Exodus 23:10-23     The covenant the LORD made with the Israelites involved a third party, and that fact determined the nature of the agreement.  The nation knew that their exodus from Egypt was not complete.  God wanted them to not only escape their troubled past – with its bondage and insignificance – but also to be part of his plan for the future.  The promised land was to be a means of Israelite obedience and a means for God to bless them for that obedience.  Therefore, the Sabbaths and feast days were important to the relationship.  Corresponding to those rules for compliance to the covenant on their part, God promised to bring blessing upon the land, and to drive its present inhabitants out with a guarding angel and hornets.  The third party in the covenant was the land itself.  It was a way for both of the other parties to show their faithfulness to each other.

LORD,  thank you for the means you have given us to show our faithfulness to you.  Thank you for the new covenant, bought by Christ’s blood, which shows your ultimate faithfulness toward us.