The Call to Pay Attention

Between laws for the Sabbath (Ex. 23:10–12) and laws for three of Israel’s festivals (vv. 14–17), we read in Exodus 23:13 a warning not to speak the names of other gods. Given that the Sabbath and the festivals are closely associated with worship, the primary focus of verse 13 is on the right use of God’s name in corporate gatherings of praise. The Lord is not absolutely forbidding us to voice the names given to the false gods that are worshiped by other people, such as when we are describing other religions. Instead, we have a careful admonition not to call on any other gods but Yahweh, the covenant Lord of Israel and only true God, in worship. In light of the fuller revelation we have in Christ, this means that we call on only the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in worship (see Matt. 28:18–20).

The theme of worship continues in Exodus 23:14–17, where for the first time God identifies the three festivals that all Israel had to gather to celebrate each year. Some instruction has already been given for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which in conjunction with Passover celebrated the exodus, the defining act of salvation for God’s old covenant people (12:1–28; 13:3–10). The Feast of Harvest, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, celebrated the late-spring grain harvest in ancient Israel. The Feast of Ingathering is the same festival identified as the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, when the fall harvest of olives, grapes, and other crops occurred. These festivals are described in more detail in Leviticus 23; Numbers 28–29; and Deuteronomy 16. Israel, of course, celebrated other festivals, but only on these three occasions were all Israelites commanded to gather as a corporate body, eventually in Jerusalem. These feasts gave Israel an opportunity to remember God’s great salvation and to thank Him for providing the people’s every need. Importantly, the worship of God involves feasts, showing us that while proper solemnity should be observed when we gather, rejoicing should occur as well. Matthew Henry observes: “O what a good Master do we serve, who has made it our duty to rejoice before him, who feasts his servants when they are in waiting! Never let religion be called a melancholy thing, when its solemn services are solemn feasts.”

Moving back to Exodus 23:13, we read also to “pay attention” to all that God has said. We are not allowed to pick and choose from the law but must follow whatever the Lord commands. Let us seek to do that whenever we study God’s Word.