Topic: DIVINE ESCORT
Text: EXODUS 23:20-33
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.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
KEY VERSE:
Having delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh, the Lord kept on leading them through Moses towards the Promised Land. This time around, He decided to lead them by His Angel.
He promised to send His Angel to lead and keep Israel through the wilderness into the land of Canaan, the land He had promised and prepared for them. The Lord warned them not to provoke the Angel. For us, believers, we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Provoking the Angel of the Lord, would bring great punishment on Israel.
The Lord also forewarned them not to serve the idols of the inhabitants of Canaan. They were to serve Him only, the true and living God. After the warning, He promised them that He would bless their bread and water, prevent all forms of epidemic from visiting them, give them good health and healing as well as fruitfulness both in body and spirit. He also laid bare His security plan for them. He would make them conquer and subdue their enemies not by their own weapons, but by the terror He would lay on the enemies’ hearts and by sending hornets to scare them away. God told them the reason why He would not drive out all their enemies at once, but gradually. It was to preserve the nation of Israel from the beasts of the land that might gather themselves together to exterminate them.
A loving God indeed we have, who will never leave His people alone on their journeys in this wilderness called life. His Holy Spirit has been appointed to lead and comfort us. We must make sure that we do not grieve His Spirit. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit; therefore avoid it like a dreaded plague.
Thought for the day: If God be for us, who can be against us.
Bible Reading in one Year: EPHESIANS 4-6
Text: EXODUS 23:20-33
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.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
KEY VERSE:
"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared" (Exodus 23:20).
Having delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh, the Lord kept on leading them through Moses towards the Promised Land. This time around, He decided to lead them by His Angel.
He promised to send His Angel to lead and keep Israel through the wilderness into the land of Canaan, the land He had promised and prepared for them. The Lord warned them not to provoke the Angel. For us, believers, we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Provoking the Angel of the Lord, would bring great punishment on Israel.
The Lord also forewarned them not to serve the idols of the inhabitants of Canaan. They were to serve Him only, the true and living God. After the warning, He promised them that He would bless their bread and water, prevent all forms of epidemic from visiting them, give them good health and healing as well as fruitfulness both in body and spirit. He also laid bare His security plan for them. He would make them conquer and subdue their enemies not by their own weapons, but by the terror He would lay on the enemies’ hearts and by sending hornets to scare them away. God told them the reason why He would not drive out all their enemies at once, but gradually. It was to preserve the nation of Israel from the beasts of the land that might gather themselves together to exterminate them.
A loving God indeed we have, who will never leave His people alone on their journeys in this wilderness called life. His Holy Spirit has been appointed to lead and comfort us. We must make sure that we do not grieve His Spirit. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit; therefore avoid it like a dreaded plague.
Thought for the day: If God be for us, who can be against us.
Bible Reading in one Year: EPHESIANS 4-6
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