A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
Verſ. 3. ANd wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land, &c.]
Deut, 1. 27. this is more fully expreſſed, to wit, that they ſaid, Becauſe the Lord hated us he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to deſtroy us.
Verſ. 4. And they ſaid one to another, Let …s make a captain, and return into Egypt.]
This above all diſcover…d their wonderf…ll rage and madneſſe, if we conſider, 1. the difficulties they muſt needs meet with in their return to Egypt (for they could not expect to be fed with manna from heaven, nor the red ſea to be divided before them again) and 2. the ſcorn and …ruell bondage they might well expe…t when they came thither: for if the Egyptians oppreſſed them ſo ſorely before, how much more hardly were they like to deal with them now, even in remembrance of the death of their firſt-born, and the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the red ſea? How farre they proceeded in this their wicked intention may not happely be expreſſed: but if they did no more but conſult about it, obſervable then it is that theſe theſr evil purpoſes are counted to them as if they had been done by them, Neh. 16. 17. But they and our fathers dealt proudly,—And in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage.
Verſ. 5. And Moſes and Aaron fell on their faces before all the aſſembly, &c.]
Either to pray unto God for them, as in Numb. 6. 22. or to teſtifie their great ſorrow and aſtoniſhment of mind, or to intreat the people not to proceed in their rebellion: for now happely Moſes ſpake that, Deut. 1. 29, 30, 31. Then I ſaid unto you, Dread not, neither be affraid of th…m: the Lord your God which goeth before you, he ſhall fight for you, &c.
Verſ. 6. And Joſhua the ſonne of Nun, and Caleb the ſonne of Jephunneh, which were of them that ſearched the land, rent their clothes.]
In ſigne of ſorrow and deteſtation of thoſe blaſphemous ſpeeches which the people had uttered againſt God.
Verſ. 8. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, &c.]
That i…, unleſſe by this rebellion we provoke God ſo farre that he take no more delight in us.
Verſ. 9. For they are bread for us.]
That is, we ſhall eaſily conſume and devour them, to wit, with the ſword, according to that expreſſion, Deut. 32. 42. I will make mine arrows drunk with bloud, and my ſword ſhall devour fleſh; and this I conceive is oppoſed to that ſpeech of the other incredulous ſearchers of the land, chap. 13. ver. 32. The land, through which we have gone to ſearch it, is … land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.
Their defence is departed from them, &c.]
In the Hebrew it is, their ſhadow is departed from them, but thereby is meant their deſence, covert and protection, that whereby men are preſerved from dangers, as the ſhadow g…ards a man from the ſcorching heat of the ſunne, as Pſal. 91. 1. He that dwelleth in the ſecret place of the moſt high ſhall abide under the ſhadow of the Almighty; and Pſal. 121. 5. 6. The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy ſhade upon thy right hand. The ſ…nne ſhall not ſmite thee by day, nor the moon by night: and the meaning is, that God had now forſaken them, as appears by the following clauſe whic… is oppoſed againſt this, and the Lord is with us; ſo that the aim of Joſhua and Caleb in theſe words was to aſſure the people that however God had hitherto preſerved them from being deſtroyed, becauſe their iniquity was not then full; yet now he had withdrawn his help from them, and would certainly give them up to deſtruction, and that they had no cauſe therefore to fear them, but might go boldly againſt them as againſt a naked people, left deſtitute of …ll means to preſerve and ſhelter them: for what are ſtrong cities and high walls to defend a people whom God hath forſaken?
Verſ. 10. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle, &c.]
The Lord, ſeeing the danger his faithfull witneſſes were in, did ſuddenly cauſe the cloud (the uſuall ſigne when God meant to ſpeak to Moſes concerning his people) to deſcend upon the tabernacle, and that no doubt in a more glorious appearance then ordinarily, thereby to aſtoniſh the people, and to ſtop them in that furious attempt they were going about.
Verſ. 17. And now, I beſeech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast ſpoken, ſaying, &c.]
Two ſeverall wayes theſe words may be underſtood: firſt, of the power of God in carrying the Iſraelites into Canaan: and becauſe this would be an act of wonderfull mercy in God, to do this for a people that had now ſo horribly rebelled againſt him, therefore the next words are added, according as thou hast ſpoken, ſaying, The Lord is long-ſuffering, &c. or ſecondly, of the power of God in pardoning their ſinne, let the power of my Lord be great, that is, by pardoning this people now let it be ſeen how great thy power is in this regard, how able thou art to forgive a people that by ſo many ſinnes and ſo exceeding great do ſtill provoke thee. Nor need it ſeem ſtrange that Moſes, ſpeaking of God after the manner of men, ſhould make it an act of power to forgive, ſince the power of man is in nothing more ſeen then in overcoming his anger, and pardoning thoſe whom he may deſtroy, according to that of Solomon▪ Prov. 16. 32. He that is ſlow to anger, is better then the mighty; and he that ruleth his ſpirit, then he that taketh a citie.
Verſ. 18. The Lord is long-ſuffering and of great mercy▪ forgiving iniquity and tranſgreſſion, and by no means clearing the guilty, &c.]
The drift of Moſes prayer, and ſo alſo of his alledging theſe words, which the Lord had ſpoken concerning himſelf, being to procure of God that he would ſhew mercy to the Iſraelites, and not to poure out his wrath upon them as their ſinne had deſerved, it may ſeem ſtrange that he ſhould adde the laſt clauſe, that God would by no means clear the guilty, but would viſit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, &c. But for the reſolving of this doubt, we muſt know, that theſe words being taken joyntly with thoſe which went before do no way croſſe the aim of Moſes prayer, and that becauſe he did not ſue to God that he ſhould not puniſh the ſinne of this people, but onelyonly that he would not utterly deſtroy them, as he had before threatened, verſ. 12. and accordingly the drift of Moſes plea in theſe words is this, That ſince God had ſaid of himſelf that he was a long-ſuffering God, and that though he would by no means clear the guilty, &c. yet withall he was a God of great mercy, and ready to forgive the iniquities of his people, that he would now, according to this which he had ſaid, deal with this people, namely, that he would in wrath remember mercy, and not ſweep them quite away as dung from the face of the earth.
Verſ. 20. And the Lord ſaid, I have pardoned according to thy word.]
That is, I will not deſtroy them all as one man, I will not cut off the whole nation as at firſt I threatned, but will onelyonly puniſh theſe rebells, and leave their poſterity to inherit the land,
Verſ. 21. But as truly as I live all the earth ſhall be filled with the glory of the Lord.]
This ſome underſtand of the glory which the Lord would get to himſelf by the juſt puniſhment that he would inflict upon this unbelieving and rebellious people, for their refuſing to enter into that good land whereunto he had brought them; others ag…in underſtand it of the glory he would get by the miraculous and glorious thing… that he would do for his people in carrying them into the land of Canaan: but I conceive that both may be beſt included: Moſes had pleaded with God, that if he utterly deſtroyed this people, the nations would ſay that he was not able to bring them into the lan…. To this therefore the Lord anſwers, that he would not deſtroy them▪ but would carry their poſterity into the land which he had promiſed them, and that with working ſo many ſtrange wonders, that all the nations of the earth that ſhould hear of them ſhould in every place, to the great glory of God, talk with admiration of the mighty power of God manifeſted in his doing ſuch things, and of the great love that he bears to that people; and yet withall he would magnifie his juſtice and ſeverity againſt their ſinne too, in cutting off all thoſe that had now murmured againſt him before ever their poſterity came to inherit the land: yea this laſt according to our tranſlation ſeems chiefly intended, becauſe this particle But, ſeems to oppoſe this ſentence to that which went before, concerning his pardoning them, The Lord ſaid, I have pardoned according to thy word. But as truly as I live all the earth ſhall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Verſ. 22. And have tempted me now theſe ten times.]
That is, not once nor twice, but many times, as Gen. 31. 7. And changed my wages ten times: and Job 19. 3. Theſe ten times have ye reproched me. It may alſo be taken properly, for now they had rebelled ten times: Firſt at the red ſea, Exod. 14. 11, 12. Secondly, in Marah, Exod. 15. 23, 24. Thirdly, in the wilderneſſe of Sinne, where manna and quails were given when they murmured for want of bread, Exod. 16. 2. Fourthly, when at the ſame time they kept of the manna till the morning, Exod. 16. 20. Fifthly, when they went out to gather manna on the Sabbath, Exod. 16. 27, 28. Sixthly, at Rephidim, Exod. 17. 1. Seventhly, by the calf at Horeb▪ Exod. 32. Eighthly, at Taberah, Numb. 11. 1. Ninthly, at Kibroth H…ttaavah, chap. 11. 4. And now the tenth time upon the ſearching the land.
Verſ. 24. But my ſer vant Caleb, becauſe he had another ſpirit with him. &c.]
The Lord having threatned in the former verſes that none of the Iſraelites that had …een his wonders in Egypt, &c. ſhould ever ſee the land of Canaan, he now excepts Caleb, and promiſeth that he ſhould go into the land▪ whereinto he went to ſearch it, and that his ſeed ſhould poſſeſſe it, to wit, Hebron and the land adjoyning. Joſh. 14. 9. and that becauſe he had another ſpirit with him, that is, he was courageous and bold, and was not of ſuch a baſe cowardly ſpirit as the others were of, and followed the Lord fully to do that which God required. But why is not Joſhua alſo named, ſeeing he alſo followed the Lord fully? I anſwer▪ the former judgement was pronounced onelyonly againſt the people that were in their tents, amongſt whom Caleb was, and therefore he was excepted: but there was no need to except Joſhua, becauſe he was not amongſt the people▪ but attended on Moſes.
Ve…ſ. 25. Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.]
That is added, both to ſhew the miſchief their ſin…e had done them, for which they muſt now return when they were come to the very borders of the land, ready to enter into it; as alſo to ſhew how neceſſary it was that they ſhould preſently be gone, now God had reſolved not to carry them in, becauſe they lay ſo near to the enemy: for the Amalekites and Can…anites dwelt, or, ſat, i… the valley, that is, the valley beyond the mountain, at the foot whereof the Iſraelites now lay, ſee verſ. 40, &c. where by this word dwelt may be meant▪ either that they had their continuall abode there, or rather that there they had gathered forces, and lay in wait for them: for ſo ſometimes this word is uſed, for lying in wait, Joſh. 8. 9.
To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderneſſe by the way of the red ſea.]
In this they obeyed not neither, and being thereupon diſcomfited, ſtayed after this at Kadeſh many dayes, Deut. 1. 46. and that as it is likely for the gathering up of their broken troups.
Verſ. 18. As ye have ſpoken in mine ears ſo will I do to you.]
That is, that which you wiſhed to your ſelves ſhall now betide you: wherein he alludes to that which they had ſpoken, verſ. 3. Would God we had dyed in this wilderneſſe.
Verſ. 33. And your children ſhall wander in the wilderneſſe fourty years, and bear your whoredomes, &c.]
That is, till they have made up the years of their wandring in the wilderneſſe from their coming out of Egypt full fourty years, ſo that in theſe fourty years the time paſt already ſince they came out of Egypt is included; for one whole year and part of the ſecond were paſt already, Deut. 2. 14. And the space in which we came from Kadeſh-Barnea, untill we were come over the brook Sered, was thirty and eight years. Now in this the Lord ſaith their children ſhould bear their whoredomes, becauſe it was their fathers whoredomes, that is, their forſaking of God, that did bring this puniſhment upon their children.
Verſ. 34. And ye ſhall know my breach of promiſe.]
That is, you ſhall know to your coſt what it is to charge me with breach of promiſe, as you have done by ſuſpecting that I would not give you the land whither I had brought you, but meant to give you as a prey into the hand of your enemies; you ſhall find to your coſt that it was your infidelity, your not keeping covenant with me, and no… my breach of promiſe with you, that hath hindered you from the preſent enjoying of this land whither I had brought you.
Verſ. 37. Even thoſe men, that did bring up an evil report upon the land, dyed by the plague before the Lord.]
That is, dyed by an extraordinary plague from the hand of God, either the peſtilence threatned, verſ. 12. or ſome other judgement, and that immediately, the cloud, the teſtimony of Gods preſence, ſtill remaining upon the tabernacle. And thus by the preſent judgement inflicted on them the people muſt needs be ſtricken with the more fearfull apprehenſion of the judgement that did abide them alſo, and therefore it is ſaid, verſ. 39. the people mourned greatly, having now indeed juſt cauſe to weep, whereas before, verſ. 1. they wept cauſeleſſely.
Verſ. 41. And Moſes ſaid, Wherefore now do yo… tranſgreſſe the commandment of the Lord, &c.]
To wit, being firſt commanded of the Lord ſo to ſay. See Deut. 1. 42. And the Lord ſaid unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, ne… ther fight, for I am not among you, lest ye be ſmitten b…fore your enemies.
Verſ. 43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you.]
That is, on the top of the hill lying in readineſſe to ſet upon you, and therefore are ſaid to come down, verſ. 45.
Verſ. 44. Nevertheleſſe the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moſes depart…d not out of the camp.]
The ark removed not but at the removall of the cloud, Numb. 9. 15. which God not taking up now he ſhewed thereby his diſlike of their enterpriſe. Moſes therefore obeying the Lord would notgo with them; ſo they went without the Lord, without the ſignes ofhis grace, and company of his miniſters.
Verſ. 45. Th…n the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and ſmote them, and diſcomfited them even unto Hormah.]
That is, the Amorites, the poſterity of Canaan, Deut. 1. 44. And the Amorites which dwelt in that mountain came out againſt you, and chaſed you as bees do. After this diſcomfiture the Iſraelites returned and wept before the Lord, but he would not hear their voice, nor give ear unto them. So they abode in Kadeſh many dayes, Deut 1. 45. Now for Hormah, whither the Iſraelites were chaſed, it was a place afterwards ſo called upon occaſion of the Iſraelites deſtroying the Canaanites there, chap. 21. 3.