02 June 2014

EJ&T: Exodus:23:24-33: Other people's gods

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

  1. Don't serve or follow people who believe in other gods.
  2. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works. Exodus 23:24

  3. Conquer people who believe in other gods and destroy their religious property.
  4. But thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. Exodus 23:24c
    Ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. Exodus 34:13

    Thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. Deuteronomy 7:5

    Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them. Numbers 33:41-56

    Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Deuteronomy 12:2-3

    And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves. 2 Chronicles 14:2-3

    And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah. 2 Chronicles 15:8

    And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. 2 Chronicles 15:16

    His [Jehoshaphat's] heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:6

    Nevertheless there are good things found in thee [Jehoshaphat], in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land. 2 Chronicles 19:3

    And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD's people. Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 2 Chronicles 23:16-17

    In Ezekiel, however, God changes his mind, telling the Israelites to share the land in peace with the Canaanites.
    (See How should the Canaanites be treated?

    And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. Ezekiel 47:22

  5. Serve God.
  6. 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. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. Exodus 23:25-26

    Seve him (God). Deuteronomy 6:13, Deuteronomy 13:4

    Serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12

    Him [God] shalt thou serve. Deuteronomy 10:20

    Hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day ... to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 11:13

    Do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you ... to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Joshua 22:5

    Serve him [God] in truth with all your heart 1 Samuel 12:24

    My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you ... to serve him [the Lord]. 2 Chronicles 29:11

    Serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 2 Chronicles 30:8

    Serve the LORD with fear. Psalm 2:11

    Serve the LORD with gladness. Psalm 100:2

    Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written ... him only shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:10

    Serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

  7. Don't make any treaties with people who worship another god.
  8. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. Exodus 23:12
    Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee. Exodus 34:12

    Thou shalt make no covenant with them. Deuteronomy 7:2

  9. Don't let people who believe in other gods live in your land.
  10. 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 23:33

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