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11 And the LORD said unto him, h Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

12 Now therefore go, and I will be i with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

h Ps. 94. 9. i Isai. 50. 4. Jer. 1.9. Matt.

13 And he said, O my Lord, k send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth

10. 19. Mark 13. 11. Luke 12. 11, 12. & 21. thee, he will be glad in his heart.

14, 15.

or felicity in adapting one's expressions to the ideas which he wishes to convey. The latter phrase occurs, Exek. 3. 5, 6, where it is rendered,' hard language,' i. e. obscure, requiring interpretation, as it is immediately added, 'whose words thou canst not understand.' There is perhaps an intimation that in the long lapse of forty years he had almost lost the true pronunciation of the Egyptian language.

11. Who hath made man's mouth. Heb. mi sam peh leadam, who put the mouth to man, or, to Adam? Targ. Jon. 'Who is he who placed the utterance of speech in the mouth of Adam the first man?' Arab. 'Who created pronunciation to man?' By this appeal to Moses respecting the origin of the human faculties, God would have him to infer, that he who bestowed them upon the first man could, with infinite ease, endow him with those which were lacking and remedy those which were imperfect.

13. O my Lord, send I pray thee, &c. Chal. and Targ. Jerus. 'Send now by the hand of him who is worthy to be sent.' Gr. Choose another able man whom thou wilt send.' By the Heb. idiom the term ' hand' is used to denote any kind of instrumentality or ministry; thus Ex. 9. 35, As the Lord had spoken by Moses.' Heb.' By the hand of Moses.' 2 Kings, 17. 13, 'Yet the Lord testified against Israel by all the prophets.' Heb. By the hand of all prophets.' Is. 64. 7, And has con

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k Jonah 1. 3. ! ver. 27. 1 Sam. 10. 2, 3, 5.

sumed us because of our iniquities.' Heb. By the hand of our iniquities.'The reluctance of Moses to engage in the work is not yet overcome. And who can wonder that the anger of the Lord was kindled against him? Had an earthly monarch been thus rudely treated by one of his subjects, whom he chose to honor by sending him as his representative to a foreign court, would he not have been justified in spurning the man from his presence, and conferring the high distinction upon some one else? So, had God taken Moses at his word, and entirely discarded him from the honorable service to which he was thus called, he would only have treated him as he deserved. But the divine forbearance was not yet exhausted.

14. Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? The literal rendering of this clause is, Is not Aaron thy brother the Levite?' which we cannot but understand as implying, that in consequence of Moses' unbelieving waywardness on this occasion, the distinguishing honor of the priesthood, and of being the official head of the house of Levi, the person in whom the dignity of that name should be especially centred, which would otherwise have been bestowed upon him, should now be conferred upon his brother Aaron, and perpetuated in his family. In this fact the expression of the Lord's anger consisted. Otherwise how was Aaron any more 'the Levite than Moses? We find accordingly the forfeited privilege of Moses thus se

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15 And mthou shalt speak unto | and I will be with thy mouth, and him, and " put words in his mouth: with his mouth, and • will teach you what ye shall do.

mch. 7. 1, 2. n Numb. 22. 38. & 23. 5, 12, 16. Deut. 18. 18. Isai. 51. 16. Jer. 1. 9.

cured to Aaron, 1 Chron. 23. 13, And Aaron was separated that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless his name for ever.' This, we suppose would have been the honor of Moses, had he yielded a ready obedience to the divine mandate. The event teaches us that those who decline the labor and hazard connected with the call of God to a special service, may thereby forfeit and forego a blessing of which they little dream.- I know that he can speak well. Heb. 27 37 ki dabbër yedabbër, that speaking he will speak. Behold, he cometh forth to meet thee. This was plainly the annunciation of a future event. As Moses had not hitherto thought of leaving Midian, nor had yet started upon his journey thence, if Aaron was now on his way to meet his brother, it must have been in consequence of a divine suggestion, for from no other source could he have had any intimation that he should meet him. Yet no one can question that God, from his foresight of Moses' departure from Midian, might have put it into the heart of Aaron to go forth anticipating an interview with one who was dear to him by nature, and whom, after an absence of forty years he would be very desirous to see. The hearts of the different agents are often moved to the same work at a great distance from each other. It would seem that the Most High was simultaneously drawing Aaron with one hand from Egypt, and Moses with the other from Midian. The vision ought undoubtedly at once to have impelled Moses forward to a compliance with the divine injunction; but as Omniscience saw the result from the beginning, he proVOL. I 6

o Deut. 5. 31.

vided a new stimulus to his apathy in the promise of meeting his brother in the desert, whom he determined by a secret impulse to lead forth for that purpose. In a manner somewhat analogous Ananias was directed in a vision to go and meet Saul of Tarsus, Acts, 9. 17, in order to be an instrument of opening his eyes and confirming his faith. This favor the perverse importunity of Moses extorted from God, but he, in the plenitude of his goodness, determined to elicit from the fault of his servant new matter of grace; as it is his to bring light out of darkness. In saying that he knew that Aaron would be 'glad in his heart' upon meeting his brother, he designs perhaps to administer a covert reproof to the tardiness of Moses; q. d. ‘Aaron is coming forth with alacrity, and shall hail thee with joy and exhilaration of spirits, whilst thou, restrained by sinful distrust and weighed down with sadness, canst scarcely drag thyself forward to a meeting.'

15. And thou shalt speak unto him, &c. The Lord in these words declares that he will not admit his plea of, 'I pray thee have me excused,' and yet so does it as to consult his servant's honor against his will. When he might justly have substituted another in his room, he still condescends to employ him, and though he divides the office, and joins Aaron in commission with Kim, he endows his reluctant emissary with the highest dignity. While Aaron was to supply by his native ready utterance, the deficiency of Moses in this respect, the latter was to convey to his brother, as from God himself, the instructions and directions which should from time to time be given him. I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth.

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16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and p thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

P ch. 7. 1. & 18. 19. q ver. 2.

Chal. 'My Word shall be with thy mouth and with his mouth.' Gr. I will open thy mouth and his mouth.' Even Aaron himself, however eloquent, could not speak to the purpose unless God was with his mouth. The possession of the best gifts does not supersede the necessity of divine assistance. 16. He shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. Chal. He shall speak for thee with the people, and shall be thine interpreter, and thou shalt be as a prince (rab) unto him.' Jerus. Targ. 'Thou shalt be to him a master inquiring doctrine from before the Lord.' Gr. and Vulg. Thou shalt be to him in things pertaining to God;' the very phrase which Paul employs, Heb. 5. 1, 'For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God.' How strikingly does this illustrate the Apostle's declaration that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. We see a persevering beneficence towards Moses, that fills us with amazement. When we should rather expect that the fire which had spared the bush would consume the recusant, we behold a continued triumph of mercy over judgment. 17. Thou shalt take this rod in thine hand. Gr. This rod which was turned into a serpent, shalt thou take,' &c. The end of his mission was to be accomplished rather by acting than by speaking, and he is commanded to take with him his shepherd's rod, not only as an instrument for working wonders, and an ensign of authority, but also as

18 ¶ And Moses went, and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

a memento of the mean condition out of which he had been called, and as a means of pouring deeper contempt upon the state and pomp of Pharaoh. In like manner on a subsequent occasion the simple sling of David was made to put to shame the ponderous armor of Goliath. The more humble the guise in which we go against the enemies of God, the more signal the glory of their defeat. 18. Moses went and returned to Jethro. Heb. el Yether, to Jether; but in the close of the verse 'Jethro,' as usual. Thus the person who in Nehem. 6. 12, is called' Geshem,' is in v. 6, called Gashmu.' Moses was prompted by a sense of justice and decency to acquaint his father-in-law with his intention to leave Midian and go into Egypt; but he saw fit to conceal from Jethro the errand upon which God had sent him, lest he should endeavor to hinder or discourage him from so difficult and dangerous an enterprise. In this conduct the piety and prudence of Moses are equally conspicuous with his mod. esty and humility. He determines to guard against all temptations to disobedience, and at the same time not to indulge in a vain-glorious ostentation of the high honor conferred upon him. This part of Moses' conduct is a striking proof that the privilege of being admitted to near communion with God will never generate a contemptuous disregard for those whom we are bound in the relations of life to honor. Go in peace. Gr. 'Go prospering;' an invocation of general welfare. See Note on Gen. 29, 6.-37. 4.

19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

r ch. 2. 15, 23. Matt. 2. 20.

20 And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

s ch. 17. 9. Numb. 20. 8, 9.

of escape. His scruples would be of course removed by the assurance of a heavenly call, accompanied by the promise of a happy issue.

19. And the Lord said. Aben Ezra willing to see him and his daughter says, and we think with great proba-rush into danger without some prospect bility, that this should be rendered in the pluperfect tense, 'The Lord had said; i. e. on some other occasion not particularly specified. He observes moreover that as a general rule events are not recorded by the sacred writers in the exact order in which they occurred.-¶ The men are dead which sought thy life. Heb.

mebakshim eth naphsheka, which (were) seeking thy soul. On the sense of the word 'soul,' see Note on Gen. 2, 7. Chal. 'Which sought to kill thee.' The phrase, 'to seek the soul' is sometimes used in a good sense, as Ps. 142, 4. (Heb.) No man sought my soul;' (Eng.) 'No man cared for my soul;' yet it usually signifies seeking with a murderous intent, thus explained 1 Kings, 19, 10. And they seek my life (soul) to take it away.' This declaration would remove a fear which it was natural that Moses should feel, though we do not learn that he expressed it. A grand obstacle would meet him on the very threshold, should the blood formerly shed by him be required at his hand.

20. Moses took his wife and his sons, &c. Thus clearly intimating the purpose of a final departure from Midian, and of a permanent settlement in Egypt. The single ass for his family shows an humble equipment for a messenger of God, but the Gr. has ra vročvуia, the beasts of burden, and the Hebrew usage in this particular as illustrated in the Note on Gen. 24, 10, will show that we are not necessarily shut up to the precise letter of the narrative. This is confirmed by the following extract from the 'Pict. Hist. of Palestine,' page 184. 'The original narrative speaks but of one ass, 'set them upon an ass ;' but, as it seems preposterous to suppose that there was but one ass for them all, it is likely that, as often happens, the singular is here put for the plural; and that the meaning is, 'he set every one of them upon an ass.' We do not recollect any modern instance of asses being employed in a journey across this desert, whereas the present is far from being the only ancient instance. In fact, there seem to have been, in very ancient times, greater facilities for travel across this desert than at present. Perhaps it was not so desolate as now; al though even now we believe that during the winter and early spring it might be crossed on asses. Then there seem also to have been caravanserais in dis

God therefore allays all his fears on this head by assuring him that no avengers of that deed were now alive to trouble him. It is probable that the information thus conveyed to him was important to be given to Jethro in order to obtain his consent to his son-in-law's departure. It is scarcely to be supposed that he would have bestowed his daughter upon a wandering stranger without being made acquainted with the leading events of his previous histricts where no one now expects to find tory; nor after his being an inmate of such a convenience; and that the way his house for forty years, would he be across this and other deserts was com

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I

t ch. 3. 20.

paratively safe appears from numerous instances, such as the journeys of the patriarchs to Egypt, those of Eliezer and Jacob to Mesopotomia, and this of Moses to Egypt from the eastern gulf, with his wife and two children. Indeed, if there were no attendants with this party, it would seem that the wife of Moses returned to Midian with her two sons, unaccompanied by any man. We think it very possible, however, that there may have been attendants, although the Scriptural narrative has no intimation to that effect. However, the absence of any acts of robbery, or of the fear of any such acts, from those who crossed the deserts in all the early Hebrew history, is a remarkable circumstance when we consider the acts of constant violence upon travellers which now take place, and the strong apprehensions with which a journey across any of the Arabian or Syrian deserts is now regarded.'¶ Returned to the land of Egypt. That is, took up his journey towards the land of Egypt. See Note on Gen. 22, 3.- Took the rod of God in his hand. Chal. The rod by which miracles were to be wrought.' This staff is called 'the rod of God,' partly because it was appropriated to God's special service to be the instrument of all his glorious works; and partly to show that whatever was done by it was not effected by any intrinsic virtue in the rod itself or in the hand of Moses which wielded it, but solely by the power of God, who was pleased, for the greater confusion of his enemies, to employ so mean an instrument. It would seem that there was a designed though latent antithesis between the poorness of his equipage and the dignity conferred upon him by the mystic

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have put in thine hand: but u I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

u ch. 7. 3, 13. & 9. 12, 35. & 10. 1. & 14. 8. Deut. 2. 30. Josh. 11. 20. Isai. 63. 17. John 12. 40. Rom. 9. 18.

rod which he bore in his hand. The outward eye, as he passed along, beheld only an humble wayfarer clad in coarse habiliments, and slowly moving by the side of the beasts, loaded with the burden of his wife and children, but in the simple staff that supported his steps slept the hidden virtue of Omnipotence itself! It had but to be waved in the air and the salubrious Nile run a river of blood, and hail and pestilence and lightning and thunders waited upon its movements! What sceptre of royalty ever invested its possessor with such a grandeur !

21. And the Lord said unto Moses, &c. Moses has not as yet given an exact recital of the various miracles which he was commanded to work, but from the language of this verse we cannot doubt that all the successive prodigies of power of which we read in the sequel had been previously enjoined, and the process of the whole affair accurately made known. This was in order to prepare him for the issue, lest upon a first and second abortive attempt he should despair of moving the mind of Pharaoh, and renounce his rod and his calling together. Here therefore God exhorts him to hold on in persevering constancy and not desist from his work till every item of the divine injunctions had been complied with. Let him not suppose that his failure in the first instance to gain his point would be owing simply to an evil accident; nor let him deem that a puny mortal could safely treat miraculous agency as a mockery. On the contrary, he was to carry with him the assurance that whatever was the immediate result, however adverse it might seem to the deliverance of his people, the hand of

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