”“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars. “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives. “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you. “Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”“
Exodus 23:20-33 NLT
The Christian God is a god of great gracefullness. This has led many to theorize that he is, in practice, a weak god. They believe him to be one who allows for everything and anything in the name of love, so long as he is acknowledged and worshipped. But here we see that it is not enough to worship him. That is to say that worship of him is not mere acknowledgement. His graces are freely entered, but they do come at a cost of personal sacrifice. This sacrifice is great. For ancient Israel, it meant the shedding of blood. Their priests were essentially butchers. For Christ and his disciples, it meant their lives. For Christians, it means our lives as well. The edict is clear that to participate in God’s grace, one must obey him. Jesus echoes a similar sentiment when he notes that those who love him obey him. Indeed, in Christ, we are not saved by following the law, but following the moral law is a natural outworking of being a saved people. Here we see God clearly foreshadowing this Christian relationship, while giving time for it to take place. Just as it would take time to drive out their enemies so that the land didn’t become desolate. We are not required to be instantly perfected, but our hearts must belong only to him.
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