Exodus 23
Exodus 23
The plan is for Israel to enter the promised land a sanctified nation, guided by God’s angel and in complete dedication to the Lord. So when Moses is on Mount Sinai as he is here, receiving the laws purposed for God’s people to obey and fulfill, we begin to notice the Israelites have a tall order of righteousness in front of them.
The first three sections of this chapter lay out more laws for the people regarding civil conduct and calendar activities revolving around the Sabbath. Throughout the law giving, you can imagine God’s desire for His people to “listen close” to His words, giving specific commands for the sacrifices and timings of the festivals and moments of rest. Yet here, just before we transition to the master plan where God paints the beautiful picture of hope in His blessing over them when they live into His commands, we have verse 19. “Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Though seemingly irrelevant to us, this verse and reinforcement/exposition of practices is intricately embedded in the desire God has for His people to follow the first commandment. Specifically thinking about the young goat being cooked in its mother's milk situation, MacArthur and Enduring Word commentaries both connect this to an ancient ritual the Canaanite tribes would perform in an effort to practice pagan cult-religious activities. Or in Enduring Word’s understanding specifically, “The Canaanite people were deeply depraved and morally degraded, and this was a natural result of the depraved and degraded idol gods they served. Therefore, it was essential that Israel did not imitate their idol worship or allow it to continue” (Guzik, 2018). The Israelites were about to go through enemy territory physically and spiritually. Not only was a tall order of righteousness demanded by the Israelites, but it was done in the face of intense spiritual promiscuity. Now, luckily for Israel, God was the one who drove out all the tribes from the land He set aside for them. Their job is simply to erase the remnant of idol worship left behind in their acts of devotion to the Lord. This is where the first part of verse 19 comes into play. The three sections before this, their practices toward each other and collectively as a nation, all focus on Israel’s devotion to God. Therefore, in Israel’s worship and devotion to what is true, he was tempted by other gods in the land to worship wrongfully with pagan practices that do not represent God nor His glory.
When God tells them not to make any covenant or treaty with the people present in the land, this same heart and desire are displayed for His people. Going back to the Enduring Word quote from above, the Canaanite tribal people were depraved entirely, and even made idols for their sins to serve instead of God. This is the opposite of what God wants for His people; no, He wants them devoted to Himself alone.
Pondering our culture in 21st century America where sin is very much still real and the command for God’s people to be set apart and be devoted to Jesus alone even more so mandated, let us think of our practices. Maybe it doesn’t feel as clear to you because there aren’t as many literal cults drawing your attention to distract you or infiltrate your true worship of God. An idol doesn’t have to be a certified religion, though, for it to be worshiped, and I submit to you there are idols just as potent in our time just as much as they were in the time of Exodus.
Seek wisdom from the Lord and ask with a humble heart:
Is what I do to worship the Lord solely worshipful to Him? Or do I elevate something else along the way?
Is what I do to rest in the Lord truly centered on Him? Or am I seeking rest in something else too?
Both of these questions prompt you towards purity of devotion to the Lord.
