A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Verſ. 1. NOw therefore hearken, O Iſrael, unto the ſtatutes, &c.]
They that will have a difference put betwixt the two words here uſed, ſtatutes and judgements, ſay that by ſtatutes or ordinances are meant thoſe laws which taught the ſervice of God, called by the Apoſtle ordinances of divine ſervice; and by judgements thoſe laws that concerned their duties towards men, and the puniſhment of tranſgreſſours. As for the promiſe of life made here to thoſe that kept theſe laws, ſee the note▪ upon Levit. 18. 5.
Verſ. 6. Keep therefore, and do them; for this is your wiſdome and your understanding in the ſight of the nations, &c.]
Seeing other Nations did alwayes deride and deſpiſe the Jews way of worſhipping God, and made a mock of their whole religion, it may ſeem ſtrange why Moſes ſhould here ſay that their keeping of Gods laws ſhould be counted their wiſdome and underſtanding in the ſight of the nations. But for this we muſt theref ore know that the drift of theſe words is onelyonly to ſhew that the laws which God had given them were ſo juſt and righteous, that all men, unleſſe they ſhould wilfully cloſe their eyes, muſt needs acknowledge them to be ſuch; and that even the very heathen, if ever they came to hear and know their laws, muſt needs in their conſciences think ſo of them, and would (if ever their eyes were truly opened to judge of things) admire the wiſdome and underſtanding of this people above that which was in other nations.
Verſ. 7. For what nation is there ſo great, who hath God ſo nigh unto them, &c.]
That is, in that which onelyonly makes a nation truly great and honourable, namely, the ſpeciall intereſt they have in God, there is no nation under heaven to be compared unto ours, who have God alwayes dwelling amongſt us, as is evident by the miraculous ſignes of his preſence with us; alwayes ready at hand to hear our prayers, and ſo to protect and defend us from all evils, as the ſtrange miracles and wonders he hath wrought for us theſe many years do evidently prove.
Verſ. 11. And ye came near, and ſtood under the mountain, and the mountain burnt with fire, &c.]
All theſe things are here repeated, to convince and aſſure the people that the laws he now ſpeaks of were given of God, and not of his deviſing, and therefore the more carefully to be regarded.
Verſ. 12. And the Lord ſpake unto you out of the midst of the fire, &c.]
Moſes here addreſſing his exhortation to diſſwade the people from idolatry, he puts them in mind how that when the Lord at Sinai gave them his law they ſaw no ſimilitude, onelyonly they heard a voice, and that God ſpake unto them out of the midst of the fire, which was indeed purpoſely done thereby to ſignifie unto the people that the glory of God was incomprehenſible, and that there was no drawing nigh unto God to behold him with bodily eyes.
Verſ. 14. And the Lord commanded me at that time, to tea…h you ſtatutes and judgements, &c.]
That is, beſides the ten commandments written by the Lord himſelf, he at that time alſo gave me other ſtatutes and judgements, which he commanded me to teach you.
Verſ. 15. Take ye therefore good heed unto your ſelves, &c.]
Leſt again confidence of themſelves ſhould make the Iſraelites ſlight this warning of avoiding all idolatry, in theſe words he implyes how prone mans nature is to this ſinne, charging them to be jealous of themſelves in this regard, and to watch diligently over themſelves, leſt they ſhould be drawn away into this groſſe and brutiſh finne.
Verſ. 19. Which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.]
Moſes ſpeaking here againſt worſhipping the ſunne, moon, and ſtarres, and then adding this clauſe, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven, he doth therein imply with what admirable wiſdome God hath diſpoſed theſe lights in ſeverall parts of the heaven, whereby the ſunne, moon, and ſtarres do according to their ſeverall ſtations give light ſometimes to one part of the earth, ſometimes to another; and ſome ſtarres do onelyonly ſhine in ſome parts of the world, and others to other parts. B… withall the chief drift of this clauſe is, to ſhew what a baſeneſſ… of mind it … be in Gods people to worſhip ſuch things as are given for ſervants unto all men, even to infidels and heathens.
Verſ. 20. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, &c.]
This is added to imply in what a ſpeciall tie they were bound to be carefull above other people not thus to diſhonour God: firſt, becauſe God had redeemed them out of the iron furnace, that is, the furnace wherein iron is melted; and ſo Egypt is called, to ſet forth the miſerable and cruell oppreſſion which there they underwent, enough to diſſolve the ſpirits of the ſtouteſt, and to have waſted and conſumed any people: and ſecondly, becauſe having thus redeemed them out of Egypt, he had taken them to himſelf as a people of inheritance, that is, his own people purchaſed for himſelf, upon whom▪this bleſſing ſhould remain from generation to generation.
Verſ. 21. Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your ſakes, &c.]
This is added, firſt, to ſet forth the wondrous care that God took of them, who was angry with Moſes for their ſakes, becauſe he did not ſanctifie the Lord in the eyes of the children of Iſrael, Numb. 20. 12. ſecondly, to manifeſt Gods love and mercy to them, granting them that favour which he denied his ſervant Moſes, to wit, of carrying them into that good land of Canaan; thirdly, to give them a hint how carefull they had need to be to walk uprightly with God, who was ſo farre diſpleaſed with him becauſe of his infidelity.
Verſ. 24. For the Lord thy God is a conſuming fire, even a jealous God, &c.]
The Lord is here called a conſuming fire, becauſe of his ex…eeding great indignation againſt his people when they provoke him by their rebellions, and becauſe when he reſolves to take vengeance on them, he doth many times conſume and deſtroy th…m, even as the fire burns up all that ſtands in its way; and again, he is called a j…alous God, with reſpect unto the covenant which he made with his people, wherein he had taken them to be his ſpouſe, and had engaged himſelf to be as a husband to them, and ſo was as jealous of having the worſhip due onelyonly to him to be given to any creature, as husbands uſe to be of their wives dealing falſely with them: and Solomon, we know, ſaith of jealouſie, that the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame, Cant. 8. 6.
Verſ. 25. When thou ſhalt beget children, and childrens children, and ſhalt have remained long in the land, &c.]
That is, be not ſecure and bold to ſinne, becauſe you are therein ſettled; for if you do, God will ſoon caſt you out again.
Verſ. 26. I call heaven and earth to witneſſe againſt you, &c.]
This obteſtation of heaven and earth may be underſtood of God and the Angels in heaven, and men on earth. But I rather conceive it to be meant of the dead and unreaſonable creatures, and that hereby is implyed, firſt, that as ſurely as there was a heaven and an earth, ſo ſurely ſhould they periſh from off the land; ſecondly, that the bruit creatures were not ſo ſtupid as they, if notwithſtanding all theſe warnings given them they ſhould nevertheleſſe go after ſtrange gods.
Verſ. 34. Or hath God aſſayed to go and take him a nation from the midſt of another nation, by temptations, &c.]
The miracles and wonders which God wrought in Egypt are here called temptations, becauſe he did thereby try both the Egyptians, to ſee whether they would be wonne to yield to him, and let the people of Iſrael go; and the Iſraelites, to ſee whether they would be wonne to …ear the Lord, and to truſt in him, who had done ſo great and wonderfull things for them.
Verſ. 37. And becauſe he loved thy fathers, therefore he choſe their ſeed after them, &c.]
Not for any thing which he ſaw in you, or in your fathers, did he chooſe you to be his peculiar people, but of his own free grace and love, and from that love of his it was merely that he brought thee out of Egypt in his ſight, that is, the eye of his providence being ſtill fixed upon them, even as a father cauſes his child to go before him, that he may keep his eye upon him, and no… ſuffer him to fall into any danger.
Verſ. 44. And this is the law which Moſes ſet before the children of Iſrael, &c.]
He meane…h that which hereafter followeth: this therefore is a preface to the next chapter, where the repetition of the laws beginneth.
Verſ. 49. And all the plain on this ſide Jord… Eaſtward, even unto the ſea of the plain, &c.]
See chap. 3. 17.