A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
CHAP. V.
Verſ. 1. ANd Moſes called all Iſrael, and ſaid unto them, &c.]
That is, all the elders and chief of the people. It was not poſſible that ſo many hundred thouſands as the Iſraelites now were ſhould hear Moſes ſpeaking to them: But as Exod. 12. 3. where Moſes and Aaron were appoined to ſpeak unto all the congregation of Iſrael, verſ. 21. it is ſaid that they called for all the elders of Iſrael, ſo it was here.
Verſ. 3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, &c.]
That which Moſes here ſpeaks of is that which he made with the Iſraelites at Horeb, when he gave them the law, as is expreſſed in the former verſe, The Lord, (ſaith he) made not this covenant with our fathers that is, with our fathers in Egypt▪ or it may be meant of the Patriarchs Abraham, and Iſaack, and Jacob (even including all from Adam unto Moſes, yea and all their anceſters before the giving of the law at Horeb) but with us, that is, us his people whom he brought out of Egypt, even us who are all of us here alive this day, that is, not onelyonly with thoſe who then were living at the giving of the Law, but ſince dead in the wilderneſſe, but even with us their poſterity who are all alive this day. Now for the underſtanding of this we muſt know that though the covenant of grace, which God made with the Iſraelites when he brought them out of Egypt, was one and the ſame for ſubſtance with that whi…h he had made before with their fathers, and though it was much alike too in regard of the outward diſpenſation, both being delivered in a way ſuitable to the dayes of the old Te…tament (which was common to both) to wit, under dark promiſes, types and ceremonies; yet firſt, becauſe the Lord did more fully and more clearly make known unto them at Horeb the tenour of the covenant then he h…d ever done unto their fathers, partly by giving them many more ſignes and ſhadows of the promiſed Meſſiah, and the good that was to be had in him, as the tabern…cle, the ark, the mercy-ſeat, and the prieſthood, &c. and partly by giving them a written law containing a perfect ſumm… of all that God required of them; and ſecondly, becauſe he then entred into covenant with them as a body politick, a people whom he had ſeparated from all other nations to be his peculiar people, preſcribing them an outward form of government, laws and ſtatutes, to which they conſented to ſubmit themſelves therefore Moſes tells them that the Lord did not make this covenant with their fathers: and hence it is alſo that the Apoſtle ſaith the law was after the covenant in Chriſt, Gal. 3. 17. And of this ſpeciall mercy afforded them above their fathers Moſes puts them here in mind, to make them the more carefull to keep Gods laws.
Verſ. 4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, &c.]
To wit▪ when he gave them the ten commandments following, verſ. 6. then the Lord talked with them face to face, that is immediately by himſelf and not by a meſſenger: and indeed this was not without a ſpeciall myſterie: for the ten commandments being a renewing and repeating of the covenant of works to be performed by every man in his own perſon, therefore the Lord delivered theſe laws himſelf, and there was no Mediatour betwixt him and the people; whereas the other laws, which were afterwards given them, containing many ſhadows of Chri…t, in whom God had made a covenant of grace, were therefore delivered to Moſes, and by him to the people, Moſes ſtanding as a Mediatour betwixt God and them. But of this phraſe of Gods ſpeaking to them face to face, ſee alſo the note upon Exod. 33. 11.
Verſ. 5. I ſtood between the Lord and you at that time, &c.]
That is, after God had out of the fire ſpoken the ten commandments, I was glad to ſtand as a Mediatour betwixt the Lord and you.
Verſ. 12. Keep the Sabbath-day to ſanctifie it, &c.]
In Exod. 20. 8. it is Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy; ſo likewiſe ſome other ſmall differences there are, which are not worthy the que…tioning, the ſubſtance being exactly the ſame.
Verſ. 15. And r…member that thou wast a ſervant in the land of Egypt, &c.]
In this fourth commandment, as it was delivered by the Lord from mount Sinai, the worlds Creation and Gods reſting on the ſeventh day was mentioned as a main ground of it, Exod. 20. 11. but here Moſes repeating this commandment omits that, and preſſeth their deliverance out of Egypt as a chief reaſon of Gods enjoyning them to ſanctifie this day, Remember that thou wast a ſervant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, &c. therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath-day. And indeed though the Lords reſting on the ſeventh day at the worlds Creation was the main gro…nd of the ſabbaths firſt inſtitution, yet their deliverance out of Egypt might be the reaſon why th… Lord did now inſert this amongſt other the commandments which he gave in charge to the Iſraelites, and that in theſe reſpe…ts: firſt, becauſe by their redemption out of Egypt they were bound to conſecra…e themſelves wholly to Gods ſervice as his peculiar people, whereof the holy imployment of the Sabbath might be a notable memoriall and ſigne; and ſecondly▪ becauſe of that particular charge of ſuffering their ſervants to reſt on the Sabbath-day, their former bondage in Egypt being a ſtrong inducement to move them to take pity of their ſ…rvants, and this enjoyned reſt of their ſervants, being a good memoriall to put them in mind of their bondage in Egypt.
Verſ. 21. Neither ſhalt thou deſire thy neighbours wife, &c.]
Exod. 20. 17. God firſt forbids the coveting of our neighbours houſe, and then next the coveting of his wife; here contrarily the coveting our neighbours wi…e is ſirſt forbidden, and then afterward the coveting of his houſe, &c. ſo that they that would divide this laſt commandment into two, as the Papiſts do, cannot juſtly ſay which is the ninth commandment, and which is the tenth▪ becauſe one branch of it is firſt in Exodus, and another is firſt here in Deuteronomie; and we cannot think that Moſes would pervert the order of the ten commandments.
Verſ. 22. And he added no more.]
That is, he ſpake no more unto the people but theſe ten commandments immediately by himſelf, the reſt he ſpake unto Moſes, and then Moſes told it them, and that becauſe they deſired it ſhould be ſo; which Moſes relates largely in the remainder of the chapter, to convince them that they had no cauſe to give leſſe regard to the other ſtatutes, which Moſes delivered them from Gods own mouth. But yet withall theſe words may imply the perfection of the decalogue or tenne commandments, to wit, that the Lord hath therein given us ſuch a perfect ſumme of the morall Law, that there is nothing farther to be added to it.
And he wrote them in two tables of ſtone, &c.]
See the note upon Exodus …1. 18.
Verſ. 24. We have ſeen this day that God doth talk with man, and he livet…, &c.]
In theſe words they confeſſe that they had heard God talking with them▪ and were for all that alive; and yet in the next words in the following verſe they adde, Now therefore why ſhould we die? for this great fire will conſume us; whereas rather one would think that from their preſent ſafetie, after they had heard God talking with them, they ſhould have encouraged themſelves againſt all fear for the time to come. But for this I anſwer, that in theſe firſt words they ſpeak of their preſent ſafety as a matter of wonder, and thence inferre, that though they had eſcaped this danger for the preſent, yet the very terrour of it would kill them if God did thus ſtill reveal his will to them, and therefore deſired that Moſes might receive from God what was farther to be ſaid, and then he might deliver it to them. And indeed this is ſtill the work of the Law, to ſcare men, and drive them to ſeek for a Mediatour betwixt God and them.
Verſ. 26. For who is there of all …leſh that hath heard the voice of the living God?]
That is, what man is there that ever heard God ſpeaking out of the midſt of the fire (as we have done) and yet lived? Moſes uſeth here the word fleſh, ſpeaking of men, becauſe that implyes the frailtie of mans condition, which is the cauſe why men are not able to endure to heare God ſpeaking to them in ſuch majeſty and glory.
CHAP. VI.
Verſ. 1. NOw theſe are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements, &c.]
Here Moſes entreth upon the explanation of the firſt commandment of the tenne before rehearſed, chap. 5.
Verſ. 6. And theſe words which I command thee this day ſhall be in thine heart.]
That is, they ſhall be imprinted in thy mind, thou ſhalt acquaint thy ſelf with them, and lay them up in thy memory and mind, as travellers do the directions that are given them for the finding of their way, that ſo upon all occaſions thou maiſt know what thou art to do, and maiſt not be to ſeek.
Verſ. 8. And thou ſhalt bind them for a ſigne upon thine hand, &c.]
See the note upon Exod. 13. 16.
Verſ. 13. Thou ſhalt fear the Lord thy God, and ſerve him, and ſhalt ſwear by his name, &c.]
That is, when thou haſt a calling to ſwear, thou ſhalt ſwear by the name of God, and not by any creature whatſoever it be.
Verſ. 15. For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you.]
There are two arguments included in theſe words, whereby Moſes diſſwades them from going awhoring after other Gods: firſt, becauſe their God was jealous of having this honour given to any but himſelf, concerning which ſee the note upon chap. 4. 24. and ſecondly, becauſe their God was ever amongſt them (as being every where preſent) obſerving all their wayes, and therefore their idolatries could not be hidden from him.
Verſ. 16. Ye ſhall not tempt the Lord your God as ye tempted him in Maſſah.]
Men are ſaid to tempt God, when they will not reſt in that truth concerning God revealed in his word, but will needleſſely make experiments whether he be ſo juſt, wiſe, faithfull, &c. as in his word he is ſaid to be: which may be done, firſt, by wilfull ſinning, as it were trying whether he be omniſcient, &c. Act. 5. 3. ſecondly, by needleſſe ruſhing upon any danger without a calling, Mat. 4. 6, 7. thirdly, by requiring a ſigne needleſſely, and out of a falſe diſſembling heart, onelyonly to ſee whether ſuch a miracle can be wrought or no, Mat. 16. 1. Luke 11. 16. fourthly, by preſcribing God when and how he ſhall perform his promiſes, which limiting of God proceeds from infidelity; and thus they tempted God in Maſſah. See Pſalm. 78. 41.
Verſ. 25. And it ſhall be our righteouſneſſe, if we obſerve to do all theſe commandments, &c.]
Thus the Law requires the righteouſneſſe which is by works, but the Goſpel ſpeaks otherwiſe, Rom. 10. 5, 6. Neither yet is it the purpoſe of Moſes that the Iſraelites ſhould look to be exactly righteous by the exact fulfilling of the Law; but the Law is onelyonly here uſed as a ſchool-maſter to bring them unto Chriſt, Gal. 3. 24. Moſes propounding to them this righteouſneſſe of the Law, that they, finding how impoſſible it was for them to attain this righteouſneſſe of the Law, might thereby be brought to ſeek after that righteouſneſſe which is by faith; and withall to let them know that though the Lord was pleaſed to make a covenant of grace with them, and to receive them as juſtified in and through the righteouſneſſe of a Mediatour, yet there was alſo a perſonall inherent righteouſneſſe required of them as the neceſſary effect of the righteouſneſſe of faith, which conſiſted in the ſincere and carefull obſervation of all theſe Laws, which however it muſt needs be weak and imperfect, yet in and through their Mediatour God would ac…ept it.