Summary

Continues the laws given to the Israelites, focusing on justice, mercy, Sabbath observance, and the three annual feasts. It also includes promises of God's guidance and protection as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land.

Key Points

• Laws against spreading false reports and following the crowd in wrongdoing (Exodus 23:1-2).

• Instructions to show fairness and justice, especially to the poor and the innocent (Exodus 23:3-7).

• Commands to avoid taking bribes, as they corrupt justice (Exodus 23:8).

• Laws about treating strangers with kindness, remembering the Israelites' own experience in Egypt (Exodus 23:9).

• Instructions for the Sabbath year, allowing the land to rest and providing for the poor (Exodus 23:10-11).

• Commands to observe the weekly Sabbath, ensuring rest for everyone, including servants and animals (Exodus 23:12).

• Prohibitions against mentioning the names of other gods (Exodus 23:13).

• Instructions for observing the three annual feasts: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:14-17).

• Commands to bring the best of the firstfruits to the house of the Lord and not to cook a young goat in its mother's milk (Exodus 23:19).

• Promises of God's guidance and protection through an angel, with warnings to obey and not provoke him (Exodus 23:20-23).

• Assurances of God's help in driving out the inhabitants of the Promised Land gradually, so the land is not desolate (Exodus 23:28-30).

• Instructions to make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land or their gods, to avoid being ensnared by them (Exodus 23:32-33).