(1) Who is the angel v.20-23?
23:20 “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him.
(NET) This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305–6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh—some manifestation of Yahweh himself.
(2) 23:25 You must serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from your midst. 23:26 No woman will miscarry her young or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.
(NET) No one will die prematurely; this applies to the individual or the nation. The plan of God to bless was extensive, if only the people would obey.
The most common reason to worship idols was for fertility. Both the fertility of their soil and the fertility in their family. God promised them that there is no need to worship idols. He would bless them in both areas.
(3) 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land.
See how God was a caring God. He blessed Israel according to their strength. He thought ahead for them.
The most common reason to worship idols was for fertility. Both the fertility of their soil and the fertility in their family. God promised them that there is no need to worship idols. He would bless them in both areas.
(3) 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land.
See how God was a caring God. He blessed Israel according to their strength. He thought ahead for them.
Reflection: Is God your God? Do you follow Him or follow idols? The pre incarnated Christ led them personally. People who worship idols for their own gain. God gives those to us, too, if we follow Him. Plus, God takes care of His own better than anyone else. There is no reason not to follow Him and follow anyone else. Or there is no reason not to follow Him alone. God is enough.
Audrey
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