A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Verſ. 1. I Have made thee a God to Pharaoh.]
Not onelyonly becauſe by Aaron (as God is wont to do by his prophets) he ſhould in Gods name decla…e his will unto him for the delivering of his people; but alſo becauſe of the divine authoritie given unto him in bringing thoſe great plagues upon Egypt, which made Pharaoh to fear him as God, &c.
Verſ. 7. And Moſes was foureſcore years old, &c.]
The age of Moſes and Aaron is here inſerted, 1. for the further evidence of the truth of the ſtory, and the computation of the Chronologie of thoſe times; 2. to ſet forth Gods glorie the more by this intimation of the weakneſſe of his inſtruments; 3. to ſhew how long God in his wiſe providence had ſuffered the Egyptians to oppreſſe the Iſraelites with ſuch cruel bondage, even from before the birth of Moſes till he came to be foureſcore years old; and 4. the more to commend the obedience of Moſes and Aaron, that did not becauſe of their great years ſhrink from this weighty employment which God had impoſed upon them.
Verſ. 10 And they did ſo as the Lord had commanded, &c.]
that is, 1. They again required Pharaoh in the name of the Lord to let the children of Iſrael go out of his land; for this God had commanded Moſes and Aaron, chap. 6. 11. and it was a notable evidence of their faith and courage, that they durſt again deſire this of that proud king notwithſtanding they had ſo enraged him formerly by the firſt deliverie of this their meſſage, that in a furie he oppreſſed the people more then he had done before; and 2. when Pharaoh hereupon either by way of deriſion, or out of a captious device to trie what they could do, or becauſe he had heard of the miracles wrought, and the Iſraelites did will them to ſhew him ſome ſigne, if they would have him know that their God had ſent them, Moſes thereupon ſpake unto Aaron to caſt his rod upon the ground, and ſaid it ſhould become a ſerpent; which Aaron accordingly did. For though it be not here expreſſed that Pharaoh asked a ſigne, yet may we juſtly conclude it from the foregoing verſe, where the charge given to Moſes was, When Pharaoh ſhall ſpeak unto you, ſaying, Shew a miracle for you; then thou ſhalt ſay unto Aaron, Take thy Rod, and caſt it before Pharaoh, and it ſhall become a ſerpent; and then it follows in this verſe, And they did ſo, as the Lord had commanded, &c.
Verſ. 12. They alſo did in like manner with their inchantments.]
That is, they cauſed their rods in outward ſhew and appearance to become ſerpents. Theſe, or the chief of theſe, were Jannes and Jambres, whereof S. Paul ſpeaks, 2. Tim. 3. 8.
But Aarons rod ſwallowed up their rods.]
And thus the Lord diſcovered that the power whereby Moſes and Aaron had wrought their miracle, was infinitely fa…re above that of Satan, whereby the Magicians had endeavoured to equall the work which Moſes had done.
Verſ. 13. And he hardned Pharaohs heart that he hearkned not to them.]
Though hardneſſe of heart be a grievous ſinne, yet the hardening of the heart is not alwayes ſin: and therefore is it here ſaid of God, who cannot be the authour of ſin, that he hardned Pharaohs heart, to wit, not by making his heart hard that was ſoft before, nor by infuſing any evil into him whereby his heart ſhould be hardned; but in a way of judgement and puniſhment for his former ſinnes: 1. by withdrawing and withholding that grace whereby he ſhould be wonne to repent, and yield unto the Lord, as the ſunne cauſeth darkneſſe by withdrawing his light; 2. by delivering him up to the power of Satan, and leaving him to his own corrupt luſts and affections; 3. by doing thoſe things to him, which the Lord knew well would prove occaſions actuating and exciting the evil that was in him, and cauſe him more and more to harden his heart againſt God.
Verſ. 17. I will ſmite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters &c. and they ſhall be turned into bloud.]
They had ſhed the bloud of the Iſraelites children, and drowned them in the river, and now God in his juſt judgement makes the river to yield them nothing but bloud.
Verſ. 18. And the fiſh in the river ſhall die, and the river ſhall ſtink.]
This is added to ſhew the greivouſneſſe of the plague: for firſt it deprived them of that which was in Egypt their chief food, fiſh, as may eaſily be diſcerned by comparing theſe places together, Num. 11. 5. We remember the fiſh that we did eat in Egypt freely. Eſai. 19. 8. where the Lord threatens this as a great judgement to Egypt, The fiſhers alſo ſhall mourn, and all they that cast angles into the brooks ſhall lament, and they that ſpread nets upon the waters ſhall languiſh: and Exod. 8. 26. where it ſeems that the Egyptians did abhorre to eat of ſuch cattel as the Iſraelites uſed to ſacrifice, It is not meet for us ſo to do, ſaith Moſes, for we ſhall ſacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians, &c. Secondly it deprived them of drink: for they uſed to drink the waters of Nilus in Egypt, Jer. 2. 18. What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor, &c? there being very ſeldome any rain in that countrey. Deut. 11. 10, 11. The land whither thou goeſt in to poſſeſſe it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou ſowedst thy ſeed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land whither ye go to poſſeſſe it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain from heaven.
And the Egyptians ſhall loath to drink of the water of the river.]
The Iſraelites were therefore free from this plague alſo, as from others after, Exod. 8. 22. And I will ſever in that day the land of Goſhen, in which my people dwell, that no ſwarms of flies ſhall be there, &c.
Verſ. 22. And the Magicians of Egypt did ſo with their inchantments.]
But whence had they waters, ſince already they were all turned into bloud? ſurely either from the land of Goſhen, where it was likely the waters were not turned; or rather from the pits which the Egyptians digged, ver. 24. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink: for it is unlikely they ſtayed for the doing of this till water could be fetched from the land of Goſhen.