Exodus 22-23

As was alluded to a few days ago, do not get bogged down wondering how some of God’s specific instructions to the Israelites may apply to you. For instance, you may not have any oxen, nor own any grain, so you might drive yourself crazy thinking about how you could possibly comply with God’s commands at the start of Exodus 22. Instead of looking at this initial set of laws through a descriptive lens (describing actual behavior), I want to again encourage you to look at God’s heart behind the provision of such laws. 

In the first fifteen verses of our reading today, we see clearly that justice requires restitution, in that the one to whom the harm was done was to be repaid by the one inflicting such calamity. Projecting that truth of God into the lives of those who have sinned against God (all of us), His justice demands death (Romans 6:23). But praise be to Him, Jesus Christ paid that unpayable payment on our behalf so that we may live! Pastor John Durham once said, “Grace gives what effort cannot earn,”[i] and when we dwell on this truth that our debt has been paid in full, yet not by our efforts, how can we not rejoice in praise and thanksgiving to God for what He has done? 

The latter half of chapter 22 outlines laws for a just community. God desires for His people to deal honestly with one another, to live at peace with one another (Romans 12:18), and to look out for the interests of others in addition to their own (Philippians 2:4). I think we could all agree that these instructions are good and right, but a quick look at our world will reveal how far we have distanced ourselves from God’s heart in this matter.

As we make our way into Exodus 23, we read another mention of the Sabbath: “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard…Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed” (vv. 10-12). Think about your life right now. What if God told you to work for six years, then rest during the seventh? Would you be thinking about how you were going to be able to survive a year without any income? Perhaps that is what God wanted the Israelites to ponder as well. Because once they realized it was God who would provide during that seventh year (or seventh day), surely they would have come to recognize He was their Provider every day of their lives. Thus, as Matthew Henry states, “This law seems to have been intended to teach dependence on Providence.”[ii]

Verses 14-19 in chapter 23 reveal still more of God’s heart, in that His people were to bring their best to Him when they gather together for worship. God gave His all for us, yet how often He gets the leftovers of our time, talents, and treasures (if we consider Him during our day at all). Friends, on this side of the Cross, we should be even more generous stewards of all that He has provided! 

Today’s reading closes with God assuring the Israelites that they will have victory as they enter into the Promised Land. Only, it won’t be on their own accord (although they were to obey God); rather, the Angel of the LORD (Jesus) was the One who would work on their behalf. “The same principle is true of our life with Jesus today. Not only is it true that Jesus goes before us to prepare a place for us in heaven (John 14:2-3), but the place we walk in today was prepared by God, and where we will walk tomorrow is prepared by Him also.”[iii] Brothers and sisters, there is victory in Jesus, so let us confidently walk in that promise, no matter what may come. 

Finally, take note of how God tells the Israelites that their enemies will be driven out “little by little” (23:30), and as He rids them of their adversaries, the people of Israel were to “utterly overthrow” (23:24) their gods and obliterate their pillars. To the former, how often do we want God to solve our problems in one fell swoop, when He wants to take us on a longer journey that would strengthen our faith (and dependence) on Him? Why would God do such a thing? Maybe it’s because He knows that, although we may not serve another manmade god when He helps us conquer a “foe,” we may be prone to worship the idol of self-reliance once He eradicates the problem. God sustains us on the mountains, in the valleys, and everywhere in between. Depend on Him at all times!   

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Journal responses to the following prompts:

·       Can it be said of you that you deal honestly with one another, to live at peace with one another, and to look out for the interests of others in addition to their own? 

·       Are you prone to worship the idol of self-reliance once God eases your challenging circumstances? 

[i] Durham, J. (2026, March 15). God restores. [Sermon transcript.] Highland Baptist Church. https://www.hbcwaco.org/sermon/god-restores--1-samuel-27-30/

[ii] Exodus 23 Bible commentary. (n.d.). Christianity.com. Retrieved March 15, 2026, from https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary/matthew-henry-concise/exodus/23

[iii] Study Guide for Exodus 23. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 15, 2026, from 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-23.cfm