A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII.
Verſ. 1. THe Lord thy God will ſet thee on high above all nations of the earth.]
That is, thou ſhalt excell all other nations both in r…gard of temporall bleſſings, and eſpecially in regard of ſpirituall and heavenly advancements.
Verſ. 2. All theſe ble…ſings ſhall come on thee, and overtake thee, &c.]
They ſhall come upon thee unexpectedly.
Verſ. 3. Bleſſed ſhalt thou be in the citie, and bleſſed ſhalt thou be in the ſield.]
That is, in all places.
Verſ. 4. Bleſſed ſhall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, &c.]
That is bleſſed ſhalt thou be in all thy poſſeſſions.
Verſ. 5. B…ſſed ſhall be thy basket and thy ſtore.]
That is, bleſſed ſhalt thou be in the uſe of all that thou haſt.
Verſ. 6. Bleſſed ſhalt thou be when thou comeſt in, and bleſſed ſhalt thou be when thou goeſt out.]
That is, in all thy imployments, publick or private.
Verſ. 9. The Lord ſhall eſtabliſh thee an holy people unto himſelf, &c.]
This chiefly is meant of ſpirituall bleſſings, of being Gods peculiar people, and the firm perpetuity of …he covenant made with them; and it is added in the laſt place, as the chief …iece … their happ…neſſe.
V…. …0. And all the people of the earth ſhall ſee that thou art called by the n…me of the Lord, &c.]
That is, that thou art the peculiar people of God: for the meaning is, that all nations ſhould plainly perceive by the ſingular bleſſings that ſhall be heaped upon this people, that God did indeed own them for his ſpeciall people▪ and that they were called by his name, as ſonnes are called by the name of their … and wives by the names of their husbands.
V…. 12. The Lord ſhall open unto thee his good treaſure, the heaven, &c.]
Moſ…s calls the heavens the Lords good treaſure, becauſe he keeps there in ſtore thoſe things wherewith he cauſeth the earth to yield abundance of increaſe for the enriching of thoſe that dwell therein, as the rain to water the ground, the heat of the ſunne, and the influence of the moon and ſtarres, to make all things therein to grow and proſper, &c.
Verſ. 13. And the Lord ſhall make thee the head and not the tail, &c.]
That is, thou ſhalt be highly eſteemed above other nations, and not ſcorned and deſpiſed as a baſe and contemptible people.
Verſ. 15. All theſe curſes ſhall come upon thee, and overtake thee.]
That is, there ſhall be no avoyding theſe judgements: though thou trieſt all wayes, and with all the skill and diligence that can be uſed doſt endeavour to eſcape and fly from theſe miſeries, yet it ſhall not be; thou mayeſt ſometimes think that thou art gotten out of danger, but thy hopes ſhall be in vain, theſe judgements ſhall ſtill purſue thee, and at laſt overtake thee.
Verſ. 21. The Lord ſhall make the peſtilence cleave unto thee, &c.]
That …s, God will ſend the peſtilence into thy cities and towns, and you ſhall be no wayes able to rid your ſelves of it when it is among you; in vain ſhall any means be uſed to ſtay the ſpreading of the infection, becauſe the Lord ſhall command it to cleave unto you, and to continue amongſt you.
Verſ. 23. And the heaven that is over thy head ſhall be braſſe, and the earth that is under thee ſhall be iron.]
It is not without cauſe that Moſes ſaith not, The heavens ſhall be braſſe, and the earth iron, but, the heaven that is over thy head ſhall be braſſe, and the earth that is under thee ſhall be iron; for the Lord intended that this ſhould give them a hint of fear, by ſhewing them how God had hemmed them in with judgements on every hand, if they ſhould walk rebelliouſly againſt him.
Verſ. 24. The Lord ſhall make the rain of thy land powder and duſt, &c.]
That is, in ſtead of rain there ſhall fall upon thy grounds, trees, plants, &c. powder and duſt, which the wind and other things raiſe in times of drought.
Verſ. 28. The Lord ſhall ſmite thee with madneſſe and blindneſſe, &c.]
It is a ſpirituall madneſſe and blindneſſe and aſtoniſhment of heart which God here threatens, to wit, when God deprives men of the uſe at leaſt of their underſtanding, that they ſtand in a manner like a blind man, or one that is ſuddenly amazed or aſtoniſhed, not knowing which way to turn themſelves; or ſhall do ſuch things which if they were not bewitched (as S. Paul ſaith of the Galatians Gal. 3. 1.) if they were not blind or drunk or mad, as we uſe to ſay, they would never. Accordingly therefore by groping at noon-day, in the following verſe, all the effects are meant of this brutiſh ſtupidity and ſpirit of giddineſſe, wherewith the Lord in his juſt judgement doth many times ſtrike men, as when they ſhall caſt themſelves headlong into manifeſt dangers, and ſhall not be able to apprehend the occaſions of helping themſelves, or doing good to themſelves, though never ſo clearly proffered unto them, when men ſhall runne on ſecurely in thoſe ſinnes which the very light of nature muſt needs tell them are the high-way to hell, and when Gods anger is clearly diſcovered by his judgements, yet they will not ſee it, when they ſhall live under plentifull means of grace, and yet ſhall continue ignorant, or wilfully reject both Chriſt and heaven: and indeed in this regard we may well ſay that the Jews did thus, through Gods juſt judgement, grope at noon-day, and ſo ſtill do unto this houre, in that the light of the Goſpel ſhining upon them, they would not nor will yet acknowledge Chriſt their promiſed Meſſiah, which makes the Apoſtle ſay, 2. Cor. 3. 14. that untill this day there is a vail over their minds in the reading of the old teſtament, and Rom. 11. 8. God hath given them the spirit of ſlumber, eyes that they ſhould not ſee, and ears that they ſhould not hear, unto this day.
Verſ. 30. Thou ſhalt betroth a wife, and another man ſhall ly with her, &c.]
The ſting of the judgement here threatned lies in this, that their enemies ſhould lie with thoſe they had newly betrothed to be their wives, before themſelves had enjoyed them: and ſo it is likewiſe in the particulars following, that they ſhould be bereaved of their new-built houſes before they had dwelt a day in them, and of their vineyards before themſelves had eaten of the fruit of them. Though it be miſery enough at any time to have thoſe things taken away by enemies, wherein we delight▪ yet it is a great aggravation of this miſery, when after we have taken much pains to get them, and have ſet our hearts upon them, and are filled with hope and expectation of enjoying the fruit of our labours, then on a ſudden they ſhould be ſnatched away, and ſo all our hope ſhould be quite daſhed, and others ſhould enjoy all the ſwee… we had laboured for.
Verſ. 32. Thy ſonnes & thy daughters ſhall be given unto another people, & thine eyes ſhall look and fail with longing, &c.]
The judgement here threatned is firſt, that they ſhould behold with their eyes when their children were carried away captive which is a great aggravation of this calamity; for it is not ſo great a vexation to heare of the loſſe of goods, or children, as to have them taken away before our eyes: and therefore alſo is that added, verſ. 24. So that thou ſhalt be mad for the ſight of thine eyes which thou ſhalt ſee, becauſe doubtleſſe the ſorrow that enters to the heart by the eye doth uſually cut deeper then tha… which enters by the eare…: and ſecondly, that their eyes ſhould look, and fail with longing for them, &c. whereby is meant either the failing and marring of their eyes by their extreme mourning and weeping for their children, or elſe (becauſe there is mention made of longing for them) that they ſhould expect and wait for ſome help for the reſcuing of their children (even till eyes fail with waiting) but all in vain, in that they ſhould never be able to deliver them.
Verſ. 33. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, ſhall a nation which thou knowest not eat up, &c.]
From whom the leſſe mercy can be expected: and withall God implyes how vain their hope of peace ſhould be, grounded with their friendſhip with all the nations about them, ſince he was able to bring a nation upon them whom they know not, and whom therefore they never feared.
Verſ. 36. The Lord ſhall bring thee and thy King, which thou ſhalt ſet over thee, &c.]
Obſervable it is that it is ſo expreſſely noted, that not onelyonly they, but their King alſo ſhould be carried into captivity: for firſt, hereby is implyed the univerſalitie of the judgement, in that not ſo much as their King ſhould be able to eſcape out of the hand of thoſe over-bearing enemies; and ſecondly, it is a great aggravation of any peoples miſery when their Kings are cut off, that are the chief hope of any ſtate: when the head is under water, the whole body muſt needs be in great danger, and therefore we ſhall find in publick judgements the people of God have ſtill lamented above all for the loſſe of their prince, as Lam. 4. 20. The breath of our noſtrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pit, of whom we ſaid, Ʋnder his ſhadow shall we live among the heathen.
And there shalt thou ſerve other gods, wood and ſtone.
[To wit, either being ſeduced by the enticing perſwaſions of thoſe idolaters, amongſt whom you ſhall live there, or elſe forced to it by the tyranny of your Lor…s and maſters. In either of theſe caſes it was a heavy judgement to Gods people, as being an evil that endangered their ſouls and their eternall well-being, as ſo it is here threatned as the moſt grievous of all miſeries; yet withall there is couched in theſe words too an exprobration of this peoples proneneſſe to idolatry, intimating that then they ſhould …ave gods enough, and b… …lutted with ſuperſtitious will-worſhip, to which they were ſo ſtrongly … ▪
Verſ. 37. And th… … …come an aſtonishment, a proverb, and a byword, word, &c.]
There is much included in this threatning, as that their calamities ſ…ould be ſo great that their very enemies ſhould be aſtoniſhed at them, and that they ſhould be the common table-talk of thoſe that had vanquiſhed them. But the chief thing intended is, that they ſhould be ſlouted, and ſcorned, and made a laughing-ſtock in all places whereever they came.
Verſ. 38. The ſtranger that is within thee ſhall get above thee very high, &c.]
Moſes had before threatned that the enemies of their land ſhould prevail againſt them, and tyrannize over them; but now he addes, as a farther degree of miſery, that the very ſtrangers, that formerly lived amongſt them onelyonly by permiſſion as ſojourners▪ ſhould come to lord it over them, and be in farre better condition then themſelves: and indeed it doth much increaſe mens diſtreſſe when they come to be ſo farre beneath thoſe that were formerly as farre beneath them.
Verſ. 45. Moreover all theſe curſes ſhall come upon thee, and purſue thee, and overtake thee, &c.]
See the foregoing note upon verſ. 15.
Verſ. 48. He ſhall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, till he have destroyed thee.]
Their bondage is here compared to a yoke of iron, not onelyonly becauſe it ſhould be ſo heavy and inſupportable, by reaſon of the many g ievous miſeri…s they ſhould ſuffer there, but alſo becauſe they ſhould be no way able to break the yoke from off their necks, that is, to ridde themſelves out of their bondage, but ſhould continue under it, untill it had utte…ly co…ſumed them.
Verſ. 49. And the Lord ſhall bring a nation against thee from farre, from the end of the earth, as ſwift as the eagle flyeth.]
Th…t is, ſudde…ly▪ unexpectedly, and with unreſiſtable violence. And indeed the Babylonian, the nation here intended, is deſcribed to be a lyon with eagles wings, Dan. 7. 4. and Nebuchadnezzar is likened to a great eagle with great wings, as we …ay ſee, Ezech. 17. 3, 12. and there is of…en mention made of their ſwiftneſſe, as Jer. 4. 13. Behold▪ he ſhall come upon us as clouds, and his charets ſhall be as a whirl wind; his horſes are ſwifter then eagles. Lam. 4. 19. Our perſecutours are ſwifter then the eagles of the heaven, they perſued us upon the mountains, &c.
A nation whoſe tongue thou ſhalt not underſtand.]
So that it ſhall not be poſſible to call for mercy at his hand.
Verſ. 5…. And he ſhall beſiege thee in all thy gates, untill thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, &c.]
This laſt clauſe, wherein thou …rustedst, is added not onelyonly to intimate that the enemie that God would bring againſt them would batter down their ſtrongeſt walls & bulwarks, but alſo by way of upbrayding them▪ for putting too much confidence in ſuch things as theſe, which alas ſhould be no help at all to ſecure them againſt thoſe enemies that God would ſend to deſtroy them.
Verſ. 57. And towards her young one that cometh out from between her feet.]
The Heb…ew word ſignifieth her af…er-birth, and implyeth that the mother ſhould devour both that and the child with it, which much aggravates the judgement.
Verſ. 62. And ye ſhall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the ſtarres of heaven for multitude.]
Which being dire…tly contrary to that which God had promiſed, muſt needs be an evident ſigne of Gods diſpleaſure againſt them.
Verſ. 63. The Lord will re…oyce over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought.]
The drift of theſe words is to imply how great the indignation of the Lord againſt them ſhould be, that ſhould make him not onelyonly deſtroy, but alſo rejoyce in deſtroying a nation that had formerly been ſo precious in his eyes, and for whom he had done ſuch great and wonderfull t…ings. Nor doth this contradict what the Lord ſaith, Ezek. 33. 11. As I live, ſaith the Lord God, I have no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, &c. for though God doth not delight in the deſtruction of his creatures, yet as there is an execution of juſtice done upon wicked men that deſpiſe his merciemercy, the Lord is pleaſed with it, and rejoyceth to deſtroy them.
And ye ſhall be plucked from off the land whither thou goeſt to poſſeſſe it.]
To be carried away from their native countrey is to all men a heavy judgement, but much heavier to the Jews then to any others, their land being the inheritance given them of God; therefore their expulſion out of Canaan was a loſſe of the pledge of their adopt…on, and a ſigne, as it were, that their heavenly father had diſinherited and caſt them off.
Verſ. 64. And the Lord ſhall ſcatter thee among all people, &c.]
That is, you ſhall not onelyonly be carried away captive into a ſtrange land, but alſo when you come thither you ſhall be diſperſed and ſcattered abroad into ſeverall places. A great degree of their miſery: when they were carried captives out of their native countrey, had they dwelt all together in the land of their captivity, it had been the leſſe grievous; but to be diſperſed into ſ…verall places, where they ſhould not ſee the faces of their brethren, that was a …ore calamity indeed.
Verſ. 65. And among theſe nations ſhalt thou find no …aſe, neither ſhall the ſole of thy foot have reſt, &c.]
That i…, when you are brought into a ſtrange countrey, ye ſhall be there as farre from being ſettled as ye were before, becauſe there ye ſhall be continually removed and carried ab…t from one place to another. And indeed it was juſt with God, that this people, which would not ſerve him in the land of his reſt, Pſal. 95. 11. which was to t…em alſo a pledge of eternall reſt prepared in heaven, ſhould be driven from t…ence, and live for ever after in a reſtl…ſſe cond…tion.
Verſ. 66. And thy life ſhall …ang in doubt before thee, &c.]
That is, thou ſhalt be in a continuall doubt and …ear of loſing thy life: for ſo it is explained in the following words, thou ſhalt fear day and night, and ſhalt have no aſſurance of thy life. Now this their fear was occaſioned partly by the ſavage cruelty of their lords and maſters, and partly by the guilt that lay upon their conſci…nces, which made them continually look that God ſhould cut them o…f in his wrath and di…pl…ure. And indeed obſervable it is that the …eathen Poet ſhould in this regard … them by the name of Judaea treme…s, that is, Judaei trementes, trembling Jews, Juven. Sat. 6.
Verſ. 67. And the Lord ſhall bring thee into Egypt again, with ſhips, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, thou …halt ſee it no more again.]
That is, the Lord ſhall cauſe you to be carried again by ſhips into Egypt, whither he had ſaid you ſhall not return no more (as is noted, chap. 17. 16. the place to which theſe words have reference) though there be mention both there and here of returning into Egypt by the way through which they came when they came out of Egypt, to wit, becauſe that was the ordinary way betwixt Canaan and Egypt, yet both places are to be underſtood generally of any returning into Egypt, and not onelyonly of returning by the ſame way. It is true indeed that when the Jews, after the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, were ſold for ſlaves by the Romans, though many of them were then carried away by ſhipping into Egypt (and ſo that was then accompliſhed which is here threatned) yet it might be well enough ſaid that they were brought back into Egypt …y the way whereof God ſaid, thou ſhalt ſee it no more, to wit, by the way of the wilderneſſe, and that becauſe we may ſuppoſe that being brought by ſhipping near to the plains of Moab, they were then ſet on ſhore, and ſo were carried the r…ſt of the way on foot through the wilderneſſe. But I ſay there is no neceſſity that we ſhould underſtand this preciſely of their being carried into Egypt by the way they went out from thence: That which is here threatned is onelyonly this, that God would bring them to be ſlaves again in Egypt; and we need not wonder that this is threatned in the laſt place, as a moſt remarkable judgement, if we conſider how terrible the very name of Egypt muſt needs be to them in regard of thoſe grievous miſeries their fathers had already indured there; and that Gods undoing of that which he had done, and bringing them back to that bondage from which he had reſcued them, when he at firſt took them to be his peculiar people, was a kind of diſcharging them from being any longer his people, as if he had quit… caſt them off, and meant no more to take any care of them, or to own them for his people.
And there ye ſhall be ſold to your enemies for bond-men and bond-women, and no man ſhall buy you.]
This laſt clauſe, and no man ſhall buy you, is added, to imply either that there ſhould be ſo many of them to ſale that there ſhould not be buyers enough to buy them (as we reade in the Hi…ories of thoſe times, that after the deſt…uction of Jeruſalem by Titus there were nin…y and ſeven thouſand captives of the Jews, ſo that they ſcarce knew where to ſell them) or …lſe that the Jews ſhould be ſo vilified and deſpiſed, that no man ſhould profer any money for them. And indeed why elſe ſhould this be here added? when a man is once in bondage, the likelyhood of being paſſed to another maſter dot… rather encreaſe his ſorrow then otherwiſe. He knows the worſt where he is; what he may ſuffer elſewhere, he knows not, and ther…fore one would think it ſhould be a comfo…t to him that no one would buy him. But I ſay, it is the baſe eſteem, which men o… all nations ſhould have of the Jews, which the holy Ghoſt here aims at, it being to all men a great vexation to be ſlighted and vilified, as if they were not worthy the looking after.