Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 33 · Questions · Question 23 – Question 25
QUEST. XXIII. How Moses desireth to know, whom the Lord would send with them, seeing he had promised before to send his Angell.
Vers. 12. THou hast not shewed, whom thou wilt send with me. And yet the Lord had pormised to send his Angell before them, vers. 2.
1. Some thinke, that Moses causatur differri adventum Messia, doth complaine that the comming of the Messiah was deferred, Lippom. And that he speaketh of one, which should lead them, not into that earthly countrie, sed in terram viventium, but into the land of the living, Rupertus. But it is evident, that Moses heere speaketh of the conducting of them into the promised land, therefore he saith, vers. 15. if thy presence go not with us, carrie us not hence: neither was Moses ignorant of the true Messias, who should conduct him, and all Gods people to the heavenly Canaan.
2. Some againe take it, as though Moses should desire some assistant, and associate: videbat se solum, & omni auxilio destitutum: he saw himselfe to be left alone; and void of all helpe: for Aaron, who was joyned with him before, had made himselfe unworthie of the government; and Ioshua was yet too young to take upon him the administration, Gallas. But it appeareth by the Lords answer, vers. 14. My presence shall go with thee: that Moses required no humane coadjutor to be given him, but the Divine assistance.
3. Osiander thinketh that Moses thus saith, because the Lord had retracted, and revoked his former grant, that his Angell should go before them: and therefore laboureth for the renuing of this promise. But it is evident, that twice together the Lord promised to send an Angell, chap. 32.34. and 33.2. but it no where appeareth that the Lord retracted that promise.
4. Oleaster thus reconcileth these places, Quia non acceptaverat Angeli ducatum, because Moses had not accepted of the guiding, and leading of an Angell, which was promised: therefore he further presseth God, to know who shall be sent with them. But seeing this Angell should cast out the Canaanites before them, vers. 2. it is not like that Moses would not accept of so gracious a promise.
5. Calvine thinketh, that the Angell before promised to be sent, was a created Angell, and ministring spirit: and that being a common benefit which is granted to other nations, over whom the Angels of God are set, therefore de continua serie prioris gratiae certior fieri cupit, he desireth to be sure of the continuall course of Gods former grace.
But Moses could not be ignorant, that the Angell which was promised to be sent before them, was God himselfe; of whom the Lord had said before, chap. 23.21. my name is in him.
6. Some understand it of the meanes, ostende mihi media & auxilia; shew mee the way and meanes, whereby I should evercome so many nations, Ferus. But this had been curiositie in Moses, to have enquired after the particular meanes, and it had shewed some weaknesse, and infirmitie in him.
7. Cajetane interpreteth thus, God had promised his Angell before, but he shewed not, quem Angelum, what Angell he would send, quantae authoritatis, cujus praesidentiae, of what authoritie, and presidencie, Lippom. But Moses looketh higher, than to the presidencie of Angels: for he saith, vers. 15. If thy presence go not with us, carrie us not hence.
8. Burgensis hath this observation, that Moses intelligitur implicite petivisse, quod regimen populi esset sibi commissum, sine alicujus Angeli praesidentia, &c. is heere understood secretly to have made request, that the regiment of the people should have been committed to him, without the presidencie of any Angell. But Moses rather declined the government of the people, as being to heavie a burthen for him to beare as Numb. 11.14. I am not able to beare all this people alone: therefore it is unlike that hee desired here the sole government. This opinion of Burgensis shall bee handled more at large in the next question following.
9. Therefore Moses meaning is nothing but this, that whereas onelyonly he had a generall promise before, that an Angell should be sent, but the Lord himselfe would not go, that is, in those visible signes, and working wonders for them. Moses desireth here to be instructed in the manner, which he calleth the waies of God, vers. 13. whether the Lord would still go before them in the cloudie, and fierie pillar, and dwel among them in his Tabernacle, as he had promised. Iunius, who here translateth, Thou hast not shewed, quae missurus, what things thou wilt send: but this translation seemeth not to be so fit, sending in this sense, is properly of persons, not of things: yet the sense that Iunius giveth, is consonant unto the text. So also Lyranus, Non sufficiebat Mosi nisi ei assisteret modo praedicto; It contented not Moses, unlesse the Lord would assist them, as he had done before: Mosis petebat sibi assignari praecessorem, qui miracula operaretur; Moses desired heere one to be given to go before them, which should worke miracles, such as had been done before, Tostat. qu. 13.
QUEST. XXIV. Whether the sole government, and leading of the people, were here given to Moses, without the administration of Angels, as Burgensis thinketh.
NOw commeth Burgensis opinion before rehearsed, further to be discussed, and examined. His assertion is this, that Moses heere is desirous to know, whereas God had promised to send an Angell, whether praecursorem, & praeceptorem, a forerunner to drive out the nations before them, and an instructer also whom they should obey, as before was prescribed, chap. 23.21. are now but onelyonly as a guide and forerunner, no longer as a teacher and instructer: and so Moses doth secretly insinuate, that the sole gevernment of the people should be committed unto him: wherein he saith the Lord condescended to Moses request; for this his opinion, further he alleageth these reasons.
1. The great merit and worthinesse of Moses, is to bee considered, who now after his fortie daies fasting, had profited and increased both in contemplation, having had conference with God, and in active vertues, both in shewing his zeale toward God, in putting the idolaters to the sword, and his great charitie in preferring their safetie before his owne salvation. And therefore the Lord held him meet and worthie, to whom the sole government of his people should be committed.
2. It is said also, Deut. 32.12. The Lord alone led them, and there was no other God with him: God alone without the leading of any Angell guided and protected them.
3. Michael the Arch-angell appearing unto Ioshua, said, As a captaine of the Lords host, am I now come, Iosh. 5.14. as if he should have said: Ego impeditus fui tempore Mosis magistri tui, sed nunc venio: I was hindred in the time of thy master Moses, but I now come: whereupon Burgensis inferreth, that subjectio populi Israelitici ad Angelum incepit à Ioshua, &c. the subjection of the people to the Angell, began from Ioshua, not from Moses.
Contra. Mathias Thoring in his replies, confuteth this phantasie of Burgensis, as hee calleth it, and thus answereth his reasons.
1. Though Moses were an excellent man and in high favour with God, yet was he not to be compared with Christ: Qui usus est ministeri… Angelorum in multis, Who in many things used the ministerie of Angels: and of whom specially the Psalme speaketh, He shall give his Angels charge over thee, &c. Psalm. 91. not that Christ needed their ministerie, but propter Hierarchicam institutionem, because of the order of the celestiall Hierarchie: God hath appointed the Angels, and blessed Spirits, as the Ministers of his will.
2. And in that place in Deuteronomie, only strange gods are excluded, not the ministerie of Angels, which are subordinate unto God, for by the same reason, the ministerie of Moses should be excluded also.
3. Neither can it be affirmed, that the administration of the Angels was suspended untill Ioshuahs time: for seeing the law was given by the administration of Angels, as the Apostle sheweth, Galath. 3. much more moti… columnae, the moving of the cloudie and fierie pillar, was by their ministerie: Deo tamen immutabiliter praesent… & prasidente, God yet himselfe being unchangeably present and president. To this effect Thoring, who here with great reason opposeth himselfe to Burgensis.
QUEST. XXV. When and where God thus said to Moses.
Vers. 12. THou hast said moreover, I know the… by …. 1. Burgensis thinketh, that although it be not found in these verie words, where the Lord so said to Moses: yet equivalenter dicta fuisse, &c. words equivalent, and of like force were uttered, when the Lord said, Let me alone, &c. For thereby Moses might perceive, that hee was well knowne unto God, seeing by his prayers hee was able to turne aside Gods judgements. But by the rehearsall of these words in the same phrase afterward, vers. 17. I know thee by name, it is evident that God had so said to Moses before.
2. Augustine therefore resolveth, Non omnia sc…ipta esse, qu… Deus cum illo locutus est, Quast. 15…. … Exod.That all things are not written which God spake unto Moses.
3. Oleaster further giveth this conjecture: that it is like, Deum hac in m…ntis col…oquio dixisse, that God spake these things unto him in the mount; for that was the most familiar conference, which God had with Moses.