Exodus 23:20-33

I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.¹ Be attentive to him and listen to his voice;² do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.³

But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.⁴

When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,⁵ you shall not bow down to their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.⁶ You shall worship the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from among you. No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.⁷ I will send my terror in front of you, and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.⁸ And I will send the pestilence in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply against you.⁹ Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you.¹⁰ You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.¹¹ They shall not live in your land, or they will make you sin against me;¹² for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.

1 God promises that He will provide the means for his promises to be fulfilled.

2 Interesting – what is the angel's voice in this instance? Is it God's prophecy? Moses? A spiritual being that will appear? Something that will happen inside the conscience?

3 Implies that God is not a God who pardons transgressions.

4 In other words, God will have perfect solidarity with his people if they do what is right.

5 The destruction of other people's is attributed to God.

6 Emphasizing the need to follow God alone.

7 God's provision is now emphasized. This provision is not here seen as a counterpoint to his destruction, but both

8 Defeat of enemies is once again attributed to the power of God, not the strength of the people.

9 This is an incredibly odd reason given to not drive them out in one year. Really, the “wild animals” would multiple to such a degree that it would become difficult to occupy the land? More difficult than defeating human armies, many of which Israel in fact would never completely conquer?

10 God's provision to the Israelites is emphasized yet again.

11 Sole obedience to God is emphasized once again.

12 The reason for driving the people out of the land is made abundantly clear.

Take-home: God asks that worship be exclusive to Him, and that obedience be complete. In response, he promises that his provision will be total and his defense will be spectacular. God takes all credit for any defeat of Israel's enemies, but stresses that rejection of them and their idolatrous practices must be total.