Matt's Messages - Angel Ahead

“Angel Ahead”
June 26, 2005
Exodus 23:20-33

We are in the section of the book of Exodus commonly called “The Book of the Covenant.” Chapters 20 through 24.

Two week ago, we studied the Law of the Covenant from Exodus chapter 20, verse 22 through chapter 23, verse 19. We saw that God cares about every aspect of life, God cares about true worship enough to make laws about it, and God cares about people, especially those who are poor, disadvantaged, and oppressed.

The LORD (YHWH) has redeemed His people. He has rescued them from Egypt and brought them by His mighty hand to the mountain of God. He has descended upon the mountain in thunder and lighting and cloud, and smoke and flaming holy fire. And He has laid down the gracious law for His people.

And now in chapter 23, God makes a promise. God makes a promise to His people.

A promise that He would send an angel to go ahead of them. “Angel Ahead.”

God knows that His people need guidance and protection.

And He promises to send an angel, a messenger of God, to go ahead of them and to take care of their needs.

And with that promise comes a demand: worshiping obedience. Trusting obedience. Worshiping YHWH alone. Worshiping Obedience.

Today, I want you to memorize a favorite saying of ours at the Mitchell household. We say this saying all the time, and Exodus chapter 23 is a great example of it.

Let me say it once, and then you say it with me:

WITH OBEDIENCE COMES BLESSING, BUT WITH DISOBEDIENCE COMES DANGER.

If we could get our hearts and minds wrapped around that truth (and not turn it into legalism!), we would be some of the happiest and holiest people on Earth.

If we could get our hearts and minds wrapped around the truth that with obedience comes blessing, but with disobedience comes danger, we would be the happiest and the holiest citizens on Planet Earth.

With obedience comes blessing but with disobedience comes danger.

Now, let me add two words to that saying that defeat legalism–that defeat a performance based obedience that tries to wring blessing out of God’s hand for the sake of the blessing instead of for the sake of God.

WITH WORSHIPING OBEDIENCE COMES BLESSING, BUT WITH IDOLATROUS DISOBEDIENCE COMES DANGER.

The obedience that reaps blessing is a worshiping obedience. It is an obedience that springs from the love of God in the heart.

The disobedience that reaps danger is a idolatrous disobedience. It is a disobedience that comes from loving the gifts of God rather than the Giver.

With Worshiping Obedience Comes Blessing, but with Idolatrous Disobedience Comes Danger.

And of course, the question is...do we want blessing or danger?

With Worshiping Obedience Comes Blessing, but with Idolatrous Disobedience Comes Danger.

Let’s see this now in Exodus chapter 23. YHWH is speaking to Israel through Moses. Starting in verse 20 (NIV).

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. [God is sending a messenger, an angel to go ahead of them to guard them and to bring them into Canaan, the Promised Land. V.21] Pay attention to him [this angel ahead] and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.” Stop there.

Now, who is this angel? We don’t really know. The rest of the Bible doesn’t go into very much detail about how this promise was fulfilled. The angel of God, the angel of YHWH, has been appearing all along in this book. He was at the burning bush. He was at the Red Sea Rescue. And now, He is promised to go with them to the place that God has prepared for them. Notice how closely this angel is linked to YHWH Himself. God says in verse two, “my Name is in him.”

I think that the best way of thinking about it is that this angel is an “extension of YHWH” [Durham’s phrase, quoted in Peter Enns, Page 471]. What He says is what God says. He is a manifestation, an extension of the presence of and authority of YHWH Himself.

Perhaps, this angel is even the pre-incarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity before His enfleshment. Even if He is not, this angel is something of a foreshadowing of Him. He is an extension of God sent to care for God’s people.

And Israel was to obey Him. V.21 again.

“Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say [notice how closely they are linked!], I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”

God’s angel will guard.
God’s angel will guide.
God’s angel will command.
God’s angel will fight.

“My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”

He’s telling them that they have nothing to fear from those who now dwell in their land–because of the angel ahead of them.

But fearing those Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites, Stalactites, Stalagmites, Outta-sites, and Satellites is not the only temptation that Israel will face. They will also face the temptation to adopt the Canaanite gods. V.24

“Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.”

The LORD demands a worshiping obedience. He will accept no rivals. He wants to be first in His people’s hearts.

“Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing [!] will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.” Stop there.

With worshiping obedience comes blessing.

For the Israelites, that meant some specific earthly blessings that would be of great value in their conquest of Canaan.

Not only would God’s angel guard, guide, command, and fight.

But God’s angel would provide. Blessing on food and water. Sickness taken away. No miscarriages. No barrenness. Long life.

Terror sent ahead (God’s angel?). Enemies thrown into confusion. The opposition turning their backs and retreating. The “hornet” which might be a literal hornet, or I think better, that creeping terror personified in the image of hornet–driving out the enemies of Israel before them.

This happened; didn’t it? Remember the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho? [Or, as my kids say, “Jekaro?”] Joshua sent in the spies. And they met Rahab the harlot. And what did she say about how the nations felt about Israel? Joshua chapter 2, verse 9. She said, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”

The angel has gone ahead. The Canaanites are being driven out.

And He does it gradually. Wisely. So that Israel is wisely cared for. V.29

“But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. [That’s smart.] Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. [And what a land it will be!] I will establish your borders from the Red Sea [on the South] to the Sea of the Philistines [the Mediterranean on the West], and from the desert [Arabia on the East] to the River [Euphrates in the North]. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.”

It’s debatable whether or not this promise has yet been fully fullfilled. For a very short time under Solomon the borders looked like that. And that makes me think that there is a greater fulfillment still yet to come. God’s word will not fall to the ground.

Do the see the blessing?

God will send an angel.

God’s angel will guard.
God’s angel will guide.
God’s angel will command.
God’s angel will fight.
God’s angel will terrorize enemies.
God’s angel will feed them, care for them, heal them, open wombs and give long life.
God’s angel will expand their borders.
God’s angel will bless them.

He will do all the hard work!

And what does God ask? Loyalty. Love. Worship. Obedience. Covenant with Him alone. Verse 32.

“Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”

God asks for worshiping obedience.

God knows what Israel’s temptations will be.

If they let these pagans continue to live in the land and [not convert to the worship of YHWH], they will gradually lead them astray.

Pretty soon, Israel will be worshiping false gods. Idols.

It’s what actually happened. Israel didn’t clean out Canaan completely and they were ensnared by Canaanite deities.

Do you see that word “snare” in v.33? It means a trap. It means danger.

With Worshiping Obedience Comes Blessing, but with Idolatrous Disobedience Comes Danger.

A snare. A trap. A disaster. A catastrophe. A tragedy. An ambush. A snare.

With idolatrous disobedience comes danger.

When we worship something other than God as our god, it always leads to disobedience to God and it puts us out of the circle of blessing into the region of danger.

For Israel to really learn this lesson, they had to experience the Exile.

Will we learn it?

With Worshiping Obedience Comes Blessing [!], but with Idolatrous Disobedience Comes Danger.

Which do we really want? Blessing or danger?

Now, remember, this is all after the Red Sea Rescue. This is not earning your way into salvation. Can’t be done. God wouldn’t have it that way!

God saves through His own sovereign grace through the Cross of Christ and through no effort of our own.

But He calls us after our rescue unto worshiping obedience of Him alone. And He warns us when we don’t that there will be consequences. A man reaps what He sows. With disobedience comes danger. And He promises us when we do obey, that we will experience His blessing.

And there are ministering angels ahead still, who serve us by God’s will. [Heb 1:14]

And we now have the most direct extension of God’s presence and authority in the incarnate Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and in His Holy Spirit present and indwelling each believer. Extending God’s blessing to each of His precious children.

So which do you want? Blessing or danger?

It seems like such an easy choice when we are right here, doesn’t it?

I’m sure it seemed like such an easy choice when God was burning off the top of Mount Sinai and promising to send a conquering angel ahead of Israel.

It’s a lot harder when we leave this place, isn’t it?

But the promise is still true. The principle is always true.

With Worshiping Obedience Comes Blessing, but with Idolatrous Disobedience Comes Danger.

Question: Who or what are you worshiping? We’re all worshiping something. All the time. Who or what are you worshiping?

The Lord Jesus demands that you worship Him alone.

Another question: Are you obeying?

We have to ask that question a lot of children, don’t we? “Are you obeying?”

We need to ask that question of ourselves. “Am I obeying?”

Am I following God? Am I doing what He says in His Word?

Am I living the way that God wants me to?

Is my life characterized by obedience? If you don’t know, ask a Christian friend. Is my life characterized by obedience?

Who or what are you worshiping?
Are you obeying?

With worshiping obedience comes blessing, but with idolatrous disobedience comes danger. A snare.

I want blessing.

For me. For my kids. For my wife. For our leadership board. For our church. For our community. For our region. For our state. For our nation. For the nations of the world.

I want blessing.

God wants worshiping obedience.