Exodus 23:12 Komentář

This chapter continues and concludes the acts that passed in the first session (if I may so call it) upon mount Sinai. Here are, I. Some laws of universal obligation, relating especially to the ninth commandment, against bearing false witness (Exo 23:1), and giving false judgment (Exo 23:2, Exo 23:3, Exo 23:6-8). Also a law of doing good to our enemies (Exo 23:4, Exo 23:5), and not oppressing strangers (Exo 23:9). II. Some laws peculiar to the Jews. The sabbatical year (Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11), the three annual feasts (Exo 23:14-17), with some laws pertaining thereto. III. Gracious promises of the completing of the mercy God had begun for them, upon condition of their obedience. That God would conduct them through the wilderness (Exo 23:20-24), that he would prosper all they had (Exo 23:25, Exo 23:26), that he would put them in possession of Canaan (Exo 23:27-31). But they must not mingle themselves with the nations (Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33).

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23 This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Exo 23:1, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Exo 23:4, and of the oppression of a stranger, Exo 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Exo 23:10, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Exo 23:14, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Exo 23:18 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Exo 23:20, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Exo 23:27, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Exo 23:32.

And in all things that I have said unto you, be circumspect,.... Or observe them, be careful to keep them punctually and constantly, even all that are delivered in this and the preceding chapters: and make no mention of the name of other gods; neither call upon them, nor swear by them, nor make vows to them; and, as little as possible, ever utter their names, and never with pleasure and delight, and showing any honour of them, and reverence to them, but with the utmost detestation and abhorrence: neither let it be heard out of thy mouth; not any of their names; the same thing in different words, the more to inculcate and impress the thing upon the mind, and to show with what vehemence and earnestness this is pressed.

Laws against evil-speaking, Exo 23:1. Against bad company, Exo 23:2. Against partiality, Exo 23:3. Laws commanding acts of kindness and humanity, Exo 23:4, Exo 23:5. Against oppression, Exo 23:6. Against unrighteous decisions, Exo 23:7. Against bribery and corruption, Exo 23:8. Against unkindness to strangers, Exo 23:9. The ordinance concerning the Sabbatical year, Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11. The Sabbath a day of rest, Exo 23:12. General directions concerning circumcision, etc., Exo 23:13. The three annual festivals, Exo 23:14. The feast of unleavened bread, Exo 23:15. The feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering, Exo 23:16. All the males to appear before God thrice in a year, Exo 23:17. Different ordinances - no blood to be offered with leavened bread - no fat to be left till the next day - the first fruits to be brought to the house of God - and a kid not to be seethed in its mother's milk, Exo 23:18, Exo 23:19. Description of the Angel of God, who was to lead the people into the promised land, and drive out the Amorites, etc., Exo 23:20-23. Idolatry to be avoided, and the images of idols destroyed, Exo 23:24. Different promises to obedience, Exo 23:25-27. Hornets shall be sent to drive out the Canaanites, etc., Exo 23:28. The ancient inhabitants to be driven out by little and little, and the reason why, Exo 23:29, Exo 23:30. The boundaries of the promised land, Exo 23:31. No league or covenant to be made with the ancient inhabitants, who are all to be utterly expelled, Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33.

Six days thou shalt do thy work - Though they were thus bound to keep the sabbatical year, yet they must not neglect the seventh day's rest or weekly Sabbath; for that was of perpetual obligation, and was paramount to all others. That the sanctification of the Sabbath was of great consequence in the sight of God, we may learn from the various repetitions of this law; and we may observe that it has still for its object, not only the benefit of the soul, but the health and comfort of the body also. Doth God care for oxen? Yes; and he mentions them with tenderness, that thine ox and thine ass may rest. How criminal to employ the laboring cattle on the Sabbath, as well as upon the other days of the week! More cattle are destroyed in England than in any other part of the world, in proportion, by excessive and continued labor. The noble horse in general has no Sabbath! Does God look on this with an indifferent eye? Surely he does not. "England," said a foreigner, "is the paradise of women, the purgatory of servants, and the hell of horses. The son of thy handmaid, and the stranger - be refreshed - ינפש yinnaphesh may be respirited or new-souled; have a complete renewal both of bodily and spiritual strength. The expression used by Moses here is very like that used by St. Paul, Act 3:19 : "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing (καιροι αναψυξεως, the times of re-souling) shall come from the presence of the Lord;" alluding, probably, to those times of refreshing and rest for body and soul originally instituted under the law.

LAWS CONCERNING SLANDER, &c. (Exo. 23:1-33) put not thine hand--join not hands.

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest--This law is repeated [Exo 20:9] lest any might suppose there was a relaxation of its observance during the sabbatical year.