A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Verſ. 2. THe Lord is my ſtrength and ſong.]
That is, the Lord it is that hath ſubdued and deſtroyed our enemies; being weak in our ſelves we are ſtrong in him, who hath fought for us, and the Lord it is therefore of whom I mean to ſing, and whoſe praiſe I deſire in my ſong to ſet forth: and this is the firſt ſong which we meet with in the Scriptures.
He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation.]
Moſes here by the ſpirit of prophecy foreſheweth that the people ſhould build a peculiar tabernacle for the Lords ſervice.
Verſ. 7. And in the greatneſſe of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that roſe up against the….]
That is, by many glorious and miraculous works, declaring the tranſcendent greatneſſe of thine excellency, haſt thou overthrown the Egyptians, who in riſing up againſt thy people did riſe up againſt thee.
Thou ſenteſt forth thy wrath which conſumed them as ſtubble.]
That is, which did ſuddenly and utterly conſume them: for ſtubble is conſumed when the fire takes it, and is gone on a ſudden; and whereas when wood is burnt there will be coals left, when the ſtubble is burnt, it ſcarce leaves any aſhes behind it. Whence is that alſo of the Prophet, Iſa. 47. 14. Behold, they ſhall be as stubble, the fire ſhall burn them, there ſhall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to ſit before it.
Verſ. 8. And with the blaſt of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together.]
In this phraſe, the blaſt of thy noſtrils, it may well be conceived that Moſes had reſpect both to the wind wherewith God divided the red ſea, chap. 14. 21. (for ſo he ſeems to explain himſelf in the 10. verſe of this chapter, Thou didſt blow with thy wind, the ſea covered them; as alſo to the anger and wrath of God which cauſed him thus to divide the ſea; for ſo uſually the wrath of God is expreſſed in Scripture, and that by a metaphoricall ſpeech taken from men, who in their anger uſe to ſnuff and blow with their noſtrils thicker and ſtronger then at other times, as Job 4. 9. By the blast of God they periſh, and by the breath of his nostrils are they conſumed; and ſo in many other places. And though the dividing of the red ſea was a work of mercy in regard of the Iſraelites, yet was it an effect of his high diſpleaſure againſt the Egyptians. Yea therefore did the Lord lead the Iſraelites that way, that the Egyptians following them might be taken as in a trap, and overwhelmed with the waters.
Verſ. 11. Who is like thee, glorious in holineſſe, fearfull in praiſes, doing wonders?]
That is, there is none either amongſt the falſe Gods of the heathen, or amongſt their great ones, Gods upon the earth, that is in any degree worthy to be compared to thee, O Lord, who art glorious in holineſſe, &c. where by the holineſſe of God is meant that tranſcendent purity and ſingular perfection in every regard which is in God alone, which is that indeed which makes God incomprehenſibly glorious, and fearfull in praiſes; becauſe we cannot think of thoſe praiſes which are due unto the Lord, but we muſt needs be ſtricken with an awfull fear of his Majeſty: and he is ſaid to do wonders, becauſe he is of infinite power to do whatſoever may ſeem moſt wonderfull in the eye of man.
Verſ. 12. Thou ſtretchedst out thy right hand, the earth ſwallowed them.]
The Egyptians, that were drowned in the red ſea, are here ſaid to have been ſwallowed up of the earth, not onelyonly, becauſe they did at firſt ſink down into the earth, in the bottome of the ſea, but alſo becauſe being caſt up by the waves upon the ſhore, many of them at leaſt were there no doubt thrown into pits by the Iſraelites, and buryed, to avoid the corruption of the aire; and ſo did all of them return to the earth from whence they were taken.
Verſ. 13. Thou hast guided them in thy ſtrength unto thy holy habitation.]
That is, towards the land of Canaan: for by the Lords holy habitation, here is doubtleſſe meant that land of promiſe where God had long ſince promiſed to ſeat his people, and there to dwell amongſt them by the gracious ſignes of his preſence, not in the tabernacle onelyonly, but eſpecially alſo in the temple, which God choſe to be his reſting place, Pſal. 132. 14. and where the promiſed Meſſiah did afterwards dwell amongſt them, and accompliſh the work of mans redemption: and though they were yet but newly gotten out of Egypt, yet Moſes ſaith, Thou hast guided them unto thy holy habitation, both becauſe this was the place whither the Lord was now leading them (for this purpoſe had he brought them out of Egypt, that he might carry them to Canaan, and plant them there) as alſo becauſe it was moſt certain that God would at length carry them thither: and uſuall it is with the prophets to expreſſe the certainty of that which ſhall afterwards be, by ſpeaking of it as if it were done already.
Verſ. 15. The mighty men of Moab trembling ſhall take hold of them.]
See Numb. 22. 3. And Moab was ſore afraid of the people, becauſe they were many; and Moab was distreſſed becauſe of the children of Iſrael.
Verſ. 17. Thou ſhalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, &c.]
That is, in mount Sion, which the Lord had choſen to be the place of his habitation, where his temple and ſanctuary ſhould be built, wherein he would dwell amongſt his people: yet figuratively under this one, the moſt eminent part of the land, the whole countrey of Canaan is comprehended; and it is called the Lords inheritance, becauſe he had prepared it for the habitation of his firſt-born Iſrael.
Verſ. 20. And M…riam the propheteſſe, the ſister of Aaro…, &c.]
Though Moſes and Aaron were brothers, and ſo Miriam was the ſiſter of Moſes as well as the ſiſter of Aaron; yet ſhe is peculiarly called the ſister of Aaron, becauſe through Moſes abſence, when he fled out of Egypt, her reference to Aaron was beſt known.
Verſ. 21. And Miriam anſwered them, Sing ye to the Lord, &c.]
When the men had ſung a verſe or ſtaff of the former ſong, then ſhe with her women took her courſe, and ſung it over again; or at leaſt ſhe ſtill repeated this one clauſe here expreſſed, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriouſly: the horſe and his rider hath he thrown into the ſea, which was happely the burden of the ſong, as in Pſal. 136. For his mercy endureth for ever.
Verſ. 22. And went out into the wilderneſſ…of Shur.]
Called alſo the wilderneſſe of Etham, Numb. 33. 8. One might be the generall name of the whole deſert, the other of ſome part of it, where the Iſraelites pitched their tents: It is ſaid indeed chap. 13. 20. that they were in the wilderneſſe of Etham before they paſſed over the red ſea; but it ſeems the wilderneſſe on both ſides the red ſea was called the wilderneſſe of Etham.
Verſ. 25. And the Lord ſhewed him a tree, &c.]
This may ſeem to imply that there was in this tree a naturall virtue of ſweetning the waters it was caſt into, becauſe it is ſaid that God ſhewed it him; yet I ſee no reaſon why we ſhould thus conclude: for why may it not be as well that God ſhewed him a tree, that was likely in its own nature to make the waters bitterer, that ſo the miracle might be the more manifeſt? The changing of the waters taſte was rather by the mighty power of God then any virtue in that wood.
There he made a ſtatute, and an ordinance, and there he proved them.]
Some Expoſitours conceive that hereby is meant, that in this place God gave the Iſraelites certain generall laws and ſtatutes neceſſary for the well ordering and governing of the people, untill at Sinai they ſhould be more perfectly afterwards taught concerning the whole law and will of God; which happely may be true. But yet doubtleſſe the ſtatute and ordinance chiefly, if not ſolely, here intended, is that which followeth in the next verſe, where the Lord enjoyned the people to obey him, and moves them thereto with a promiſe, that if they would ſo do, he would then protect them from the plagues of Egypt. So that this clauſe, There he made a ſtatute, and an ordinance, and there he proved them, hath reference to that which immediately after is expreſſed in the 26 verſe, And ſaid if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, &c. and the meaning is, that after God had thus tryed them with want of water, and upon their murmuring had ſo miraculouſly healed the bitter waters of Marah, he then admoniſhed them by Moſes hereafter to take heed of this ſinne they had fallen into, and to carry themſelves more obediently towards him; and ſo made this as a ſtatute and ordinance, that if they would thus do that which is right in his ſight, then he would be a gracious God unto them: and thus there he proved them, to wit, not onelyonly by their former want, but alſo byhis preſent favourable dealing with them, not puniſhing them for their murmuring, butonely admoniſhing them, & ſo making proof whether they would thereby be wonne or no.
Verſ. 26. I will put none of theſe diſeaſes upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians.]
That is, none of the plagues: ſee Deut. 28. 60. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diſeaſes of Egypt which thou wast afraid of, and they ſhall cleave unto thee. The meaning is, that he would not deal with them as with the Egyptians, but as at preſent he had done; for the preſent mercy in healing the bitter waters, which is the ground of this ſpeech, ſheweth plainly that all externall plag…es are implyed: and thus likewiſe all externall bleſſings are compriſed under health. See Prov. 4. 22. For they are life to them that find them, and health to all their …leſh. Pſal. 103. 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diſeaſes.
Verſ. 27. And they encamped there by the waters.]
Staying there at Elim, as it ſeems, many dayes, becauſe the place was ſo pleaſant, and convenient for them by reaſon of the waters.