Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods, forbids Israel to make any treaty, covenant, or agreement with the Canaanite peoples of the land, nor any bond with their gods. It commands decided separation, for the nations were to be driven out and not allowed to remain in the land, and their idols were to be rejected and destroyed rather than preserved, revered, or adopted, with worship given to God alone. The command guards against idolatry because living among those peoples and serving their gods would become a snare and lead Israel to sin against God. Their idolatry had already led those nations into wickedness, and allowing them to remain could draw Israel into sin.
The prohibition belongs to the conditions of obedience under God's covenant blessing laid out in Exodus 23. If Israel agreed to keep all His commandments from Sinai, God promised to bless them, give them possession of Canaan, make them as kings and priests unto God, and commune with them as they communed with Him. The warning was especially urgent after Israel had lost sight of God's commandments during bondage in Egypt. Israel lifted voice and hands to heaven vowing to comply and be obedient, but while Moses was away in the mount they broke the covenant by making the calf and giving idol gods the glory for deliverance from Egypt. God then required a loyal stand for obedience in which three thousand who would not take that position perished.
Israel's later league with the Canaanites violated this command and the condition on which God had promised possession of Canaan, and helped bring about its loss of faithfulness. The same test by His Word continues, and obedience gives strength of character under every temptation.
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods, forbids Israel to make any treaty, covenant, or agreement with the Canaanite peoples of the land, nor any bond with their gods. It commands decided separation, for the nations were to be driven out and not allowed to remain in the land, and their idols were to be rejected and destroyed rather than preserved, revered, or adopted, with worship given to God alone. The command guards against idolatry because living among those peoples and serving their gods would become a snare and lead Israel to sin against God. Their idolatry had already led those nations into wickedness, and allowing them to remain could draw Israel into sin.
The prohibition belongs to the conditions of obedience under God's covenant blessing laid out in Exodus 23. If Israel agreed to keep all His commandments from Sinai, God promised to bless them, give them possession of Canaan, make them as kings and priests unto God, and commune with them as they communed with Him. The warning was especially urgent after Israel had lost sight of God's commandments during bondage in Egypt. Israel lifted voice and hands to heaven vowing to comply and be obedient, but while Moses was away in the mount they broke the covenant by making the calf and giving idol gods the glory for deliverance from Egypt. God then required a loyal stand for obedience in which three thousand who would not take that position perished.
Israel's later league with the Canaanites violated this command and the condition on which God had promised possession of Canaan, and helped bring about its loss of faithfulness. The same test by His Word continues, and obedience gives strength of character under every temptation.