was no water for the people to drink. 2 b Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us wa b Numb. 20. 3, 4. ter that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye & tempt the LORD? C Deut. 6. 16. Ps. 78. 18, 41. Isai. 7. 12. Matt. 4. 7. 1 Cor. 10. 9. moved. That this is to be understood by the phrase 'commandment of the Lord,' is evident from Num. 9. 18, 19. 'At the commandment of the Lord ( neyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. And when the cloud tarried along upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed.' Though journeying by the commandment, or under the express guidance of the Lord, yet they are conducted to a scene of extreme trial and distress; showing that the mere fact of our being in the way of our duty is no certain security against the occurrence of trouble. God may have wise though inscrutable reasons for bringing his pilgrims from Sin to Rephidim, from hunger to thirst. able to reach them at noon, there to take their siesta'-a circumstance which reminds one of the satisfaction with which 'the shadow of a great rock in a weary land' is mentioned by the prophet,) the children of Israel jourIs. 32. 2. The other station may have been at Wady Boodra, where there is a spring of good water, though from its being somewhat aside from the common road, and often choked with sand, it has escaped the notice of most travellers. The next rest of the host was at Rephidim, where no water could be found. The determination of this station is important from its bearing upon an alleged locality of modern times, which is said to contain the identical rock smitten by Moses for the supply of water to the Israelites. There is, we think, the greatest reason to question the truth of this tradition, though very ancient; but to go fully into the argument would require a more extended detail of particulars relative to the topography of the entire Sinai region, than our limits will allow. We must therefore content ourselves with referring the reader to the able discussions of the Pictorial Bible on the subject. He will there find abundant reason to believe that the tradition which makes the rock of Rephidim to be among the higher summits of Sinai, and at the very foot of Mount St. Catherine, where there is plenty of water, to be altogether erroneous. According to the commandment of the Lord. Heb. 3proaches against Moses, and they chal al pi Yehovah, at the mouth of Jehovah. They are said to have journeyed at the 'mouth' or 'commandment' of the Lord, because they followed the direction of the cloudy pillar, pausing when it paused, and moving when it 2. The people did chide with Moses. Heb. 777 va-yareb, from the root rub which signifies to strive, contend, litigate, usually by reproachful words, though sometimes by deeds, as Gen. 49. 23. Ex. 21. 18. 1 Sam. 16. 5. In this case the impatience and irritation of their spirits vented itself in violent re lenge him to supply them with water, as if he had the command of springs and rivers and could summon them up at will, and produce effects in the desert to which Omnipotence alone is equal. As on a former occasion, they now also mur 3 And the people thirsted there | us and our children and our cattle with thirst. for water; and the people d murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill d ch. 16. 2. 4 And Moses e cried unto the LORD saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to f stone me. e ch. 14. 15. f1 Sam. 30.6. John 8. 59. & 10. 31. which of these works do ye stone me?' -T And Moses said unto them, &c. Under these trying circumstances, Mo. ses retains his characteristic calmness. He indeed reproves them; he shows them upon whom their murmurings re he does not meet rage with rage; but simply expostulates with them upon the unreasonableness of chiding with him for a privation which he had no hand in producing. - Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? Why do ye tempt the Lord by distrusting his providential care and kindness, and by murmuring against his ministers? Why do ye act as if ye would try him, and see whether he will be provoked to come out in some severe judgment against you? mured against him for bringing them out of Egypt, as if, instead of delivering, he designed to slay them, their children, and cattle with thirst. Their rage and malice at length rose to such a pitch, that they were almost ready to stone him;' and yet we are to reflected; but he does not denounce them; member that they had been, a very short time before, supplied with food directly from the hand of God himself; they were feeding upon that food every day; and they were daily led by the miraculous pillar of cloud, which was a sensible token that the responsibility of their route rested not upon Moses, but upon God. Into such gross absurdities, as well as flagrant wrongs, do the fierce demands of appetite hurry sinful men, prompting them to act like madmen, casting about fire brands, arrows, 3. To kill us and our children. Heb. and death, among their best friends. 2 lehamith othi "Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.' Yet in this complaining and murmuring multitude wegency on which Moses might very propsee but an epitome of the race. Their conduct is but too faithful a picture of what large bodies of men are continually disposed to do, even to quarrel the most with those from whom they have received the greatest benefits, and to be ready to seek their death, as soon as they meet with the least disappointments of their desires. Thus it was in after ages with the divine Benefactor of the world. Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for ve-eth banai, to kill me and my sons; spoken of as one man. "To kill' here is properly 'to make to die,' that is, to suffer to die; to bring into circumstances which would expose to death. 4. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, &c. The present was an emer. erly adopt the Psalmist's motto, 'What time I am afraid I will trust in thee.' The torments of extreme thirst tend very much to work men up to desperation, and render their passions fierce and ungovernable. We cannot doubt that Moses was now in real peril of his life. But he had before this learned where his true refuge lay, and to that he betakes himself. He pours out his complaint to God as to a friend, a father, a guardian, a guide. He begs of him to direct him 5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel: and thy rod, wherewith h thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. g Ezek. 2. 6. h ch. 7. 20. Numb. 20. 8. how to act in this emergency, for he is himself utterly at a loss. This is the true import of his words, 'What shall I do unto this people?' They imply nothing vindictive; they are not a ques tion touching the manner in which he should most effectually punish them, but simply regard the proper deportment for him to observe under the circumstances. How unspeakable the comfort of having such a sanctuary and such an oracle to flee to when our motives are suspected, our good, evil spoken of, our conduct reviled, and our patience tried! How favored is he whom the Lord hides in his pavilion from the strife of tongues! 1 Numb. 20. 10, 11. Ps. 78. 15, 20. & 105. 41. & 114. 8. 1 Cor. 10. 4. T Go on before the people. Go even in the midst of their rage, and before their thirst is relieved; fear not to advance boldly at the head of the host, and trust to my arm for protection.—¶ Take with thee of the elders. As if the mass of the people had rendered themselves unworthy of being the spectators of such a glorious miracle. And thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river. He does not say, 'the rod which was turned into a serpent,' or 'the 10d with which thou didst work wonders,' but he makes special mention of the miracle wrought upon the waters of the Nile, because a somewhat similar one was now to be effected. 5. And the Lord said unto Moses, &c. 6. Behold, I will stand before thee However much we have trembled for there. That is, the cloudy pillar, the Moses in this extremity, we are prompt- symbol of my presence, shall stand be ed, on reading this verse, to tremble still fore thee there. Gr. 'I stand there be more for those murmuring, unbelieving, fore thou come to the rock.' It is imrebellious Israelites. We hear the voice plied that the cloud should go before, of God commanding his servant to take and stationing itself on the spot where the ominous rod with which he had the miracle was to be performed should bruised and broken Egypt, and we an-await the arrival of Moses and the eldticipate that it is now to be an instru-ers, just as the star pointed out the birth ment of inflicting some fearful chastisement upon his guilty people. We can scarce repress an inward shudder in anticipation of the sequel. But how speedily are our apprehensions calmed? The rod is to be assumed for a purpose of mercy and not of wrath. It is to smite, not a sinful people, but a flinty rock. It is to draw forth, not a stream of blood from the heart of the offender, but a stream of water to cool his tongue, and to restore his fainting frame. How involuntary the exclamation, 'Surely, O Lord, thy ways are not as our ways, nor thy thoughts as our thoughts !'VOL. 1 19 place of Christ. Upon the rock in would be able satisfactorily to testify that there was previously no spring or reservoir of water in the place, and that the present supply was produced solely by the mighty power of God. In regard to the apostle's allusion to this incident, 1 Cor. 10. 1-3, the reader is referred to Mr. Barnes' Note on that passage. 7. He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah. 'Massah' signifies temptation, and 'Meribah' chiding, or strife. The latter word is rendered in the Greek version by аpаnikoаopos, bitter contention, which in the English translation, Heb. 3. 8, is rendered 'provocation;' 'Harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.'¶ Saying, Is the Lord among us or not? It is not perhaps to be understood that they uttered with their lips these precise words, but such was the language of their conduct. In like manner when our Savior says, Mat. 12. 37, 'By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,' his meaning is, that they shall be judged by actions which have the force of language; actions which express the truth as clearly as words could do it. Temptation of God and contention with his servants, are very closely connected together; and no provocation does God more highly resent, than to have his gracious presence with his people called in question. 8. Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel; implying that they came from some distance for this purpose, and consequently that Israel was not at this time encroaching upon their territories, and thus giving occasion for the attack. Hitherto nothing has been said of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? 8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 1 Gen. 36. 12. Numb. 24. 20. Deut. 25. 17. 1 Sam. 15. 2. of the inhabitants of the Sinai peninsula; no clew accordingly has been furnished that might inform us how they were affected by the recent transactions, or with what feelings they regarded the advance of the vast Hebrew host into the finest part of the country. We now hear of them. It appears that not only the peninsula, but the adjoining deserts towards the south of Palestine, were occupied by an extensive and powerful tribe, of Bedouin habits, called Amalekites. The fine valley of Feiran was then doubtless, as now, the principal seat of those who occupied the peninsula; and indeed the Arabic historians preserve the tradition that the valley contained ancient towns and settlements of the Amalekites. There are some ruins of an old city which they say was Faran or Paran, and that it was founded by and belonged to the Amalekites; and they affirm that the numerous excavations in the mountains near, were the sepulchres of that people. (Makrizi in Burckhardt, p. 617.) Feiran, the name of this valley is undoubtedly the same as the Paran of the Scriptures, which we know is expressly applied to Mount Sinai, Deut. 33. 2. These Amalekites were the posterity of Esau, and were no doubt prompted in this assault by the hereditary hatred of that race which had become possessed of the birth-right and the blessing lost by their father. Their malice, which may be said to have run in the blood, was probably somewhat exasperated at this time by seeing the promises to Israel working towards an accomplishment. And they may have been aware, moreover, of the wealth, the spoils of Egypt, with which the 9 And Moses said unto m Joshua, | Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand, 10 So Joshua did as Moses had m Called JESUS. Acts 7. 45. Hebr. 4. 8. n ch. 4. 20. Hebrews were now laden. But however this was, certain it is that we find not the slightest hint of any provocation given by the Israelites for the attack now wantonly made upon them, which it appears from Deut. 25. 18, was not conducted in a style of open and manly warfare, but in a mean and cowardly manner, by falling upon their rear, and smiting the faint and feeble who could neither make resistance, nor escape; 'Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary: and he feared not God.' The last clause is emphatically added, because such an invasion of the chosen people under these circumstances was a virtual defiance to that power which had so lately destroyed the Egyptians. This fact explains the deep resentment which God himself expresses on the occasion, and which, by a positive statute, he transmits to Israel. 'Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.' The same offence is accounted more or less heinous in the eyes of heaven according to the greater or less degrees of light against which it is committed. 9. And Moses said unto Joshua. Heb. Yehoshua, properly Savior, from the root y yasha, to save. Gr. said to him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur, went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. • Jam. 5. 16. Ingovs, Jesus, by which name Joshua is twice called in the New Testament, viz. Acts, 7. 45. Heb. 4. 8. In Num. 13. 9, he is called 'Oshea.' The name of this distinguished personage in the sacred story here occurs for the first time, but his courage and discretion had before this become known to Moses, and he does not hesitate, under divine suggestion, to confide to him the conduct of this first military action. Whether Moses in this had an eye to his future station, and designed to afford him an opportunity for that preliminary training which his destined services would require, we know not; but we may safely say that God had such an end in view, and accordingly now entered him upon that course of action which should best qualify him for the arduous duties of his subsequent leadership of Israel. He was now ordered to draw out a detachment of the choicest spirits from the many thousands of Israel, and with them to give battle on the morrow to the Amalekites.¶And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Of the Hur here mentioned we only know from 1 Chron. 2. 18, that he was the son of Caleb, the son of Hezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah. But whether this Caleb was the same with the faithful spy of that name, is more than can be positively determined. These then went to the summit of the hill, but for a different purpose than merely that of being idle spectators of the coming contest, as appears from the next verse. 11. It came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, &c. It is not here expressly affirmed that Moses held any thing |