Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 32 · Questions · Question 52 – Question 58
QUEST. LI. Whether Moses offended in breaking the tables of the Law.
Vers. 19. HE cast the tables out of his hand. 1. Some thinke that Moses being carried away with heat of anger, did not well consider what hee did, Et prae infi…mitate tabula… e manu excidisse, And that through infirmitie the tables fell out of his hand. But the text sheweth that Moses cast them out of his hand: and Deut. 9.17. he saith, I tooke the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands: it was then a voluntarie and advised act.
2. R. Salomon to excuse Moses saith, that of a sudden the writing of the tables was wiped out, and Moses seeing them to be then for no further use, cast them out of his hand. But this fable contradicteth the text, which describeth the tables at the verie same time when Moses carried them, to bee written on both sides; which is expressed of purpose, to shew what a precious monument the Israelites were deprived of.
3. Some make it simply an act of Moses rage, that, Furore turbatus tabulas fregerit, &c. Being distempered with rage, he brake the tables: which oversight of Moses in their opinion may seeme to be proved by these reasons: 1. Because the tables of the Law were a most holy monument of Gods Covenant with his people, in so much that Moses would not commit them to Ioshuah, but carried them in his owne hands: so that Moses in breaking the monument of the Covenant, might seeme to offend against God the author of the Covenant, and of that writing. 2. It may be thought also to have beene done rashly and hastily of Moses ▪ so that therein hee could not be blamelesse. 3. Like as if a Princes letter should bee cancelled by his messenger that was sent with it: so the Lord might be herein angrie with Moses for defacing this writing.
Contra. 1. The tables indeed were a most holy and worthy monument, when Moses received them of God, but now inuntiles factae sunt, they became unprofitable; the Covenant being broken by the people, the signe of the Covenant was needlesse and of no necessarie use, and therefore it was no offence to breake them. 2. Neither did Moses it suddenly or rashly, but with good advisement, he cast the tables out of his hand, judging the people unworthy of them: and he did it not without the instinct of Gods Spirit. 3. It is no wrong to the Prince to have his letters cancelled, where hee meaneth they should serve to no use, but his minde is they shall be reversed. So Moses knew that God would not have the tables of the Covenant offered at this time to the people, that had broken his Covenant.
4. This fact then of Moses in breaking of the tables, may bee thus justified: 1. Id fit asslatu peculiari Divini Spiritus; It was done by the peculiar motion of Gods Spirit, Simler. Iun. Though Hugo de S. Victor. make some doubt of it, Vtrum ex humano affectu, vel divino instinctu, hoc fecerit, non patet; It is not evident whether hee did it of an humane affection, or a divine instinct. But seeing God was not angrie with Moses for doing it, but biddeth to prepare the like tables againe, chap. 34. it is certaine that it was no humane motion in him to doe it. 2. Moses in respect of himselfe brake them, Recusans esse paedagogus inobedientis populi, Refusing to be the schoolemaster of such a disobedient people. 3. Moses thought the people unworthy of such a benefit, In poenam populi indigni beneficio tabularum, &c. Hee brake them, to be a punishment of the people unworthy of such a benefit, Cajetan. 4. Beside, the equitie thereof appeareth, that as they had broken the Covenant on their part, so it was fit the monument of Gods Covenant should be broken, Tostat. qu. 29. And Moses shewed by this, that they by their apostasie, tabulas legis rupisse, had broken the tables of the Law first, Marbach. So Chrysostome saith, Moses thought it an absurd thing, si populo ebrio, &c. legem afferet, if hee should have brought the Law to a drunken and besotted people. Theodoret to the same purpose, Quia dotalium libeliorum typum tabulae gerebant, &c. Because the tables were as the libels, or bils of dowrie, and the spouse, before the marriage was solemnized, had committed adulterie, jure optimo dotalem libellum freg…sse existimandus est, hee may bee thought by good right to have cancelled the bill of dowrie. 5. Testari etiam voluit, &c. And Moses would hereby testifie unto them, how they deserved to be cast off, and forsaken, Pelarg. And God hereby for the time, Per manum Mosis repudiavit populum, Did by the hand of Moses cast off his people, Calvin. 6. And this was done, ad majorem terrorem populi, for the greater terrour of the people, who was more moved with signes than with words, as when Samuel declared unto the people their sinne, he prayed, and there came thunder and lightning, that the people by those terrible signes might be the more moved, 1 Sam. 12. So Ieremie to shew after a more lively manner the destruction of Jerusalem, brake the earthen bottle before their face, signifying that the Lord would breake them as a potters vessell, Ier. 19.11. Ferus, Gallas.
QUEST. LII. What the breaking of the tables signified.
7. ANd by the breaking of the tables, the Lord would have other things signified. 1. Fractio tabularum signum fuit evacuationis legalium in adventu Christi, The breaking of the tables was a signe of the evacuating of the legall ceremonies in the comming of Christ, Lyran. The first Law delivered in mount Sinai continued not, Lex nova ei successit, the new Law of the new Testament succeeded in place thereof, Tostat. qu. 29. 2. It was a signe, Regnum Iudaeorum ad Gentes transiturum, That the kingdome of the Jewes should be translated to the Gentiles, Ferus. That the Arke, Tables, Temple, Altar should be dissolved, and taken from the Jewes, Simler. 3. The breaking also of the tables signified, that it was impossible for the Law to be kept, Donec Christus per Spiritum sanctum, &c. Untill Christ should renue the same in our hearts by his holy Spirit, Marbach. Osiander. 4. Augustine further maketh this signification of it: that as the tables which God made were broken, and yet those which Moses prepared, did continue: So God created man with reason and understanding, and freedome of will: Sed eas homo confregit, cùm Diabolo acquievit, & se illa gratia indignum reddidit: But man brake those tables, when he gave place to the Devill, and made himselfe unworthy of that grace: But now the second tables must be made, that is, enitatur elaborare ad virtutes, man must endevour to labour for vertue, &c. Ex Gloss. ordinar. Seeing man lost the graces of his creation, which were given him without his labour, he must by his endevour and labour (Gods Spirit so working in him) seeke for the renovation of grace by faith in Christ.
QUEST. LIII. In what part the tables were broken, and what became of the fragments.
COncerning other circumstances observed in this action of the breaking of the tables: 1. That is a ridiculous and unsavourie fable of the Hebrewes, that Moses tooke the fragments of those broken tables, which they say were made of a precious stone, and sold them, and became verie rich thereby: for this were to lay a grievous imputation of covetousnesse upon Moses, which he was not in the least manner touched with. 2. Some thinke that Moses tooke those fragments, and put them in a chest, which was used to be carried before the host, Numb. 10.35. But the Arke there spoken of was the Arke of the Covenant, ibid. vers. 33. 3. That also is a light conjecture, that the tables were broken about the place, where the fourth Commandement concerning the Sabbath was written; because that precept onelyonly of the ten was ceremoniall, and not to continue: for both the tables were broken, and not onelyonly the first, wherein that Commandement was written.
QUEST. LIV. Why the tables were broken at the bottome of the mount.
Vers. 19. HE brake them in peeces beneath the mountaine. Why the tables were broken in this place, at the foot of the mountaine, these reasons may be given: 1. Because Moses was now come to the bottome of the mountaine, before he saw the golden Calfe, through the indignation of the fight whereof, being moved in zeale, he forthwith brake the tables. 2. Also the people when they came forth to meet the Lord, and to heare his voice, were suffered to come so farre to the foot and bottome of the hill, chap. 19.17. in the same place therefore where the Law was given unto the people, it was convenient that the tables of that Law should bee broken, which they had first transgressed and broken themselves, Tostat. qu. 30. 3. Beside, it may have this mysticall signification: that as the Law was given in the mount, and broken at the bottome of the mount; so if we will know the Law, oportet nos altius ascendere, we must ascend higher into the mount, and mortifie the old man, Simlerus.
QUEST. LV. Whether the Calfe were burned to powder in the fire.
Vers. 20. HE tooke the calfe, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, &c. 1. This golden Calfe was more than melted in the fire: Deformavit liquefaciens igne; He deformed the fashion thereof, melting it in the fire. As Iunius: for if it had beene only melted, it would have run into a lump, and so have been the more unfit to fall to powder. 2. Tostatus thinketh that Moses might apply certaine herbs unto the gold, which if they be used in the melting of gold, in cineres redigetur, it will fall to ashes, quest. 30. But such conjectures having no ground out of the text, are better rejected than received: whence should Moses have such herbs, here in the barren desart? and to what purpose should they bee used, seeing the gold not by burning, but by stamping and beating was brought to powder? 3. Some thinke, that by the verie burning it selfe, the gold was made powder: as Sa. upon this place saith, that he saw at Millaine gold in a founders shop burned in the fire to powder. So also thinketh Osiander. But it is evidently gathered out of the text, that beside the burning the gold was beaten to powder, yea it was stamped, and ground small as dust, Deut. 9.22. 4. Wherefore it was first cast into the fire, not onelyonly to be melted, and the fashion thereof to be defaced; but it was burned, that is, so long kept in the fire, that by the burning it was made brittle, as wood when it is burned to a coale; and so being taken out, it was pounded and beaten. So also Tostatus adding somewhat to his former opinion.
QUEST. LVI. Why the powder of the golden Calfe is cast into the river.
Vers. 20. HE strowed it in the water. 1. Cajetan thinketh, that as everie one tooke of the water of the river, and did drinke, modicum pulveris spargebatur super aquam, a little of the dust or powder was strowed upon the water: for if it had beene any while in the water, it would have sunke downe to the bottome, and so the people should not have drunke of it. But this had beene too great a labour for Moses, as everie one drunke, to have sprinkled a little of the gold powder in the place, where hee tooke up the water to drinke. And Moses saith, Deut. 9.21. that hee cast the dust into the river: it is like it was all at once throwne into the river, and the people being afraid to doe otherwise than Moses commanded, were ready as the powder was cast into the water, to take thereof and drinke. 2. Augustine findeth out here a mysterie; by water, understanding Baptisme, which signified the conversion of the idolatrous Gentiles unto the faith of Christ; Ille vitulus per ignem z…li, aciem verbi, & aquam Baptismi, Lib. 22. cont. Faustum Manicheum.ab eis, quos absorbere conatus est, absorptus est; The golden Calfe (that is, the idols of the Gentiles) by the fire of zeale, the edge of the word, and water of Baptisme is devoured, which sought to have devoured them, &c. But this seemeth too curious. 3. The historicall meaning is this rather: the dust is cast into the water, which they had received not long before out of the rocke, in that drie and barren place, Pelarg. Iunius. Thereby to upbraid their unthankfulnesse, which in the same place where they had received so great a benefit, forgate God and fell away from him.
QUEST. LVII. How the Israelites were brought to drinke of this water, and why.
Vers. 20. ANd caused the children of Israel to drinke of it, &c. 1. This was done for some speciall signification, though it bee not expressed. For it is not to bee thought, that so holy a man as Moses being directed by Gods Spirit, would cause all this to bee done, the golden image to bee burned, and beaten to powder, and cast into the water, and the people to drinke thereof, and all in vaine, Tostat. qu. 31. 2. And the people, though they knew that this was no good signe unto them, to drinke water mingled with such ashes, and beside, it was a bitter and unpleasant water; yet durst not gaine-say Moses, as neither before did they resist him, when he so used their new molten god: for both they were stricken with a conscience of sinne, and inward terror, and God had set in Moses an evident Majestie and authoritie, which made them all to feare and tremble before him: as it appeareth afterward, when a few of the Levites armed themselves against all the host, which consisted of six hundred thousand fighting men, and killed whom they met, none daring to resist them. 3. Such like authoritie and Majestie appeared in our blessed Saviour, when he whipped the money-changers and merchants out of the Temple, and none durst oppose themselves against him, Tostat. qu. 31.