Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
It was important for Moses and the children of Israel to know that the Angel of the LORD was going before them. If God does not open the way and if God does not lead in the way, it is disaster to go on. We need that truth today as much as Moses needed it then. Jesus declared:
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
God promised the nation of Israel that His Angel would keep them in the way and He would bring them safely to the place that He had prepared for them. God would prove Himself faithful. The children of Israel would often test God, but He would prove Himself true. The same is true today. Many times, Jews and Gentiles have tested God. In Moses’ day, many Jews died because they refused to follow God’s Way. Others lived miserable lives because they would not follow Him.
Today, people are dying because they will not follow God’s way. Others are living miserable lives because they will not follow Him. Some people become quite emotional when confronted with truth. They take offence because they want to believe their own lies and cannot justify their lies when confronted with truth. In the end, only those who submit to God and follow His way, will enter heaven. Many people want to go to heaven, but they refuse to follow God’s way. Heaven is God’s place. He does not allow anyone to enter that holy place unless they know His forgiveness and His salvation.
In verse 22 God stated that the people needed to be aware of God. It is extremely important to understand the importance of the fear of God in our hearts. God is approachable for those who come before Him in humility and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The arrogance and stubbornness that is so common among people today is a tragedy. Many will be in shock when they die and find that they did not go to heaven. It would be wise for people to stop and listen to God’s Word.
It was dangerous to provoke God then and it is equally dangerous to provoke Him now. God does not forgive those who do not want His way. As we noted from John 14:6, there is only One way to God the Father. God told Moses that His name was in this Angel. There is some discussion as to Who this Angel was. Was it a created angel or was it a pre-incarnate reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot know for sure which it is. We know that God alone can forgive sin. We know that forgiveness is only to those who will call upon the Lord seeking forgiveness. On the cross, Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who were witnessing His crucifixion. We only know of one person who received that forgiveness at that time. That was the thief that was hanging on the cross next to Jesus. No one else asked for forgiveness at that time. We know that Peter received forgiveness for denying Jesus Christ. However, there were many then and there are many now who receive no forgiveness because they reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
In verse 22 we are again reminded of the importance of obeying the voice of this Angel.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
From what we read in our text, and what we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, it seems quite likely that the Angel in our text is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ or It is a pre-incarnate mention of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Obedience to Christ begins with accepting His salvation. It is important that we understand that we do not make the terms of forgiveness or of salvation. There are many people that are deceived and they have convinced themselves that they are right with God, yet they openly defy Him. No man is without sin. No man can claim they never sin. However, no true child of God can remain in defiance of God’s law.
In our text, God reminded the people that they needed to listen to God if they wanted His protection and blessing. God’s relationship with His people is not a one-sided relationship. He is the God, the Saviour, the Master. He provides the strength and the supply. However, He requires that His children prove their faith in Him by obeying Him. God promised to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries, if they would obey His Angel’s voice. This again speaks to more than a created angel.
In verse 23 God promised that His Angel would go before them. He would bring the children of Israel into the presence of their enemies, just as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 23. He would bring them in the presence of their enemies and He would cut the enemies off.
God promised that here just shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt. He watched over them for forty years in the wilderness and He brought them safely into the land of Canaan and they began to conquer the enemies. The only time they had trouble defeating the enemy was when they chose not to obey the Lord. At Jericho they were successful. At Ai they suffered defeat because of sin in the camp. When Joshua rooted out the sin, the nation was successful at Ai. The same was true all the way along as they began to take over the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God is well able to keep His Word. He never fails. God does not throw His pearls to the swine.
The lessons we learn in the Old Testament are there as examples for us today. We need to submit to His Word and His will if we want to know His peace. God is willing to grant salvation and peace to all who will humble themselves and know His salvation.
Pastor Bartel
