Our part in God’s plan (Exod 23:20-33)
Exod 23:20-33
One of the hardest things to know as we seek God’s will is what our part in the unfolding of His plan is. Depending on the Christian tradition we come from, some of us are more inclined to sit and wait for God to bring opportunities to us, while others of us deliberately seek out ways to further what we understand as God’s will. To make it more confusing, Scripture itself sometimes focuses on the need to wait on the Lord in trust (e.g. Exod 14:13-14), and at other times, places stronger emphasis on actively working together with God. What then is our part in God’s plans?
Today’s reading is a final exhortation that highlights again the need for Israel to be faithful to God even as God is utterly faithful to His people. Israel’s part in this is obedience to God (Exod 23:20-21) and the avoidance of idolatry at all cost (Exod 23:24, 32-33). The call to obedience, however, should not be read in isolation from what has gone before. The series of laws we have examined for a few weeks now have laid out for Israel a framework to help them see how broad principles of godliness are to be worked out both in relationship with other people and with God. This is by no means a full list of all that was required of Israel, but through a carefully chosen selection it was meant to help the people understand that the exodus experience and God’s character as manifested through it should define their being and actions. Thus, the call to obedience is not simply about following God’s angel (lit. ‘messenger’) into the Promised Land but involves living godly lives.[1] This is a lesson we all need to be reminded of. Sometimes we think of God’s will only in terms of His specific plans for us, but Scripture reminds us that His general will is our sanctification (1 Thess 4:3).
In turn, God commits Himself to guard and to guide, to bless, as well as to deal with Israel’s enemies (Exod 23:20, 25-26). In the co-operation between God and us, He does what only He can do. The Canaanites would have outnumbered the Israelites and the latter had no experience fighting and had no professional weapons. Thus, God went ahead of them preparing the ground by putting the fear of God, as it were, into the local population. The hornets may have involved some sort of plague (as in Egypt) or they could have symbolised the Egyptian powers who made raids into the territory around this time and weakened the Canaanites.[2] Regardless, God was orchestrating events that enabled Israel to take on the enemy. While the Lord has the lion’s share of the work, Israel has a part to play. Notice how God’s actions are complemented by Israel’s (God destroys – Exod 23:23; ‘you shall overthrow’ – Exod 23:24; God will drive them out – Exod 23:30; ‘you will drive them out’ – Exod 23:31).[3]
Different situations may call for different approaches, yet today’s reading makes it clear that even when we have a smaller part to play compared to God (like children who help mum to bake), we need to give it our best within our capabilities. Given that God’s power trumps all, it comes as a surprise that the outcome will not be one spectacular victory that sweeps the Canaanites off the board. Rather, the Lord will drive them out ‘little by little’ (Exod 23:30). There is an important principle here. Life abhors a vacuum, and the latter is quickly filled with undesirable elements (Exod 23:29). I am reminded of Jesus’ story about the house swept clean but left empty, which is re-occupied by more evil forces than before (Luke 11:24-26). This principle may explain why the process of sanctification, the working out of holy living is a ‘little by little’ process rather than one momentous change. It is not enough to get rid of evil, we need to learn godliness and grow into the space left behind by sin.
For interest – Prosperity gospel
The description of blessing promised by God in Exod 23:25-26 may sound dangerously like the prosperity gospel, but its aim is to establish a clear link between obedience and a flourishing life. It seems from several references to death that Israel in the early stages of their history did not understand that there was an afterlife. There is the occasional hint and hope possibly for something more, but essentially Israelites believed that once people died, they all went to the underworld (Sheol) irrespective of what they had done in life (Eccl 9:2-3). In Sheol, there was no consciousness and no longer any awareness of God (e.g. Ps 6:5; 30:9; Eccl 9:5; Job 7:9-10). Thus, God explains His blessing to them in ways that they could comprehend, rooted strongly in the material world because it was the only reality they recognised.
We should also note that this is stylised language. It does not follow that those who are obedient will never get sick or that barrenness is a sign of disobedience. The wider message of Scripture, and indeed the OT, makes it clear that suffering happens even to godly people (e.g. Job, David being persecuted by Saul, Jesus), yet it also affirms that those who are obedient will ultimately be blessed by God.
Thus, we need to hold these two principles together. The mistake that the advocates of the prosperity gospel make is to read passages on the connection between obedience and blessing too woodenly without paying attention to the ancient context and the larger framework of Scripture. (See also some comments I make about the prosperity gospel in posts here and here.)
[1] The identity of God’s ‘messenger’ is debated. Traditionally, he is understood to be an angelic being. Others identify him as Moses who was God’s intermediary. Yet others argue that this is a way of speaking about God’s presence in some form. Given the language in v.21 that he has power to withhold forgiveness and that God’s name (i.e. essence, presence) is in him, I am inclined to agree with the latter option.
[2] Nahum M. Sarna, Exodus, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: JPS, 1991), 149. Sarna also points to the word-play in Hebrew between mitsrayim (Egypt) and tsir‘ah (hornet). Since ‘hornet’ is only used here and in Deut 7:20 and Josh 24:12, there is some uncertainty as to its meaning. Sarna speculates that it may refer to the insect that symbolised kingship in Lower Egypt.
[3] The fate of the local population is a difficult question that I cannot answer here, but Genesis 15 hints at a larger story, in which God judges the sins of other nations, too. God explains to Abraham that there will be a delay in his people inheriting the land when Israel will suffer oppression in Egypt until the sins of the Amorites (a collective term here for the local population in Canaan) is complete (Gen 15:13, 16). For further discussion that is accessible for lay people as well, see Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011) 158-97.
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