Gods Three Arrows, Section 2
§. 2. Of Amaleks malice againſt Iſrael.
EXOD. XVII. VIII.
And Amalek came, and ſought with Iſrael in Riphidim.
THe firſt point in the Narration of this glorious victory, foreign compeni videtur á foreign popule, & foreign Chald. in Hiphil, percuſſit. At que ita dicitur, populus percutiens. Ambr. Hexaem. l 1 c. 4. ſic, Per interpretationem, Amalech, rex accipitur iniquorum. Who meant by Amalek.is the Aſſault. Wherein the Aſſaulter, Aſſault, Aſſaulted, and Place of Aſſault being all expreſſed, I will begin with the Aſſaulter, who is here ſaid to be Amalek.
As his name was, ſo washe. The name Amalek hath a double notation applied to it. The firſt is this, a ſmiting people. The other, which is given by an ancient Father, is this, A King of the wicked. That which ſhall further be ſpoken of Amalek, will give evidence to both theſe notations, and demonſtrate that he was a ſmiting people, and a King of the wicked.
Amalek (as alſo Iſrael) is a collective word: it compriſeth under it the poſterity of Amalek, even that people, that nation that deſcended from him. Now Amalek, the man that was the firſt head, and ſtock of this diſtinct nation, from whom the name was primarily taken, was Eſaus grand-child, or nephew, For Amalek was the ſonne of Eli Gen. 36. 4, 12. 1 Chro. 1. 34, 35: 36.pkaz, and Eliphaz the ſonne of Eſau, and Eſau the ſonne of Iſaaek, and brother of Iaakob, who was alſo called Iſrael. So as the Amalakites were within three degrees of the ſame ſtock whereof Iſrael was.
1. Ob. The poſterity of Eſau were called Edomites. How then can the Amalakites be thought to come from Eſau?Gen. 36. 8, 9.—25. 30.
Anſ. The legitimate poſterity, ſuch as were borne of his wives, or his ſonnes wives, were indeed called Edo mites. But Amalek was the ſonne of Eſaus ſonne by a concubine: Gen 36. 12.and therefore ſevered from Eſaus ſtock: ſo as he himſelf was counted head of a ſtock.
2. Ob. Moſes maketh mention of the Amalakites above Gen. 14. 7.an hundred yeares before Amalek the ſonne of Eliphaz was borne.
Anſ. Moſes uſeth that title Amalakites by way of Anticipation: De exemplis anticipationis tum nominum tum rerum, vide Prolegomina Perkinſt praefixa Harmoniae Bibl.which is to give that name to a place, or to the Inhabitants of a place, whereby they were called, when the hiſtory that maketh mention of them was written, though at that time whereof the hiſtory writeth they were not ſo called. Now Moſes lived long after Amalek was borne: and becauſe the poſterity of Amalek in Moſes his time lived in that country which Cheder. laomer and the Kings which were with him, deſtroyed, he ſaith that they destroyed the country of the Amalakites; that is, the Country where the Amalakites afterwards dwelt. Kadeſh is ſo named in that place. *Gen. 21. 14, 31Such figurative phraſes are frequent in Scripture.
It remaines then that the Amalakites and Iſraelites came all from Iſaak: ſo as in relation to him they were of the Amalech figuram portat Diaboli. Cypr de Exhort. Mort. cap. 8. Evidences of Amaleks malice againſt Iſrael. Num. 24. 20.ſame ſtock. Yet were the Amalakites as malicious enemies againſt the Ifraclites as ever were any. He therefore ſpake a truth, that ſaid, Amalek carieth the ſhape of the Devill. Of their enmity the Holy Ghoſt giveth theſe evidences.
1. They were the firſt that enemie-like ſet upon Iſrael, after their eſcape out of Egypt thorow the Red Sea. This Balaam acknowledgeth where he ſaith, Amalek was the first of the nations, meaning (as our laſt Engliſh Tranſlators have noted in the margin of that place) The firſt that warred against Iſrael.
2. They could not long keepe in their malicious mind againſt Iſrael: for before the third monethmonth of their being in the wilderneſſe they aſſault them.
3. They ſet upon Iſrael without any cauſe, or provocation on Iſraels part. Iſrael had not as yet taken armes Exo 19. 1.againſt any.
4. What they did they did moſt baſely. For they laid 1 Sam. 15. 2. Deut. 25. 18.wait for Iſrael in the way when he came up from Egypt: and ſmote the hindmost of them: even all that were feeble behind them, when they were faint and weary.
5. Notwithſtanding that they were here diſcomfited by Iſrael, yet after this they take advantage againſt them: and when ſome of Iſrael went up to the top of the hill without Moſes their guide, and the Arke their confid…nce, the Amalakites with the Canaanites ſmote them, and diſcomfited them Num. 14. 45.euen to Hormah.
6. They joyned with the King of Moab, and with the children of Ammon, and went and ſmote Iſrael.Iudg 3 12, 13.
7. They joyned with the Midianites, and with the children of the East to ſpoile Iſrael, leaving them no ſuſtenance, nor ſheep, nor oxe, nor aſſe.Iudg 6. 3, 4.
8. The anſwer which God made to Iſrael in theſe words, Iudg. 10. 12.The Zidonians, and the Amalakites, and Maonites did oppreſſe you, &c. And this phraſe which Samuel uſeth to 1 Sam. 15. 33.Agag, thy ſword hath made women childleſſe, imply many miſchiefs which Amalek did to Iſrael.
9. In Davids abſence, and while the Iſraelites are in camp againſt the Philiſtines, the Amalakites invade Ziklag 1 Sam 30 1, &cthat belonged to David, and burne it, and take the women captive, and go away with all the ſpoile thereof.
10. Haman that cruell enemy of the Iewes, who ſought utterly to root out the whole nation, was an Amalakite. For Eſt. 31.their Kings were called Agag, as the Egyptian Kings, Pharaoh. Hereupon is Haman ſtiled an Agagite, who was an Amalakite.
11. The Pſalmiſt putteth them into the Catalogue of Iſraels implacable enemies.Pſal. 83. 7.
12. Gods oath againſt them giveth evidence of their malicious Exo. 17. 16.mind againſt Iſrael.
13. So do the many charges which God giveth for their —14. Deut. 25. 17. 1 Sam. 15. 3, 26 —28. 18.utter deſtruction: and Gods diſpleaſure againſt Saul for ſparing them.
Theſe evidences do ſufficiently ſhew what malice Amalek had againſt Iſrael: whereof no juſt cauſe was given on Iſraels part: but ſuch as theſe on Amaleks part.
1. The brood was a baſtard brood. It iſſued from an illegitimate Reaſons of Amaleks hatred of Iſrael Gen. 3…. 12.ſtock. Now commonly ſuch as are baſely borne, even they and their iſſue are of ill diſpoſitions. Inſtance Iſmael, Ammon, Moab, Abimelich the baſe ſonne of Ierubbaal, and many others. God therefore would not have a baſtard enter into his congregation, even to his tenth generation.Deut. 23. 2.
2. The inveterate hatred of their ancient predeceſſour Gen. 27. 41.Èſau againſt Iacob was propagated to this his poſterity.
3, There was no feare of God in them. Now where no Deut. 25. 18. Gen. 20. 11.feare of God is, there is no reſtraint of malice, or of any other corruption.
4. The divine bleſſing which accompanied Iſrael: for an envious eye is evill becauſe of others good.Mat. 20. 15.
5. The Arabians (among whom the Amalakites are reckoned) living much on ſpoile, the Amalakites ſaw that good booties might be had from Iſrael: and at this time they well underſtood what jewels and treaſures Iſrael had brought out of Egypt.
6. The Amalakites had forſaken the God of Abraham, Iſaac, and Iacob, whom Iſrael ſtill profeſſed: and ſo were of a contrary religion.Malicia ſons peccati eſt. Amb. Serm. 15 in Pſal. 118. v. 3
From that which hath been delivered concerning Amaleks malice, this may well be inferred, that Malice is the fountaine of all evill.