A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV.
Verſ. 1. ANd he ſaid unto Moſes, Come up unto the Lord, &c.]
God having given Moſes thoſe judiciall laws ſet down in the former chapters, and Moſes being now to carry them to the people, upon their conſent to make a covenant betwixt God and them; the Lord before his departure gives him this command for his coming up again with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and ſeventy of the Elders of Iſrael, appointing him to leave the people at the foot of the mount, but to bring up Aaron and his two eldeſt ſonnes and the ſeaventy Elders into the mo…nt, that is, a little way up into the mount, where they might be eyewitneſſes of part of Gods glory, as is expreſſed afterwards, verſ. 9, 10. being to approch nearer to the Lord then the people were; and then there to leave them alſo to worſhip afarre off, whileſt Moſes went up higher to the top of the mount, into the dark cloud, verſ. 18. for ſo it followeth, verſ. 2. Moſes alone ſhall come near the Lord, but they ſhall not come nigh. It is queſtioned by Expoſitours who theſe ſeventy Elders were: W… reade of ſeventy Elders that w…re choſen to bear part of the government with Moſes, and received therefore from the Lord an extraordinary meaſure of gifts of Gods ſpirit to enable them thereunto, as you may reade Numb. 11. 16, 17. but that was done after the camp was removed from Sinai, and pitched in Kibroth-Hattaavah, as it is Numb. 11. 34. which was the next ſtation beyond Sinai: Numb. 33. 16. And they removed from the deſert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-Hattaavah. Nor can it be meant of thoſe Judges choſen by Moſes before this, by the counſel of Jethro, as you reade Exod. 18. 25. they were doubtleſſe farre more then ſeventy, ſeeing there were amongſt them Rulers over every ten families amongſt all the tribes. I… ſufficeth us therefore to know, that whereas there were alwayes, even when they were in Egypt, certain Elders in every tribe that were principall men amongſt them▪ God now appointed that of theſe ſeventy ſhould come up with Aaron and his ſonnes into the mount: and theſe happely were choſen both now for witneſſes, and afterwards at Kibroth-Hattaavah for helpers to Moſes in his government: yea ſome adde, that God appointed ſeventy rather then any other number, as a memoriall of the ſeventy ſouls that went down with J…cob into Egypt, and conſequently of Gods bleſſing upon them in bringing them within a few years to ſo great a multitude.
Verſ. 2. Neither ſhall the people go up with him.]
That is, they ſhall not at all go up into the mount, as Aaron and the Elders did.
Verſ. 4. And Moſes wrote all the words of the Lord, &c.]
To wit in a book. See Hebr. 9. 19. The ten commandments in the ſtone tables were written by the finger of God himſelf, but the judiciall laws Moſes wrote in a book. And thus covenants agreed upon betwixt party and party are uſually committed to writing.
And builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, &c.]
Both the altar and the pillars were outward ſacramentall ſignes of the covenant which was now to be eſtabliſhed betwixt God and his people; the altar repreſenting God in Chriſt, the firſt and chief party in the covenant; and the twelve pillars, the twelve tribes.
Verſ. 5. And he ſent young men of the children of Iſrael which offered burntofferings, &c.]
The common opinion of moſt Expoſitours is, that the firſt-born were the prieſts and ſacrificers amongſt the people▪ untill the Levites were taken in their ſtead, Numb. 3. 41. And thou ſhalt take the Levites for me in stead of all the first-born, &c. and conſequently that theſe were the young men here ſpoken of▪ And indeed the word here uſed, in the originall doth not alwayes ſignifie youths, in regard of years not yet grown up to mans eſtate, but young men, fit for ſervice and miniſtery to their Elders; as Gen. 14. 23, 24. I will not, ſaith Abraham, take from a threed even to a ſhoe-latchet, &c. Save onelyonly that which the young men have eaten; and Exod. 33. 11. His ſervant Joſhua, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And ſo in many other places. But becauſe it is I think unqueſtionable that before the people of God came to be a body politick, the chief and governours of every family were the ſacrificers; neither do we ever reade that the firſt-born were ſet apart for publick ſacrifices, ſince the Lord challenged them for his, upo… the coming forth of his people, Sanctifie unto me all the firſt-born, Exod. 13. 2. It is rather probable that Moſes and Aaron, and their chief Governours, had as yet the chief hand in offering publick ſacrifices, and that then young men, perhaps of the firſt-born, were onelyonly choſen to miniſter to Moſes and Aaron in fetching and killing the ſacrifices, and other ſervices belonging thereunto; and are therefore ſaid here to have offered burnt-offerings, and ſacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the Lord. Where by oxen other ſacrifices are alſo implyed, theſe being named as the principall i… ſtead of all: for Heb. 9. 19. the Apoſtle ſpeaking of this place, addes alſo calves and goats.
Verſ. 6. And Moſes took half of the bloud, and put it in baſons, &c.]
Which was ſo reſerved to be ſprinkled upon the people. This bloud was to ſignifie the bloud of Chriſt, by which we are reconciled to God, and by virtue whereof the covenant of grace is eſtabliſhed betwixt God and us: and the dividing of this bloud (half being ſprinkled upon the altar, which repreſented God, and half upon the people) ſignified that the performance of the covenant by both parties, Gods favour and grace to his people▪ and the peoples faith and obedience to God, was to be aſcribed to the bloud of Chriſt.
And half of the bloud he ſprinkled on the altar.]
And ſo alſo on the book, Heb. 9. 19. Which as it ſeems was laid on the altar; making uſe herein alſo of water, ſcarlet, wooll, and hyſſope, Heb. 9. 19. though Moſes here nameth them not▪ becauſe ſo the legall ſprinklings were uſually done, for there was water intermingled with the bloud, becauſe the bloud otherwiſe growing cold would have been thick, and not fit to be ſprinkled, nor perhaps enough for the uſe.
Verſ. 8. And ſprinkled it on the people, and ſaid, Behold, &c.]
That is, all the people that ſtood about him, ſome for all▪ or all as they came to him; or the Elders in ſtead of the people. See Levit. 4. 15.
Verſ. 10. And they ſaw the God of Iſrael.]
That is, the ſignes of Gods glori…us preſence; for never man ſaw God, nor can ſee him, 1. Tim. 6. 16. Whom … man hath ſeen nor can ſee.
And there was under his feet as it were a paved work of ſaphir ſtone, &c.]
Not that the Lord ſhewed himſelf in any humane ſhape (See Deut. 4. 15.) but this is ſpoken becauſe of the ſcituation of this ſaphir work, that it was beneath the ſignes of his glory, as a pavement under the feet.
Verſ. 11. And upon the Nobles of the children of Iſrael he laid not his hand.]
That is, though theſe Elders and Nobles of Iſrael ſaw the glory of God in an extraordinary manner upon the mount, yet God was pleaſed to ſpare them, that they received no hurt thereby; which is noted as a ſpeciall mercy of God, in regard that men, yea the greateſt and nobleſt of men, by reaſon of their frailty are not able to endure ſuch a manifeſtation of glory, ſhould not God withold it from being …urtfull to them.
Alſo they ſaw God and did eat and drink.]
That is, Aaron and his ſonnes. The Elders and Nobles of Iſrael, before ſpoken of, ſaw the ſignes of Gods preſence, and yet were ſo farre from receiving any hurt thereby, that returning home again unto the people, where they had before their coming up into to the mount offered up divers ſacrifices to the Lord, they did there with their peace-offerings feaſt together, rejoycing in the goodneſſe of God to them, and the honour he had done to them.
Verſ. 12. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Come up to me into the mount, &c.]
Hitherto Moſes ſtood afarre off with the ſeventy Elders; now he is called nearer, as God had before ſaid, ver. 2. And Moſes ſhall come near unto the Lord, &c.
And be there.]
That is, continue there. Thus God makes known to him that his ſtay ſhould be now longer then uſuall; and thereupon it is that he takes order, ver. 14. that Aaron and Ur ſhould in his room determine the affairs of the people.
Verſ. 13. And Moſes roſe up, and his miniſter Joſhua.]
Joſhua was not before mentioned, ver. 1. becauſe he was as Moſes miniſter and continuall attendant; and therefore it was not neceſſary that he ſhould be expreſſed by name. See chap. 32. ver. 17.
Verſ. 14. Tarry ye here for us, &c.]
Either this muſt be meant of ſuch a ſtay in that place of the Mount, as that withall they might go as oft as they pleaſed unto the people; or elſe rather, this word here muſt be taken in a larger extent, comprehending the place where the people were in their tents, and onelyonly implying that they ſhould not go up with him to the top of the mount.
Verſ. 16. And the ſeventh d…y he called unto Moſes …e of the …idst of the cloud.]
Moſes having ſtaid ſix dayes in the higher part of the mount, but without the cloud, that in that time his mind might by degrees be taken off from all worldly thoughts and cares, and raiſed up with a deſire and longing expectation of beholding Gods glory, to which he was not yet admitted, upon the ſeventh day God called him, and he went into the midſt of the cloud.
Verſ. 18. And Moſes was in the cloud fourty dayes and fourty nights.]
To wit, after he went into the midſt of the cloud, and was there with God: for ſo it is expreſſed, chap. 34. 28. And he was there with the Lord fourty dayes, &c. All which time Joſhua it ſeems ſtayed upon the mount without the cloud, waiting for Moſes, ſuſtaining himſelf happely all the while with the Manna that fell from heaven, and the water of the brook, mentioned Deut. 9. 21. that deſcended out of the mount; for there Moſes found him when he came down from God; neither did he know what the Iſraelites had done in the camp. See Exod. 32. 17. But for Moſes, he was with God within the cloud all thoſe fourty dayes and fourty nights; and therefore doubtleſſe did neither eat nor drink (wherein his condition was a ſhadow of the life of the glorified Saints in Gods preſence in heaven) but was continually imployed in beholding the glory of Gods preſence, in receiving inſtructions from God about all things that concerned his people, and viewing that pattern of the tabernacle, and all things belonging thereto, which was ſhown him in the mount.