The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 55
SECT. LV.
THe people not having now any other Food but Manna to eat, the mixt multitude among them [of which ſee Exod. 12.38.] not being ſufficiently warned by the former Judgment, began to loath it, and to murmur that they had nothing elſe to eat. And the Iſraelites it ſeems ſoon joyned with them in this their Complaint and murmuring, ſaying in a diſcontented humor, Who ſhall give us fleſh to eat? as if they had ſaid, we had plenty of Fleſh in Egypt, and great variety of Fowl; We remember alſo the great ſtore of Fiſh which we had there, whereof we did eat very freely; we had alſo Cucumbers and Melons, Leeks and Onions, and Garlick in great abundance; but now our Soul is dried away; that is, our Life languiſhes and pines away for want of that change and variety of diet wherewith we were there refreſhed: now our eyes ſee nothing but this Manna, neither have we any thing elſe wherewith to ſatisfie our Appetites. And what was this Manna they thus loath, and ſpeak ſo diſdainfully of? why, it was like Coriander-ſeed, and for the colour it was white like Bdellium, it was as ſweet as Honey-wafers unbaked, but when baked it had the taſt of freſh Oil; it might be dreſſed ſeveral ways, and always was a delicious food. So that theſe unthankful Wretches had little reaſon thus to complain. However Moſes heard them openly complaining in the doors of their Tents, That they had nothing but Manna, nothing but Manna to eat. Hereupon the anger of the Lord was kindled againſt them, and Moſes was greatly troubled, ſo that complainingly he ſaid to the Lord, Wherefore doſt thou thus afflict thy Servant, to lay the burden of all this people upon me? why have not I found ſo much favour in thine Eyes as to be exempted from this great Charge, who am ſo unfit to bear it? [See Exod. 4.13.] Have I begotten all this people, that thou ſhouldſt ſay to me carry them them in thy Boſom (as a Nurſing-Father beareth the ſucking-Child) unto the Land which I have ſworn, unto their Fathers to give them? Alas! whence ſhould I have Fleſh to give unto this vaſt multitude, who murmur and complain, and Cry to me for it? I am not able alone to undergo the burden of Governing, Conducting, and Providing for all this people; it is too heavy for me. And if thou wilt thus deal with me, and ſtill thus employ me, I pray thee rather take me hence, then let me live to ſee and feel my miſery and wretchedneſs thus daily growing and increaſing upon me. But though this Speech of Moſes was ſo full of diſtemper and paſſion, yet the Lord graciouſly paſſed it by, and pittying his infirmity and weakneſs, Commands him to chuſe out 70 men of the Elders of Iſrael, whom he knew to be Elders, not only in reſpect of their years, but in reſpect of their ſingular gravity and wiſdom, and who had been on that account choſen to be Officers and Governors over the people, and theſe he ſhould bring and preſent before the Tabernacle, as perſons fit to be helpers and aſſiſtants to him in governing of the people, that ſo the burden might not lie wholly on his ſhoulders. Indeed as we have ſeen before, Sect. 51. upon Jethro's counſel, there were certain men choſen to be Rulers and Judges over the people for the eaſe of Moſes, [ſee Exod. 18.25, 26.] But thoſe were only choſen to judge and determine of leſſer matters: But theſe now choſen were to be Judges in the greater and moſt difficult Caſes, either of religious or civil Concernment, which were formerly wholly referred to Moſes. And they were therefore choſen out of thoſe that had been already in thoſe inferior places of Government, as being fitteſt by reaſon of their former experience in governing, to be employ'd in weightier matters.
And it ſeems from hence in after-ages the Jews took their riſe of Conſtituting their Synedrion or Sanhedrin, their Senate and Supream Court of Judicature in that Nation, conſiſting of 70*V. 16. Septuaginta] in memoriam Septuaginta qui deſcenderant in Aegyptum, Exod. 1.5. Quidam aiunt è ſingulis Tribubus ſex electos ut ſumma fuerit LXXII, numerum que hic rotundari. Confer Exod. 24.9. Anonym. in loc. Elders, which was continued among them to the days of Herod. God further tells Moſes, That when he had choſen theſe 70 men, and prſented them before the Tabernacle, He would reveal Himſelf to him there in the Glory of His Majeſty, and would confirm their Election, by giving them ſuch Gifts and Graces of his Spirit(k)Spiritus hoc loco Propheticus eſt ut ſatis patet ex v. 25. quo & populum regere & dubia explicare, & occulta cognoſcere, & futura praevidere, & Dei laudes eodem ſpiritu dictante exequi potuerunt. as he had given unto him, and by theſe extraordinary Gifts He would fit them to be Coadjutors to him in the governing of the people. God further Commands Moſes to ſpeak to the people to prepare(l)V. 18. Sanctificate vos] Commiſſi peccati paenitentia. Cajet. themſelves, that ſo they may be fit to receive that great and marvellous bleſſing which He intended to give them the next day; For he intended then to give them Fleſh, and to continue it to them for a whole month together; But he foreſaw that they would eat ſo greedily of it, and ſo fill themſelves with it, that the offenſiveneſs of their full and loaded Stomachs would fume and ſteam up with an unſavory ſcent into their Noſtrils, or it would come up by vomit thorow their mouths and noſtrils, as a juſt puniſhment of their Rebellion againſt Him, and deſpiſing the Manna He had provided for them. Moſes hearing that they ſhould eat Fleſh for a whole month together, diſtruſtfully asks the Lord, Whither all the Flocks (m)He thought not (it ſeems) of any ſupply by Fowls or Birds.and Herds they had brought with them out of Egypt ſhould be kill'd for their uſe, or whither all the fiſh (n)1 Cor. 15.39. There is one fleſh of Beaſts, another of Fiſhes, another of Birds, &c.of the Sea ſhould be gathered together to ſatisfie them, they being ſix hundred thouſand men, beſides women and children.*God here winks at Moſes's diſtruſt, and bears with his weakneſs; but when he was not better inſtructed by His patience, and the continual experience he had of his All-ſufficiency, He is afterwards puniſhed, Numb. 20.12. His paſſion was before too ſtrong, and his faith is now too weak. God tells him, His hand was not ſhortned, and therefore what he had promiſed, they ſhould ſee exactly performed. Moſes now appoints thoſe 70(o)The name of the whole number is given, to the greater part, though there were two wanting, as we ſhall ſee afterwards. perſons before mention'd to come before the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle, that it might appear to the people that they were ſet apart to this work of Government, and that the people might acknowledge them in their places as ſet over them by God, who now came down in the Cloud to the door of the Tabernacle, and there beſtowed the Gifts of his Spirit upon them, to make them fit for their Office and Charge.
They having now received the gift of Propheſie, their Minds were thereby ſupernaturally inlightned, and their Hearts filled with ſpiritual raptures, and their Tongues ſtirred up to ſet forth the high Praiſes of God in Songs and Pſalms, [ſee 1 Sam. 10.5, 10. 1 Chron. 25.1, 3.] and poſſibly they foretold things to come, and declared to the people the Word of God to their great Edification and Comfort; and all in ſuch a manner, that they might eaſily be diſcerned to ſpeak as men inſpired by the Spirit of God. Thus theſe men propheſied, and did not ceaſe; that is, continued all that day propheſying without intermiſſion; and this ſeems to be added, becauſe their continuing ſo long in this ſupernatural Exerciſe, did much confirm their Call to their Office. But two of theſe Elders that were choſen for this Employment, and inrolled by Moſes among his ſeventy Aſſiſtants, did not come to the door of the Tabernacle as they were appointed to do. 'Tis probable they did forbear to come, not out of contempt of Gods Command (for then it is not likely they would have had the ſame Gift of the Spirit beſtowed upon them, as the others had,) but out of modeſty *See a Caſe ſomething like this, 1 Sam. 10.22.and diſtruſt of their own ſufficiency for ſo great a Charge. However theſe two (whoſe names were Eldad and Medad) received the ſame Spirit of Propheſie with the reſt of the Seventy, and accordingly propheſied in the Camp, (out of Moſes's ſight, and without his knowledge) as the others did at the door of the Tabernacle in his preſence. A report of this being brought to Moſes, and Joſhuah his Servant ſuſpecting it might be prejudicial to the Dignity and authority of his Maſter, ſeeing theſe two ſeemed to do it without any dependency on him, (which the others had manifeſted in coming at his appointment to the door of the Tabernacle, and there receiving this Gift and Authority from God,) he deſired him to forbid*See a parallel Inſtance to this in the Diſciples, Mark 9.38. Luke 9.49. John 3.26. them. But Moſes meekly replied, Envyeſt thou theſe men this Gift for my ſake? I am ſo far from envying or grudging at them for it, that I could even wiſh, if it ſo pleaſed the Lord, that all his people had the ſame Gift.
Moſes and the Elders of Iſrael now returning into the Camp, God by his Almighty Power cauſes a ſtrong Wind to blow from the Sea-ward, (viz. the Red-Sea which lay Southward of the Iſraelites Camp at this preſent) and therewith brought a vaſt number of Quails among them, and round about their Camp, a days journey in circuit or compaſs; inſomuch that in many places they lay in heaps two Cubits high. The Pſalmiſt tells us, Pſal. 78.27. He rained Fleſh upon them as duſt, and feathered Fowls as the ſand of the Sea. The people ſeeing this, in all haſt roſe up and fell to gather them, and the gathering continued all that day, and the next night, and the day after. And that Maſter of a Family, with his Company, that gathered leaſt gathered ten Homers or heaps, whereby poſſibly is to be underſtood a very great many; And when they had gathered them, they ſpread them abroad round about their Camp, and layed them thin that they might not putrifie. But it ſeems they were as miraculouſly preſerved, as they were ſent, elſe they would never have laſted good a whole month together.
About a year ago [ſee Exod. 16.13.] God gave them one meal of them at their eighth ſtation in the Wilderneſs of Sin, before they come to Sinai, but now they eat of them a whole month together, and having ſatisfied their greedy luſt and appetite (feeding without fear, Jude, v. 12.) ſo long together with this kind of food, at laſt the Wrath of the Lord brake out upon them, and he ſmote them with a very great Plague, while the fleſh was between their teeth. The Pſalmiſt ſays, He ſlew the wealthieſt and the fatteſt of them, Pſal. 78.31. 'Tis like He permitted them to ſurfeit by their greedy feeding, and ſo thereby many of them died; and therefore the place was called from thence Kibroth-Hattaavah; that is the Graves of theſe men of luſt, and inordinate appetite. See Pſal. 78. from 26. to 32. and Pſal. 106. v. 14, 15.
Numb. 11. whole Chapter.