God will test your heart to see just how serious you are about following Him. This you can be sure of.

So here’s some ‘food for thought’: “It’s better to not make a vow, than it is to make one and then fall short in fulfilling it.” (Ecc. 5:5)

Do you recall the dialogue between Moses and the people after he came down from the mountain top and read the Ten Commandments to them? I would imagine that after hearing all those, there had to be some serious pause of reflection and realizing that this God who was making Himself known to His people was a bit serious about all this. And for good reason as we read there in Exodus 20 that after the reading of the Law, the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.” (18)

Then...”Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to ...test you...and that His fear may be before you , so that you ...may...not sin.” Interesting. Would that sort of be like “Go and sin no more”? (John 5:14). As I ask here frequently: ‘When did God change?’

(Hang with me here because this is going to be good)

Remember now, these folks have spent a looongg time living as oppressed slaves under the rule of Pharaoh in Egypt. And God sent a deliverer (Moses) to deliver them and lead them out of bondage and to a better way of living. Sound familiar? This was a the blueprint for what God’s ultimate plan was for us...we were slaves to sin and Satan; so God sent Jesus to deliver us and set us free that we might live a better life, an ‘abundant life’ in Him. (John 10:10; 8:34,36)

You should also recall the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus, in effect ‘raised the bar’ on what God was expecting now regarding His law, which Jesus does mention is not being done away with. (Matt. 5:17). It was no longer about just not ‘murdering and committing adultery’ as He goes straight to the heart of man. You can read Matt. 5:21-28 for clarification.

Granted, we don’t read where after Jesus preached this message of any signs of thunder and lighting and smoking mountains to cause people to tremble; but you might go look and underline those verses in Matt. 5 like vs. 22,25,29 and 30. Those should get our sobering attention as well.

Now back to Exodus and let’s put ourselves in the shoes (or sandals) of those people who have witnessed all this. Whether it was that first generation who heard Moses read the law to them or that group who heard Jesus on the Mount...surely one has to pause and ask: ’How can I ever live up to that?” Sin no more? Seriously?

Now comes the good part. God would never expect us to do this in our own power or strength given we have proven over and over again our inability to ever live a holy life since we have a flawed, sinful nature. But look what He tells the people back there beginning at Ex. 23:20-21:

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to ‘keep you in the way’ and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.”

Can I just tell you now that this is not just ‘any angel’? (Want to guess who He’s talking about here?)

And this ‘Angel’ is going to ‘keep you in the way (path) and bring you to the place...’. It ain’t you nor I doing it. It’s all Him. But...But....But...would you please make note of this next verse:

“Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him...”(21).

I have stated before that this idea of ‘abiding in Christ’ introduces us to a new level of ‘awareness’ of His abiding presence. I mean, you recognize His presence and hear His voice. (John 10:27;Heb. 3:14-15). Hence, this command to ‘be aware of Him and obey...’. (Ex. 23:21)

And IF....we do this...’hear and obey’, look what God promised them: “IF you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, 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 in to the [land of Canaanite nations] and I will cut them off.” (23)

Stop. Right. There!

Did you just see what God promised the people? Who... is going to defeat your enemies and ‘cut them off’? But we do play a small role in this and have to ‘obey’ His voice. (Heb. 5:9)

He goes on here...”You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.” (Ex. 23:24) Allow me to make this more applicable to us today....as in: You are not going to bow down to the gods of greed and lust and anger and pride and bitterness and revenge, etc..

“So...you shall serve the Lord your God and...He will bless your bread and your water. AND...I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one (read that again)...No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” (25-26)

[Pause]. Would you flip to Hebrews 8:6 and please note that we today, are under a ‘better covenant with better promises’. Seems like those two promise they were given were impressive enough, were they not? Know anyone battling with sickness and disease and infertility?

Now please finish up reading vs. 27-33 there in Exodus. God is telling them how He plans on driving out these ‘enemies’. Who is our ‘enemy’ today? (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:12)

“They shall not dwell IN YOUR LAND, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” (33)

So let’s take a moment here and connect some NT passages that should open our eyes some. What is ‘on the land’ today that defiles us according to what Jesus taught in Mark.7:20-23?

And where did Paul suggest this enemy resides according to Ephesians 2:2?

What did Jesus teach us there in Matt.12:43-45 regarding these ‘enemies’ and what they do once they are removed from the ‘land’?

And how does James instruct us to deal with them if/when they seek to return? (James 4:6-10)

So might we conclude that if we don’t ‘stand in the battle’ and in the ‘power of His might and grace’, that we will end up ‘giving place to the devil’ (Eph. 4:27) and fall prey to what God warned the people back in Ex. 23:33 saying: “...they will make you sin against Me for if you serve their gods it will surely be a snare to you.”

What did Jesus tell that man whom He healed and set free: “Go and sin no more or...(what?) -John 5:14.

Do you think God might just be a bit more serious about all this sin and disobedience and stuff that somehow has been diluted today? And we wonder why we are being ‘destroyed’. (Hosea 4:6)

So after Moses shared all this with the people along with these promises that God was not expecting them to do this all on their own...look how the people responded: “They all answered with one voice and said, ‘all the words which the Lord has said we will do....All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” (Ex. 24:3,7)

Sounds like they ‘made a vow’, does it not? Now, please go read 1 Cor. 10:1-12 and Hebrews 3:7-15 and see if that does not resonate with your spirit. And if it does, you might go wrap up with Acts 3:19-26 paying close attention to vs. 22-23. It sure doesn’t sound like God has changed much, does it?

Here's the good part: When we decide to get ‘all in’ and surrender to His Lordship...you too, will reap the benefits off all those promises, and experience a freedom like you have never known.

But you will be tested, just like they were and everyone else who turns to the Lord. So instead of all the daydreaming about how God is going to make you a great singer for Him (or whatever else)...why not just focus on following Him as you ‘take up your cross’. Because He’s going to lead you to put those ‘enemies’ to death so that He can increase in you. (John 3:30)  And I'll just tell you now, this road or path is narrow and less traveled. (Matt. 7:14)

If anyone reading this today has ever had those moments of sitting on a church pew somewhere after years of trying your best to be ‘faithful’...and yet sensed something was ‘missing’...and you found yourself thinking: ‘There has to be more’... Can I just tell you assuredly, now... There is. :- )