Exodus 23

Honesty and justice (vs. 1-9)—Several laws dealing with honest behavior:
--v. 1—No rumor-mongering or false witnessing;
--v. 2—don’t follow the evil multitudes, nor testify in a way that perverts justice;
--v. 3—just as they were not supposed to show partiality to the rich, don’t do it to the poor, either; justice is justice;
--vs. 4-5—“love your enemy”; if there is a way you can help him (the example of restoring and aiding his animal is used) then do it;
--v. 6—is the opposite of verse 3; don’t pervert the judgment of the poor;
--v. 7—stay “far” away from any false matter; “do not kill the innocent and righteous” may be in regard to judicial matters, given the context;
--v. 8—don’t take a bribe; that leads to a perversion of justice;
--v. 9—don’t cheat a non-Israelite; JUSTICE IS JUSTICE.

The Sabbath rests (vs. 10-13)—The people were to work the land for six years, and to let it lie fallow the seventh (vs. 10-11). This is not bad agricultural practice, which the Lord certainly knew, and the Israelites might have known as well. There are indications later in the Scripture that the people didn’t do this. Part of the rationale for this was to help the poor (v. 11). Israel had no governmental welfare system, a scheme which has nearly always been abused in history. Benevolence is not virtuous unless done voluntarily, and that is what the Lord expected of Israel (and us). The command to not labor on the Sabbath is repeated here again, no doubt for emphasis (v. 12). Don’t even speak of other gods (v. 13).

The three major feasts (vs. 14-19)—The Passover has already been detailed for the people at length, but is mentioned here again, as well as the two other major feasts the children of Israel were to celebrate. Three times a year all males were to go to Jerusalem for these feasts. The Passover was to be celebrated in the month of Abib, the first month of the year (v. 15). It’s also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (v. 15). Fifty days later, they were to celebrate the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost), “the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field” (v. 16), and then “at the end of the year,” they were to observe the Feast of Ingathering, or Feast of Tabernacles as it was more popularly called. Again, only the males were required to attend, but by Jesus’ time, females usually went as well. Leavened bread was not to be offered with any sacrifice, and the fat of the sacrifice was to be disposed of before the next morning. There will be more details of all this later in the Law. The section closes with the interesting admonition: “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk” (v. 19). Apparently this was a practice of the pagan peoples around them that the Lord did not want imitated.

Led by an angel (vs. 20-33)—The Lord once again encourages the people to be obedient. If they do, they will be blessed and their enemies will fall before them. An angel will lead them “into the place which I have prepared” (v. 20). Obey Him (v. 21), for, in effect, he speaks for the Lord. If they do obey him, the Lord would be “an enemy to your enemies” (v. 22). The wicked people of the land would be “cut…off” (v. 23). Part of the obedience demanded was not to bow down to the pagan gods, but to “utterly overthrow them” (v. 24). Serve the Lord and He would provide them food, protect them from illness, and make them fertile (vs. 25-26). He would confuse their enemies and drive them out (vs. 27-28). It’s a little difficult to believe that the “hornets” of verse 28 is literal; God a horde of stinging Israelites would plague the Canaanites. Verse 29 is significant. The Lord told them that He would not drive the Canaanites out of the land all in one year; somebody needed to work the land until Israel could apportion it among the tribes. So the pagan nations would be removed “little by little” (v. 30). The boundaries of the land are once again stated, as is the command not to make a covenant with the people of Canaan, nor serve their gods (vs. 32-33). “For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you" (v. 33). Jehovah repeats this no doubt because of its importance, and for emphasis. The Israelites were almost assuredly still a polytheistic people, and the Lord wanted that feature to be cleaned out of them. There is only one God, and they needed to learn that and serve only Him.