Our Daily Scripture – 12/22/22

SCRIPTURE:  EXODUS 23

BIBLE VERSES:

“Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.  “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.” (Exodus 23:12-13)

“Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.” (Exodus 23:25-26)

LAWS OF JUSTICE AND MERCY (vs. 1-13)

  1. Do not spread false reports.
  2. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness
  3. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.
  4. Do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
  5. Do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
  6. Take the wandering donkey of your enemy back to him.
  7. Help the donkey of someone you hate who has fallen down.
  8. Do not deny justice to poor people in law suits.
  9. Do not put an innocent or honest person to death.
  10. Do not accept a bribe to twist the words of the righteous.
  11. Do not oppress an alien.

SABBATH LAWS (vs. 10-13)

  1.  Let the land of vineyard and olive lie unplowed on the 7th year so that the poor may get food from it and the wild animals may eat what they leave.
  2. Do not do work on the 7th day.  Let your ox and your donkey, the slave born in your household and the alien rest.
  3. Do not invoke the names of their gods, do not let them be heard on your lips.

THE 3 ANNUAL FESTIVALS (vs. 14-19)

  1.  Feast of Unleavened Bread – For 7 days eat Bread without yeast.  Do this in the at the appointed time in the month of Abib. the month you came out of Egypt.
  2.  Feast of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops
  3.  Feast of Ingathering  – to be celebrated at the end of the year when you gather in your crops from the field.

OTHER LAWS:

  1. All men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord three times a year.
  2. Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.
  3. The fat of festival offering must be not be kept until morning
  4. Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the Lord your God.
  5. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

GOD’S ANGEL TO PREPARE THE WAY (vs. 20-33)

God sent an angel to wipe out the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites.  They have to listen to him and do what he said.  They were forbidden to bow down  to worship their gods or follow their practices. If they worship the Lord God, they will enjoy his blessings of food and water with full life span and free from sickness.  They are not to make any covenant with them or with their gods.  They are not allowed to let their enemies live in the land as they will cause them to sin against Him.

THOUGHTS:

Do not let money, personal feelings or social status blind you to become a false witness that brings about injustice.  Avoid gossiping and slandering.  Speak the truth and value your integrity.

The Sabbath day was God’s special day to Israel to mark the nation as His Holy people.  It was also a gift for man and beast the opportunity to nejoy needed rest and restoration.  Today, we have to set aside the 7th day to worship God for spiritual nourishment an take rest for physical health.

SYMBOLIZATION OF THE FEAST (By Warren Wiersbe)

  1. Feast of Passover – speaks of the death of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God.
  2. Feast of First Fruits – speaks of His resurrection.
  3. Feast of Tabernacle – reminds us of His coming again and the future kingdom of joy and fullness

God promised His people health, prosperity and safety if they obeyed Him, for these blessings were part of His covenant.  However, he has not guarantee these blessings to His new covenant people today.  What he has promised to us is to supply all our needs and enable us to live in victory over our spiritual enemies.  So, beware of the preaching of the prosperity gospel.

In Egypt, the Israelites were surrounded by idols and sorcerers.  But the land of Canaan was also infested with idol worship.  God has to emphasize against the influence of pagan religion and adulterous practices of other nations.  Today, there are also may false religions and cults.  We have to take extra precautions lest we fall into their trap.