Passage: Exodus 23:20-23

The Big Idea

God promised to send His Angel ahead of Israel to guard them on the way and bring them into the place He had prepared, an Angel who carried God’s own name. Many see Him as the Son of God before His incarnation. The promised land pictures the life of peace and victory God has prepared for every believer, and the way in isn’t effort but following our Leader: listening to His voice and trusting His work. He goes ahead of us, and He fights our enemies.

Follow the Leader

Remember playing follow the leader as a kid? Now imagine playing it blindfolded, depending completely on the voice of the one leading you.

Three Promises

In the rest of Exodus 23, God gives three promises that point us to Jesus:

He will lead.
He will bless.
He will fight for us.

Today: He will lead. To be led by Jesus, all we have to do is listen to the gospel moment by moment.

“I Am Sending an Angel” (Exodus 23:20)

“Look, I am sending an Angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”

God sends.

He sees your need before you know about it.
He prepares deliverance before you ask.
Faithful. Loving. Father.

An Angel.

“Angel” means messenger, one who carries God’s word.
This Angel carries God’s very name (verse 21). Many Bible teachers see Him as the Son of God before His incarnation: the Word, who was with God and was God (John 1:1).

Ahead of you.

Jesus goes first. He leads the way.

To guard you along the way.

Jesus is able to keep you from stumbling (Jude 24).

To bring you to the place I have prepared.

The promised land, not the reward land.
It’s a gift, not wages for good works.
In many ways, the promised land pictures the life of peace and victory God promises every Christian.
Are you living there?
Do you have peace like a river?
Do you walk in victory over sin and temptation?
Do you enjoy fellowship with God and His people?
Do you serve God every day?
This is the life God has prepared for you. He’s prepared good works for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).
For many of us, the honest answer is, “No. I’m more in a desert: dry, fruitless, struggling, hopeless, tired, empty.”

What’s the way out of the wilderness?

My way or God’s way.
Effort or surrender.
Works or grace.
Myself or Jesus.

If I do it, I fail.

If I let Jesus do it, I have to really listen to Him, believe Him and trust Him. Listen to the gospel: His message, His words.

Otherwise… Paul warns us not to test Christ, as some of Israel did in the wilderness and were destroyed by serpents (1 Corinthians 10:9). Notice: Paul says Israel tested Christ. He was the One leading them.

“Listen to Him” (Exodus 23:21)

“Pay attention to Him and listen to His voice. Don’t rebel against Him, for He will not forgive your rebellion, because My name is in Him.”

This warning applies to us today.

Listen to Jesus.
Abide in Him and in His words. Let them be food and drink for your soul every day.
Obey Him!

Under the Old Covenant, that meant keeping all His rules, which are holy, just as God is holy. But under the Old Covenant, everyone failed. No one ever kept the rules perfectly, and neither can I. No matter how hard we try, we’ll never measure up to doing everything we’re told.

But that’s why we were given a New Covenant. Jesus came and changed everything.

When people asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works of God?”, He said, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:28-29).

Jesus moved us from “keep all the rules, do all the things” to “believe in the One God sent.”
Look to Him in humility and faith.

“He will not forgive your rebellion”

Why does that seem at odds with Jesus in the New Testament? Didn’t Jesus forgive everyone for everything?

He will forgive anyone who comes to Him, for anything.
But He won’t let you reach the promised land, the life of peace and victory, by your own way.
He’s established a clear way of redemption. He’s the Hero, the Savior. Not you. Not me.
There’s no salvation outside of Christ and the simple way He’s provided:
Humility: understand and confess your need and weakness.
Faith: know and trust Jesus’ word and work on your behalf.

When I try to fix myself by my own efforts, determine to do more and do better, dig deeper or search longer for something that will finally deliver me from sin and the desert, that’s actually a rejection of the gospel. It’s like ripping up His letter of promises and saying, “I don’t need You; I’ve got me. Give me enough time, or more effort, or a different solution.”

Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life (John 14:6). And what He asks is that we believe it.

Believing that Jesus is all we need is how we obey God from the heart.
When we focus on believing in His sufficiency, the fruit the law describes grows naturally.
When we focus on the commands we need to keep, we fail at all of them.
That’s the beauty of the gospel.

“My name is in Him”

Jesus perfectly represents God and God’s heart.
The Angel’s identity is bound up in God’s identity. He isn’t building His own reputation or making a name for Himself. He’s so full of trust in God that He surrenders all thought of self to the Father’s will.

And that’s one of the most amazing parts of the gospel for us too.

Our old identity was put to death on the cross. We used to be sinners, addicts, failures.
When we’re converted, that whole life is put to death and replaced with the life of Jesus, given to us freely in the Holy Spirit.
Now His name is in us.
His character is planted in our hearts. We’re whole and complete as we follow that new life: surrendering to His lead, rejecting idols and other voices, and listening to the Spirit within us.
All of this is bound up in the word believe.
Once you’re born again, your deepest desire isn’t to rebel. You’re a child of God. You share Jesus’ desire: to serve the Father in truth. That’s what the gospel says.
But the enemy deceives us: “You want to sin. That’s who you really are. That’s what will make you happy.”
It’s a lie. It may feel true. But it’s a lie.
What will we believe? The truth of Jesus and the gospel, or the lie of Satan?
Whose name is in you? What do you believe about yourself: what Jesus says, or what the enemy says?
Moment by moment, we answer that question.

“I Will Be an Enemy to Your Enemies” (Exodus 23:22)

“But if you listen carefully to His voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.”

God’s call is clear, for Israel and for us.

On the mountain of transfiguration, a bright cloud overshadowed the disciples and a voice said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).

Who will we listen to?

God has promised to lead and guide us. He wants you on His team. His enemies are trying to recruit you too. But God has chosen you. Join His team. Listen to the Coach.

How is He leading us today?

Being led by the Lord can seem mysterious.

He isn’t physically here.
He was with Israel in visible ways. He walked the earth in Jesus.
What about today?
We have the Word of God.
His Spirit has promised to illuminate our minds and hearts as we read the Word in dependence on Him (John 16:13).
He’ll show you His will, His direction, His way.
Your part is to abide in the Word. He takes responsibility for everything else.
He will lead you. But do we believe it?

Here’s a way to gauge how much you believe it: How often does your heart turn to the Bible when you need to make a decision, or as you approach your day? Not just how much you read it, but how much your heart turns to the Word in hope and confidence that it’s for you?

I’ve failed at this more than I’ve succeeded. But my Father is patient and forgiving. He’s willing to train me gently to trust His Word.

He Goes Ahead (Exodus 23:23)

“For My Angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”

Jesus is the only way to victory.
Our enemies are many, and they want nothing but our ruin. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
But Jesus is our safety. In Christ we have everything we need.
He’ll cut off our enemies, lead us through the minefields and guide us safely through the dark.
No temptation can stand in His presence.
We don’t have to figure out how to win these battles: Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites.
We just follow our Leader.

Grace Takeaway

God didn’t send Israel into the land with a map and a to-do list. He sent His Angel, carrying His own name, to go ahead of them, guard them and bring them in. Jesus does the same for us. The promised life of peace and victory isn’t a reward for effort; it’s a gift for those who listen to His voice and trust His work. Stop trying to find your own way out of the desert. Follow the Leader.

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