The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 62 – Section 63
SECT. LXII.
SHortly after this, Moſes and Aaron make their firſt Addreſs to Pharaoh, ſeveral of the Elders of Iſrael accompanying them therein. See Exod. ch. 3.18. They Repreſent to Him that the God of their Fathers had appeared unto them, and commanded them to offer a Sacrifice, and to celebrate a Religious Feaſt (p)Part of the Sacrifices were to ſerve for a Feaſt, and both for the honour of God. This Feaſt they ſhould have celebrated to the Lord, but they performed it to an Idol, the work of their own hands. Exod. 32.6, 19.to him in the Wilderneſs. Therefore they humbly beſeech him that they may have liberty to go three days Journey in the Deſart; namely, to the Mount Horeb, to perform this which the Lord required of them, leſt if they ſhould neglect to obey Him therein, he ſhould puniſh them with the Peſtilence or Sword, or ſome ſuch dreadful Judgment, for their Diſobedience. Pharaoh, like a proud and imperious Prince, anſwers, Who is the Lord that I ſhould obey his Voice to let Iſrael go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Iſrael go. Then looking upon Moſes and Aaron with Indignation, He asks them, What they had to do to ſeduce the People, and take them off from their work? And then looking upon the People with anger, Get you to your Burdens (ſays he) and ſee that you perform your daily Task, or I will take a courſe with you. I underſtand very well that you are a great and numerous People (indeed too many) and theſe two men Moſes and Aaron deſign to get eaſe and reſt for you from your Burdens, that ſo you may increaſe more, and poſſibly may then think of rebelling againſt me. But I ſhall take Care to prevent that. And accordingly that very day he charged the Task-Maſters that were Egyptians, and the Officers under them, which were Iſraelites, (appointed to take the Over-ſight of their Brethren in their Labours) that they ſhould no more give the people Straw to make Brick withall, as heretofore they had done, but they ſhould gather and provide Straw for themſelves, and yet notwithſtanding they ſhould exact the ſame tale and number of Bricks of them which they made before, and not abate them any thing of it. For, ſays he, They are idle, and therefore they Cry, Let us go Sacrifice to the Lord our God. I Command you therefore to impoſe more work upon them, that they may have enough to do, and may not be at leiſure to regard lying words, ſuch as this Moſes and Aaron tell them, who flamm them with ſtories of their being ſent from God. The Task-Maſters and Officers acquaint the people with this ſtrict and ſevere Injunction of the King. Whereupon a conſiderable part of them were forced to ſcatter themſelves through all the Land of Egypt to provide Straw, and Straw failing, they were fain to gather Stubble inſtead of it. And the Task-Maſters preſſed them on notwithſtanding to finiſh every day as much work as when they had Straw allowed them. And when there happened any failure in the Work, the Iſraelitiſh Officers or Overſeers (that were ſet over their Brethren) were beaten for it. Whereupon theſe Officers addreſſed themſelves to Pharaoh, and humbly Remonſtrated, That the Egyptian Task-Maſters that uſed to furniſh the Iſraelites with Straw, now did not do it, and yet they required of them to make the ſame number of Bricks daily as before, which was in a manner impoſſible for them to do. And when they did it not, they their Overſeers were beaten for it, though the fault was not in them, but in the Egyptian Task-Maſters. Pharaoh anſwered them roughly and tyrannically; You are idle, You are idle, therefore you ſay, Let us go and do Sacrifice to the Lord. Get you gone, and ſee that you finiſh the Task that is every day required of you, and yet you ſhall have no Straw furniſhed to you. The Officers of the Children of Iſrael ſeeing themſelves in this very ill condition, and having no hope of remedy, they go to Moſes and Aaron (who poſſibly came out to meet them, to ſee what anſwer they had from the King) and like ignorant paſſionate men, who miſtake Occaſions for Cauſes, they charge the Injuries of their Enemies upon their beſt Friends, and in an angry and diſcontented Mood ſay to Moſes and Aaron, The Lord look upon you; that is, the Lord take notice and conſider what you have brought upon us, and judge you for it. You have made us to ſtink, and to be abhorred of Pharaoh, and his Servants, and have put a Sword into their hands to ſlay us. You have by this your Addreſs to Pharaoh ſtirred up Him and His Courtiers to tyrannize more over us than they did before. Moſes being greatly grieved at this their Complaint, betook himſelf to ſome retired place, where by prayer and deep ſighs he might preſent his own and the peoples diſtreſs unto the Lord, and he ſaid, Ah Lord, why haſt thou thus dealt with thy people againſt whom Pharaoh's Rage is not at all mitigated, but much increaſed ſince I mediated for them? Why haſt thou ſent me on ſuch a Meſſage as this, which hath not been a means to deliver thy people, but much more to afflict them? The Lord anſwered, Thou ſhalt quickly ſee what I will do unto Pharaoh; My Hand ſhall be ſo ſtrong and heavy upon him, that he ſhall not only be content to diſmiſs you (as Exod. 3.20.) but ſhall be ready with all his Power to drive you out, rather than hold you any longer. See Exod. 12.31.33. And the Lord to encourage Moſes the more in his Work, repeateth his Name to him, and the Covenant which he had made with the Fathers. He ſays to him, I am theLord; I appeared unto Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, by the Name of Elſhaddai, God Almighty; that is, ſuch a God as is All-ſufficient, and able to perform all my Promiſes, Gen. 17.1. but by my Name Jehovah, (q)This cannot be meant of the letters and ſyllables of that name, as if the Patriarchs had never heard of that Name. For God called himſelf Jehovah long before, and by that Name confirmed his Promiſes, as appears Gen. 2.4, 7, 8, 9. & 15.7. & 28.12. Gen. 22.14. Ch. 26.24. Ch. 27.20.and that which it importeth, (r)Jehovah ſignifies God's eternal Being in himſelf, his giving being to other things, and the performance of his Promiſes, and in regard of this he ſays, He was not known to their Fathers by this Name. They being ſuſtain'd by Faith in God's Almighty Power reſted upon the Promiſe, not enjoying the thing promiſed. But now to their Children the Promiſe ſhould be performed, and ſo they ſhould have full knowledge and experience of the efficacy of that Name Jehovah. But withall we muſt know that this is only ſpoken comparatively, as the glorious miniſtration of the Law is ſaid to have had no glory, in reſpect of the excellent glory of the Goſpel, 2 Cor. 3.10. So the Fathers are ſaid not to have known God by his Name Jehovah, in compariſon of what their Poſterity knew.have not I been made know to them; that is, ſo fully as I intend now to be made known to their Poſterity, to whom I ſhall really fulfil, and give a Being to my Promiſes, by my wonderful Deliverance of them out of Egypt, and bringing them at length into the Land of Promiſe. For I made a firm Covenant with thoſe my Servants Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, and confirmed it by an Oath to give that Land of Canaan (wherein they were but Strangers and Sojourners) to them and their Poſterity for an Inheritance. And I have heard the groaning of the Children of Iſrael, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my Covenant. Therefore go to them and tell them, I am the Lord, and I will deliver them from that cruel Servitude under which they groan, and will with an outſtretched arm, and inflicting terrible Judgments on the Egyptians, bring them forth. And I will take them to my ſelf for my peculiar people, and will be to them a God, and they ſhall aſſuredly know, that 'tis I the Lord, and none elſe, who did all theſe great things for them. Moſes, as God had commanded him, went to the Children of Iſrael with this Meſſage, but thorow the anguiſh of their Spirits, and the extremity of their Sufferings, they regarded not what he ſaid, nor were diſpoſed to believe any thing that he ſpake concerning their Deliverance. So greatly prejudicial are the immoderate paſſions of men not only to God's truth, but to their own welfare. Then God commands Moſes to go and ſpeak to Pharaoh again, and to require him to let the people go out of his Land. Moſes anſwered, That the Children of Iſrael would not hearken to him, how then ſhould he think that Pharaoh would hear him, or mind or regard his words; and eſpecially ſeeing he was a man of uncircumciſed lips, (s)Becauſe Circumciſion was with the Jews a Badge of God's people, Therefore thoſe that were not Circumciſed were counted profane, and their Uncircumciſion was counted a grievous blemiſh. Hence it was, that in a Figurative Speech they counted thoſe things that had any natural or moral blemiſh uncircumciſed, as a Heart, or Mind, or Tongue uncircumciſed. Hinc homines viles & ad aliquam rem inepti incircumciſi ea parte vocantur.and had an imperfection in his ſpeech and utterance, and was very unfit to be ſent to Pharaoh on ſuch a Meſſage as that was. However God bids Him and Aaron go again to the Children of Iſrael, and to encourage them with expectation of Deliverance, and to go to Pharaoh to require him, in his Name, to let them go. Moſes and Aaron being thus to be imployed as Inſtruments in the Hand of God of this great Deliverance, their Stock and Lineage is here ſet down, to ſhew that they were both deſcended of Levi; and this might poſſibly be ſo ordered by the Spirit of God as an Antidote againſt the fabulous Reports of Heathen Writers (ſuch as Juſtin and Tacitus) who tell falſe Stories of the Original both of Moſes and of the people of the Jews. Which things though they happened not till many years after, yet were now fore-ſeen by the Spirit of God who aſſiſt… Moſes in penning this Hiſtory. And Moſes being to ſet down his own and Aarons Deſcent from Levi, for orders ſake he begins with the Stock of Reuben and Simeon, Levi's elder Brothers. And poſſibly in this place he mentions only thoſe three, and not the Heads of the other Tribes, that it might appear that they were not rejected of God, notwithſtanding Jacob's ſevere Commination, Gen. 49.3, 5. As alſo to ſhew that though Reuben and Simeon were elder then Levi, yet God had freely choſen out of the Tribe of Levi, Moſes to be the firſt Captain of his people, and his Brother Aaron the firſt High Prieſt, to whom his Poſterity ſhould ſucceed in that Office. And theſe are that very Moſes and Aaron whom the Lord commanded to bring forth the Children of Iſrael out of Egypt, who were increaſed now to many thouſands, ſo that they might be called the Hoſts of the Lord, Exod. 12.37, 41.
Ch. 5. whole Chapter.
Ch. 6. from verſ. 1. to 28.
SECT. LXIII.
MOſes being now 80,(t)The reaſon why Moſes's age is here ſet down ſeems to be, to ſhew how long God in his wiſe Providence had ſuffered the Egyptians to oppreſs the Iſraelites with ſuch cruel bondage, even before the birth of Moſes, till he came to be 80 years of age. And the reverence and reſpect due to the venerable age He and Aaron were of, rendred them the more fit to undertake ſuch a ſervice. and Aaron 83 years of Age, they are commanded by the Lord to go again to Pharaoh, to require him to diſmiſs the people. Moſes would have excuſed himſelf again, becauſe he was not Eloquent; but the Lord tells him, Behold I have made thee a God (u)Quia adverſus Pharaonem divinam quandam poteſtatem exercuit dum ab eo timetur, dum oratur, dum punit, dum medetur, dum verbo animalia quaſi creat & deſtruit, coelum deni que ac terram commovet, ut explicat Hilarius, lib. 7. de Trin.to Pharaoh; that is, one to whom the Word of God ſhall come, and by whom it ſhall be made known to Aaron, and by him to Pharaoh, For Aaron ſhall be thy Interpreter and Spokeſ-man. But I know that Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, but will harden his heart againſt all that you ſhall ſay. However be not diſcouraged thereat, for I will multiply my Signs and Wonders in the Land of Egypt, and will bring forth my Hoſts; that is, my people the Children of Iſrael, by inflicting great Plagues and Judgments on the Egyptians, and they ſhall know that I am the Lord, by the Judgments that I will execute upon them, and by which I will at laſt deliver my people. Moſes and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, and went again unto Pharaoh, requiring him in the Name of the Lord to let the Children of Iſrael go out of his Land. Pharaoh asks them, How he ſhall know that they were ſent of God? What Miracle could they work to induce him to believe it? Moſes hereupon gave Aaron his Rod, and bad him caſt it upon the ground, and ſaid, It ſhould become a Serpent, and Aaron did ſo before Pharaoh and his Servants, and accordingly it became a Serpent. (x)It ſeems the change wrought before Pharaoh was not into an ordinary Serpent called Nehaſh, but into ſome greater Creature here called a Dragon. Tavin.Then Pharaoh called for his Magicians and Sorcerers (wherewith the Land of Egypt abounded, and whereof the chief at that time were Jannes and Jambres, 2 Tim. 3.8.) and they did the like in outward ſhew and appearance, but not in reality, the Devil (by whoſe Power they did work) caſting a miſt before the peoples eyes, whereby they thought they ſaw that which indeed was not. I ſay theſe Magicians caſt down their Rods, and they ſeemed to be turned alſo into Serpents (y)Dici poteſt veros dracones, ſive Serpentes aliunde adductos ope Damonis virgarum loco fuiſſe ſubſtitutos, ita fallendo oculos ut nemo praeſtigias iſtas animadverteret.or Dragons. Some aerial Repreſentations poſſibly of them being there made by the art of the Devil; or poſſibly the Devil might bring thither ſome true Serpents unperceiveably from other places, and might remove the Rods from the peoples eyes. But the Dragon or Serpent into which Aarons Rod was turned ſwallowed(z)Notandum praeſtigias Magorum non obfuiſſe Moſi ſed magis profuiſſe. Semper enim aliquid adſuit quo divina ſigna praecellerent. Nam Serpens Moyſis devoravit eorum Serpentes. Aquam illi in ſanguinem mutare potuerunt, non rurſum ſanguinem in aquam; ranas afferre non tollere; Nempe ut per eas plagae augeri poſſent non minui. Poſt devorationem Virga Aaronis in ſtatum priſtinum reverſa eſt. up theirs; God hereby ſhewing that the Power whereby Moſes and Aaron had wrought their Miracle was infinitely above that of Satan, whereby the Magicians had endeavoured to equal the Work which Moſes had done. Yet notwithſtanding this Miracle, Pharaoh's heart was ſtill hardened, ſo that he would not let the people go, as God had foretold.
Exod. 6. verſ. 28, 29, 30.
Exod. 7. from 1. to 14.