E
X O D U S
CHAP. XIII.
In
this chapter we have, I. The commands God gave to
Israel
, 1. To sanctify all their
firstborn to him, ver. 1, 2. 2. To be sure to remember their deliverance out
of
Egypt
(v. 3, 4), and, in remembrance
of it, to keep the feast of unleavened bread, ver. 5-7. 3. To transmit the
knowledge of it with all possible care to their children, ver. 8-10. 4. To set
apart unto God the firstlings of their cattle, (ver. 11-13), and to explain
that also to their children, ver. 14-16. II. The care God took of
Israel
, when he had brought them out
of
Egypt
. 1. Choosing their way for
them, ver. 17, 18. 2. Guiding them in the way, ver. 20-22. And III. Their care
of Joseph's bones, ver. 19.
|
The
Sanctification of the Firstborn.
|
B.
C. 1491.
|
|
|
1 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn,
whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of
Israel
, both of man and of
beast: it is mine. 3 And Moses said unto the people,
Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of
bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD
brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be
eaten. 4 This day came ye out in the month Abib. 5 And
it shall be when the LORD
shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the
Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers
to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this
service in this month. 6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened
bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened
bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all
thy quarters. 8 And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This
is done because of that which the LORD
did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. 9 And it shall be for
a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that
the LORD's
law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD
brought thee out of Egypt. 10 Thou shalt therefore keep this
ordinance in his season from year to year.
Care is here taken to perpetuate the remembrance,
I. Of the preservation of Israel's firstborn, when the firstborn of the
Egyptians were slain. In memory of that distinguishing favour, and in
gratitude for it, the firstborn, in all ages, were to be consecrated to God,
as his peculiars (v. 2), and to be redeemed, v. 13. God, who by
the right of creation is proprietor and sovereign of all the creatures, here
lays claim in particular to the firstborn of the Israelites, by right of
protection: Sanctify to me all the firstborn. The parents were not to
look upon themselves as interested in their firstborn, till they had first
solemnly presented them to God, recognized his title to them, and received
them back, at a certain rate, from him again. Note, 1. That which is by
special distinguishing mercy spared to us should be in a peculiar manner
dedicated to God's honour; at least some grateful acknowledgment, in works of
piety and charity, should be made, when our lives, or the lives of our
children, have been given us for a prey. 2. God, who is the first and best,
should have the first and best, and to him we should resign that which is most
dear to us, and most valuable. The firstborn were the joy and hope of their
families. Therefore they shall be mine, says God. By this it will
appear that we love God best (as we ought) if we are willing to part with that
to him which we love best in this world. 3. It is the church of the
firstborn that is sanctified to God, Heb. xii. 23. Christ is the firstborn
among many brethren (Rom. viii. 29), and, by virtue of their union with
him, all that are born again, and born from above, are accounted as firstborn.
There is an excellency of dignity and power belonging to them; and, if
children, then heirs.
II. The remembrance of their coming out of Egypt must also be perpetuated:
"Remember this day, v. 3. Remember it by a good token, as
the most remarkable day of your lives, the birthday of your nation, or the day
of its coming of age, to be no longer under the rod." Thus the day of
Christ's resurrection is to be remembered, for in it we were raised up with
Christ out of death's house of bondage. The scripture tells us not
expressly what day of the year Christ rose (as Moses told the
Israelites what day of the year they were brought out of Egypt, that they
might remember it yearly), but very particularly what day of the week
it was, plainly intimating that, as the more valuable deliverance, and of
greater importance, it should be remembered weekly. Remember it, for by
strength of hand the Lord brought you out. Note, The more of God and his
power appears in any deliverance, the more memorable it is. Now, that it might
be remembered,
1. They must be sure to keep the feast of unleavened bread, v.
5-7. It was not enough that they remembered it, but they must celebrate the
memorial of it in that way which God had appointed, and use the instituted
means of preserving the remembrance of it. So, under the gospel, we must not
only remember Christ, but do this in remembrance of him. Observe, How
strict the prohibition of leaven is (v. 7); not only no leaven must be
eaten, but none must be seen, no, not in all their quarters. Accordingly, the
Jews' usage was, before the feast of the passover, to cast all the leavened
bread out of their houses: they burnt it, or buried it, or broke it small and
scattered it in the wind; they searched diligently with lighted candles in all
the corners of their houses, lest any leaven should remain. The care and
strictness enjoined in this matter were designed, (1.) To make the feast the
more solemn, and consequently the more taken notice of by their children, who
would ask, "Why is so much ado made?" (2.) To teach us how
solicitous we should be to put away from us all sin, 1 Cor. v. 7.
2. They must instruct their children in the meaning of it, and relate to them
the story of their deliverance out of Egypt, v. 8. Note, (1.) Care must
be taken betimes to instruct children in the knowledge of God. Here is an
ancient law for catechising. (2.) It is particularly of great use to acquaint
children betimes with the stories of the scripture, and to make them familiar
to them. (3.) It is a debt we owe to the honour of God, and to the benefit of
our children's souls, to tell them of the great works God has done for his
church, both those which we have seen with our eyes done in our day and which
we have heard with our ears and our fathers have told us: Thou shalt show
thy son in that day (the day of the feast) these things. When they were
celebrating the ordinance, they must explain it. Every thing is beautiful
in its season. The passover is appointed for a sign, and for a
memorial, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth. Note, We must
retain the remembrance of God's works, that we may remain under the influence
of God's law. And those that have God's law in their heart should have it in
their mouth, and be often speaking of it, the more to affect themselves and to
instruct others.
|
God's
Claim upon the Firstborn.
|
B.
C. 1491.
|
|
|
11 And it shall be when
the LORD
shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to
thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12 That thou shalt set apart
unto the LORD
all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which
thou hast; the males shall be the LORD's.
13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou
wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of
man among thy children shalt thou redeem. 14 And it shall be when
thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou
shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD
brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15 And it
came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD
slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and
the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD
all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children
I redeem. 16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for
frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD
brought us forth out of Egypt.
Here we have,
I. Further directions concerning the dedicating of their firstborn to God. 1.
The firstlings of their cattle were to be dedicated to God, as part of their
possessions. Those of clean beasts--calves, lambs, and kids--if males, were to
be sacrificed, Exod. xxii. 30; Num. xviii. 17, 18. Those of unclean beasts, as
colts, were to be redeemed with a lamb, or knocked on the head. For whatsoever
is unclean (as we all are by nature), if it be not redeemed, will be
destroyed, v. 11, 13. 2. The firstborn of their children were to be
redeemed, and by no means sacrificed, as the Gentiles sacrificed their
children to Moloch. The price of the redemption of the firstborn was fixed by
the law (Num. xviii. 16) at five shekels. We were all obnoxious to the
wrath and curse of God; by the blood of Christ we are redeemed, that we may be
joined to the church of the firstborn. They were to redeem their
children, as well as the firstlings of the unclean beasts, for our children
are by nature polluted. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
II. Further directions concerning the catechising of their children, and all
those of the rising generation, from time to time, in this matter. It is
supposed that, when they saw all the firstlings thus devoted, they would ask
the meaning of it, and their parents and teachers must tell them (v.
14-16) that God's special propriety in their firstborn, and all their
firstlings, was founded in his special preservation of them from the sword of
the destroying angel. Being thus delivered, they must serve him. Note, 1.
Children should be directed and encouraged to ask their parents questions
concerning the things of God, a practice which would be perhaps of all others
the most profitable way of catechising; and parents must furnish themselves
with useful knowledge, that they may be ready always to give an answer to
their enquiries. If ever the knowledge of God cover the earth, as the
waters do the sea, the fountains of family-instruction must first be broken
up. 2. We should all be able to show cause for what we do in religion. As
sacraments are sanctified by the word, so they must be explained and
understood by it. God's service is reasonable, and it is then acceptable when
we perform it intelligently, knowing what we do and why we do it. 3. It must
be observed how often it is said in this chapter that by strength of hand
(v. 3, 14, 16), with a strong hand (v. 9), the Lord
brought them out of Egypt. The more opposition is given to the accomplishment
of God's purposes the more is his power magnified therein. It is a strong hand
that conquers hard hearts. Sometimes God is said to work deliverance not by
might nor power (Zech. iv. 6), not by such visible displays of his power
as that recorded here. 4. Their posterity that should be born in Canaan are
directed to say, The Lord brought us out of Egypt, v. 14, 16.
Mercies to our fathers are mercies to us; we reap the benefit of them, and
therefore must keep up a grateful remembrance of them. We stand upon the
bottom of former deliverances, and were in the loins of our ancestors when
they were delivered. Much more reason have we to say that in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ we were redeemed.
|
The
Pillar of Fire and Fire.
|
B.
C. 1491.
|
|
|
17 And it came to pass,
when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the
way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God
said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return
to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way
of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed
out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph
with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will
surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the
edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD
went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by
night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by
night, from before the people.
Here is, I. The choice God made of their way, v. 17, 18. He was their
guide. Moses gave them direction but as he received it from the Lord. Note,
The way of man is not in himself, Jer. x. 23. He may devise his way,
and design it; but, after all, it is God that directs his steps, Prov.
xvi. 9. Man proposes, but God disposes, and in his disposal we must acquiesce,
and set ourselves to follow providence. There were two ways from Egypt to
Canaan. One was a short cut from the north of Egypt to the south of Canaan,
perhaps about four or five days' journey; the other was much further about,
through the wilderness, and that was the way in which God chose to lead his
people Israel, v. 18. 1. There were many reasons why God led them through
the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. The Egyptians were to be drowned
in the Red Sea. The Israelites were to be humbled and proved in the
wilderness, Deut. viii. 2. God had given it to Moses for a sign (ch.
iii. 12), You shall serve God in this mountain. They had again and
again told Pharaoh that they must go three days' journey into the
wilderness to do sacrifice, and therefore it was requisite that they
should bend their march that way, else they would justly have been exclaimed
against as notorious dissemblers. Before they entered the lists with their
enemies, matters must be settled between them and their God, laws must be
given, ordinances instituted, covenants sealed, and the original contract
ratified, for the doing of which it was necessary that they should retire into
the solitudes of a wilderness, the only closet for such a crowd; the high road
would be no proper place for these transactions. It is said (Deut. xxxii. 10),
He led them about, some hundreds of miles about, and yet (Ps. cvii. 7),
He led them forth by the right way. God's way is the right way, though
it seem about. If we think he leads not his people the nearest way, yet
we may be sure he leads them the best way, and so it will appear when we come
to our journey's end. Judge nothing before the time. 2. There was one
reason why God did not lead them the nearest way, which would have brought
them after a few days' march to the land of the Philistines (for it was
that part of Canaan that lay next to Egypt), namely, because they were not as
yet fit for war, much less for war with the Philistines, v. 17. Their
spirits were broken with slavery; it was not easy for them to turn their hands
of a sudden from the trowel to the sword. The Philistines were formidable
enemies, too fierce to be encountered by raw recruits; it was more suitable
that they should begin with the Amalekites, and be prepared for the wars of
Canaan by experiencing the difficulties of the wilderness. Note, God
proportions his people's trials to their strength, and will not suffer them
to be tempted above what they are able, 1 Cor. x. 13. That promise, if
compared with the foregoing verses, will seem to refer to this event, as an
instance of it. God knows our frame, and considers our weakness and
faintheartedness, and by less trials will prepare us for greater. God is said
to bring Israel out of Egypt as the eagle brings up her young ones
(Deut. xxxii. 11), teaching them by degrees to fly. Orders being thus given
which way they should go, we are told, (1.) That they went up themselves, not
as a confused rout, but in good order, rank and file: they went up
harnessed, v. 18. They went up by five in a rank (so some),
in five squadrons, so others. They marched like an army with banners,
which added much to their strength and honour. (2.) That they took the bones
of Joseph along with them (v. 19), and probably the bones of the
rest of Jacob's sons, unless (as some think) they had been privately carried
to Canaan (Acts vii. 16), severally as they died. Joseph had particularly
appointed that his bones should be carried up when God should visit them (Gen.
l. 25, 26), so that their carrying up his bones was not only a performance of
the oath their fathers had sworn to Joseph, but an acknowledgment of the
performance of God's promise to them by Joseph that he would visit them and
bring them out of the land of Egypt, and an encouragement to their faith and
hope that he would fulfil the other part of the promise, which was to bring
them to Canaan, in expectation of which they carried these bones with them
while they wandered in the desert. They might think, "Joseph's bones must
rest at last, and then we shall." Moses is said to take these bones with
him. Moses was now a very great man; so had Joseph been in his day, yet he was
now but a box full of dry bones; this was all that remained of him in this
world, which might serve for a monitor to Moses to remember his mortality. I
have said, You are gods; it was said so to Moses expressly (ch.
vii. 1); but you shall die like men.
II. Here is the guidance they were blessed with in the way: The Lord went
before them in a pillar, v. 21, 22. In the first two stages it was
enough that God directed Moses whither to march: he knew the country and the
road well enough; but now that they had come to the edge of the wilderness
(v. 20) they would have occasion for a guide; and a very good guide
they had, one that was infinitely wise, kind, and faithful: The Lord went
before them, the shechinah (or appearance of the divine Majesty,
which was typical of Christ) or a previous manifestation of the eternal Word,
which, in the fulness of time, was to be made flesh, and dwell among
us. Christ was with the church in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x. 9. Now their
King passed before them, even the Lord on the head of them, Mic. ii. 13.
Note, Those whom God brings into a wilderness he will not leave nor lose
there, but will take care to lead them through it; we may well think it was a
very great satisfaction to Moses and the pious Israelites to be sure that they
were under divine guidance. Those needed not to fear missing their way who
were thus led, nor being lost who were thus directed; those needed not to fear
being benighted who were thus illuminated, nor being robbed who were thus
protected. Those who make the glory of God their end, and the word of God
their rule, the Spirit of God the guide of their affections, and the
providence of God the guide of their affairs, may be confident that the
Lord goes before them, as truly as he went before Israel in the
wilderness, though not so sensibly; we must live by faith. 1. They had
sensible evidences of God's going before them. They all saw an appearance from
heaven of a pillar, which in the bright day appeared cloudy, and in the dark
night appeared fiery. We commonly see that that which is a flame in the night
is a smoke in the day; so was this. God gave them this ocular demonstration of
his presence, in compassion to the infirmity of their faith, and in compliance
with that infant state of the church, which needed to be thus lisped to in
their own language; but blessed are those that have not seen and yet have
believed God's gracious presence with them, according to his promise. 2.
They had sensible effects of God's going before them in this pillar. For, (1.)
It led the way in that vast howling wilderness, in which there was no road, no
track, no way-mark, of which they had no maps, through which they had no
guides. When they marched, this pillar went before them, at the rate that they
could follow, and appointed the place of their encampment, as Infinite Wisdom
saw fit, which both eased them from care, and secured them from danger, both
in moving and in resting. (2.) It sheltered them by day from the heat, which,
at some times of the year, was extreme. (3.) It gave them light by night when
they had occasion for it, and at all times made their camp pleasant and the
wilderness they were in less frightful.
III. These were constant standing miracles (v. 22): He took not away
the pillar of cloud; no, not when they seemed to have less occasion for
it, travelling through inhabited countries, no, not when they murmured and
were provoking; it never left them, till it brought them to the borders of
Canaan. It was a cloud which the wind could not scatter. This favour is
acknowledged with thankfulness long afterwards, Neh. ix. 19; Ps. lxxviii. 14.
There was something spiritual in this pillar of cloud and fire. 1. The
children of Israel were baptized unto Moses in this cloud, which, some think,
distilled dew upon them, 1 Cor. x. 2. By coming under this cloud, they
signified their putting themselves under the divine guidance and command by
the ministry of Moses. Protection draws allegiance; this cloud was the badge
of God's protection, and so became the bond of their allegiance. Thus they
were initiated, and admitted under that government, now when they were
entering upon the wilderness. 2. Some make this cloud a type of Christ. The
cloud of his human nature was a veil to the light and fire of his divine
nature; we find him (Rev. x. 1) clothed with a cloud, and his feet as
pillars of fire. Christ is our way, the light of our way and the guide of
it. 3. It signified the special guidance and protection which the church of
Christ is under in this world. God himself is the keeper of Israel, and he neither
slumbers nor sleeps, Ps. cxxi. 4; Isa. xxvii. 3. There is a defence
created, not only on Sion's assemblies, but on every dwelling-place in Sion.
See Isa. iv. 5, 6. Nay, every Israelite indeed is hidden under the shadow of
God's wings (Ps. xvii. 8); angels, whose ministry was made use of in this
cloud, are employed for their good, and pitch their tents about them. Happy
art thou, O Israel! who is like unto thee, O people?
Contents
|
Next
Section
