A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Verſ. 2. ANd thou ſhalt remember all the …ay which the Lord thy God led thee, &c.]
To make the Iſraelites the more carefull to obey the commandments of God, Moſes wills them here to remember all the way which the Lord their God had led them theſe fourty years in the wilderneſſe, that is, all that befell them in that way, to wit, both their affliction wants and troubles on the one ſide, and their comforts bleſſings and deliverances on the other, adding withall that thus the Lord had carried them through many troubles, though not intending to caſt them off, that he might thereby humble them, and prove them whether they would keep his commandments or no; and ſo to know what was in their heart, that is, by this trying of them to diſcover what was in their hearts, to wit, the infidelity, and inco…ſtancy, and ſtubbornneſſe of their hearts: for indeed as the fire will try gold from braſſe, ſo will afflictions diſcover whoſe hearts are upright towards God, and who are falſe-hearted▪ and not ſuch as in proſperity they ſeemed to be, and much vild corruption will ſhew it ſelf in troubles which before did never appear.
Verſ. 3. That he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread onelyonly, &c.]
The meaning of this is, that God brought them to want bread, and then ſupplyed that want with manna from heaven, that he might thereby teach them, that though God had appointed bread and ſuch like food to be the ordinary means of ſuſtaining mans life, yet it was not that alone that did ſuſtain men, but the word, that is, the decree and command of God: in ſo much that as bread cannot nouriſh us except God commands a bleſſing on it, ſo on the other ſide he can command any thing elſe to nouriſh us as well as bread, as they had ſeen in the manna wherewith God had ſed them many years; yea he can keep men alive without food a long time together, as he did Moſes, Elijah, and our Saviour Chriſt, whereupon he retorted this place of Scrip…ure upon the devil, when he tempted him to turn ſtones into bread, Mat. 4. 4.
Verſ. 4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot ſwell theſe fourty years.]
Theſe are two other miraculous effects of Gods provident care over them, by the mention whereof Moſes ſtirres them up to the obeying of Gods Laws. The firſt is, that their garments were not the worſe for wearing, at leaſt they grew not threadbare or torn in fourty years wearing, concerning which this is alſo particularly added, Deut. 29. 5. that their ſhoes (which were moſt likely to wear out with their continuall travelling) did not wax old upon their feet. To make this good there are ſome Expoſitours do adde concerning thoſe that were young when they came out of Egypt, that their garments did miraculouſly grow as …ir bodies grew. But there is no neceſſity of forging thus more miracles then are expreſſed, and that becauſe thoſe that out-grew their garments might be ſupplyed with the garments of ſuch as died in the wilderneſſe, and then the garments they left off might ſerve thoſe that grew to their ſtature. The ſecond is, that their feet did not ſwell, notwithſtanding their continuall travels, & that becauſe their ſho es waxt not old▪ under which alſo ſome think is included the health of their bodies in generall (unleſſe in caſe when they were extraordinarily ſtricken with ſickneſſe becauſe of ſome rebellion againſt God) to which they apply that of the Pſalmiſt, there was not one feeble perſon among their tribes, Pſal. 105. 37.
Verſ. 5. Thou ſhalt alſo conſider in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his ſonne, ſo the Lord thy God chaſteneth thee.]
That is, out of love, with a gentle hand, and with a purpoſe to do thee good thereby; and this Moſes adviſeth the Iſraelites to conſider in their hearts, firſt, becauſe unleſſe this be well thought upon, afflictions would overwhelm the heart with ſorrow; and ſecondly, becauſe the ſerious conſideration both of Gods ſeverity in correcting his own dear children, and his compaſſion in doing it in a fatherly manner might well work in them a filiall fear and endeavour to obey God in all things whatſoever, whence it is that he addes thoſe words in the next verſe, Therefore thou ſhalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, &c.
Verſ. 9. A land whoſe stones are iron, and out of whoſe hills thou mayest dig braſſe, &c.]
That is, a land wherein their is abundance of mines, iron mingled with the ſtones, or as plentifull as ſtones, and braſſe to be digged almoſt out of every hill.
Verſ. 14. Which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the houſe of bondage.]
This concerning their deliverance out of Egypt is here inſerted, firſt, that by putting them in mind of their poore originall, when they were bondſlaves, he might prevent their pride, whereof he had given them warning in the foregoing words; and ſecondly, that by the remembrance of ſo great a mercy they might be rendred the more carefull to obſerve his command…ents.
Verſ. 15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderneſſe, wherein were fierie ſerpents, and ſcorpions, and drought, where there was no water.]
Concerning theſe fierie ſerpents, ſee the note upon Numb. 21. 6. That which is added here concerning the drought of thoſe places through want of water, is either added to ſet forth their exceeding …traits and danger in thoſe places where there were fiery ſerpents and ſcorpions, becauſe being bitten with thoſe venemous creatures they became thereby extremely thirſty, and yet had no water to quench their thirſt, & ſo conſequently their miraculous preſervation in thoſe dangers; or elſe rather to make way to that which followeth concerning Gods fetching water for them out of the rock of flint, for it was but onelyonly in ſome places of the wilderneſſe where they had no water.
Verſ. 16. Who fed thee in the wilderneſſe with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, &c.]
This laſt clauſe, that he might humble thee, &c. hath reſpect principally to the a…flictions mentioned before, verſe 15. wherewith they had been exerciſed in the wilderneſſe; yet I ſee not but that Gods feeding them with manna, mentioned in the words immediately foregoing, might alſo be ſaid to have been done for the humbling of them, becauſe nothing is more effectuall to humble the hearts of ſinn…rs then the great and extraordinary mercies of God, if duly conſidered.
And that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.]
That is, afterwards, at laſt. God doth humble and prove his children by afflictions, that afterward he may both beſtow thoſe bleſſings which they wanted upon them, to wit, when by their former want they have learnt how to prize them, and alſo, that he may cauſe them to bring forth the quiet fruit of righteouſneſſe. See Heb. 12. 11.