E
X O D U S
CHAP. XXXIV.
God
having in the foregoing chapter intimated to Moses his reconciliation to
Israel, here gives proofs of it, proceeding to settle his covenant and
communion with them. Four instances of the return of his favour we have in
this chapter:-- I. The orders he gives to Moses to come up to the mount, the
next morning, and bring two tables of stone with him, ver. 1-4. II. His
meeting him there, and the proclamation of his name, ver. 5-9. III. The
instructions he gave him there, and his converse with him for forty days
together, without intermission, ver. 10-28. IV. The honour he put upon him
when he sent him down with his face shining, ver. 29-35. In all this God dealt
with Moses as a public person, and mediator between him and Israel, and a type
of the great Mediator.
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God's
Proclamation of Himself.
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B.
C. 1491.
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1 And the LORD
said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will
write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which
thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the
morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the
mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man
be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before
that mount. 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the
first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai,
as the LORD
had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
The treaty that was on foot between God and Israel being broken off abruptly,
by their worshipping the golden calf, when peace was made all must be begun
anew, not where they left off, but from the beginning. Thus backsliders must repent,
and do their first works, Rev. ii. 5.
I. Moses must prepare for the renewing of the tables, v. 1. Before, God
himself provided the tables, and wrote on them; now, Moses must hew out the
tables, and God would only write upon them. Thus, in the first writing of
the law upon the heart of man in innocency, both the tables and the writing
were the work of God; but when those were broken and defaced by sin, and the
divine law was to be preserved in the scriptures, God therein made use of the
ministry of man, and Moses first. But the prophets and apostles did only hew
the tables, as it were; the writing was God's still, for all scripture is
given by inspiration of God. Observe, When God was reconciled to them, he
ordered the tables to be renewed, and wrote his law in them, which plainly
intimates to us, 1. That even under the gospel of peace and reconciliation by
Christ (of which the intercession of Moses was typical) the moral law should
continue to bind believers. Though Christ has redeemed us from the curse of
the law, yet not from the command of it, but still we are under the law to
Christ; when our Saviour, in his sermon on the mount, expounded the moral
law, and vindicated it from the corrupt glosses with which the scribes and
Pharisees had broken it (Matt. v. 19), he did in effect renew the tables, and
make them like the first, that is, reduce the law to its primitive sense and
intention. 2. That the best evidence of the pardon of sin and peace with God
is the writing of the law in the heart. The first token God gave of his
reconciliation to Israel was the renewing of the tables of the law; thus the
first article of the new covenant is, I will write my law in their heart
(Heb. viii. 10), and it follows (v. 12), for I will be merciful to
their unrighteousness. 3. That, if we would have God to write the law in
our hearts, we must prepare our hearts for the reception of it. The heart of
stone must be hewn by conviction and humiliation for sin (Hos. vi. 5), the superfluity
of naughtiness must be taken off (James i. 21), the heart made smooth, and
laboured with, that the word may have a place in it. Moses did accordingly hew
out the tables of stone, or slate, for they were so slight and thin
that Moses carried them both in his hand; and, for their dimensions, they must
have been somewhat less, and perhaps not much, than the ark in which they were
deposited, which was a yard and quarter long, and three quarters broad. It
should seem there was nothing particularly curious in the framing of them, for
there was no great time taken; Moses had them ready presently, to take up with
him, next morning. They were to receive their beauty, not from the art of man,
but from the finger of God.
II. Moses must attend again on the top of mount Sinai, and present himself to
God there, v. 2. Though the absence of Moses, and his continuance so
long on the mount, had lately occasioned their making the golden calf, yet God
did not therefore alter his measures, but he shall come up and tarry as long
as he had done, to try whether they had learned to wait. To strike an awe upon
the people, they are directed to keep their distance, none must come up with
him, v. 3. They had said (ch. xxxii. 1), We know not what has
become of him, and God will not let them know. Moses, accordingly, rose
up early (v. 4) to go to the place appointed, to show how forward
he was to present himself before God and loth to lose time. It is good to be
early at our devotions. The morning is perhaps as good a friend to the graces
as it is to the muses.
5 And the LORD
descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of
the LORD.
6 And the LORD
passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD,
The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight,
O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked
people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine
inheritance.
No sooner had Moses got to the top of the mount than God gave him the meeting
(v. 5): The Lord descended, by some sensible token of his
presence, and manifestation of his glory. His descending bespeaks his
condescension; he humbles himself to take cognizance of those that humble
themselves to walk with him. Ps. cxiii. 6, Lord, what is man, that he
should be thus visited? He descended in the cloud, probably that
pillar of cloud which had hitherto gone before Israel, and had the day before
met Moses at the door of the tabernacle. This cloud was to strike an awe upon
Moses, that the familiarity he was admitted to might not breed contempt. The
disciples feared, when they entered the cloud. His making a cloud his
pavilion intimated that, though he made known much of himself, yet there was
much more concealed. Now observe,
I. How God proclaimed his name (v. 6, 7): he did it in transitu--as
he passed by him. Fixed views of God are reserved for the future state;
the best we have in this world are transient. God now was performing what he
had promised Moses, the day before, that his glory should pass by, ch.
xxxiii. 22. He proclaimed the name of the Lord, by which he would make
himself known. He had made himself known to Moses in the glory of his
self-existence and self-sufficiency when he proclaimed that name, I am that
I am; now he makes himself known in the glory of his grace, and goodness,
and all-sufficiency to us. Now that God is about to publish a second edition
of the law he prefaces it with this proclamation; for it is God's grace or
goodness that gives the law, especially the remedial law. The pardon of
Israel's sin in worshipping the calf was now to pass the seals; and God, by
this declaration, would let them know that he pardoned ex mero motu--merely
out of his own good pleasure, not for their merits' sake, but from his own
inclination to forgive. The proclaiming of it denotes the universal extent of
God's mercy. He is not only good to Israel, but good to all; let all take
notice of it. He that hath an ear, let him hear, and know, and believe,
1. That the God with whom we have to do is a great God. He is Jehovah, the
Lord, who has his being of himself, and is the fountain of all being, Jehovah-El,
the Lord, the strong God, a God of almighty power himself, and the
original of all power. This is prefixed before the display of his mercy, to
teach us to think and to speak even of God's grace and goodness with great
seriousness and a holy awe, and to encourage us to depend upon these mercies;
they are not the mercies of a man, that is frail and feeble, false and fickle,
but the mercies of the Lord, the Lord God; therefore sure mercies, and
sovereign mercies, mercies that may be trusted, but not tempted.
2. That he is a good God. His greatness and goodness illustrate and set off
each other. That the terror of his greatness may not make us afraid, we are
told how good he is; and, that we may not presume upon his goodness, we are
told how great he is. Many words are here heaped up, to acquaint us with, and
convince us of, God's goodness, and to show how much his goodness is both his
glory and his delight, yet without any tautology. (1.) He is merciful.
This bespeaks his tender compassion, like that of a father to his children.
This is put first, because it is the first wheel in all the instances of God's
good-will to fallen man, whose misery makes him an object of pity, Judg. x.
16; Isa. lxiii. 9. Let us not then have either hard thoughts of God or hard
hearts towards our brethren. (2.) He is gracious. This bespeaks both
freeness and kindness; it intimates not only that he has a compassion to his
creatures, but a complacency in them and in doing good to them, and this of
his own good-will, and not for the sake of any thing in them. His mercy is
grace, free grace; this teaches us to be not only pitiful, but courteous, 1
Pet. iii. 8. (3.) He is long-suffering. This is a branch of God's
goodness which the wickedness of sinners gives occasion for; that of Israel
had done so: they had tried his patience, and experienced it. He is
long-suffering, that is, he is slow to anger, and delays the execution of his
justice; he waits to be gracious, and lengthens out the offers of his mercy.
(4.) He is abundant in goodness and truth. This bespeaks plentiful
goodness, goodness abounding above our deserts, above our conception and
expression. The springs of mercy are always full, the streams of mercy always
flowing; there is mercy enough in God, enough for all, enough for each, enough
for ever. It bespeaks promised goodness, goodness and truth put together,
goodness engaged by promise, and his faithfulness pledged for the security of
it. He not only does good, but by his promise he raises our expectation of it,
and even binds himself to show mercy. (5.) He keepeth mercy for thousands.
This denotes, [1.] Mercy extended to thousands of persons. When he gives to
some, still he keeps for others, and is never exhausted; he has mercy enough
for all the thousands of Israel, when they shall multiply as the sand.
[2.] Mercy entailed upon thousands of generations, even those upon whom the
ends of the world have come; nay, the line of it is drawn parallel with that
of eternity itself. (6.) He for giveth iniquity, transgression, and sin.
Pardoning mercy is specified, because in this divine grace is most magnified,
and because in this divine grace is most magnified, and because it is this
which opens the door to all other gifts of his divine grace, and because of
this he had lately given a very pregnant proof. He forgives offences of all
sorts--iniquity, transgression, and sin, multiplies his pardons; and
with him is plenteous redemption.
3. That he is a just and holy God. For, (1.) He will by no means clear the
guilty. Some read it so as to express a mitigation of wrath, even when he
does punish: When he empties, he will not make quite desolate; that is,
"He does not proceed to the greatest extremity, till there be no
remedy." As we read it, we must expound it that he will by no means
connive at the guilty, as if he took no notice of their sin. Or, he will not
clear the impenitently guilty, that go on still in their trespasses: he will
not clear the guilty without some satisfaction to his justice, and necessary
vindications of the honour of his government. (2.) He visits the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children. He may justly do it, for all souls are
his, and there is a malignity in sin that taints the blood. He sometimes will
do it, especially for the punishment of idolaters. Thus he shows his hatred to
sin, and displeasure against it; yet he keepeth not his anger for ever,
but visits to the third and fourth generation only, while he keepeth his
mercy for thousands. Well, this is God's name for ever, and this is his
memorial unto all generations.
II. How Moses received this declaration which God made of himself, and of his
grace and mercy. It should seem as if Moses accepted this as a sufficient
answer to his request that God would show him his glory; for we read
not that he went into the cleft of the rock, whence to gain a sight of God's
back parts. Perhaps this satisfied him, and he desired no more; as we read not
that Thomas did thrust his hand into Christ's side, though Christ
invited him to do it. God having thus proclaimed his name, Moses says,
"It is enough, I expect no more till I come to heaven;" at least he
did not think fit to relate what he saw. Now we are here told,
1. What impression it made upon him: Moses made haste, and bowed his head,
v. 8. Thus he expressed, (1.) His humble reverence and adoration of
God's glory, giving him the honour due to that name he had thus
proclaimed. Even the goodness of God must be looked upon by us with a profound
veneration and holy awe. (2.) His joy in this discovery which God had made of
himself, and his thankfulness for it. We have reason gratefully to acknowledge
God's goodness to us, not only in the real instances of it, but in the
declarations he has made of it by his word; not only that he is, and will be,
gracious to us, but that he is pleased to let us know it. (3.) His holy
submission to the will of God, made known in this declaration, subscribing to
his justice as well as mercy, and putting himself and his people Israel under
the government and direction of such a God as Jehovah had now proclaimed
himself to be. Let this God be our God for ever and ever.
2. What improvement he made of it. He immediately grounded a prayer upon it (v.
9); and a more earnest affectionate prayer it is, (1.) For the presence of God
with his people Israel in the wilderness: "I pray thee, go among us,
for thy presence is all in all to our safety and success." (2.) For
pardon of sin: "O pardon our iniquity and our sin, else we cannot
expect thee to go among us." And, (3.) For the privileges of a peculiar
people: "Take us for thy inheritance, which thou wilt have a
particular eye to, and concern for, and delight in." These things God had
already promised, and given Moses assurances of, and yet he prays for them,
not as doubting the sincerity of God's grants, but as one solicitous for the
ratification of them. God's promises are intended, not to supersede, but to
direct and encourage, prayer. Those who have some good hopes, through grace,
that their sins are pardoned, must yet continue to pray for pardon, for the
renewing of their pardon, and the clearing of it more and more to their souls.
The more we see of God's goodness the more ashamed we should be of our own
sins, and the more earnest for an interest in it. God had said, in the close
of the proclamation, that he would visit the iniquity upon the children;
and Moses here deprecates that. "Lord, do not only pardon it to them, but
to their children, and let our covenant-relation to thee be entailed upon our
posterity, as an inheritance." Thus Moses, like a man of a truly public
spirit, intercedes even for the children that should be born. But it is a
strange plea he urges: For it is a stiff-necked people. God had given
this as a reason why he would not go along with them, ch. xxxiii. 3.
"Yea," says Moses, "the rather go along with us; for the worse
they are the more need they have of thy presence and grace to make them
better." Moses sees them so stiff-necked that, for his part, he has
neither patience nor power enough to deal with them. "Therefore, Lord, do
thou go among us, else they will never be kept in awe. Thou wilt spare, and
bear with them, for thou art God, and not man," Hos. xi. 9.
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A
Caution Against Idolatry.
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B.
C. 1491.
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10 And he said, Behold, I
make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not
been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which
thou art shall see the work of the LORD:
for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. 11
Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before
thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and
the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou
make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it
be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 But ye shall destroy their
altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 14 For thou
shalt worship no other god: for the LORD,
whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 Lest
thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring
after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee,
and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 And thou take of their daughters
unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy
sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no
molten gods.
Reconciliation being made, a covenant of friendship is here settled between
God and Israel. The traitors are not only pardoned, but preferred and made
favourites again. Well may the assurances of this be ushered in with a behold,
a word commanding attention and admiration: Behold, I make a covenant.
When the covenant was broken, it was Israel that broke it; now that it comes
to be renewed, it is God that makes it. If there be quarrels, we must bear all
the blame; if there be peace, God must have all the glory. Here is,
I. God's part of this covenant, what he would do for them, v. 10, 11.
1. In general: Before all thy people, I will do marvels. Note,
Covenant-blessings are marvellous things (Ps. xcviii. 1), marvels in the
kingdom of grace; those mentioned here were marvels in the kingdom of nature,
the drying up of Jordan, the standing still of the sun, &c. Marvels
indeed, for they were without precedent, such as have not been done in all
the earth. They were the joy of Israel, and the confirmation of their
faith: Thy people shall see, and own the work of the Lord. And
they were the terror of their enemies: It is a terrible thing that I will
do. Nay, even God's own people should see them with astonishment. 2. In
particular: I drive out before thee the Amorite. God, as King of
nations, plucks up some, to plant others, as it pleases him; as King of
saints, he made room for the vine he brought out of Egypt, Ps. lxxx. 8, 9.
Kingdoms are sacrificed to Israel's interests, Isa. xliii. 3, 4.
II. Their part of the covenant: Observe that which I command thee. We
cannot expect the benefit of the promises unless we make conscience of the
precepts.
1. The two great precepts are, (1.) Thou shalt worship no other gods (v.
14), not give divine honour to any creature, or any name whatsoever, the
creature of fancy. A good reason is annexed. It is at thy peril if thou do: For
the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God, as tender in the
matters of his worship as the husband is of the honour of the marriage-bed.
Jealousy is called the rage of a man (Prov. vi. 34), but it is God's
holy and just displeasure. Those cannot worship God aright who do not
worship him alone. (2.) "Thou shalt make thee no molten god (v.
17); thou shalt not worship the true God by images." This was the sin
they had lately fallen into, which therefore they are particularly cautioned
against.
2. Fences are here erected about these two precepts by two others: (1.) That
they might not be tempted to worship other gods, they must not join in
affinity or friendship with those that did (v. 12): "Take heed
to thyself, for thou art upon thy good behaviour. It is a sin that thou
art prone to and that will easily beset thee, and therefore be very cautious,
and carefully abstain from all appearances of it and advances towards it. Make
no covenant with the inhabitants of the land." If God, in kindness to
them, drove out the Canaanites, they ought, in duty to God, not to harbour
them. What could be insisted on more reasonable than this? If God make war
with the Canaanites, let not Israel make peace with them. If God take care
that the Canaanites be not their lords, let them take care that they be not
their snares. It was for their civil interest to complete the conquest of the
land; so much does God consult our benefit in the laws he gives us. They must
particularly take heed of intermarrying with them, v. 15, 16. If they
espoused their children, they would be in danger of espousing their gods; such
is the corruption of nature that the bad are much more likely to debauch the
good than the good to reform the bad. The way of sin is downhill: those that
are in league with idolaters will come by degrees to be in love with idolatry;
and those that are prevailed upon to eat of the idolatrous sacrifice will come
at length to offer it. Obsta principiis--Nip the mischief in the bud.
(2.) That they might not be tempted to make molten gods, they must utterly
destroy those they found and all that belong to them, the altars and groves (v.
13), lest, if these were left standing, they should be brought, in process of
time, either to use them or to take pattern by them, or to abate in their
detestation and dread of idolatry. The relics of idolatry ought to be
abolished as affronts to the holy God and a great reproach to human nature.
Let it never be said that men who pretend to reason were ever guilty of such
absurdities as to make gods of their own and worship them.
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Solemn
Feasts Appointed.
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B.
C. 1491.
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18 The feast of
unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread,
as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou
camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the matrix is
mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that
is male. 20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with
a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All
the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me
empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou
shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And
thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest,
and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the
year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD,
the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee,
and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou
shalt go up to appear before the LORD
thy God thrice in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of
my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the
passover be left unto the morning. 26 The first of the firstfruits
of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD
thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. 27 And
the LORD
said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I
have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
Here is a repetition of several appointments made before, especially relating
to their solemn feasts. When they had made the calf, they proclaimed a feast
in honour of it; now, that they might never do so again, they are here charged
with the observance of the feasts which God had instituted. Note, Men need not
be drawn from their religion by the temptation of mirth, for we serve a Master
that has abundantly provided for the joy of his servants: serious godliness is
a continual feast, and joy in God always.
I. Once a week they must rest (v. 21), even in earing time, and in
harvest, the most busy times of the year. All worldly business must give
way to that holy rest; harvest-work will prosper the better for the religious
observance of the sabbath-day in harvest-time. Hereby we must show that we
prefer our communion with God, and our duty to him, before either the business
or the joy of harvest.
II. Thrice a year they must feast (v. 23); they must then appear before
the Lord, God, the God of Israel. In all our religious approaches to God,
we must eye him as the Lord God, infinitely blessed, great, and glorious, that
we may worship him with reverence and godly fear, as the God of Israel, a God
in covenant with us, that we may be encouraged to trust in him, and to serve
him cheerfully. We always are before God; but, in holy duties, we present
ourselves before him, as servants to receive commands, as petitioners to sue
for favours, and we have reason to do both with joy. But it might be suggested
that, when all the males from every part of the country had gone up to worship
in the place that God should choose, the country would be left exposed to the
insults of their neighbours; and what would become of the poor women and
children, and sick and aged, that were left at home? Trust God with them (v.
24): Neither shall any man desire thy land; not only they shall not
invade it, but they shall not so much as think of invading it. Note, 1. All
hearts are in God's hands, and under his check; he can lay a restraint, not
only upon men's actions, but upon their desires. Canaan was a desirable land,
and the neighbouring nations were greedy enough; and yet God says, "They
shall not desire it." Let us check all sinful desires in our own hearts
against God and his glory, and then trust him to check all sinful desires in
the hearts of others against us and our interest. 2. The way of duty is the
way of safety. If we serve God, he will preserve us; and those that venture
for him shall never lose by him. While we are employed in God's work, and are
attending upon him, we are taken under special protection, as noblemen and
members of parliament are privileged from arrests.
III. The three feasts are here mentioned, with their appendages. 1. The
passover, and the feast of unleavened bread, in remembrance of their
deliverance out of Egypt; and to this is annexed the law of the redemption of
the first-born, v. 18-20. This feast was instituted, ch. xii.
13, and urged again, ch. xxiii. 15. 2. The feast of weeks, that is,
that of pentecost, seven weeks after the passover; and to this is annexed the
law of the first-fruits. 3. The feast of in-gathering at the year's end, which
was the feast of tabernacles (v. 22): of these also he had spoken
before, ch. xxiii. 16. As to those laws repeated here (v. 25,
26), that against leaven relates to the passover, that of the first-fruits to
the feast of pentecost, and therefore that against seething the kid in his
mother's milk in all probability relates to the feast of in-gathering, at
which God would not have them use that superstitious ceremony, which probably
they had seen the Egyptians, or some other of the neighbouring nations, bless
their harvests with.
IV. With these laws, here repeated, it is probable all that was said to him
when he was before upon the mount was repeated likewise, and the model of the
tabernacle shown him again, lest the ruffle and discomposure, which the golden
calf had put him in to should have bereaved him of the ideas he had in mind of
what he had seen and heard; also in token of a complete reconciliation, and to
show that not one jot or tittle of the law should pass away, but that
all should be carefully preserved by the great Mediator, who came not to
destroy, but to fulfil, Matt. v. 17, 18. And in the close, 1. Moses is ordered
to write these words (v. 27), that the people might be the better
acquainted with them by a frequent perusal, and that they might be transmitted
to the generations to come. We can never be enough thankful to God for the
written word. 2. He is told that according to the tenour of these words God
would make a covenant with Moses and Israel; not with Israel immediately, but
with them in Moses a mediator. Thus the covenant of grace is made with
believers through Christ, who is given for a covenant to the people,
Isa. xlix. 8. And, as here the covenant was made according to the tenour of
the command, so it is still; for we are by baptism brought into covenant, that
we may be taught to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded us,
Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.
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The
Veil of Moses.
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B.
C. 1491.
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28 And he was there with
the LORD
forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he
wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two
tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that
Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin
of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And
Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation
returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward
all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that
the LORD
had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And till Moses had
done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34 But when
Moses went in before the LORD
to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out,
and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was
commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses,
that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face
again, until he went in to speak with him.
Here is, I. The continuance of Moses in the mount, where he was miraculously
sustained, v. 28. He was there in very intimate communion with God,
without interruption, forty days and forty nights, and did not think it long.
When we are weary of an hour or two spent in attendance upon God and adoration
of him, we should think how many days and nights Moses spent with him, and of
the eternal day we hope to spend in praising him. During all this time Moses
did neither eat nor drink. Though he had before been kept so long fasting, yet
he did not, this second time, take up so many days' provision along with him,
but believed that man lives not by bread alone, and encouraged himself
with the experience he had of the truth of it. So long he continued without
meat and drink (and probably without sleep too), for, 1. The power of God
supported him, that he did not need it. He who made the body can nourish it
without ordinary means, which he uses, but is not tied to. The life is more
than meat. 2. His communion with God entertained him, so that he did not
desire it. He had meat to eat which the world knew not of, for it was his meat
and drink to hear the word of God and pray. The abundant satisfaction his soul
had in the word of God and the visions of the Almighty made him forget the
body and the pleasures of it. When God would treat his favourite Moses, it was
not with meat and drink, but with his light, law, and love, with the knowledge
of himself and his will; then man did indeed eat angels' food. See what we
should value as the truest pleasure. The kingdom of God is not meat and
drink, neither the abundance nor delicacy of food, but righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. As Moses, so Elijah and Christ,
fasted forty days and forty nights. The more dead we are to the delights of
sense the better prepared we are for the pleasures of heaven.
II. The coming down of Moses from the mount, greatly enriched and miraculously
adorned.
1. He came down enriched with the best treasure; for he brought in his hands
the two tables of the law, written with the finger of God, v. 28, 29.
It is a great favour to have the law given us; this favour was shown to
Israel, Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20. It is a great honour to be employed in delivering
God's law to others; this honour was done to Moses.
2. He came down adorned with the best beauty; for the skin of his face
shone, v. 29. This time of his being in the mount he heard only
what he had heard before, but he saw more of the glory of God, which having
with open face beheld, he was in some measure changed into the same image
from glory to glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. The last time he came down from the
mount with the glory of a magistrate, to frown upon and chastise Israel's
idolatry; now with the glory of an angel, with tidings of peace and
reconciliation. Then he came with a rod, now with the spirit of meekness. Now,
(1.) This may be looked upon, [1.] As a great honour done to Moses, that the
people might never again question his mission nor think nor speak lightly of
him. He carried his credentials in his very countenance, which, some think,
retained, as long as he lived, some remainders of this glory, which perhaps
contributed to the vigour of his old age; that eye could not wax dim which had
seen God, nor that face become wrinkled which had shone with his glory. The
Israelites could not look him in the face but they must there read his
commission. Thus it was done to the man whom the King of kings did delight to
honour. Yet, after this, they murmured against him; for the most sensible
proofs will not of themselves conquer an obstinate infidelity. The shining of
Moses's face was a great honour to him; yet that was no glory, in comparison
with the glory which excelled. We read of our Lord Jesus, not only that his
face shone as the sun, but his whole body also, for his raiment was
white and glistering, Luke ix. 29. But, when he came down from the mount,
he quite laid aside that glory, it being his will that we should walk by
faith, not by sight. [2.] It was also a great favour to the people, and an
encouragement to them, that God put this glory upon him, who was their
intercessor, thereby giving them assurance that he was accepted, and they
through him. Thus the advancement of Christ, our advocate with the Father, is
the great support of our faith. [3.] It was the effect of his sight of God.
Communion with God, First, Makes the face to shine in true honour.
Serious godliness puts a lustre upon a man's countenance, such as commands
esteem and affection. Secondly, It should make the face to shine in
universal holiness. When we have been in the mount with God, we should let our
light shine before men, in humility, meekness, and all the instances of
a heavenly conversation; thus must the beauty of the Lord our God be upon
us, even the beauty of holiness, that all we converse with may take
knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus, Acts iv. 13.
(2.) Concerning the shining of Moses's face observe here, [1.] Moses was not
aware of it himself: He wist not that the skin of his face shone, v.
29. Thus, First, It is the infelicity of some that, though their faces
shine in true grace, yet they do not know it, to take the comfort of it. Their
friends see much of God in them, but they themselves are ready to think they
have no grace. Secondly, It is the humility of others that, though
their faces shine in eminent gifts and usefulness, yet they do not know it, to
be puffed up with it. Whatever beauty God puts upon us, we should still be
filled with a humble sense of our own unworthiness, and manifold infirmities,
as will make us even overlook and forget that which makes our faces shine.
[2.] Aaron and the children of Israel saw it, and were afraid, v.
30. The truth of it was attested by a multitude of witnesses, who were also
conscious of the terror of it. It not only dazzled their eyes, but struck such
an awe upon them as obliged them to retire. Probably they doubted whether it
were a token of God's favour or of his displeasure; and, though it seemed most
likely to be a good omen, yet, being conscious of guilt, they feared the
worst, especially remembering the posture Moses found them in when he came
last down from the mount. Holiness will command reverence; but the sense of
sin makes men afraid of their friends, and even of that which really is a
favour to them. [3.] Moses put a veil upon his face, when he perceived
that it shone, v. 33, 35. First, This teaches us all a lesson of
modesty and humility. We must be content to have our excellences obscured, and
a veil drawn over them, not coveting to make a fair show in the flesh.
Those that are truly desirous to be owned and accepted of God will likewise
desire not to be taken notice of nor applauded by men. Qui bene latuit,
bene vixit--There is a laudable concealment. Secondly, It teaches
ministers to accommodate themselves to the capacities of people, and to preach
to them as they are able to bear it. Let all that art and all that learning be
veiled which tend to amusement rather than edification, and let the strong
condescend to the infirmities of the weak. Thirdly, This veil signified
the darkness of that dispensation. The ceremonial institutions had in them
much of Christ, much of the grace of the gospel, but a veil was drawn over it,
so that the children of Israel could not distinctly and stedfastly see
those good things to come which the law had the shadow of. It was beauty
veiled, gold in the mine, a pearl in the shell; but, thanks be to God, by the
gospel life and immortality are brought to light, the veil is taken away from
off the Old Testament; yet still it remains upon the hearts of those who shut
their eyes against the light. Thus the apostle expounds this passage, 2 Cor.
iii. 13-15. [4.] When Moses went in before the Lord, to speak with him
in the tabernacle of meeting, he put off the veil, v. 34. Then
there was no occasion for it, and, before God, every man does and must appear
unveiled; for all things are naked and open before the eyes of him with
whom we have to do, and it is folly for us to think of concealing or
disguising any thing. Every veil must be thrown aside when we come to present
ourselves unto the Lord. This signified also, as it is explained (2 Cor. iii.
16), that when a soul turns to the Lord the veil shall be taken away, and with
open face it may behold his glory. And when we shall come before the Lord in
heaven, to be there for ever speaking with him, the veil shall not only be
taken off from the divine glory, but from our hearts and eyes, that we may see
as we are seen, and know as we are known.
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