While the narrative described here in Exodus 23 pertains to the actual experiences of the people of Israel, they were intended to teach us lessons on how we are to walk in this journey of our own salvation. Though the promised land was also assured, yet to fully possess the land, they still had to overcome the enemies, conquer the land and possess it. In much the same way, we have been saved through Christ and He is walking with us. Yet in order to experience the fullness of what He had gained for us in our salvation, we need to conquer the enemies in our journey of faith. What lessons concerning the spiritual battle can we glean from this account of the angel journeying with them?
What’s really welcoming in our spiritual journey is to have the Lord walk with us. That’s a tremendous privilege. It is certainly a great assurance to know that we are never alone in our walk of faith. With Him alongside us, we are assured of victory. He will fight on our behalf. But like all privileges, there must also come the accounting. God expects us, His people, to be responsible people. Exodus 23:22-28 impress upon us that the victory in our journey belongs to the Lord. The Lord set up the account this way. He said to them: “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.”
While God told them that He would drive out their enemies that were in the promised land, they on their part must be faithful. They must utterly destroy every idol and the false gods and not serve them. When they remained faithful, He would be their protector and provider. God assured them in verses 27-28 that He Himself would send terror into the camp of the enemies and throw them into confusion. They would only see the back of their enemies. Not only would the enemies be petrified, but they would also be terrified and be stung. We see this happening in the opening chapters of the Book of Joshua. The people in the land were said to be terrified because they heard of what the Lord had done for His people.
Like what the Israelites had experienced, God is also fighting on our behalf in our spiritual journey. Paul puts it best in his letters to the Christians. In Ephesians 6:10 he exhorts believers to “…be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Of course, we must play our part to be watchful, engage in prayer and connect with Him. We must diligently study the Word to discover His purpose for our life. But having done all, we still need to stand in the victory He had secured for us. It is the enemies that ought to be terrified for we are standing on victory ground. The symbol of the cross is a plus, not a minus. It is a positive sign not negative. Bear in mind that justification is God’s part, but sanctification is a process where our responsibility is called for. We need to actively engage and heed the call of Paul in Philippians 2:12-13. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, …work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Let us collaborate with God so that we can experience His victory constantly!
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