AN
EXPOSITION,
W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N
S,
OF THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED
E X O D U S
MOSES (the servant of the Lord in writing
for him as well as in acting for him
–
with the pen of God as well as with the rod of God in his hand)
having, in the first book of his history, preserved and transmitted the
records of the church, while it existed in private families, comes, in this
second book, to give us an account of its growth into a great nation; and, as
the former furnishes us with the best economics, so this with the best
politics. The beginning of the former book shows us how God formed the world
for himself; the beginning of this shows us how he formed
Israel for himself, and both to show forth
his praise, Isa. xliii. 21. There we have the creation of the world in
history, here the redemption of the world in type. The Greek translators
called this book Exodus (which signifies a departure or going
out) because it begins with the story of the going out of the children of Israel
from Egypt. Some allude to the names of this and
the foregoing book, and observe that immediately after Genesis, which
signifies the beginning or original, follows Exodus,
which signifies a departure; for a time to be born is immediately
succeeded by a time to die. No sooner have we made our entrance into the world
than we must think of making our exit, and going out of the world. When we
begin to live we begin to die. The forming of Israel
into a people was a new creation. As
the earth was, in the beginning, first fetched from under water, and then
beautified and replenished, so Israel
was first by an almighty power made
to emerge out of Egyptian slavery, and then enriched with God's law and
tabernacle. This book gives us, I. The accomplishment of the promises made
before to Abraham (ch. i.-xix.), and then, II. The establishment of the
ordinances which were afterwards observed by Israel, ch.
xx.-xl. Moses, in this book, begins, like Cæsar, to write his own
Commentaries; nay, a greater, a far greater, than Cæsar is here. But
henceforward the penman is himself the hero, and gives us the history of those
things of which he was himself an eye and ear-witness, et quorum pars magna
fuit –
and in which he bore a conspicuous part. There are more
types of Christ in this book than perhaps in any other book of the Old
Testament; for Moses wrote of him, John v. 46. The way of man's reconciliation
to God, and coming into covenant and communion with him by a Mediator, is here
variously represented; and it is of great use to us for the illustration of
the New Testament, now that we have that to assist us in the explication of
the Old.
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