A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
Verſ. 1. ANd all the congregation of the children of Iſrael journeyed from the wilderneſſe of Sin, after their journeyes, &c.]
This clauſe, after their journeyes, is added, to imply that Rephidim was not the next ſtation after they went from the wilderneſſe of Sin; no, they went from Sin to Dophkah, from thence to Aluſh, and from thence to Rephidim, Numb. 33. 12, 13. 14.
Verſ. 2. Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?]
To wit, by their mutinous requiring of water, as a ſigne of Gods preſence among them, ſaying, Is the Lord among us, or not? as it is afterward expreſſed verſe 7. when men, not believing the promiſes of God, will boldly preſcribe God the time when, and the manner how, he ſhall perform his promiſes, this is called a tempting of the Lord, becauſe thereby they do, as it were, try whether he be able and faithfull to do what he hath ſaid. And thus are the Iſraelites here ſaid, to tempt the Lord. Having Gods promiſe for their ſafe convoy through the wilderneſſe to the land of Canaan, and having had already evidence enough of Gods almighty power and fatherly care over them; yet being now in ſome diſtreſſe for want of water, they came in a bold manner, and expoſtulated with Moſes and Aaron, and cried upon them to give them water, that they and theirs might not periſh with thirſt: and herein they did tempt the Lord, becauſe as the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Pſal. 78. 41. They limited the holy one of Iſrael; they ſaid, Is the Lord among us or not? that is, the want they were in made them queſtion Gods preſence, and they reſolved now to put it upon this tryall. Let Moſes give them water, and they would acknowledge it; but if that were not done, they would not believe it. And hence was this place afterward called Maſſah, that is, temptation.
Verſ. 4. What ſhall I do to this people? they be almost ready to ſtone me.]
Though there be no mention made in the foregoing expoſtulation of the people with Moſes, that they threatned to ſtone him; yet perhaps ſome intimation hereof might fall from ſome of the rudeſt and moſt tumultuous amongſt them: and hereupon Moſes might ground theſe words of his. But howſoever their behaviour being ſo full of fury as it was, he might well from hence complain to the Lord that he had juſt cauſe to fear leſt their rage ſhould at laſt break forth into this extremity.
Verſ. 5. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Go on before the people, &c.]
That is, toward the rock Horeb: and mention is made of going before the people, for the encouragement of Moſes; as if he had ſaid, Fear them not, though they are thus enraged, they ſhall do thee no harm.
And take with thee of the elders of Iſrael.]
That is, all the people ſhall not go up with thee to the rock to ſee the miracle, onelyonly ſome of the elders thou ſhalt take along with thee, that they may be eye-witneſſes of that which is to be done, and afterwards affirm the truth of what they had ſeen amongſt the people. When many years after this the Lord did again, after the ſame miraculous manner, give them water out of the rock, it was done openly before all the people. Numb. 20. 8. Take the rod (ſaith the Lord) and gather thou the aſſembly together, thou and Aaron thy br…ther, and ſpeak ye unto the rock before their eyes, and it ſhall give forth his water: and this makes ſome queſtion, why God would not have it ſo now, but onelyonly that ſome few of the elders go up with Moſes to ſee the miracle wrought. But ſeeing there is no reaſon given for it in the text, it is ſufficient for us to ſay, that God in his wiſdome ſaw it fit to have it ſo: yet the moſt probable reaſon that can be given is this, That God ordered it ſo the better to try the faith of his people, and therefore having determined that the rock ſhould give forth water in ſome hollow place, where the entrance and paſſage into the rock was not wide enough that the whole multitude of the people might come in to ſee the miracle wrought, he onelyonly enjoyned that ſome of the elders ſhould go up with Moſes to be eye-witneſſes of what was done, the reſt of the people waiting below till the ſtreams of the water came ruſhing down amongſt them, as it is expreſſed Pſal. 78. 1. 5, 16. He clave the rocks in the wilderneſſe, and gave them water as out of the great depths: he brought ſtreams alſo out of the rock, and cauſed waters to runne down like rivers.
And thy rod wherewith thou ſmoteſt the river, take in thine hand and go, &c.]
That is, the rod wherevvith thou ſmoteſt the river Nilus in Egypt, when the waters thereof vvere turned into bloud. See Exod. 7. 20.
Verſ. 6. Behold, I will ſtand before thee there, upon the rock in Horeb.]
Hereby it is evident that vvhen Moſes came to the rock, there vvas there ſome viſible ſigne of Gods glorious preſence to be ſeen there upon the rock (though vvhat it vvas the Scriptures being ſilent vve cannot affirm) vvhichwhich doubtleſſe did vvondrouſly ſtrengthen the faith of Moſes and the elders that vvere vvith him.
And Moſes did ſo in the ſight of the elders of Iſrael.]
That is, he ſtruck the rock, and immediately the waters guſhed forth. And thus the Iſraelites had not onelyonly water for the quenching of their thirſt, and that not for the preſent onelyonly, but for ſome good time after, the ſtream of water that brake out of the rock becoming a river that ranne along in this deſert unto ſeverall places, where after this they had their ſtations (whence it is that the Apoſtle ſaith, that this rock followed them, meaning the water that guſhed out of this rock) but withall in the rock, and the waters iſſuing from thence they had an extraordinary ſacramentall ſigne or type of Chriſt, and the benefits that redound to poore ſinners by him. For ſo the Apoſtle ſaith, 1. Cor. 10. 4. They did all drink the ſame ſpirituall drink (for they drank of the ſpirituall rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ) For as that rock in the wilderneſſe, being ſtruck by the rod of Moſes, gave forth waters for the quenching of the Iſraelites thirſt; ſo Chriſt upon the croſſe, being ſmitten with the rod of Moſes, the curſe of the law, yields forth, both in his righteouſneſſe and the ſpirit of grace derived to believers from him, that living water, wherewith their dry and thirſty ſouls are refreſhed ſo that they ſhall never thirſt again, as our Saviour ſaith, John 4. 16.
Verſ. 8. Then came Amalek, and fought with Iſrael, &c.]
That is, the poſterity of Amalek, a Duke of the poſterity of Eliphaz, the ſonne of Eſau, Gen. 36. 15. For fear leſt the huge army of the Iſraelites ſhould have paſſed through their countrey, they came out to reſiſt them, and lying in ambuſh, ſmote the hindermoſt of them, even all that were feeble behind thee, Deut. 25. 18.
Verſ. 9. And Moſes ſaid unto Joſhua, Chuſe us out men, &c.]
Thus early (it ſeems) was Joſhua choſen by Moſes as his lieutenant, or at leaſt one that ſhould have a ſpeciall ſtroke in matters of warre.
I will ſtand on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in mine hand.]
There Moſes might be ſeen holding his rod in his hand, as an enſigne to ſtrengthen the faith of the people.
Verſ. 10. Moſes, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.]
This could not be that Hur the ſonne of Caleb, who was but fourtie years old when he ſearched the land of Canaan. If we may credit Joſephus, he was the husband of Miriam, Moſes and Aarons …iſter.
Verſ. 11. And it came to paſſe when Moſes held up his hand, that Iſrael prevailed, &c.]
And this lifting up of his hands was chiefly to hold forth the rod as an enſigne to ſtrengthen the faith of the ſouldiers; but yet withall it ſerved to expreſſe the lifting up of his heart in prayer to God, the lifting up of the hands being the uſuall geſture of one that prayes: ſo that this different ſucceſſe of the Iſraelites, accompanying the different geſture of Moſes body, was purpoſely by the providence of God appointed to be a reall expreſſion both how forcible Moſes prayers were, and alſo how weak the Iſraelites were in themſelves, if God (of whoſe aſſiſtance the rod was a ſigne) ſhould not ſtand on their ſides.
Verſ. 12. But Moſes hands were heavy, and they took a ſtone and put it under him, &c.]
Which ſhows that he was weary with ſtanding ſo long, as well as with lifting up his hands.
And Aaron and Hur ſtayed up his hands, &c.]
The common opinion is, that Moſes held up the rod of God in both his hands, and that his hands were weary at length, and ſo ſometimes ſinking down not ſo much through his weakneſſe by reaſon of age (for fourty years after this his naturall force was not abated, Deut. 34. 7.) as by the continuall labour of reaching up his hands ſo long together, and that too when his ſpirits were happely ſpent much with the vehemency of his ſpirit in praying to the Lord: Aaron and Hur perceiving th…s, and that withall the Amalekites prevailed againſt the Iſraelites, when he let down his hands, they ſtanding on each ſide of him ſtayed up his hands, the one the right hand, and the other the left. But becauſe we cannot well conceive but that they would have been all wearied if it had been thus; I conceive it more probable, that Moſes held up the rod in one hand, ſhifting it as occaſion was from one hand to another; And ſo Aaron, and Hur in their turns helped to bear up that hand which was next to them, and had by their turns a time to reſt and eaſe themſelves.
Verſ. 14. Write this for a memoriall in a book, and reherſe it in the ears of Joſhua, &c.]
Who was to ſucceed Moſes, and therefore was to take ſpeciall notice of this decree of God concerning the utter extirpation of Amalek: whether this were written in any other book, we cannot ſay; ſufficient for us it is that here we find it recorded by Moſes, and that no doubt the rather, becauſe of this expreſſe command which was now here given him.
Verſ. 15. And Moſes built an altar, &c.]
To wit, thereon to offer …acrifices of thankfulneſſe, and that it might …tand as a memoriall in future times of this firſt victory which God had given his people againſt their enemies the Amalekites: and therefore alſo he called the altar, Jehovah Niſſi, that is the Lord my banner, that it might be a memoriall to poſterity that in that place the Jehovah had as with a banner diſplayed gone forth and fought againſt the enemies of his people, and had there as it were proclaimed that he would have perpetuall warre with that Nation from one generation to another.
Verſ. 16. For he ſaid, Becauſe the Lord hath ſworn that he will have warre with Amalek, &c.]
Some reade this place thus, Becauſe the hand of Amalek is againſt the throne of the Lord, therefore the Lord will have warre with Amalek, &c. and then the words intimate the reaſon why the Lord had determined that he would have warre with Amalek from generation to generation, to wit, becauſe Amalek had lifted up his hand againſt the throne of the Lord, in that he had fought againſt them that were his peculiar people, whoſe Sovereigne Lord he had undertaken to be. But if we reade the words, as they are in our Tranſlation, Becauſe the Lord hath ſworn that he will have warre, &c. whereas in the Hebrew it is word for word thus, the hand upon the throne of the Lord, then we muſt know that the hand upon the throne, intimates the form of Gods ſwearing, to wit, that laying his hand upon his throne, as ſwearing by his Majeſty and Regal power, and as he was the great King of the whole world, he had ſworn that he would have warre for ever with Amalek. And this Moſes alledgeth as the reaſon why he called this altar, Jehovah Niſſi.