Exodus 23: Justice, Sabbath, and a Promise
God commands truthful justice, sabbath rest for land and people, three yearly feasts, and the promise of an angel to lead Israel into the land.
Exodus 23 (WEB)
1 “You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.
2 “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; neither shall you testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice;
3 neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
5 If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it.
6 “You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
7 “Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 “You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 “You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
10 “For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase,
11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.
12 “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your handmaid, and the alien may be refreshed.
13 “Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods, neither let them be heard out of your mouth.
14 “You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.
15 You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty.
16 And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.
17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh.
18 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, neither shall the fat of my feast remain all night until the morning.
19 The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
20 “Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.
22 But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.
24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.
25 You shall serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from your midst.
26 No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.
27 I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.
30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.
31 I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 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.”
Exodus 23 (KJV)
1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.
18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Exodus 23 (ASV)
1 Thou shalt not take up a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest justice:
3 neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.
4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, thou shalt forbear to leave him, thou shalt surely release it with him.
6 Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to thy poor in his cause.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 And a sojourner shalt thou not oppress: for ye know the heart of a sojourner, seeing ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the increase thereof:
11 but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed.
13 And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
15 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty:
16 and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou sowest in the field: and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field.
17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord Jehovah.
18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my feast remain all night until the morning.
19 The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
20 Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars.
25 And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall none cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand: and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Summary
The Book of the Covenant concludes with laws on justice and worship. God commands truthfulness in court: do not spread false reports, follow the crowd into evil, pervert justice, or even show partiality—whether favoring the rich or the poor—and take no bribe. Remarkably, the law calls for kindness even to enemies: if you find your enemy's wandering ox or his struggling donkey, you must help. God commands a sabbath rhythm not only for people but for the land, which is to lie fallow every seventh year so the poor and the animals may eat, and a weekly rest for servants, animals, and strangers. Israel is to keep three annual feasts—Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering—appearing before the Lord and bringing the firstfruits, while avoiding all worship of other gods. Then God makes a great promise: he will send his angel before Israel to guard them on the way and bring them into the place he has prepared, an angel in whom his name dwells. If Israel obeys, God will be an enemy to their enemies, drive out the nations little by little, bless their bread and water, and establish their borders. They must make no covenant with the nations or their gods, lest these become a snare.
Key Themes
- Justice and impartiality — God's call to honest courts, refusing false reports, bribes, crowd pressure, and partiality of any kind, that justice may be true.
- Sabbath rest — The rhythm of rest for land, servants, animals, and strangers every seventh day and year, reflecting God's care for all his creatures.
- The three feasts — Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering, when Israel appears before the Lord with thanksgiving and firstfruits.
- The angel of the LORD — The messenger God promises to send before Israel, in whom his name dwells, to guard them and bring them into the prepared land.
Key Verse
Exodus 23:20 (WEB)
“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
Lessons Learned
- God demands true, impartial justice that favors neither the powerful nor even the poor.
- Love is to extend even to enemies, helping them in their need.
- Sabbath rest is God's gift to people, servants, animals, and even the land itself.
- Regular feasts call God's people to remember, give thanks, and bring him their firstfruits.
- God goes before his people to guard and guide them; the journey is under his care.
- Justice must be impartial. “Neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause” (Exodus 23:3, WEB), nor take a bribe; truth, not sympathy or self-interest, must govern judgment.
- Love extends to enemies. “If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden… you shall surely help him” (Exodus 23:5, WEB). God's law reaches even to our adversaries.
- Rest is woven into life. Land, servants, animals, and strangers are all to be refreshed by sabbath rhythms (Exodus 23:11-12, WEB). God's care extends to all his creatures.
- God leads the way. “I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20, WEB). The people do not journey alone.
- Why does God forbid partiality toward both the rich and the poor in matters of justice?
- What is surprising about the command to help your enemy's struggling animal?
- How do the sabbath laws for the land and animals reveal God's heart?
- What is the purpose of the three annual feasts in the life of Israel?
- How does the promise of God going before Israel encourage you in your own journey of faith?
- God forbids favoring even a poor man in his lawsuit (23:3), as well as taking bribes or following the crowd. Justice must rest on truth, not on wealth, popularity, or even compassion that distorts the facts. God's courts are to be utterly fair to all.
- The command to return an enemy's wandering ox and lift his fallen donkey (23:4-5) anticipates Jesus' call to love our enemies. Even toward those who hate us, God's people are to do good, refusing to let hostility quench practical kindness.
- The seventh-year fallow lets the poor and wild animals eat, and the weekly rest refreshes servants, animals, and strangers (23:10-12). God's concern is not narrow; his sabbath rhythms care for the whole community, the vulnerable, and even the soil.
- The feasts of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering gather Israel before the Lord to remember his deliverance and provision and to offer their firstfruits (23:14-17). They keep gratitude and dependence on God at the center of the nation's life.
- This is a personal-application question. God promises to send his angel to guard and guide Israel to the place he has prepared (23:20). Invite members to take comfort that God goes before them too, leading them home, and to walk in trust rather than fear.