A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Verſ. 1. HEare, O Iſrael, thou art to paſſe over Jordan this day, &c.]
Three things muſt be noted for the underſtanding of theſe words: firſt, that by this day here is not meant the very day of their paſſing over Jordan, but onelyonly that the time was now come that ere long they were to paſſe over Jordan, and to enter the land of Canaan; for in the Scripture day is often uſed for time, as 2. Cor. 6. 2. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of ſalvation: ſecondly, that by poſſeſſing nations greater and mightier then themſelves is meant the poſſeſſing of the land of thoſe nations: and thirdly, Moſes here puts them in mind of the wonderfull ſtrength of the inhabitants, purpoſely to prevent all thoughts of vanquiſhing them by their own ſtrength, and that when they had overcome them they might be ſure to aſcribe all the glory to God; as is evident by the inference he makes upon this, verſ. 3. Understand therefore this day that the Lord thy God is he which goeth before thee as a conſuming fire, that is, know therefore by this which hath been ſaid of the exceeding ſtrength of this people that it were not poſſible that you ſhould ſo ſuddenly deſtroy ſo many potent nations, if there were not a power above that of mans imployed in the work, and that Gods hand is as evident herein as if a conſuming fire ſhould go before you to burn them up.
Verſ. 3. So ſhalt thou drive them out, and deſtroy them quickly.]
The meaning of this is, that the nations with whom they ſhould fight they ſhould ſuddenly deſtroy, they ſhould not do it with much toil and labour and many battels, but they ſhould ſoon make an end of them. Indeed it cannot be ſaid that all the inhabitants of the land were quickly deſtroyed, for they were not driven out and conſumed quickly, but by little and little, as Moſes ſaid before, Deut. 7. 22. But here he ſpeaks onelyonly of thoſe with whom they ſhould have warre immediately upon their entrance into Canaan.
Verſ. 6. For thou art a ſtiffe-necked people.]
That is, a ſtubborn and rebellious people, that will not ſtoop to the obedience of Gods laws; the Metaphor is taken from unruly heifers that will not yield their necks to the yoke.
Verſ. 9. I abode in the mount fourty dayes and fourty nights, I neither did eat bread, nor drink water.]
See the note upon Exod. 24. 18.
Verſ. 10. And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of ſtone written with the finger of God.]
See the notes upon Exod 31. 18.
And on them was written according to all the words which the Lord ſpake with you in the mount, out of the midst of fire, in the day of the aſſembly.]
That is, on thoſe tables of ſtone were written the ten commandments, word for word, as God ſpake them from the mount out of the midſt of the fire, in the day when the people were called and aſſembled together at the foot of the mount to hear God ſpeak unto them.
Verſ. 12. And the Lord ſaid unto me, Ariſe, get thee down quickly, &c.]
Some Expoſitours from this word Ariſe would inferre that Moſes was kneeling before God to receive from him what he ſhould give him in charge when he told him of the peoples, ſinne, and willed him therefore preſently to go down amongſt them.
They are quickly turned aſide out of the way, &c.]
See the note upon Exod. 32. 8.
Verſ. 14. Let me alone, that I may destroy them, &c.]
See the not…s upon Exod. 32. 10.
Verſ. 15. So I turned and came down from the mount.]
To wit, after he had firſt prayed unto God for the people that they might not be deſtroyed, and God had granted his de…ire; for ſo much is expreſſed in the ſtory, Exod. 32. 11, 14. though it be not repeated here.
Verſ. 17. And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, &c.]
See the note upon Exod. 32. 19.
Verſ. 18. And I fell down before the Lord, as at the firſt, fourty dayes and fourty nights, &c.]
To wit, when he went up again into the mount, and carried with him two new tables of ſtone, as God enjoyned him, Exod. 34. 1. for then alſo as it is noted there, verſ. 9. he prayed for the people again, as being much afraid of the great anger which the Lord had conceived againſt them, notwithſtanding the Lord had yielded to pardon them before he went down the firſt time from the mount, Exod. 32. 14. And indeed aſſurance that God hath pardoned a ſinne doth not make his ſervants the leſſe earneſt ſtill to beg the pardon of it.
Verſ. 21. And I took your ſinne, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, &c.]
See the notes upon Exod. 32. 20.
Verſ. 22. And at Taberah, and at Maſſah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked the Lord to wrath, &c.]
This is inſerted as by way of parentheſis, as if he had ſaid, Though I inſiſt chiefly upon this ſinne at Horeb, becauſe it was a moſt grievous ſinne, yet alas many other rebellions of yours I might reckon up, at Taberah, at Maſſah, &c.
Verſ. 25. Thus I fell down before the Lord fourty dayes and fourty nights, as I fell down at the firſt.]
The former three verſes being inſerted as by the way, now he returns to ſpeak again of his interceding for them the ſecond time, when God was ſo highly diſpleaſed with them for that their foul ſinne in making the golden calf; for the fourtie dayes here mentioned are the ſame fourty dayes the ſecond time ſpent with God, whereof he had ſpoken before, verſ. 18. which was after he had broken the calf, and executed juſtice upon the people for their ſinne, and many other paſſages which are largely related in the thirtie ſecond and thirtie third chapters of Exodus.