God Set the Boundaries [Exodus 23]
25"But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26"There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27"I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28"I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29"I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30"I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
31"I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32"You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33"They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
In God's love and care for His people He set boundaries for them. He knew what was best for them because He is the One who designed them. He knew their weaknesses and with those in mind He gave boundaries inside which they could receive the blessings He had for them. He promised to do the hard things for them. "I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you." Their part was to keep their hearts in tune with Him; He promised to do the rest. He was even planning to take care of their health, their food and their water. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (All the things that he was talking about were the things we tend to have anxiety about - what to eat, what to drink, what to wear.)
What a beautiful picture of grace! God does the work through His power as we are in tune with His heart. He calls us to covenant our hearts with His and to keep it exclusively with Him. No one else, no other gods. As we hold Him in the highest value (definition of fear) He will powerfully do His work.
We praise You Father for You love and Your tender care. Thank You for giving us boundaries so we can stay inside that love and care. Cause us to hold You in highest value today by trusting You to be who You say You are and to do what You say You will do. You are worthy of all honor, glory and praise.
Verna McCrillis, 5/14/2010