Exodus 34:12–16

We can easily understand what God commands in verses 11-17. The people had just fallen into the great sin of making the metal calf. They had clearly brought that idea up with them out of Egypt. God was going to drive out before them the nations of Canaan, Those nations were soaked in forms of idolatry even worse than those of Egypt. So God commanded the most complete separation from those peoples — from their gods, their altars and their images. The nations themselves, and everything that belonged to their idol worship, were to be destroyed. God had entered into a covenant with Israel, so Israel was not to make any covenant with those nations.

God would also drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before Israel. He did drive them out, yet later Israel let some of these nations stay in the land (Judges 1:21; 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33). God kept His covenant. Israel's responsibility was to make no covenant with anyone living in the land (v. 12), and instead to destroy their religious altars, their sacred pillars and their images.

Everything rests on what God would do for His people (v. 10). On that basis He commands complete separation from the nations around them, once He has given them the land — separation from the people themselves, from their ways, and from their worship. They must worship the Lord alone; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (vv. 11-16). But if on one hand there must be separation from evil, on the other there must be separation to God.

How little the people of Israel suspected at that moment that the Gibeonites were the very Canaanites they had been commanded to drive out of the promised land! They are caught in the enemy's net. They had failed to ask the Lord for guidance, and as a sign of fellowship they eat some of the food of these men. The treaty is made, and the world is brought into the middle of the congregation of Israel. What a devilish trick! Satan suggests that the people bring the world into the camp as a way of beating the enemy — so he offers himself as the means of overcoming himself. He knew well that once he had brought in this one thing, the way was open for everything else.

The special sin mentioned here is that the holy people had mixed themselves with the peoples of those lands by marriage. This had been clearly forbidden (see Ex. 34:12-16). So it was in deliberate disobedience that they had made these shameful alliances with the world. That is what these marriages picture — the sin that trips up God's people in every age. The apostle James says, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4); and the apostle Paul cries, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. 6:14-15)

We can well understand what God orders in verses 11-17. The people had just fallen into the great sin of making the molten calf. The idea of this they had evidently brought up with them out of Egypt. God was going to drive out before them the nations of Canaan. Those nations were soaked in forms of idolatry even worse than those of Egypt. So He commanded the most complete separation from those peoples, from their gods, their altars and images. They themselves and all that belonged to their idolatrous worship were to be destroyed. God had entered into covenant with Israel, so they were not to make any covenant with those nations.

The terms of the renewed covenant make one thing prominent: the people were to be separate from the inhabitants of Canaan. They were to have nothing to do with the impure and disgusting idolatries of these nations. He called His people to holiness. Moreover, they were to destroy their altars, their images and their groves. The word groves is "asherah." It was an image used for the most obscene practices, known as phallic worship. It flourished among all the ancient nations, and the Canaanites used it most of all. When Israel later joined in with these practices, judgment fell upon them.

The foundation of it all is laid in what God would do for His people (v. 10). On that basis He commands complete separation from the surrounding nations, after He had put them in possession of the land. They were to be separate from the people themselves, from their ways, and from their worship. They must worship the Lord alone; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (vv. 11-16). But if, on the one hand, there must be separation from evil, there must be, on the other, separation to God.

Why were the people to maintain the most marked separation from the Canaanites? Why were they to refuse, with firm decision, to make any covenant, or form any marriage alliance with them? Why were they to demolish their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves? Simply because they were a holy people. And who had made them a holy people? Jehovah. He had chosen them and set His love upon them. He had redeemed them, and separated them to Himself. So it was His right and His prerogative to say what they were to be, and how they were to act. "Be holy, for I am holy."

God would also drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before Israel. While this took place, Israel later allowed part of some of these nations to remain in the land (Judges 1:21; 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33). God kept His covenant. Israel's part was to make no covenant with any of the inhabitants of the land (v. 12), and instead to destroy their religious altars, their sacred pillars and images.

Nothing is so jealous as true love: it cannot bear rivalry. But how much the blessed Lord has to bear with us! Is He not often rivalled in our hearts? "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" is a word we often forget and greatly overlook. Anything that takes Christ's place in the heart of a Christian is an idol, and we ought to judge it and put it far away from us.

We can well understand what God orders in verses 11-17. The people had just fallen into the great sin of making the molten calf. The idea of this they had evidently brought up with them out of Egypt. God was going to drive out the nations of Canaan before them. Those nations were soaked in forms of idolatry even worse than Egypt's. So He commanded the most complete separation from them — from their gods, their altars and images.

The word is emphatic: not only is God a jealous God, but His name is Jealous. He takes this name in view of idols. If that was His name under law when commanding men to worship Him, can He be less jealous now? No one can separate the worship of God from the worship of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Worship centres in Him; any other centre makes false worship and is an abomination to God.

The Hebrew word qana means "to be inflamed." It is the warm affection that cannot bear to see its loved one enticed by another. A man is jealous of his wife, Numbers 5:14. Paul felt this for the Corinthian believers, 2 Corinthians 11:2. And God felt it for the people and the land which He had chosen, and on which He had placed His name.

He is jealous because He cannot allow any rival to have a place in the hearts of those He loves. He must have the whole heart, because He alone is worthy of it, and He alone can fill and satisfy it forever. And if His people turn away from Him and go after idols of their own making, He must leave them to reap the bitter fruit of their own doings.

Everything rests on what God would do for His people (v. 10). On that basis He commands complete separation from the nations around, once He had put them in possession of the land. They must be separate from the people themselves, from their ways, and from their worship. They must worship the Lord alone; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (vv. 11-16). But if, on the one hand, there must be separation from evil, there must be, on the other, separation to God.

They were to make no marriages with Moab, and no dealings or alliance of any kind with the people of the land. "The people shall dwell alone," and God, "whose name is Jealous," will dwell among them (Exodus 34:14). They are alone with God.

Jealousy is closely connected with idolatry. The first two commandments show this (Exodus 20:4-5). Jealousy is cruel as the grave. It is because He loves us so much that the Lord is jealous; He cannot bear to see our hearts divided. Some ask whether "flee from idolatry" applies to us now. It certainly does; the last warning in 1 John 5:21 is, "Keep yourselves from idols." An idol is anything that takes the place of God in the heart.

We can well understand what is ordered in verses 11-17. The people had just fallen into the great sin of making the molten calf. The idea of it they had clearly brought up with them out of Egypt. God was going to drive out before them the nations of Canaan. Those nations were steeped in forms of idolatry even worse than those of Egypt. So He commanded the most complete separation from those peoples, from their gods, their altars and images. God had entered into covenant with Israel, so they were not to make any covenant with those nations.

The foundation of it all is laid in what God would do for His people (v. 10). On that basis He commands complete separation from the nations around, once He had put them in possession of the land. They must keep separate from the people themselves, from their ways, and from their worship. They must worship the LORD alone, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Israel was married to the LORD; their marriage to the heathen was disobedience to the law and unfaithfulness to the LORD. It was an alliance with the world. God demanded separation of Israel; He demands the same of His people in the New Testament. "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16).

He first refers to Israel to establish the important principle that, by sharing in a sacrifice, we express communion with all that it sets forth. This makes it intensely solemn for a Christian to have any part with anything that expresses fellowship with idols. ... The things sacrificed to idols are really sacrificed to demons. The idol may be nothing in itself, but the demons behind it were very real, and in leading people to worship idols they were leading them to worship demons, taking the honour due to God alone.

If the LORD could not be turned away from His people, perhaps the people could be turned away from the LORD! Balaam knew enough of God to be sure that if the people of Israel could be tempted into sin, the LORD's hand would come down on them in judgment. So we read in Numbers 25:1-2: "While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods."

But if there is failure, if we fall into idolatry, if we commit fornication with the world by yielding to its baits, if in any way at all we form a friendship with the world in the desert — then we make wars for ourselves. And that kind of fighting gains us no spiritual ground. God is obliged to make our relations with the world change completely. If we had not formed intimate ties with them, we would not have had that trouble; but since they deceive us as our friends, we must become enemies. Having no relations with them at all is our proper and peaceful position.

Though the covenant was conditional, what God would do was not conditional. God would drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before Israel. This did take place, yet Israel later allowed part of some of these nations to remain in the land (Judges 1:21, 27-33). God kept His covenant. But Israel was responsible to make no covenant with any of the inhabitants of the land (v. 12). Instead they were to destroy their religious altars, their sacred pillars and images.

Solomon was in open disobedience to God. God had said to His people: "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you." There was a double prohibition. We are in danger of going to the world or of letting it come in to us. Perhaps the second is even more dangerous than the first... the world might more easily seduce a Christian by coming to him. Little by little it works its way into our homes and into our lives. Often, by the time we open our eyes to the danger, it is already too late. "They would surely turn away your heart after their gods," the Lord had said. Marriage with the world will necessarily lead us to the religion of the world.

In Scripture "abomination" is a word often used for idols, because they are so hateful to God and so detestable in man. In the same way, Scripture constantly uses fornication and adultery for idolatry, or for any false religious system that men turn to. Such a turn is unfaithfulness to the Lord, who had taken His people to Himself as a bride (see Ex. 34:15-16; Lev. 17:7; Ezek. 6:9; 1 Kings 11:5, 7).

The first wrong step we notice is mentioned at the beginning of 1 Kings 3. Solomon "made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt" and took his daughter as his wife. In the days of Moses the people were told not to take in marriage the daughters of the pagan nations — see Exodus 34:16. The Lord knew what evil would spring out of this, and so forbade it for all the people. Did Solomon think that he was so lifted above ordinary folk that rules which applied to them did not apply to him? Or did he think that the passing of time since Moses, and changed conditions, had made this law obsolete?

The special sin mentioned here is that "the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands" — that is, by intermarriage. God had clearly forbidden this (see Ex. 34:12-16)... for this is what these marriages picture — the besetting sin of God's people in every age. The apostle James says, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4). And the apostle Paul cries, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14-15).

The nations Israel was mixing with were actually demon worshippers. So God had absolutely forbidden any marriages with them. Believers today are not under such a law, though Scripture tells them, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14). If they disobey this scripture, they are not told to put away the unbeliever. Instead, "the wife should not separate from her husband" (1 Cor. 7:10), though "if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so" (1 Cor. 7:15). Today a believer who marries an unbeliever must learn the painful results of this disobedience by experience, instead of escaping them.