In vv. 1-3, 6-8 there are details related to the ninth commandment, dealing with false testimony (Exo. 20:16).

Bringing the lost ox to the enemy and releasing the burdened donkey of one who hates us (v. 5) signify Christ bringing the lost things of life (livestock) to fallen man and helping him in releasing his burden (John 10:10b; Matt. 11:28-29). These ordinances also signify that, as far as it depends on us, we should reconcile ourselves, by the life of Christ, to our enemies and those who hate us (Matt. 5:23-26, 43-48; 18:15-35; Rom. 12:17-21).

Keeping the Sabbath day (v. 12) that the cattle may rest and that the son of the female servant and the sojourner may be refreshed typifies taking Christ as our rest that others may be benefited. Keeping the Sabbath year that the needy and the animals of the field may eat typifies taking Christ as our rest to a fuller extent that others may have food.

Keeping feasts unto God three times a year typifies the full enjoyment of the Triune God in Christ. This is the ultimate significance of all the ordinances of the law. See notes on vv. 15-16.

Keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Deut. 16:1-8) typifies the purging away of all sinful things through the enjoyment of Christ as the sinless life supply. See note Exo. 12:8^2a, note Exo. 12:15¹, and note Exo. 12:15^2a. This feast was a continuation of the Passover.

I.e., the Feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:9-12), or the Feast of Pentecost. This feast typifies the enjoyment of the firstfruits of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ (Rom. 8:23 and note 1). In the Old Testament type the firstfruits signify the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:20, 23 and note 1 Cor. 15:20²) offered to God on the day of His resurrection (John 20:17), typified in Lev. 23:10-11 by the firstfruits offered to God on the day after the Sabbath, the day of resurrection (Matt. 28:1). The day of Pentecost was exactly fifty days from the day of Christ’s resurrection. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit as the full issue of the resurrected Christ was poured out on the church (Acts 2:1-4). This indicates that the resurrected Christ became the Spirit poured out on His believers for their full enjoyment (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). See note Acts 2:1^1a and note Lev. 23:16^1a.

I.e., the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13-15). As the consummation of the harvest, the Feast of Tabernacles typifies, first, the coming millennium as a dispensational, joyful blessing for God’s redeemed people, including the overcomers and the saved Israelites, to enjoy with God for one thousand years on the restored earth. Ultimately, the eternal Feast of Tabernacles will be the enjoyment of the New Jerusalem, the eternal tabernacle (Rev. 21:2-3), in the new heaven and new earth by all God’s people as the consummation of the harvest of their experience of God. See Lev. 23:33-44 and notes.

The blood of the sacrifice signifies the redemption of Christ, and leaven signifies our sinful life. These two things must never be mixed. In order to enjoy Christ’s redemption, we must be separated from our sinful life (1 Cor. 5:6-8).

This signifies that in keeping God’s feasts we should enjoy the fat, the sweetest part of Christ, with God today and not wait until tomorrow.

The first of the firstfruits typifies the topmost of the top experiences of Christ as the firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). These should be brought to God’s dwelling place, the church meetings, to be offered directly to God for His satisfaction (cf. John 20:17 and note John 20:17¹).

This typifies that the milk of the word of God, the life supply of Christ, should be used to nourish new believers in Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:2) and not to “kill” them (2 Cor. 3:6 — “the letter kills”). See 1 Thes. 2:7-8 and notes.

That the decree of the law concludes with a portion regarding the Angel and the good land indicates that the purpose of the decree of the law is that those who received the law would enter into the good land. The Angel of Jehovah typifies Christ as the One sent by God to keep His people in the way and to bring them into the good land (Exo. 14:19 and note Exo. 14:19^1a), and the good land typifies Christ in His all-inclusiveness as the allotted portion of God’s people (see note Deut. 8:7¹ in Deut. 8). Thus, Christ as the sent One brings God’s people into Himself as the good land. The goal in God’s purpose is to bring His people into the full enjoyment of Christ as the all-inclusive land.

Or, obey. So also in v. 22. Christ, the sent One of God, speaks for God within us (cf. John 10:3, 16, 27). If we would take possession of Him, we must learn to obey His voice.

The name of Jehovah is identical to His person, indicating that the Angel of Jehovah is Jehovah Himself.

That the Angel’s voice was Jehovah’s speaking proves strongly that the Angel and Jehovah are one.

The various pagan tribes that occupied the land signify the different aspects of our natural life. The gods (idols) of the pagan tribes (v. 24), with the demons behind them (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20), represent the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Behind our natural life are the forces of evil (cf. Matt. 16:23 and note Matt. 16:23^1a), who utilize, manipulate, and direct the aspects of our natural life to frustrate us from taking possession of the all-inclusive Christ and enjoying His riches.

History shows that the pagan tribes in the land were the source of Israel’s sin against God (cf. v. 33). This indicates that our natural life is the source of our sins. In the sight of God, those who live according to the natural life are sinning continually, whether they do good or evil. Because the natural life frustrates us from possessing Christ and enjoying Him, we must hate it (Luke 14:26) and, as we grow in Christ, be willing to drive it out. See note Exo. 23:29¹ and note Exo. 23:31³.

The blessings here and in v. 26 signify spiritually that God will give us bread (the Word — Matt. 4:4) to nourish us and water (the Spirit — John 7:37-39) to satisfy us, will cause us to grow and be fruitful, and will take away our sicknesses that we would not suffer a premature death (cf. 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16) but would grow in the divine life to maturity, to full age (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28), in order to gain the all-inclusive Christ as our possession for our enjoyment (Phil. 3:8).

God will not cut off our natural life, signified by the pagan tribes (see note Exo. 23:23^1a), all at once, because this would leave us inwardly vacant and in danger of being taken over by demons, signified by the animals of the field (cf. Matt. 12:43-45). God cuts off our natural life gradually, little by little, according to the degree of our growth in the divine life (v. 30). The more Christ increases in us, the more He will replace our natural life.

I.e., the Mediterranean Sea. The seas and the river here signify the waters of death, and the wilderness signifies barrenness. That the promised land, an elevated land full of life and the abundance of fruit (Deut. 8:7-8), was surrounded by water and wilderness indicates that outside of Christ, the reality of the good land (see note Deut. 8:7¹), there is nothing but death and barrenness.

I.e., the Euphrates.

God promised to drive out the pagan tribes (vv. 29-30), but God’s people had to cooperate with Him by taking the initiative in destroying them (vv. 31-33; cf. Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24; Col. 3:5; Phil. 2:12-13). The more Christ increases in us, the more we will be able to cooperate with God in driving out the natural life. See note Exo. 23:29¹.

Making a covenant with the pagan tribes signifies compromising with, tolerating, our natural life.