The observation of Before CHRIST 1491. + Heb. vessels. CHAP. XXXI, XXXII. the sabbath again commanded. understanding, and in knowledge, therefore; for it is holy unto you: and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee; 7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabert nacle, 8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, 9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot, 10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, 11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do. 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, the Hebrews, from their long continuance in Egyptian bondage, cannot be supposed to have been trained to them. Bp. Patrick. 13.my sabbaths ye shall keep :] This is repeated after having been thrice mentioned before, chap. xvi. 23; xx. 8; xxiii. 12; on this special occasion, in order to shew that a breach of the sabbath would not be warranted, even by the important work on which they were to be now employed. The sabbath was to be "a sign between God and them," that He was their deliverer from Egyptian slavery, and that He "sanctified" them to be his peculiar people. This command is again given at chap. xxxv. 2. Bp. Patrick. that soul shall be cut off] If any man worked openly on the sabbath day, so that witnesses could be procured, he was to be stoned, according to Numb. xv. 35 thus the meaning seems here to be, that if any one committed the deed secretly, so as not to be punished every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Before CHRIST 1491. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, + holy to the LORD: whosoever Heb. doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. holiness. 8 1491. Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us a Acts 7. 10. gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which by the judges, God would Himself punish him by shortening his days. Bp. Patrick. 18.-written with the finger of God.] That is, framed by the operation of God Himself, without Moses or any other person being employed. As human beings use their hands and fingers in doing these things, the same form of words is used to express that which is wrought by the power of God. Bp. Patrick. Chap. XXXII. ver. 1. make us gods,] Or rather, "make us a god;" for so the Hebrew word is often translated. The meaning is, Make us a sacred symbol or sign, which may represent God to us in a visible manner. They hankered probably after the idolatrous worship which they had learned in Egypt. St. Stephen calls their behaviour on this occasion a turning back of their hearts unto Egypt, Acts vii. 39. Bp. Patrick. How great was the madness and ingratitude of the Israelites! What if Moses had been gone for ever, must they therefore have gods made? If they had said, "Choose us another governour," it had been a wicked and ungrateful motion: they were too unworthy of Moses that could so soon forget him: but to say, "Make us gods," was absurdly impious. Moses was not their god, but their governour: neither was the presence of God limited to Moses: when he was gone, they saw God still in his pillar, and in his manna; and yet they say, "Make us gods." Bp. Hall. 66 a golden calf. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. Before CHRIST 1491. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, e 1 Cor. 10. 7. and rose up to play. d 7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy d Deut. 9. 12. people, which thou broughtest out of tice of others; as those that live in a pestilential air are 5 To morrow is a feast to the Lord.] Not to the golden calf, but to the Creator of the world, whom they worshipped in this image. Notwithstanding which, this was no better than an idol, Acts vii. 41; and they were gross idolaters, Ps. cvi. 19, 20; 1 Cor. x. 7. Bp. Patrick. The words of the second commandment express very strongly the great care of God to free his people from idolatry; and very clearly forbid not only making 4. and fashioned it with a graving tool,] That is, and worshipping representations of false gods, but any after he had cast it in a mould, he fashioned and polished representation of God at all. And to shew yet more it with a proper tool. Bp. Patrick, Dr. Wells. The fully that even those of the true God are prohibited by original word probably signifies here, not "a graving it, Moses in Deuteronomy, immediately after mentiontool," as we render it: it is used in a very different ing the delivery of the Ten Commandments, adds with sense, 2 Kings v. 23: it there signifies "a bag" or respect to the second, "Take therefore good heed unto "little chest ;" and by an easy metaphor from this use yourselves, for ye saw no manner of similitude on the of it, it may denote a mould made to shut up like a day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the chest, to contain and form the metal to be poured into midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make it. By a slight correction of the text, the verse would you a graven image, the similitude of any figure," Deut. run thus: And he received (it, that is, the gold) at iv. 12-16. And when the Israelites made a golden calf their hands; and they formed it in a mould, and they in the wilderness, though evidently their design was to remade a molten calf; and they said, This is thy god, Ŏ present by it, not a false object of worship, but THE LORD, Israel." The verse would thus agree to what is sug-(in the original it is JEHOVAH,) who brought them out gested in other places, that Aaron indeed received the of the land of Egypt; yet they were charged with it, and gold that was brought him; but that the forming of it punished for it, as a breach of their covenant with God: in the mould, and the making it into a calf, and pro- and Moses accordingly broke on that occasion the two taclaiming it a god, was not done by Aaron, but by others; bles of the Commandments, which were on their part the by the workmen or artificers, and the people. Notwith-conditions of that covenant. Again, in aftertimes, when standing this, whatever may hence be offered in mitiga- the kings of Israel set up the same representation of the tion of Aaron's fault, yet certainly all will be too little true God at Dan and Beth-el; the Scripture constantly to prove him innocent; and agreeably to this, we find speaks of it, as the leading sin, from which all the rest a great share of the guilt was imputed to him: "The of their idolatries, and at last their utter destruction, proLord was very angry with him to have destroyed him; but ceeded. For from worshipping the true God by an image, that Moses prayed for him," Deut. ix. 20. Shuckford. they soon came to worship the images of false gods too: Aaron shrunk from the importunity, perhaps from the and from thence fell into all sorts of superstition, and all threats, of the people; as if He, that forbade other sorts of wickedness. Abp. Secker. gods, could not have maintained his own act and agent against men. Sudden fears, when they have possessed weak minds, lead them to shameful errours. Importu. nity or violence may lessen, but they cannot excuse a fault. Wherefore was he a governour, but to repress their disordered motions? Facility of yielding to a sin or courting it with our voluntary suit, is a higher degree of evil: but even at last to be won by sin, is deserving of condemnation. Bp. Hall. a molten calf] Such as they had seen worshipped by the Egyptians. Servitude was the least evil that Israel received from Egypt: for that made them have recourse continually to the true God: but this idolatrous example led them to a false one. The very sight of evil is dangerous; and it is hard for the heart not to run into those sins, to which the eye and ear are inured: not out of love, but out of custom, we fall into some offences. How many have fallen into a fashion of swearing, scoffing, drinking, out of the usual prac It being the fact, that the idolatry of the Israelites consisted, not in worshipping a false deity, but in making an image to the true and living God; and this fact being expressly condemned as idolatry by the Apostle, 1 Cor. x. 7; the Papists are hence unanswerably charged with idolatry for their image worship, and they can in no wise justify themselves; for what they can offer, if it might be admitted, would vindicate the Israelites as well as them. Shuckford. 6.- - and the people sat down to eat and to drink,] Of the peace offerings, of which they had a part, according to God's own directions: and "rose up to play;" to express their joy by musick, dancing, and other signs of mirth. Bp. Patrick. This mirth was an attendant upon their idolatrous worship; and is expressed in the Hebrew by a word, that is sometimes applied to other kinds of wantonness: idolatry being frequently compared to such illicit commerce, Gen. xxxix. 17. Bp. Kidder. 7.- thy people,] The Lord, as a jealous God, for God is angry with the Israelites: Before CHRIST 1491. e Deut. 9. 8. themselves: CHAP. XXXII. Before CHRIST 1491. but is appeased by Moses. the land of Egypt, have corrupted | tians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. e 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, 1 Chap. 33. 3. f I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Deut. 9. 13. g Psal. 106. 23. + Heb. the face of the LORD. h Numb. 14. 13. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11 8 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 h Wherefore should the Egyp their spiritual adultery now disclaims the Israelites as his people. "Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves." Dr. Hales. 9. a stiffnecked people :] Stubborn, and unwilling to obey. This expression is frequent in Scripture; and bears allusion to untamed heifers, which draw back their neck and shoulders, when put under the yoke, instead of going quietly forward. Bp. Patrick. 10. Now therefore let me alone,] As yet, Moses had said nothing before he opens his mouth, God prevents his importunity, as foreseeing that holy violence, which the requests of Moses would offer to Him. Moses stood trembling before the Majesty of his Maker, and yet hears Him say, "Let Me alone." The mercy of our God hath, as it were, submitted his power to the faith of men the fervent prayers of the faithful hold the hands of the Almighty. As we find it afterwards said of Christ, that "He could do no miracle among his countrymen, because of their unbelief;' so now we hear God, as if He could not do execution upon Israel because of Moses's faith, say, "Let Me alone, that I may consume them." Bp. Hall. I will make of thee a great nation.] On this occasion Moses gave a signal proof of his love for his people, by interceding for them with the Lord; and of his own disinterestedness, in refusing the tempting offer of the Almighty, to adopt his family in their room, and make of them "a great nation." He prayed that God would "blot him out of his book," or take away his life, if He would not forgive "the great sin of his people;" and prevailed with God to alter his determination of withdrawing his presence from them, and sending an inferiour angel to conduct them to the land of promise. And can we have a stronger proof of his veracity and strict fidelity as an historian, than his recording a fact so disgraceful to his people, whom he loved so tenderly? A fact, which the Jewish historian, Josephus, has passed over in total silence; as he has also that other of the VOL. I. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply i Gen. 12. 7. your seed as the stars of heaven, and 16. all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. 15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. & 15. 7. & 48. 18. 16 And the tables were the work k Chap 31. of God, and the writing was the brasen serpent, so expressive of the crucified SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. Dr. Hales. 11. Moses besought the Lord] How graciously doth Moses strive with God against his own preferment! If God had threatened, "I will consume thee, and make of them a mighty nation," I doubt whether he could have been more moved. The more a man can leave himself behind him, and aspire to a care of the community, the more spiritual he is. Nothing makes a man so good a patriot as religion. Bp. Hall. which thou hast brought forth &c.] Moses here beseeches the Lord upon three several grounds: 1st, He intreats that God would not on a sudden destroy those, whom He had employed so much power to preserve: 2dly, He urges as a reason, lest the Egyptians should be led into misbelief, and say, that He had brought the Israelites out, not from love to them, but from the wish to destroy them: 3rdly, He reminds Him, as the chief ground of hope, of the promise formerly made to their forefathers, Gen. xv. 5; xxii. 17, &c. Bp. Patrick. 12. Wherefore should the Egyptians speak,] Moses saw that the eyes and tongues of all the world were intent upon Israel; a people so miraculously fetched from Egypt; whom the sea gave way to, whom Heaven fed, whom the rock watered, whom the fire and cloud guarded, which heard the audible voice of God. He knew withal, how ready the world would be to misconstrue, and how the heathens would be ready to cast imputations of levity or impotence upon God; and then he says, "What will the Egyptians say?" Happy is that man, who can make God's glory the scope of all his actions and desires: neither cares for his own welfare, nor fears the miseries of others, but with respect to God in both. Bp. Hall. Moses breaketh the tables. Before CHRIST 1491. writing of God, graven upon the Egypt, we wot not what is become of tables. him. Before CHRIST 1491. + Heb. weakness. 1 Deut. 9. 21. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is the noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for + being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 1 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of to be folded up, and shut like a book, when they were laid in the ark. Bp. Patrick. 19.- he cast the tables &c.] He did this, not till he came nigh the camp, so that the people might see with what indignation their wickedness filled him. We never find that he is blamed for breaking the tables: whence it is concluded, that he did it, either by Divine impulse and instruction, or from a proper and virtuous feeling. Bp. Patrick. 20.-ground it to powder,] Probably by means of a file, or by having it beaten out into thin plates. Stackhouse. For Moses, single and alone, to take their golden calf, and destroy it before their faces, was an example of a noble and undaunted resolution, which ought to animate the acts of all persons in authority, especially in the cause of God. Wogan. -made the children of Israel drink of it.] He did not constrain them; but as they had no other water, they could not avoid, when they were thirsty, to drink from the brook with this mixture. Bp. Patrick. The dust is cast into the water, which they had received not long before out of the rock in that dry and barren place; thereby to upbraid their unthankfulness, which in the same place, where they had received so great a benefit, forgat God, and fell away from Him. Willet. 24. - then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.] It seems to be the design of Aaron to plead, that he was not actually the maker of the image; but that other persons were the founders of it. He repre 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. + Heb. those that rose up 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among + their enemies :) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate against them. of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day And Moses about three thousand men. | Or, said, Conse crate your to the LORD, because every engi his son, and 29 || For Moses had said + Conse- selves to day crate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. 30 ¶ And it came to pass on the been against against his brother, &c. Heb. Fill your hands. sents, that they required him to make them a god; that hereupon he asked them for materials; that they brought him their gold; "then," says he, "I cast it into the fire;" I delivered it out of my hands to the use it was designed for, into the furnace in which it was to be melted; "and there came out this calf:" that is, I was no further concerned in what was done; the next thing I saw was the calf. What was done further, was done by others, not by me: the workmen made the calf, and brought it to me. Shuckford. 25. That the people were naked; &c.] Or deprived of the Divine protection: Aaron having laid them open by this sin to the scorn of all their enemies, who should hear of such a shameful revolt from their God. Bp. Patrick. After the unhallowed sacrifice they had risen up to wanton play, singing, and dancing, according to the obscene Egyptian rites, by which Aaron "made them naked to their shame." Dr. Hales. Perhaps also the verse is intended to express, 1. That the people were upon no guard; in no posture of defence; under no direction or command of their proper officers; but were scattered up and down the plain at their games, as their fancy led them; and so were in no formed body, to be able to make head against an enemy. And, 2. That they were free of their armour, or unarmed, "naked" in this sense; not clothed to defend themselves against any violence that might be offered to them. This was the condition in which Moses found them exposed "to their shame," or in a "shameful" manner amongst their enemies." Shuckford. 66 Moses prayeth for the people. Before CHRIST 1491. CHAP. XXXII, XXXIII. morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. 31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. 35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. CHAP. XXXIII. pro 1 The Lord refuseth to go as he had mised with the people. 4 The people murmur thereat. The tabernacle is removed out of the camp. 9 The Lord talketh familiarly with Moses. 12 Moses desireth to see the glory of God. AND the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, a Gen. 12. 7. saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: b Deut 7. 22. a 2 b And I will send an angel before Josh. 24. 11. thee; and I will drive out the Ca 32. - blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book] The expression of "blotting out of the book of life" is of the same import with those phrases so frequently used in the Old Testament, of "blotting out from the face of the earth," and "blotting out one's name from under heaven:" and the desire of Moses signifies, that he was willing to submit to a temporal death, that his nation might be saved from a temporal ruin. Abp. Tillotson. So in Numb. xi. 15, it is, "Kill me, I pray thee, out of hand." The expression is an allusion to the custom of registering the people, as in Numbers, chap. i. and as more at large in Ezra and Nehemiah afterwards; and blotting out every one's name as fast as they died. Pyle. God hath no need of a book to register and record any of his purposes: but the Scripture uses the language of men, according to the practice of the Jews, who, to this day, retain the same form of speech. Bp. Patrick. This was the highest possible expression of Moses's The tabernacle is removed. naanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite : Before CHRIST 1491. 3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume e Chap. 32. 9. thee in the way. 4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. 6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. 7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. 8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 10 And all the people saw the Deut. 9. 13. great zeal for the glory of God, and of his fear lest any thing should be done, which might reflect upon God's power and goodness. Bp. Beveridge. Chap. XXXIII. ver. 2. an angel] By an angel here is meant one of God's ministering servants; and not the Angel mentioned chap. xxiii. 20, as is evident from comparing the text. Bp. Kidder. 3.- lest I consume thee in the way.] Lest, seeing myself affronted as it were to my face, I punish the people with utter destruction. Bp. Patrick. 5.- that I may know what to do unto thee.] That I may deal with you according as I find you disposed. God had not absolutely resolved to forsake them, but might be moved by their repentance to continue with them. Bp. Patrick. We must not suppose that God did not "know" his own purpose and the event of things. To "know" here signifies to discover or make known to others. Bp. Kidder. |