These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points. (vv.1-2)
Chapter 33 is divided into two major accounts of the exodus; looking back at what God had already done (vv.1-49), and the command to the new generation concerning the future conquest and possession of the land of Canaan (vv.50-56).
A quick look back shows us that though the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, upon their departure they did not have to shrink out of Egypt; God gave them the boldness to leave as conquerors, not as escaping slaves. The plagues the Lord brought upon Egypt were not randomly chosen; they were specifically intended to humble the people and rebuke their belief in the bizarre and demonic Egyptian deities. Their journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai took them more than a year, yet most of the time was not spent traveling, but in receiving the law at Mount Sinai.
However, from Mount Sinai to the shores of the Jordan River took them some 38 years; not because the distance was so long, but because God led them in wanderings. Why? Because the generation of unbelief had to die in the wilderness before a generation of faith could be raised up to take possession of the Promised Land (vv.16-49).
At this point the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess’” (vv.50-53).
God had a unique role for the nation of Israel in regard to the people of Canaan. He used them as a unique instrument of judgment against the Canaanites. This unique purpose explains why Israel was commanded not only to defeat them militarily, but to erase the remains of the idolatrous culture. Modern archaeology has documented the corrupt and demonic worship practices of the Canaanites. They were truly a culture ripe for the judgment of God. God’s intent was not only to bring judgment on this corrupt culture, but also to give the land to Israel to possess.
Therefore, if Israel failed to drive the Canaanites out of the land completely, and allowed a small remnant to still occupy the Promised Land – their corrupt practices would find a place among the hearts of Israel. Then Israel itself would eventually be driven out of the land by God's promised warning ("it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them" vv.55-56). Unfortunately, this became true of Israel’s history. They did not fully drive out the Canaanites, and though they possessed the land, the corruption of the Canaanites continued among Israel until eventually God allowed Israel to be driven out of the land in exile.
It is of no use for the church today to succeed in the eyes of man – as Israel had succeeded when they occupied the land and became a legitimate nation, instead of an enslaved people – if it merely allows the corrupt practices and attitudes of the world to take root. If this happens, the church should expect to be eventually driven from its place of success. As, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." (Galatians 5:9)
The Truth: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent." (vv.2-5)
