A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Verſ. 2. ANd know you this day: for I ſpeak not with your children, &c.]
I… the firſt words, And know you this day, Moſes wills the Iſraelites ſeriouſly to take notice of, and to lay to heart, that which he was then about to ſay concerning the Lords dealing with them even from the time that he brought them out of Egypt, and then in the next words, For I ſpeak not with your children which have not known, and which have not ſeen the chaſtiſement of the Lord your God, &c. he ſhews what great reaſon there was that they ſhould be ſeriouſly affected with the recitall of theſe great things which God had done, namely, becauſe they had been eye-witneſſes of them (and thoſe that have ſuch evidence and ſuch ſelf-experience are uſually more affected therewith, then thoſe that are onelyonly told of them) had he ſpoken to their children of theſe things, that were not eye-witneſſes of the doing of them, it were not ſo m…ch to be wondred if the bare relation of theſe things did not ſo much affect them; but ſpeaking to them that had known and ſeen all the great acts of the Lord, it could not but work upon them, to make them the more carefull to obey his commandments.
Verſ. 4. And how the Lord hath deſtroyed them unto this day.]
It may be queſtioned concerning theſe words, How it is here ſaid of the army of Egypt fourty years after it was drowned in the red ſea, that the Lord had deſtroyed them unto that day. But for this we muſt know that hereby is onelyonly meant, that the Iſraelites did enjoy the benefit of that deſtruction which then fell upon the Egyptians unto that day, namely, becauſe unto that day they durſt never after that purſue the Iſraelites, or attempt any thing againſt them.
Verſ. 7. But your eyes have ſeen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.]
For many of them who ca…e out of Egypt were yet alive▪ to wit, thoſe that were then under twenty years of age, and ſo they had ſeen what was done in Egypt, and the reſt had ſeen ſome all, ſome many of thoſe glorious acts which God had done in the wilderneſſe, whereof Moſes had alſo ſpoken in the foregoing words.
Verſ. 10. For the land whither thou goeſt in to poſſeſſe it, is not as the land of Egypt, &c.]
Moſes here ſhews the Iſraelites a remarkable difference betwixt the land of Canaan and the land of Egypt, and his drift there…n is thereby to …ove them to be the more carefull to obey the commandments of God; for the underſtanding whereof we muſt know, firſt, that in Egypt they never, or at leaſt very ſeldome, had any rain, Zach. 14. 18. If the family of Egypt go not up▪ and come not, that have no rain, there ſhall be the plague, &c. but in ſ…ead of rain the river Nilus uſed once a year to ove…flow all or the greateſt part of that countrey, and ſo did mellow and ſoften the earth for all the year after; ſecondly, that therefore when there was any failing in the overflowing of this river they were forced to take a great deal of pains to water their grounds, yea thoſe pla…es, whither the overflowing of Nilus did not reach, were alwayes thus watred to the g…at coſt and labour of the owners, becauſe they had no rain; thirdly, that it is …id …ere▪ in Egypt thou ſowedſt thy ſeed, and watere…ſt it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs, either becauſe they digged furrows with their feet, whereby water was conveyed from Nilus to water their grounds; or elſe becauſe they were forced to go up and down, to ſe…ch and carry water, to poure it out upon the grounds where they had ſown their ſeed, and ſo watred their corn-fields as a man ſhould water a garden of herbs; and fourthly, that from the excellency of the land of Canaan, which God had provided to be their inheritance, above that of Egypt in this particular, Moſes ſ…rres them up to be the more obſequious in obeying the commandments of God. They ſhould have a land that was continually watred with rain from heaven, and ſo there would be no need of that inceſſant labour and toil to which they were put in Egypt for the watering of their grounds: and ſ…rely Gods fatherly care in providing …o well for them might juſtly challenge from th…m their utmoſt endeavours to obſerve Gods Laws. I know there are ſome Expoſitours do otherwiſe conceive of the aim of theſe words, to wit, that Moſes therein doth ſhew the people how wary they had need to be of keeping Gods love and favour to them, and not to provoke him by their ſinnes, namely, becauſe the fruitfulneſſe of that land, which they were now to have, did wholly depend upon the Lords ſending them rain from heaven, the want whereof they could not ſupply with digging ditches and watercourſes. as they did in Egypt, in regard the land of Canaan was a mountanous and …illy countrey, to which it was not poſſ…ble to convey water from rivers, as in Egypt they might. But the firſt expoſition I conceive is moſt proper, and moſt ag…able to the aim of Moſes, in ſetting forth the excellency of Canaan above that of Egypt from whence he had brought them; and yet happely we may beſt ſay that both were implyed.
Verſ. 11. But the land whither ye go to poſſeſſe it, is a land of hils and valleys, &c.]
Hereby is commended the commodious, healthfull, and pleaſant ſituation of the land; yet withall ſome conceive that hereby is implyed alſo that becauſe it was hils and dales, rivers could not overflow it, but it muſt needs be barren if it had not alwayes rain in due ſeaſon.
Verſ. 12. A land which the Lord thy God careth for, &c.]
That is, Canaan is a land which is not watred as Egypt is by the art and induſtry of man, but by the ſpeciall care and providence of God, whoſe eyes are upon it all the year long, to ſend rain upon it, as he finds there is need. But, may ſome ſay, Was it not of the providence of God that Egypt was made fruitfull by the overflowing of Nilus? I anſwer, Yes; but yet becauſe the fruitfulneſſe of Egypt was much advanced by their watering the land as a garden of herbs, whereas Canaan was continually watred with rain from heaven, and where there is leaſt uſe of mans indu…try, but the bleſſing comes immediately from heaven, there the care and providence of God is moſt evidently ſeen, therefore is it ſaid here of Canaan, that it was a land which the Lord their God eared for, &c.
Verſ. 14. I will give you the rain of your land in his due ſeaſon, the firſt ra…n and the latter rain, &c.]
The firſt, after the ſowing of the ſeed, that it might take rooting in the earth; the latter, a little before harveſt, that the eare might be full: and it is to be noted that though Moſes had hitherto ſpoken to the people as in his own perſon, yet here he ſpeaks as in the perſon of God, I will give you the rain of your land, and verſ. 15. I will ſend graſſe in thy fields, &c.
Verſ. 21. That your dayes may be multiplyed, as the dayes of heaven upon earth.]
That is, that you and your poſterity may continue in the land of Canaan ſo long as the heavens ſhall continue in their place over the earth, namely, ſo long as the world ſhall laſt; for the like phraſe we have concerning the perpetuity of Davids kingdome, which was accompliſhed in Chriſt, Pſal. 89. 29. His ſeed alſo will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the dayes of heaven. And indeed had not the Jews provoked the Lord by their ſinnes to caſt them out of that good land, this promiſe ſhould have been made good to them; yea and from this promiſe happely we may conceive hope that upon the repentance of the Jews, and their embracing the Lord Chriſt as their promiſed Meſſiah, they ſhall be again reeſtabliſhed in this land, and therein continue with great glory to the end of the world.
Verſ. 26. Behold, I ſet before you this day a bleſſing and a curſe.]
This phraſe of ſetting before them the bleſſing and the curſe was purpoſely uſed, no doubt, to intimate that they might take their choice of either of theſe; and ſo to manifeſt that if the curſe came upon them they cauſed it themſelves, and could blame no body but themſelves onelyonly.
Verſ. 29. Thou ſhalt put the bleſſing upon mount Gerizim, and the curſe upon mount Ebal.]
That is, thou ſhalt cauſe the bleſſings, which the Lord hath promiſed to them that keep his laws, to be pronounced on mount Gerizim, and the curſes, which the Lord hath threatned to them that break his laws, to be pronounced on mount Ebal, and ſo ſhalt make thoſe mountains to be as it were continuall remembrancers to the people of the bleſſing and the curſe, that when they ſee mount Gerizim they may ſee the bleſſing ſet before them, and ſo likewiſe the curſe, when they ſee mount Ebal. This is afterward enjoyned again, Deut. 27. 11. 12. &c. where it is alſo more fully expreſſed how it was to be done; and Joſh. 8. 33. we may ſee how this which God here enjoyned was accordingly done. And it ſeems that from this very commandment given to Moſes concerning mount Gerizim, the Samaritans, many ages after this, took occaſion to build a temple there, as taking Gerizim to be a bleſſed place, becauſe the bleſſings were pronounced on it: for that the Samaritans temple was built upon mount Gerizim is the common opinion of moſt Writers; and we may find it very probable by comparing together John 4. 3, 20. with Judg. 9. 7. ſince there, to wit Judg. 9. 7. it is evident that mount Gerizim was nigh unto Shechem, becauſe from the top of mount Gerizim Jotham ſpake to the men of Shechem that were gathered together, and had made Abimelech their King, and by that which is ſaid of the woman of Samaria, John 4. it is as evident that the Samaritans temple was built on a mountain nigh unto Shechem; becauſe that Samaritan woman dwelling at Sychar, which was Shechem (as appears by the words that follow, John 4. 5. where it is noted that this Sychar was near by the parcell of ground which Jacob gave to his ſonne Joſeph, and that was certainly at Shechem, as is noted upon Gen. 33. 19. and 48. 22.) ſpeaks of the Samaritans temple as of a place that was hard by▪ and perhaps in their view, John 4. 20. Our fathers worſhipped in this mountain, & ye ſay that in Jeruſalem is the place where men ought to worſhip.