Commandments Explained - God's Promises
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There are some passages of Scripture that can make us uncomfortable. Exodus 23:27–33 is one of them. God is speaking to Israel about entering the Promised Land, driving out the nations before them, and refusing to make covenants with the people or their gods.
At first glance, it can be easy to read a passage like this and imagine a harsh, angry God in the Old Testament—very different from the Jesus we encounter in the New Testament.
But that distinction misses something essential about who God is.
God has always been the same God.
The God of the Old Testament gives his people guidelines and boundaries because he loves them. Jesus gives us instructions for how to live because he loves us. God's structure is not opposed to his love. His structure is one of the ways his love is expressed.
God Gives Us Structure and Nurture
One way to understand Exodus 23 is through the idea of structure and nurture.
Think about a bowling alley with bumpers. The bumpers keep the ball moving in the direction it is supposed to go. One side provides structure; the other provides nurture. We need both.
Children need boundaries and expectations, but they also need to know they are loved, seen, and cared for. Structure without nurture can become harsh and rigid. Nurture without structure can leave someone without the guidance they need.
God does both.
Throughout Exodus, God is giving Israel structure: instructions, boundaries, commands, and a way of life. But he is also nurturing them. He provides for them. He protects them. He goes before them. He cares about details they haven't even considered.
That is the picture we see in this passage.
God tells Israel that he will not drive their enemies out all at once. Instead, he will do it "little by little."
Why?
Because driving everyone out immediately would leave the land desolate, allowing wild animals to multiply against them. God isn't simply concerned with accomplishing the goal as quickly as possible. He is concerned with caring for his people along the way.
God knows what they need even when they don't.
We Often Want the Whole Road Map
This is where the passage becomes deeply personal.
Most of us would prefer God to give us the whole plan.
We want steps five, six, seven, and eight. We want to know where we're going, how we're going to get there, and exactly when everything will happen.
But God often gives us something different.
He gives us a glimmer.
He says, in effect, I am going before you. Trust me. Take the next step. I'll show you more when you need to see it.
If God gave us the entire roadmap, we might not need to depend on him.
Sometimes God's love looks like giving us enough light for the next step rather than enough light for the entire journey.
That can be frustrating, but it can also be an invitation.
Trust me. Lean on me. Follow me. I'm with you.
The Danger of Returning to the Kingdom of Empire
The passage ends with a warning: Israel must not make covenants with the nations or their gods. God knows that if they allow those gods to remain in the land, they will become a snare to them.
This connects with a major theme throughout Exodus: the conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of empire.
God has already demonstrated his power over the gods of Egypt through the plagues. Now he is continuing to teach Israel that the gods and ways of the surrounding nations are not where their security is found.
And that warning still matters for us.
We may not bow down to statues, but we can still return to the kingdom of empire when we look elsewhere for our peace, comfort, security, or identity.
What is immediately in front of you?
What provides instant comfort?
Where do you turn when you're anxious, overwhelmed, or uncertain?
Sometimes we know the answer isn't God, and yet we keep going back.
God's invitation is still the same:
Choose me. Choose my kingdom. Choose my peace. Depend on me.
Where Are You Right Now?
The halfway point of a journey can be a good time to stop and reflect.
As a new school year begins and schedules begin to change, it is worth asking:
Where have I lost my zeal?
Where am I no longer as focused on pursuing God?
Am I creating space in my schedule to meet with God?
Am I fighting against God's structure because I want to do things my own way?
Or perhaps the struggle is on the other side.
Am I refusing God's nurture?
Have I kept myself at a distance because I don't trust the church? Have I been hurt by God's people before, and now I'm afraid to step back into community?
God invites us into both structure and nurture. He gives us boundaries because he loves us, and he cares for us because we belong to him.
You Don't Have to Carry It Alone
There is one more invitation in this passage that is easy to miss: we were never meant to walk alone.
When we carry difficult things by ourselves, they can remain hidden in the darkness. Prayer gives us an opportunity to bring those things into the light.
When we ask someone to pray with us, we aren't admitting defeat. We're allowing someone else to help carry the burden and take it to Jesus with us.
Some of us need to take that step.
Maybe there is something heavy you've been carrying for a long time. Maybe there is something you haven't trusted anyone enough to share. Maybe you have been trying to figure out the next five steps when God is simply asking you to trust him with the next one.
You don't have to have the whole road map.
You don't have to carry the burden alone.
God is already going before you.
And sometimes faith simply looks like taking the next step between his structure and his nurture, trusting that the God who loves you will continue to lead you little by little.
