by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
Some 120 hostages (alive and dead) are still held somewhere in Rafah or elsewhere in Gaza. Negotiations for their release and a temporary ceasefire are on-going. They are in captivity for over 9 months since the attack, massacre and hostage-taking perpetrated by Hamas and its allies occurred in southern Israeli neighborhoods last October 7, 2023.
Let us continue to pray for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for a just end to the wars against the Jewish nation. Let us continue to stand with Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9).
The LORD God was not yet done with the Israelites, his “stiff-necked people.” Despite their obstinacy and sin, Moses was again successful in his intercession for them. But as seen at the end of Exodus 32, Moses was being instructed to lead the people out of Sinai to proceed to the land promised. The first 3 verses of Exodus 33 has the LORD now repeating his instructions to Moses and the Israelites to go to Canaan with the greater level of detail compared to Exodus 32:34.
The Hebrew verse of Exodus 33:1 is given below (read right to left, top down) with a fuller description of the land grant highlighted:
וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ לֵ֣ךְ עֲלֵ֣ה מִזֶּ֔ה אַתָּ֣ה וְהָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱלִ֖יתָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֠שְׁבַּעְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹב֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה׃
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation for this verse is given below with the Abrahamic Covenant’s foundational description:
1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’
Here in verse 1, the LORD repeats the details regarding the Israelites taken out from Egypt, the land grant to the patriarchs, and the promise that the land is indeed being granted to them. At this point, it would seem that the LORD was honoring the Abrahamic Covenant set up originally with Abram (Abraham). This is a very positive development. However, one small negative detail can be noticed. The LORD does not say “you and my people,” only as אַתָּ֣ה וְהָעָ֔ם “you and the people” whom Moses led out of Egypt. It is an indication that the reconciliation between God and the people seems not yet 100%. This observation is supported by the next verse.
The Hebrew verse of Exodus 33:2 is given below (read right to left, top down) continuing with a further description of the land grant highlighted:
וְשָׁלַחְתִּ֥י לְפָנֶ֖יךָ מַלְאָ֑ךְ וְגֵֽרַשְׁתִּ֗י אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י וְהַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃
The NASB translation for this verse is given below:
2“I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.
Like the previous descriptions of the land promised, there would be existing occupants. But the LORD states that “an angel” (or a messenger) is being sent ahead of the Israelites to lead them to Canaan. The list of people groups to be driven out are identified as before with the LORD himself driving them out of the land. Again, the verse is positive but like the previous one, a negative detail sticks out. In the earlier previous chapters, the language included the possessive pronoun “my” for the angel/messenger to be sent to go before the people; now it is only “an angel” instead of “my angel.” These 2 small negative details are explained by God himself in the next verse.
The Hebrew verse of Exodus 33:3 is given below (read right to left, top down) again with a well-known description of the land grant highlighted:
אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֶֽעֱלֶ֜ה בְּקִרְבְּךָ֗ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֙רֶף֙ אַ֔תָּה פֶּן־אֲכֶלְךָ֖ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃
The NASB translation for this verse is given below:
3“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
The first part of verse 3 adds the additional description of the land being graciously given to the Israelites. The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” was first mentioned in Exodus 3:8 when the LORD promised to take the Israelites out from their slavery in Egypt.
While the first part is straight-forward, the remaining parts of verse 3 causes one to pause. Firstly, while an angel to guide them back to Canaan is promised in verse 2, the LORD says that he himself will not go with the people in their midst during the journey. This explains the dropping of the possessive pronoun “my” for the angel/messenger to be sent. It also explains why this possessive pronoun is also missing in verse 1 for the people to be led to the land promised. The Sinai Covenant was still broken. And because of the obstinacy of the Israelites, the LORD might be driven to destroy them on the way!
Exodus 33:4-6 narrates that these words from the LORD caused the people to realize the gravity of the consequences of their golden calf episode and the depth of God’s anger (and also probably, grief due to the experienced betrayal coming from their spiritual adultery). So the Israelites mourned and took off their finery/ornaments as the LORD himself told them to take these off.
Even when the Abrahamic Covenant, including the land grant was still in effect, Moses still had a lot of interceding to do! God was apparently still angry and grieved. The Sinai Covenant had to be renewed.
We will continue next time.
God bless us all.