A Handful of Gleanings out of the Book of Exodus, Section 8 – Section 12
SECT. VIII. Moses in danger of death, because of distrust. Exod. 4. 24.
THE fault of Moses that brought him into this danger, was not the uncircumcision of his Sonne, as it is commonly held, for that had beene dispensable withall in him, as it was with thousands afterwards of the Israelites in the Wildernesse, but his fault was grievous diffidence and distrust. For this is that that makes him so much so off, and so earnestly to decline so glorious and honourable a message as the Lord would send him on, and this was that that brought him into this danger of death, when he was even going on this message. Observe therefore his evasions, and how they sound exceeding hollow and empty of beliefe. First, Who am I that I should goe to Pharaoh? cap. 3. 11. This the Lord answereth, I will bee with thee, and this my appearing to thee may bee an undoubted token to th…e that I have sent thee. vers. 12.
Secondly, But who shall I say hath sent me? for forty yeares agoe, they refused me, saying, Who made thee a Prince and a Ruler over us? cap. 4. 1. This scruple the Lord removeth by giving him the power of miracles.
Thirdly, But I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken to me, for though I may worke miracles upon others, yet is not this wrought upon my selfe, that I speake any whit better then I did before. This receiveth this answer, I will be with thy mouth, vers. 10. 11. 12.
Fourthly, But I pray thee send by that hand that thou wilt send or stretch out, vers. 13. for thou saydest to me, I will stretch out mine hand, and smite Aegypt, &c. Chap. 3. 20. Now therefore I pray thee stretch out this hand of thine, for the hand of man is not able to performe it. At this the Lords anger was kindled against him, and that deservedly. For in this he denyed the mystery of the redemption which was to be wrought by a man, the God-head going al…ng with him.
Now it is time for Moses to set for Aegypt when he seeth God angry at his excusing: he doth so, but he taketh his diffidence along with him, in that he taketh his wife and children with him. One would thinke that had beene a speciall piece of charity, but it being looked into, will prove a speciall piece of distrust.
For when God appeareth to him, at the very first, he giveth him assurance of the peoples delivery, and that they should come in their journeyes to that very place, When thou hast brought the people forth out of Aegypt ye shall serve God upon this mountaine. Chap. 3. 12.
Now if Moses had believed certainely this promise, and that undoubtedly he and the people should come thither, he would never have taken wife and children with him to trouble them and himselfe in so long a journey, and in so earnest a businesse, but would have left them still with Jethro, till he and Israel should march up to them. But this he feared, that this his journey would be to no effect, that Israel would accept of none, & therfore should obtaine no delivery, that this message would produce nothing, unlesse danger to himselfe, and that while he spake of delivering others, he might incurre bondage himselfe, so that if he left wife and children behind him, it was odds he should never see them againe. And therefore to make sure worke he will take them with him, and for this his distrust the Lord meets him, and seekes to kill him.
Nor was this distrust and diffidence little or small in him, but if the circumstances be considered, it will appeare to be very great, and his want of faith exceeding much.
Zipporah his wife was now lying in Childbed, a weake woman but lately delivered, and therefore farre unfit for so long a journey, and the new-borne childe as unfit, if not unfitter then she: and yet Mother and child in this weake case, must travell to the hazzard of both their lives, for he durst not leave them behind him for feare he and they should never meete againe: For this it is that Zipporah twice calleth him a bloudy husband: before the childs circumcision, and after: before, because he had hazzarded both their lives in bringing them forth, both of them being in their blouth and blood: and after, because she through him was put to Circumcise the childe, which bloodinesse a tender mother must needes abhorre: and for this also is the word circumcisions in the plurall number, vers. 26. A bloody husband, Lemuloth, because of the circumcisions.
SECT. IX. Zipporah but very lately delivered of her childe.
THat Zipporah was so lately delivered of childe, is plaine by observing these things.
First, that Jethro her Father was circumcised both he and his houshold, for he was a Midianite, a Sonne of Abraham, by Ke…rah, and all Abrahams children after the flesh were circumcised, and that not by usurpation or unwarrantable imitation, but by the bond and tye of the institution: therefore though Moses had beene absent never so long, or never so farre off, yet would Jethro have taken care of the childs circumcision on the eight day: but now the childe may not stay, till hee bee eight dayes old, & whole againe upon his circumcision, but must travell young and uncircumcised as he is.
Secondly, observe the childs name, which was usually given at Circumcision, and if the child were older then we speake of, then had he beene so long without a name, or had had another name then Eliezer.
Thirdly, he called his name Eliezer, for the God of my fathers, said he, hath beene mine helpe and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh, Chap. 18. 4. Now Moses was not secure of Pharaohs sword, till just at his setting for Egypt. For after he came from Horeb into Midian againe, the Lord tells him that all those are dead which sought his life, vers. 19. This doth aggravate his diffidence the more. Who though he had seene such wonders at Horeb, and heard of other wonders done for him by God in Egypt, in cutting off his enemies there, yet durst he not trust the promise of God, for his returning to his wife and children, but will take them along with him. For this God brings him into danger of his life visibly, which Zipp…rah poore woman thought to have beene for the uncircumcision of her Sonne, therefore she taketh and circumciseth him: but Moses being conscious of his owne infidelity or distrust, in this so great a danger, rubbeth up his faith againe, and the perill refineth it as silver, so that now he betaketh himselfe wholly to God, by confidence in the promise, and to expresse this his faith, he calleth his Sonne when the mother had circumcised him, Eliezer, God is mine helper; so that I shall escape danger from Pharaoh and the Aegyptians in this mine errand: And the Lord saw his faith, and let him goe.
SECT. X. Of the name Jehovah, and how it was unknowne to the Fathers, Exod. 6. 3.
THis is the uncommunicable name of God, not given at any time unto the Creature, Esay 42. 8.
This name in its sound and letters was knowne unto the Fathers, yea even in its signification. Abraham calls mount Moriah, Jehovah Jireh, Gen. 22. 14.
Isaac called upon the name of Jehovah, Chap. 26. 25. And Jacob saith; Jehovah thy God hath brought it to me, Chap. 27. 20.
The name Jehovah signifieth three things,
First, Gods eternall being in himselfe, without dependence or mixture, upon, or with any other thing. For his being undependent, it is rendred, the first, and the last; and which is, and which was, and which is to come.
For his being without mixture, or composition, it is said here, foreign: Not, By my name Jehovah was I knowne: Nor, My name Jehovah was knowne: But, My name Jehovah, I was knowne, to shew that God and his name are not two things, united by composition, but one and the same thing.
Secondly, Jehovah betokeneth Gods giving of being to the Creature. To this purpose, it is observeable, that God is never called Jehovah, till all the Creation be perfected, and every thing have received its being, Gen. 2. 4.
So in all the speeches that passe betweene Job and his friends, God is never called Jehovah but once, where mention is made of the Creatures receiving their being, Job 12. 10.
Thirdly, Jehovah signifieth the faithfulnesse of God in his promise, and in this sense it is rendred, Amen, true and faithfull. In this sense it is set after so many commands, Thou shalt, or thou shalt not doe thus and thus, I am Jehovah.
And in all these significations it is justly prefixed before all the Commandements, Exod. 20. I am Jehovah thy God.
As this name is not communicable to any Cr…ature, but onelyonly appropriate to the God-head, so it is severally given to every Person in the Trinity.
First, to the Father, Psal. 110. 1. For he is the fountaine of being in himselfe.
Secondly, to the Sonne, Jer. 23. 6. For he is the giver of being to the Cr…ature.
Thirdly, to the Holy Ghost: compare Esay 6. 8, 9, 10. with Act. 28. 25, 26. For he is the Spirit of Truth, and giver of being to the promise.
The name Jehovah, and the significancy of it to the utmost, did the holy Fathers know before Moses. But they saw not experience of the last signification named, namely the faithfulnesse of God in his promise made to Abraham concerning his delivery of his seed from bondage, and bringing them into a Land flowing with milke and honey: God gave them the promise by the name of El Shaddai, God Omnipotent: and they relyed upon his omnipotency, because he that promised was able to performe: but they beheld it afar of, and tasted not of my p…rformance of it, but now will I shew my selfe Jehovah, faithfull to bring to passe and accomplish what I promised.
SECT. XI. Putiel, Exod. 6. 25.
MAny, and the most of them farre fetcht, notations are given upon this name: and when all is said of it that can be said, the last resolution lyeth but in a conjecture; and then may we guesse as well as others.
Eliezer marryed his wife in Aegypt, and of the Aegyptian Idiom doth this name of her Father seeme as probably to sound as of any other.
Now among the Aegyptian names or titles, these two things may be observed.
First, That among them, Gentry, Nobility, and Royalty, seeme to have beene denoted and distinguished by these increasing Syllables, Phar, Phara, and Phara▪ oh. The Gentry by phar, as Poti-phar a Captaine, Gen. 41. 45. The Nobility by phara, as Poti-phara, a Prince, Gen. 41 45. And Majesty by Phara-oh, th… common name of all their Kings.
There was another title of dignity given to the governour of the Jews in Alexandria in that Land, in after times, namely Alabarcha, as is to be seene in Josephus: which though he and others would derive from foreign, Salt, yet since we are yet to seeke for the latter part of the word, it may as probably be conceived to be compounded of the Article Al, so common in the Arabicke tongue, and Abrech which hath relation to dignity and honour, Exod. 41. 43.
Secondly, The Aegyptians delighted to affix or joyne to their names and titles, the word Poti, or Puti, whether in memoriall of their Uncle Put, Gen. 10. 6. or in reverence of some Diety of that name, or for what else is not so easily resolved, as it may be conceived they did the thing, by the names forecited, Potiphar, and Potiphara, and of the same nature seemeth to be Puti-el, the word that is now in hand.
This Putiel therefore may seeme to have beene some convert Aegyptian, [imagine him to have beene of the posterity of Puti-ph…ra, among whom Joseph had sowed the seeds of true Religion] who changing his Idolatry, and irreligiousnesse for the worship of the true God, did also change the latter part of his name Phera, into the name of that God which he now professed, and instead of Puti-phera, to be called Puti-el. The best resolution, as was said before, that can be given in this point, can be but conjectures, and in a matter of this nature, it is as excusable if we erre, as difficult to hit at a right.
SECT. XII. Of Moses words, Glory over me. Exod. 8. 9.
THe Plagues of Aegypt began answerable to their sinnes, the waters wherein the childrens blood had beene shed, and they poore soules sprawled for life, are now turned into blood, and scrawle with frogges.
The former Plague of blood, was not so smart as the other of Frogges, for by digging they found fresh water, and so had that remedy against that plague. But they had none against the frogs, for they came into every place, and seised upon all the victuals that lay in their way, and devoured them; nay they spared not to raven upon men themselves: Therefore the Psalmist saith, Frogs destroyed them.
Yet for all this doth Pharaoh make but a mocke at Jehovah in all this his doing: and scornefully and in derision, bids Mose… and Aaron try what Jehovah could doe for the removing of them: To whom Moses answers, Glory over me, mocke me hardly wit… my Jehovah, yet appoint when I shall pray, and I will pray, tha… thou mayest know that there is none like my Jehovah. And Pharaoh appoints him the next day for his prayer, which he would never have put off so long, had he in earnest thought that Jehovah could have removed them upon Moses prayer.