Tuesday-August 26, 2025
God's Original Plan - How to Gain Victory (Exodus 23:20-33)
Exodus 23:20-33; Exod. 14:13-14; 2 Kings 19:35, Isa. 37:36; Gen. 15:13-16
“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20)
Biblical Foundation: Divine Leadership and Sure Victory
God’s promise in Exodus 23:20 is central to Israel’s destiny:
“See, I am sending an Angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”
This Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1; cf. Exod. 14:19; Isa. 63:9) represents Christ Himself, guiding Israel to Canaan. Victory was not to be won by human might but by divine power: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exod. 14:13-14). The record of the Assyrian defeat (2 Kings 19:35; Isa. 37:36) illustrates God’s ability to deliver His people supernaturally.
Yet, this victory was conditional:
Israel must obey God’s voice (Exod. 23:21-22).
They must reject idolatry and compromise (Exod. 23:24).
The conquest would be progressive—“little by little” (Exod. 23:29-30)—to strengthen faith and prevent desolation.
The promise to Abraham (Gen. 15:13-16) confirmed that Israel’s inheritance depended on both God’s timing and the iniquity of the nations reaching full measure.
Spirit of Prophecy: The Secret of Victory
Ellen White emphasizes that success comes only through obedience and trust in God’s leadership:
Those who follow in the light need have no anxiety lest that in the outpouring of the latter rain they will not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If we would receive the light of the glorious angel that shall lighten the earth with his glory, let us see to it that our hearts are cleansed, emptied of self, and turned toward heaven, that they may be ready for the latter rain. Let us be obtaining a fitting up to join in the proclamation of the angel who shall lighten the earth with his glory. Let us be colaborers with Christ. Now is the time for us to let self die, to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts, to deny the cravings of appetite and passion. The minds of many are channels for impure thoughts. They do not have a realizing sense of the offensive character of sin. I call upon you to clear the King's highway. Weighty responsibilities are resting upon you; for you are to represent the character of your Lord to the world. Faith without works is dead. There must be corresponding works, or the faith is worthless, a mere pretension, an empty profession. You are to manifest your faith by a life of integrity, making it evident that Christ is abiding in the heart, and that you are able to show forth what is the hope of his calling. {ST, August 1, 1892 par. 14}
“The mighty general of armies would go before them, and the children of Israel were to follow without fear”
The message was now given them from Jehovah: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him. But if thou shalt indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries." During all the wanderings of Israel, Christ, in the pillar of cloud and of fire, was their Leader. While there were types pointing to a Saviour to come, there was also a present Saviour, who gave commands to Moses for the people, and who was set forth before them as the only channel of blessing. {PP 311.4}
On conditional fulfillment: “It was God’s purpose to set them high above all nations if they would remain true to Him… But their success depended on their obedience” During his stay in the mount, Moses received directions for the building of a sanctuary in which the divine presence would be specially manifested. "Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8), was the command of God. For the third time the observance of the Sabbath was enjoined. "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever," the Lord declared, "that ye may know that I am Jehovah that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. . . . Whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people." Exodus 31:17,13, 14... To guard them from this error, the warning was given. Even the sacredness and urgency of that special work for God must not lead them to infringe upon His holy rest day. {PP 313.3}
She warns that unbelief, murmuring, and compromise robbed Israel of immediate victory. The same danger confronts God’s people today: “We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us” (LS 196).
Victory, Purification, and the Kingdom
The inspiration views Exodus 23 as both literal history and prophetic type for the last days:
On the Angel’s Leadership:
“The Angel that went before Israel was Christ, the same One who goes before the church today to bring her into the land prepared for the kingdom” (SRod, Vol. 1, p. 179).
On Conditional Victory:
“As ancient Israel could not enter the promised land while unfaithful, neither can the church today enter the Kingdom unless purified of sinners” (Tract 1, pp. 37-38).
On Gradual Conquest:
“The words ‘little by little’ reveal that the gathering of the nations and the setting up of the Kingdom is a progressive work, not accomplished in one day, but step by step as truth advances and the church is cleansed” (SRod, Vol. 2, p. 151).
Thus, just as Israel’s Canaan conquest depended on obedience and purification, so the end-time church must undergo purification (Ezekiel 9) before inheriting the antitypical kingdom.
Prophetic Application: How to Gain Victory Today
In the Church: God’s original plan is to lead His people into the promised kingdom on earth before the Second Coming (Dan. 2:44; Micah 4:1-4). But as with Israel, victory is conditional upon obedience, separation from worldliness, and the church’s purification.
In the World: Just as God delayed Israel’s conquest until the iniquity of the Amorites was full (Gen. 15:16), so the nations today are filling their cup of iniquity. When the measure is complete, divine judgments will open the way for God’s kingdom to be established.
In Prophecy: The angelic leadership in Exodus 23 points to the final work of Christ directing the sealing and harvest (Rev. 7:1-3; 14:14-16). The victories of the past foreshadow the deliverance of the 144,000 and the great multitude, who will stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion (Rev. 14:1).
To gain victory in our spiritual journey means:
Trusting God’s angelic leadership through Christ (Heb. 1:14; Isa. 63:9).
Obeying His voice in practical righteousness (Rev. 14:12).
Refusing compromise with sin or idolatry (2 Cor. 6:17-18).
Persevering in faith as God accomplishes His plan “little by little” (James 1:4).
Ellen White reminds us: “Victory is not gained in a day, but by patient continuance in well-doing, overcoming fault by fault” (MH 452). The SRod amplifies this, teaching that the purification of the church and the establishment of the kingdom are progressive victories leading to final triumph.
Consider the Following
❖ How to Gain Victory (Exodus 23:20-33)
— Why didn't God give Abraham the land of the Canaanites? "Because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Gen. 15:16).
— After four centuries of grace, the Canaanites hadn't changed their ways. It was time to hand the land over to Israel... peacefully! (Ex. 13:17)
— If God had brought them out of Egypt without them having to fight, had parted the sea in two, miraculously fed them, and guided them with His Angel… wouldn't He be able to give them Canaan without them having to fight for it?
(1) God tells Israel what to do
(a) Hear his voice, so that God may be the enemy of his enemies (23:21-22)
(b) Serve only God, so that He may remove all sickness (23:24-26)
(c) Not to make any alliance with the Canaanites, so as not to worship their gods (23:32-33)
(2) God tells Israel what He is going to do
(a) He will send His Angel to guard them and bring them in [protection] (23:20)
(b) The Angel will go before them and bring them to Canaan [direction] (23:23)
(c) He will send terror to the inhabitants (23:27)
(d) He will send the wasp to drive them out (23:28)
(e) He will drive them out gradually (23:29-30)
(f) He will hand them over to Israel until they dominate from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates (23:31)
Exodus 23:20-33 reveals God’s original plan for Israel’s victory—led by Christ, secured by obedience, and accomplished step by step. From the Bible we see that deliverance comes only by divine power. From the SOP we learn that success is conditional on faithfulness. From the Shepherd’s Rod we understand that this history typifies the last days: the angel of the Lord leading a purified church into the kingdom. To gain victory today is to trust Christ’s leadership, obey His voice, separate from sin, and endure in faith as He fulfills His plan “little by little” until His kingdom is fully established.
