Exodus 23:10-19
~16 min read
💠Consider this: Consider the past week, how have you remembered or failed to remember God in your day-to-day?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus chapter 23:10-19. Whenever we participate in any spiritual activities in the church, like the Lord's Day service, Holy Communion, Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, we are worshiping God. At the same time, those occasions also remind us of who our God is. The Lord's Day is called the Lord's Day as it reminds us of the day our Lord Jesus was risen from the dead. The Holy Communion reminds us of the salvific work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. Christmas reminds us of the birth of the Saviour of the world. Good Friday reminds us of the suffering and death of Christ. Easter Sunday reminds us of our risen Christ, and so forth.
Likewise, when God gave the children of Israel laws to worship Him on certain particular days, it was also for the purpose of remembering who He was and what He had done for them. This is what we want to learn from today’s passage in Exodus 23:10-19. The title of our message is "Remember Who God Is."
I. Remember God The Creator
Firstly, the children of Israel were called to remember God the Creator, beginning with verse 10, "And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave, the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard." This law was an extension of the Fourth Commandment: that six days they should work, but on the seventh day they ought to rest and keep it holy, not only for themselves but also for their sons and daughters, menservants and maidservants, and the animals as well. Here, God included the land; the land needed to rest. So the Sabbath was given for all of God's creation.
Every good farmer will rotate his crops so that his fields will have a chance to rest. This is a good agricultural practice. Most farmers will stagger between the different fields so that each field will have a period of rest. If they do not apply this principle, soon the land will become barren and unfruitful. Although this law was good for the land, but this was not the only purpose. Remember, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So the Sabbath was mainly for the people and animals who depended on the land for food. To ‘let the land rest and lie’ still means to leave their orchards, fields, and vineyards untouched, unpruned, and unharvested. Therefore, in the seventh year, they were to leave their lands unattended and let them grow on their own. Whatever fruits were produced would be left behind for the poor and the wild animals.
As their Creator, God was concerned for all His creation, including the land, the animals, and the poor. Interestingly, this law was given at a time when the children of Israel were still in the wilderness. They had not yet entered the Promised Land, which was filled with milk and honey. Obviously, in the wilderness, they did not have that much provision, and yet this law was given to them. The point is that if they did not learn this principle of remembering God their Creator, resting on the Sabbath, and caring for the poor while they were in the wilderness, when they entered into the Promised Land in times of prosperity, how would they remember to apply this command?
The important lesson we can learn here is that obeying the commandments of God must begin at the very onset. If we do not do so at the very beginning, we will not do so later on. For example, when we do not obey the command to worship God on the Lord's Day and rest from our worldly activities at the very beginning when we are young, do you think we will obey the command when we grow older, or when we are married and have children, and we have all the added responsibilities and commitments? Most certainly not.
When we do not remember our God the Creator, who has provided for all our needs when we first enter into the workforce and receive our small salary and give to Him our tithes and offerings as a token of the many blessings we have received from Him, do you think we will obey the command when we are promoted, when we earn much more money later on? Most certainly not. When you and I do not cultivate this heart of caring for the poor in our midst with the little we have, do you think we will obey the command to do so later on in our lives when we have much more? Again, most certainly not.
Dear friends, to all those people who say, ‘I will worship God when I am retired,’ or ‘I will give when I earn more money,’ or ‘I will help the poor when I have enough,’ they are simply deceiving themselves. God wants us to obey His commandments today, not later on. And if we do not start to obey today, we will not do so later on. That is why verse 13 says, "And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." In other words, all those laws that God had given to them from chapter 20 to this point regarding God, man, work, money, injury, slavery, poverty, and justice—they must be careful to observe all things. And they must never invoke the names of other gods. Why? Because there was only one God—the Creator. God the Creator had given all these laws to them.
II. Remember God The Deliverer
Our second point is to remember God the Deliverer. Verse 14 says, "Three times thou shall keep a feast unto me in the year." There were three special feasts that the children of Israel ought to keep, and each of them had its own unique significance.
Beginning with the first feast, which was called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, verse 15, "Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty." This feast was closely linked to the Passover. It was celebrated in the month of April, beginning with the Passover and then a holy convocation, and lasted for seven days. During the seven-day period, only unleavened bread was to be eaten in commemoration of how they left Egypt in haste.
This feast had many spiritual lessons for the children of Israel to learn. Firstly, it was to remind the people of God's great deliverance through the blood of the Lamb. That was why it began with the Passover. And since they were saved by the blood of the Lamb, they must keep themselves pure, away from sin in their lives. This was articulated by the non-usage of leaven in the bread because, in the Scriptures, leaven signifies sin. This practice of putting away leaven was a reminder of God's great concern for purity.
Dear friend, God is very concerned for our purity. He wants you and I to keep sin out of our lives. Allow me to briefly explain the significance of leaven. A little leaven was often used to make the bread rise, but in those days, leaven, or sometimes known as yeast, was not as available as today, where you can go to the supermarket and purchase yeast anytime you want. In ancient times, what they would do is that when they were about to bake the bread, they would remove a small piece of dough and set it aside. It would be left to ferment, and some days later, when they were about to bake the new fresh bread, they would mix this little piece of fermented sourdough with the new dough, and then the bread would rise. It would act as a leaven.
Leaven is used as an illustration to represent influence. Most of the time, it refers to the influence of sin, though on one occasion in Matthew 13:33, it was used to refer to the good influence of the kingdom of Heaven. But more often than not, it was used to refer to the influence of sin. Just like the way the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:6, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," or one single sin would leaven the whole church. Just like leaven, when it is left alone, it will ferment, corrupt, and spread. Sin, when given the opportunity, it will corrupt and spread to the whole church. It is so contagious.
Dear friend, each time the Israelites came together to celebrate the Passover, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they were reminded of God's great deliverance through the blood of the Lamb, and they were reminded to keep themselves pure by putting away sin out of their lives. Likewise, when you and I come together to partake of the Holy Communion, we are reminded of how God has delivered us from sin through the death and the shedding of Christ's precious blood on the cross of Calvary. We must resolve in our hearts not to sin against Him.
III. Remember God The Provider
Our third point is to remember God the Provider. Look at the first part of verse 16: "And the Feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field." Sometimes it was called the Feast of Weeks. In the New Testament, it was called the Feast of Pentecost. It was celebrated 50 days after the Passover; that was why it was called Pentecost. It was a joyous occasion simply because the people expressed their gratitude to God for all that they had received from Him. To express their thankfulness to God for the harvest, they would offer their first fruits, the new grains. The first fruits, are always considered the best. It is not only the best, but it indicates what the rest of the crops would be like. If you want to know what the rest of the crops would be like, just take a look at the first fruits.
This principle was also used in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the first fruit of all those who would be resurrected one day. If we were to die before our Lord Jesus comes in the cloud for us, our bodies will be buried. But the guarantee of our resurrection, the comfort we have, and the hope we have of the resurrection is to look to the first fruit. Our Lord Jesus was risen from the dead. That is why 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." The fact that our Lord Jesus was resurrected is a guarantee that all those who believe in Him and died in Him would be resurrected one day.
Today, although we do not keep this Feast of Harvest, there is one particular spiritual activity that resembles the significance of it, and that is the giving of our tithes and offerings. When we give our tithes and offerings, we are acknowledging that God is our Provider. And we pray, ‘God, I have worked hard with the strength, good health, and opportunities that You have given to me. I have received my salary, the fruit of my labours, and I have set aside, first of all, a portion, the best of what I have received, for You because everything I have comes from You. You are my Provider.’ That should be our attitude.
IV. Remember The God Of History
Our fourth and final point is to remember the God of History. Look at the second part of verse 16: "And the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field." It was called the Feast of Ingathering, sometimes also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. It was called the Feast of Tabernacles because the people were commanded to build tents or booths for themselves to dwell in during the feast. It was not only a time to give thanks to God for the final harvest but also to remember how God had sustained them while they were in the wilderness when they were living in tents.
You can imagine each year as the children of Israel came together to observe this Feast of Tabernacles, they would live in tents, reminding themselves of how God, the God of history, had led their forefathers in the wilderness. And He who had led them in the wilderness would also lead them in their lives as well. As the saying goes, ‘History will not be history if we do not see His story, the story of our Lord Jesus,’ if we do not see His hands working in our lives. Dear friend, when you consider your life, perhaps even in this past week, do you see the hands of God working in your life, in the church, in your families, in the lives of your children? The God whom we believe in is the God of history.
Verse 17 says, "Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God." Later on, when the children of Israel had entered the Promised Land, they had to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year. The males were mentioned because they were the spiritual leaders in their households, but elsewhere in the Bible, it was made clear to us that women and children were included. You can read about that in Deuteronomy 16:11. In other words, everyone would be involved. They had to make the pilgrimage not just once but three times a year, and it was continual. Year after year, they would have to make the same pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
One valuable lesson we can learn from here about our Christian lives is that surrendering our lives to Christ is not only something we do once only, at the beginning of our Christian lives and that's it. Some people think that once they have made a decision for Christ, that's it—they can return back to their old ways of life. That is not the case. If we are true believers, we need to continually give ourselves to God all the time. We are to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God every day of our lives. That is why it is so necessary for you and me to attend the Lord's Day worship services, gather together with the saints, and offer ourselves to serve God not just once, not just two times, but continually, regularly, over and over again.
Not only must we offer ourselves to God continually, we must also offer ourselves to God righteously. Verse 18, "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning." Again, the mention of leaven speaks of sin. It is not acceptable for us to come to God, worship and serve Him, offer our tithes, sing praises to Him, and then return back to our sins. It is not acceptable. Whenever the word ‘sacrifice’ is mentioned, it always reminds us of the death and shedding of Christ's precious blood on the cross of Calvary.
And why must Christ be sacrificed? It is all because of sin. How then can you and I go back to the sin which Christ died for and delivered us from? God forbids it. This does not mean that we are sinless or perfect—no man is—but we must never wilfully and habitually sin against God. We must not have this kind of thinking that as long as we are worshiping and serving God, attending worship services and fellowship group meetings, everything is all right, and so we can return back to sin again. It is not acceptable. God said, ‘Do not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven bread.’
Today, the fat of the animal is considered unhealthy. We will not eat the fat of the animals—most of us, I mean. Some of us still do because it’s very tasty. But in those days, it was the best part of the animal, and there would always be the temptation to leave some fat on the altar and then return to get it the next morning. In a sense, God was saying, ‘Don’t leave any fat on the altar until the next morning. I want everything you have offered.’ In other words, do not hold back. Isn’t it true that we face the same temptation in our Christian lives? We offer ourselves to God, but at the same time, we hold back. We want to serve God, but at the same time, we want to keep something for ourselves. We want to worship and love Him with all our hearts, souls, and strength, but at the same time, we do not want to give up the world. God does not want us to do that. He wants us to offer ourselves wholeheartedly, without holding back.
Finally, verse 19: "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk." A moment ago, we considered the significance of the firstfruits, which is always the best. Here, the phrase ‘the first of the firstfruits,’ the double emphasis on the word "first," speaks of the best of the best, like the way the phrase ‘the Holy of Holies’ was used to emphasize the most holy place, or ‘Vanity of vanities,’ which speaks of vanity in the highest degree. Most certainly, God deserves not only our best, but the best of the best.
So we always have to ask ourselves: ‘have we given to our God the best of what we have? The best of the best?’ Some people look at the last phrase, "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk," as a bit out of place. Well, there are several views as to what it means. The Orthodox Jews take it to mean a dietary law; therefore, they prohibit the mixing of meat and dairy products. But this is not what this verse says. The only thing forbidden was the cooking of a young goat in his mother’s milk. Others take it to mean that God is pro-life—the source of life should never be the cause of death. A young goat is supposed to be nourished by his mother’s milk, not cooked in it. But there’s a third view, and that is that cooking a young goat in his mother’s milk was a common ritual in Canaanite worship. It was recorded in some ancient writings. In other words, the children of Israel were not allowed to adopt pagan practices. I believe this third view is right. That is why this law was given.
Today, are we prone to this sin of adopting pagan practices? Surely, we may not adopt the pagan religious practices per se, but we may fall into the sin of adopting worldly practices, practices of this unbelieving world, and then bring them into the church. Recently, I was walking past a particular church in Clayton, which has a signboard that says, ‘Keep Fit with Jesus. Come and join our gym in the church.’ When I was in Singapore, I was involved in a para-Christian organization that had a yearly event known as ‘Walking with Jesus.’ But it had nothing to do with Jesus. The purpose was just to raise funds for the organisation. Many churches have this mindset: as long as it benefits the church, as long as it can draw the people into the church, it doesn’t matter—let’s adopt those practices. If the people like rock music or hip-hop music, then bring it into the church. And in some Christian terminologies, let’s call it ‘Christian songs.’ If the people like dancing, bring it into the church; we will call it ‘Dancing with Jesus.’ The list goes on and on.
You and I must never bring the world into the church or conform the church to the pattern of the world. Rather, we must let all our church activities and programs be tested by the Word of God. If they fail the test, we must never adopt those programs, no matter how exciting they may be, no matter how many people they may draw into our church. It is not according to the Will of God. As a church, everything we do must remind us of who our God is and what He has done for us. Just like the children of Israel, they were reminded that this is the God their Creator, this is the God their Deliverer, this is the God their Provider, and this is the God of history. He who led their forefathers will also lead them in their lives. So in everything we do as a church, let us remember who our God is and what He has done for you and me. And God knows, and He wants us to do that. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Though we do not have all these feasts like the children of Israel, yet there are so many spiritual lessons we can learn to apply in our lives. Today we have many spiritual activities in our church, many events, many special days, but all those occasions also remind us of who Thou art and what Thou hast done in our lives. So help us that we will always consider Thee as a church, as a family, as individuals. Everything we do in all our spiritual programs and activities, we want to be reminded of who Thou art and what Thou hast done for us. All to the glory of Thy precious name, we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
