Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 34 · Questions · Question 33 – Question 39
QUEST. XXXIII. How farre it is lawfull and unlawfull to eat of things consecrated to idols.
Vers. 15. ANd they call thee, and thou eat of their sacrifice, &c. 1. Concerning things offered unto idols of themselves, the meat is not polluted, or defiled thereby: for an idoll, as Saint Paul saith, is nothing in the world, nihil habet deitatis, it hath no deity in it: it is of no power, and therefore, non potest ab eo derivari virtus, &c. there can no vertue be derived from it, being but made of wood, stone, or mettall, or such like, into that, which is consecrated to it: and so the creature is good still, though it be superstitiously abused. And therefore such meats of themselves may as well be used, after they are so offered to idols, as before.
2. But there are certaine lets and scandals which may arise of eating such things, which maketh it unlawfull. 1. The first let is in a man himselfe, if he be not well perswaded and resolved that it is lawfull to eat such things, for then he sinneth against his owne conscience: as the Apostle saith, He that doubteth is condemned, if he eat, Rom. 14.23. 2. Then offence may be given unto the weake brethren, who against their conscience seeing another to eat, may bee incouraged to doe the like, and so their conscience is wounded: in which respect Saint Paul saith, Hee will not eat flesh as long as the world standeth, to offend his brother, 1 Corin. 8.13. 3. An offence may be given unto the Infidels, who by our eating of their sacrifices will judge us to favour their idols, and so have an evill opinion of us as dissemblers, and condemne our liberty. Yet here a divers case is to be considered: for if the Infidels did not tell us, or suppose wee know not, that the meat was offered to idols, then it may be eaten without any offence giving: but if any man say, This is sacrificed to idols, eat it not, saith the Apostle, because of his conscience that shewed it thee, 1 Corinth. 10.28.
3. And as offence might grow, by eating of things sacrificed to idols: see likewise concerning other meats forbidden by Moses Law, great question did arise betweene the converted Jewes, and the beleeving Gentiles: for the deciding of which controversie, Saint Paul giveth two rules: first, That they should not judge one another, Rom. 14.13. that he that did eat should not condemne him that would not eat: secondly, that they should not grieve or offend one another with their eating, ibid, vers. 15. that they should abstaine from eating such things, at the least in their brothers presence. And after this the Church came together, and decreed, that for a time in regard of the weake, they should abstaine from strangled and bloud, Act. 15. Tostat. qu…st. 13.
4. But this further must be considered, that Christians now have a greater liberty, than the Israelites had: for they are simply forbidden to goe unto the Gentiles feasts, or to have any fellowship with them, lest by little and little, they might be drawne to partake with them in their idolatry. But S. Paul allowed Christians to goe unto the feasts of the Gentiles, and to eat of their sacrifices, so it might be done without offence, 1 Cor. 10.27. Gallas.
5. And the reason hereof, why the Israelites are forbidden to communicate with the Gentiles, and to eat and drinke with them, may thus further be declared. For the communion of some is forbidden to the faithfull two wayes, either in poenam illius, cui communio fidelium subtrabitur, for a punishment to him, from whom the company of the faithfull is withdrawne: as the incestuous young man was excommunicate among the Corinthians: or ad cautelam eorum quibus interdicitur ▪ for their warning and heed-taking, which are so forbidden others company. And if so the faithfull be strong in faith, and are more like to win the Infidels, than to be corrupted by them, they are not forbidden their company: but if they be weake▪ and such as easily may be drawne away, the company of Infidels to such is dangerous, Thomas. 2.2. qu. 10. ar… ▪ 9. in Cor.And of this sort were the Hebrewes, who were weake and prone to idolatry, and therefore the Lord forbiddeth them all entercourse and communion with the Gentiles.
QUEST. XXXIV. Why marriages with the Idolatrous were forbidden, and in what cases.
Vers. 16. LEst thou take of their daughters to thy sonnes. 1. The Israelites were forbidden to take wives unto their sonnes, from the idolatrous Heathen, lest they might draw them also unto idolatry: men must not deceive themselves in such marriages, and thinke that they may draw their wives, or the wives the husbands rather unto the true religion, which they professe, then to be corrupted by them: For how knowest thou a man, te uxorem lucrifacturum, that thou shalt gaine thy wife to thy religion, or thou woman, that thou shalt perswade thy husband? Gallasius. Shall a man thinke himselfe more wise than Salomon, whose heart was perverted by his wives: and to please them, he fell to most grosse idolatry? Simlerus.
2. Yet it was lawfull for the Israelites to take to wives such of the Gentiles, as were converted to their religion: as is evident, Deut. 21.13. as Boaz married Ruth, who had then imbraced the true religion and worship of the God of Israel: as she said unto Naomi, Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, Ruth. 1.16.
3. But the example of …hlan and Chilian will be objected, the sonnes of Elime…ech, who tooke unto them wives of the Moabites, Orpah and Ruth, who were not then converted to the faith of Israel: for then Naomi would not have bid them returne into their country, as shee did, Ruth. 1.12. for that had beene to give them occasion to commit idolatry. Therefore this marriage is excused by the necessity of that place, where Mahlan and Chilian sojourned, namely, in Moab for the space of ten yeeres, where were no women of their religion, and so they were faine to take them wives from the Moabites.
4. Now further as it was unlawfull to take wives to their sonnes from the Gentiles, so was it also forbidden that they should give their daughters to their sonnes, Deut. 7.3. which of the two was the more dangerous: 1. For the man is the head of the woman, and so the Israelitish wife should come in subjection to a Pagan, and by this meanes dishonour her nation. 2. The man being of greater power, might use more violent meanes to force the wife to Gentilisme, than the wife could to draw the husband. 3. The children also were more likely to be corrupted, which are brought up according to the fathers minde, Tostat. quaest. 14. An example whereof we have in that blasphemer that was stoned to death, who was the sonne of an Egyptian, and of an Israelitish woman, Levit. 24.
QUEST. XXXV. Why the images are called molten gods.
Vers. 17. THou shalt make thee no molten gods. 1. The Gentiles so called their idols, communi & populari errore, by a common and popular errour, as now among the Romanists, the common people call their images their Saints. But the wiser sort among the Heathen did not take the idols to be their gods, but only representations of them: yet that excused not their idolatry, no more than the like pretense now among the Papists, that they use images only to put them in minde of God, Simler.
2. But an idoll is farre from being God, or having any divine thing in it, that as the Apostle saith, It is nothing in the world: not in respect of the matter, but of the signification: for it neither representeth the true God, who is a Spirit, and hath no bodily shape, nor yet the false gods, which are nothing at all in the world, Marbach.
3. By one kinde of molten images all the rest are forbidden, whether they be graven, carved, painted: locutio est à parte totum significans, it is a manner of speech, taking a part for the whole, Augustin. Iunius. But he giveth instance of molten images, because of the molten calfe, which they had lately made, Lyranus.
4. If it were unlawfull for them to suffer the Gentiles idols to stand, but they were to breake them downe: much more were they not to make them new, Simler. And so often is this Law repeated, because of their pronenesse to idolatry, Tostat.
QUEST. XXXVI. Why the principall feasts of the Israelites are here rehearsed.
Vers. 18. THe feast of unleavened bread. 1. The Lord renuing now his covenant with his people, which was interrupted by their apostasie and falling away, doth also againe prescribe unto them these festivall solemnities, which they should observe unto him: therefore, renovato foedere repetuntur, the covenant being renued, they are also repeated, Borrhaius.
2. Another reason of this repetition is, ne otiosus populus ceremonias Gentium aemuletur, lest the idle people should have followed the ceremonies, and superstitious festivals of the Gentiles; the Lord prescribeth them certaine feasts, wherein they should be occupied in setting forth of his praise, Lippom.
3. Rupertus giveth this note: Haec iterati… praeceptorum Iudaeis carnalibus de justitia sua gloriantibus aterna exprobratio est; This iteration of these precepts, is an eternall exprobration to the carnall Jewes, which doe glory in their righteousnesse, &c. Seeing Moses still insisteth in the first principles and rudiments, and carnall observations; wherein Moses is unlike unto the Apostle thus writing: Therefore leaving the doctrine of the beginning of Christ, let us goe forward unto perfection, Hebr. 6.1.
4. Againe, another principall cause of the institution first, and now the renovation of those festivals was, ut futura mysteria saltem sub umbra veneretur; that the people as under the shadow, might in these festivals reverence the mysteries which should be revealed in time to come, Lippoman.
QUEST. XXXVII. Why some feasts, and not all are here rehearsed.
ANd it pleased God to appoint these festivals unto the Israelites: 1. That although all our life time should be consecrate to Gods praise: yet, quia non valet humana infirmitas, because humane infirmity is not able so to doe, this continuall praising of God being reserved for the next life, it pleased him to content himselfe with certaine times appointed to that end, Tostat. qu. 14. And this God doth also, that mans dulnesse might by such solemnities be whetted, and stirred up to a thankfull commemoration of his benefits, Marbach.
2. Here are the three principall morall feasts only mentioned: the Passeover, the feast of weekes, and the feast of gathering fruits: though they had more feasts, as they are rehearsed: because in these three only, the people were bound to assemble together before the Lord, Tostat.
3. And the Lord beginneth with the Passeover, which was the first instituted, and brought to their remembrance the greatest benefit of their deliverance out of Egypt. And hereby was mystically signified, that fine fide passioni… Christi, &c. that without faith in the passion and resurrection of Christ, which was shadowed forth in the passeover, none could be saved, Lippoman.
QUEST. XXXVIII. Of the passeover, the rites, end, and use thereof.
Vers. 18. SEven dayes shalt thou observe. In the feast of the Passeover there are foure things to be observed: the rite and ceremonie, the end, the morall use, the type and figure.
1. There are three things here prescribed concerning the rite, and manner. First, they must eat unleavened bread, because at that time when they came out of Egypt, the Egyptians urged them to come out in haste, so that they could not leaven their bread: therefore in remembrance of their affliction in Egypt, and their deliverance therefrom, they must keepe this feast with unleavened bread, and that for seven dayes from the 14. day at even, untill the 21. day at even, as is prescribed, Exodus 12.18. the monethmonth also is prescribed wherein they should observe this feast, in the monethmonth Abib, which the Latine, Septuagint, Chalde interpret, foreign, in the monethmonth of new fruits, quando spica è culmis prodibant, when the eares began to shoot out of the hose, Vatabl. Not because the corne began then first to grow, but then first began to be ripe, and the …ickle to be put unto it, Tostat. This monethmonth fell out sometime in the monethmonth of March, as if the new moone were before the 25. of March, about which time the equinoctiall was then, (when the dayes and nights are alike) sometime in Aprill, when the aquinoctium fell out afterward: for the Hebrewes began their moneths with the new moone. And this monethmonth Abib was the first in the yeere, from the which they counted the rest: as the Romans did begin their moneths at March, and so they called July and August, Quintilis, and Sext…lis, the fift and sixt moneths: this monethmonth Abib, was also called Nisa…, that is, Nisi…, the monethmonth of wonders, because many wondrous things were done in this monethmonth, Simler. The other rites belonging to this feast are set forth at large, Exod. 12. thorowout the chapter.
2. The end of this feast, was to call to minde the benefit of their deliverance out of Egypt, and the preservation of their first borne, when all the first borne in Egypt were slaine.
3. The morall signification is this: by leaven is understood false doctrine, as our blessed Saviour giveth his Disciples warning, to take heed of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, that is, their corrupt doctrine: likewise, it signifieth the leaven of maliciousnesse, as the Apostle sheweth, 1 Cor. 5. both which by the unleavened bread, they were admonished to take heed of.
4. This Passeover was a type of our Saviour. 1. He suffered about the same time of the yeere, wherein they used to kill the Passeover. 2. The paschall Lambe was without blemish, and Christ was without sinne. 3. It was rosted with fire, to signifie the burning love of Christ. 4. The bloud of that Lambe was a signe of their corporall deliverance out of Egypt: and by the bloud of Christ we obtaine spirituall deliverance, Simler. See more of the spirituall application of the passeover, qu. 39. chap. 12.
QUEST. XXXIX. Why the first borne males were only due unto the Lord.
Vers. 19. EVery male that first openeth the wombe. 1. These words, male and first, are not here in the text, but must be inserted to explaine the text, as may be gathered, Exod. 13.12. The males only of the first borne were the Lords.
2. And the reason hereof was: 1. Because the males in their kinde were the perfitest: and therefore they were only to be offered in such sacrifices as were of necessity, as in their burnt offerings and vowes: in their free offerings, they might bring their female. 2. The first borne which were slaine in Egypt, both of men and beasts were males, in liew whereof the Lord required the first borne. And that the first borne males were only slaine in Egypt, it may thus appeare: 1. Because the punishment was answerable to their sinne: that as they commanded all the males of the Hebrewes to be killed, so the males only of the Egyptians should be destroyed. 2. Though in many houses in Egypt, the first borne of the house were not males, yet the first borne of the maid servants must also be counted, as is evident, chap. 11.5. and if neither they, nor the masters of the house, had any first borne that were males, then either the master himselfe, or the servant of the house, if he were the first borne was taken: and so it was true, that there was not an house in Egypt where there was not one dead, Exod. 12.30. And as the first borne of men onelyonly were slaine so it is like the same proportion was observed in their cattell, Tostat. qu. 15, 16.
3. The first borne were of two sorts of men, and they were to be redeemed, because their service unto God was performed when they were living, not by their death: the beasts were either cleane, and they were to be offered; their best service unto God was by their death, in being sacrificed: or uncleane, which might either be redeemed by exchange, as an asse by giving a lambe, Exod. 13.18. or by that price which the Priest should value it at, Levit. 27.12. or else were to be killed: the reason whereof was this, that the first borne not redeemed, should be killed, because they were holy unto God, and it was not lawfull to convert them unto any private use, Simler.