“Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 34:11 Mean?
After the golden calf incident and the renewal of the covenant, God reissues commands to Israel. He tells them to observe His instructions, and in return, He will drive out the nations before them. The list — Amorite, Canaanite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, Jebusite — represents the peoples currently occupying the Promised Land.
"I drive out before thee" is God's declaration that the conquest is His work, not theirs. Israel's job is to observe His commands. God's job is to clear the path. The division of labor is clear: obedience is human; victory is divine.
This verse comes at a moment of covenant renewal — God has forgiven the golden calf rebellion and is restating His promises. The fact that these commands come after catastrophic failure means God's purposes survive human sin. Israel broke the covenant, and God remade it. The nations will still be driven out. The promise stands.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does it change your confidence to know that God renewed His promises to Israel even after the golden calf?
- 2.Is there a failure in your past that you fear has disqualified you from God's promises? How does this passage speak to that?
- 3.What does 'observing God's commands' look like in your life right now — not perfectly, but faithfully?
- 4.How do you receive the idea that victory is God's work while obedience is yours?
Devotional
God just watched His people make a golden calf and worship it. The covenant was shattered. Moses smashed the tablets. Three thousand people died. And then — incredibly — God starts over. New tablets. New commands. Same promises.
"I drive out before thee." The promise of conquest wasn't revoked. The list of nations to be displaced wasn't shortened. God's plan didn't shrink because of Israel's failure. He renewed it.
If you've blown it — spectacularly, visibly, in ways you're still ashamed of — this verse is for you. God's purposes for your life are not contingent on your perfection. They survived Israel's worst moment. They can survive yours.
But notice the condition: "observe thou that which I command thee." The promise is unconditional in its origin but participatory in its execution. God drives out the nations. You observe the commands. The obedience doesn't earn the promise. It positions you to receive it.
God isn't waiting for you to be perfect before He acts. He's already acting. Your job is to walk in obedience — imperfect, recovering, still-learning obedience — and let Him clear the path.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Observe thou that which I command thee this day,.... Which words are either said to Moses personally, as Aben Ezra…
Reconciliation being made, a covenant of friendship is here settled between God and Israel. The traitors are not only…
The conditions of the covenant, i.e. the laws upon the acceptance of which its establishment depends. The laws…
Cross References
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