him. Don't defy him, because he will not forgive your disobedience. He is acting on my authority.

22 But if you will listen to him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an opponent to your opponents.

23 "My Messenger will go ahead of you and will bring you to [the land of] the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites. I will wipe them out.

24 Never worship or serve their gods or follow their practices. Instead, you must destroy their gods and crush their sacred stones.

25 You must serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your food and water. I will take away all sickness from among you.

26 No woman in your land will miscarry or be unable to have children. I will let you live a normal life span.

27 "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw any nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies flee from you.

28 I will spread panic ahead of you to force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way.

29 I will not force them out of your way in one year. Otherwise, the land would be deserted, and wild animals would take over.

30 Little by little I will force them out of your way until you have increased enough in number to take possession of the land.

31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Sinai Desert to the Euphrates River. I will put the people living in the land under your control, and you will force them out of your way.

32 Never make a treaty with them and their gods.

33 Never let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me and trap you into serving their gods."

Exodus 23 Commentary

Chapter 23

Laws against falsehood and injustice. (1-9) The year of rest, The sabbath, The three festivals. (10-19) God promises to conduct the Israelites to Canaan. (20-33)

Verses 1-9 In the law of Moses are very plain marks of sound moral feeling, and of true political wisdom. Every thing in it is suited to the desired and avowed object, the worship of one only God, and the separation of Israel from the pagan world. Neither parties, friends, witnesses, nor common opinions, must move us to lessen great faults, to aggravate small ones, excuse offenders, accuse the innocent, or misrepresent any thing.

Verses 10-19 Every seventh year the land was to rest. They must not plough or sow it; what the earth produced of itself, should be eaten, and not laid up. This law seems to have been intended to teach dependence on Providence, and God's faithfulness in sending the larger increase while they kept his appointments. It was also typical of the heavenly rest, when all earthly labours, cares, and interests shall cease for ever. All respect to the gods of the heathen is strictly forbidden. Since idolatry was a sin to which the Israelites leaned, they must blot out the remembrance of the gods of the heathen. Solemn religious attendance on God, in the place which he should choose, is strictly required. They must come together before the Lord. What a good Master do we serve, who has made it our duty to rejoice before him! Let us devote with pleasure to the service of God that portion of our time which he requires, and count his sabbaths and ordinances to be a feast unto our souls. They were not to come empty-handed; so now, we must not come to worship God empty-hearted; our souls must be filled with holy desires toward him, and dedications of ourselves to him; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Verses 20-33 It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. Christ is the Angel of Jehovah; ( 1 Corinthians. 10:9 ) a comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan. How reasonable are the conditions of this promise; that they should serve the only true God; not the gods of the nations, which are no gods at all. How rich are the particulars of this promise! The comfort of their food, the continuance of their health, the increase of their wealth, the prolonging their lives to old age. Thus hath godliness the promise of the life that now is. It is promised that they should subdue their enemies. Hosts of hornets made way for the hosts of Israel; such mean creatures can God use for chastising his people's enemies. In real kindness to the church, its enemies are subdued by little and little; thus we are kept on our guard, and in continual dependence on God. Corruptions are driven out of the hearts of God's people, not all at once, but by little and little. The precept with this promise is, that they should not make friendship with idolaters. Those that would keep from bad courses, must keep from bad company. It is dangerous to live in a bad neighbourhood; others' sins will be our snares. Our greatest danger is from those who would make us sin against God.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Ex 23:1-3,6-8, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Ex 23:4,5, and of the oppression of a stranger, Ex 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Ex 23:10-13, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Ex 23:14-17, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Ex 23:18,19 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Ex 23:20-26, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Ex 23:27-31, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Ex 23:32,33.