Exodus 23:27
I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
Christ Himself gave this direction on Mount Sinai as part of the teachings of Exodus 19-24, spoken after the commandments and written in a book to guard against doing injustice and to guide dealings with one another. The promise is that God Himself would go before Israel into Canaan and act against its enemies, sending His fear and terror ahead of them, destroying all the peoples to whom they would come, and making all their enemies turn their backs to retreat and flee before them. This help was pledged on condition of obedience: obeying the voice of the Angel in whom God's name is, serving the Lord alone, keeping His commandments, and rejecting idolatry. On that condition God pledged to bless and honor Israel as their Ruler, to act for them and communicate with them, and to make them as kings and priests unto God.
The conquest under this promise was to be gradual, as the people grew and became able to inherit the land, driving the inhabitants out little by little by means including hornets. This was so the land would not become desolate and wild animals multiply before Israel was numerous enough to possess it, with God delivering the inhabitants into Israel's hand and setting the land's boundaries. Israel for its part was to drive out the inhabitants without making covenants with them or their gods and without letting them remain in the land, utterly overthrowing their images in abhorrence of idolatry. Their worship would lead Israel into sin and become a snare, and this destruction was God's judgment on idolatrous nations whose worship had led them into wickedness, with Israel serving as His instrument in destroying them and their idols. At Israel's first approach to Canaan the nations had not yet been generally stirred to fear and had made little preparation to resist Israel.
Israel accepted the conditions with uplifted voice and hands promising to comply, but when temptation came while Moses was away they broke loyalty by making the calf. The verse is to be studied and presented before the people now just as verily as it was needed in the days of Moses, with Moses' example of gathering up the truth, light and grace of God and carrying it out in practice. Every one is to study the commandments with a heart to obey them and to teach them diligently to their children. Obeying means all contention is to cease and brethren are to love one another with softened and subdued hearts. Those who obey now still receive the reward of being as kings and priests unto God, with protection from enemies and sickness and dependable food and water.