Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 31
Commandement. VIII. EXERCITAT. XXXI. Of devouring of holy things. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 8.
Prov. 20.25. It is a ſnare for a man to devour that which is holy, and after Vowes to make inquiry,
Sacriledge compared to a ſnare.IT is a ſnare for a man to devour holy things; a ſnare is ſet as a trape to catch, Ier. 5.26. When the fowler layeth his ſnare, he ſcattereth ſome Corne about it to draw the Birds to it; then the ſnare catcheth the Birds, and laſtly the fowler deſtroyeth them, when Sacrilegious men meddle with holy things to devour them, they ſee ſome hope of gaine there which allureth them, but there is a ſnare laid ſecretly to catch them, and then the Lord who taketh them, juſtly deſtroyeth them for meddling with holy things.
The judgements of God upon thoſe who have devoured holy things.There was never one that medled with thoſe holy things, to devour them, or turne them to their owne private uſe and commodity, but it was a ſnare to him: Iehoiakim tooke the Cedar out of the houſe of God, and ſeiled his owne Windowes with it, and painted it with Vermilion that it ſhould not be knowne to be the ſeiling of the houſe of God, but ſee what judgements befell to him, quia commiſcuit ſe cum iſta cedr…, becauſe he meddled with that Cedar, & turned it to his owne uſe, the Lord ſaith, They ſhall not lament for him, he ſhall be buried with the buriall of an Aſſe, drawne and caſt forth beyond the gates of Ieruſalem, Iere. 22.19. And ſee what judgements befell to Nebuchadnezzer becauſe he robbed the Temple? and to Belſhazzer becauſed hee dranke in the Veſſels of the Houſe of the Lord? And what befell Sbiſhak King of Egypt, and to Craſſus for robbing of the Temple of the Lord? All theſe doe let us ſee what a ſnare it is to devour holy things. Abimelech when he burnt the houſe of Baal Berith the Idol, his ſnare catched him quickely, becauſe he medled with the houſe of Baal which he tooke to be a god, hee was killed by a Woman with a piece of a Milſtone, Iudg 9.53. How dangerous a thing is it then to rob the houſe of the living God? Dionyſius, the Tyrant, after he had robbed the Temple of Apollo, and finding a good goale of wind, as he returned home, he jeſtingly ſaid, O how doth ſacrilege pleaſe the Gods! But here the Lord ſaith, It is a ſnare to devour that which is holy. When the Heathen were ſacrificing, Simile. there came an Eagle to the Altar and caught a peece of the ſacrifice from it, but a coale did cleave to the fleſh, which ſhe carrying into her neſt, burnt her neſt, her yong ones, and ſhe hardly eſcaped her ſelfe; it is eaſie for any to apply this, who is not a mocker as Dionyſius was.
So it was a ſnare to the ſonnes of Eli, to take that part of the Sacrifice which belonged not to them; ſo it was a ſnare to thoſe in the dayes of Malachy, Who with-held the tithes from the houſe of God, and ſo to the Prieſts who changed and alienated their Portions, Ezek. 48.14. And ſo to thoſe who delayed to pay their vowes.
So the Hebrewes ſay,What it is to tranſgreſſe in holy things. that to tranſgreſſe in the holy things, is ſacriledge, as if they did eate the tithe of their Corne and Wine within their owne gates, Deu. 12, 17. So if they did worke with their firſt borne bullocke, or ſheare their firſt borne ſheepe, Deut. 15.29. All theſe were devourers of holy things, and the Prophet alludeth to this, Alluſion. foreign diteſcere, cum puncto in dextro, et foreign decimare, cum puncto in ſiniſtro cornu.Iere. 2.3. Iſrael was holineſſe to the Lord, and the firſt fruits of his increaſe, all that devour him ſhal offend, evill ſhall come upon them, ſaith the Lord. The Hebrewes ſay that tithes are the hedge of a mans riches, and they ſay gnaſhar with the point in cornu dextro ſignifieth diteſcere, to grow rich and in ſiniſtro, decimas pendere, to pay the tithes, haec duo vno puncto dirimuntur.
To devour holy things, avaritious and greedy men, are like the horſe leech, who hath two Daughters which cry continually, give, give, but moſt of all they are deſirous to devour holy things, and to eat of the forbidden tree, the Iewes ſay that every Child in Iſrael knew his owne portion, there were ſomethings whereof both the Prieſt, his ſonnes and daughters might eate, as the wave breaſt, and heave ſhoulder. Levit. 10.14. There were other things which the Prieſt and his ſons might eate of, but not his daughters, As the ſinne offering, whereof none of the blood came within the Tabernacle of the Congregation to reconcile with all, Levit. 6.28. and there were other things which the Prieſt might eate, but neither his ſonne nor his daughter might eate of them, as the meat offering that remained of the offering of the Lord, made by fire, Levit. 10.12. for it was eaten beſide the Altar. When men become vnſatiable, and luſt as the Iſraelites did at the graves of concupiſcence, then nothing will content them untill they have Gods portion alſo; when the father and the mother came before the Iudges in Iſrael, Simile. foreign vrbis.and complained that their ſon was [Zolel] a vile perſon, a drunkard, and a glutton, Dut. 21.20. Then the Iudges ordained that he ſhould be ſtoned to death; but when God the Father and the Church their Mother, doe complaine of thoſe devourers of holy things, what fearefull Iudgements muſt they undergoe?
And after Vowes to make inquiry, that is, after that thou haſt vowed a Vow to ſeeke how thou mayeſt illude or diſanull it: the Iewes ſaid of old, that vowes were the hedge of the firſt fruites, and tithes the hedge of their riches; they ſaid that vowes were the hedge of the firſt fruites, becauſe when a man had vowed, his vow would bind him to performe it, but theſe thought not that their vow was ſuch a hedge, when they ſought to diſannull it.
When they vowed of old, they ſaid after this maner,The forme of the Iewes vow of old. my eſtimation be upon me fifty Shekels, or the eſtimation of this man, be upon ine fifty ſhekels, this was the forme of their vow: according to this David ſaith, My Vowes are upon me, Pſal. 56.12. then they were bound to pay their vowes, and if they refuſed to pay, then they might take a pawne or pledge of them, and force them to pay them as juſt debt,They might force them to pay their vowes. and this was called the money of the ſoules eſtimation. 2 King. 12.4. When they ſaid, the eſtimation of this man be upon me, they meant, I am willing to pay that, which ſuch a man may be valued at; therefore when they made ſuch a vow, they might not enquire after it.
Thus God would not ſuffer his name to be abuſed.Better not to vow, than to vow and not performe. Eccleſ. 5.2, 4, 5, Be not raſh with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be haſty to utter any thing before God; for God is in Heaven, and thou upon Earth, therefore let thy words be few. When thou voweſt a vow unto God, deſerre not to pay it, for hee hath no pleaſure in fooles; pay that which thou oweſt; better it is that thou ſhouldeſt not vow, than that thou ſhouldeſt vow, and not pay. And if ſo bee, that the Lord will have a man that hath but given his word for his neighbour, not to give ſleepe to his eyes, nor ſlumber to his eye Lids, untill he have delivered himſelfe, As the Roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler, Prov. 6, 1, 2, 3.4. Much more when he hath bound his ſoule with a bond, Num. 30.4.5. will he have him to performe his vowes, and not to enquire after them.