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appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and 17 [seen] that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jeb18-usites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice; this was a great encouragement to him and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us :* and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. This was a prudent and modest demand. Their sacrifices would be an abomination to the Egyptians, and would not be suffered among them; therefore they asked to go to Sinai, which was just three days' journey, where they might serve him with safety.

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And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, 20 no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the 21 midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will

give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty : 22 But every woman shall borrow, or request,‡ of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment and ye shall put [them] upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

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REFLECTIONS.

ET us try to accommodate our minds to whatever circumstances God allots us. Moses was the son of Pharaoh's daughter: he was learned in all the knowledge of the Egyptians, and yet was content with the humble life of a shepherd. We see the wisdom of God in all this: by living at court, he was formed to business; by his retirement, meditation, and devotion, he was formed to eminent wisdom and piety, and a great command of temper. Moses had learned to subdue ambitious desires, and to rest contented with his obscurity; he followed the employment to which God called him. A contempt of an honest calling in those who are well born, shows great pride, but neither sense nor grace. If we keep to our callings, and are

* Is called upon us, is our God, we are called by his name, are his servants. Kennicott. + God's foreknowledge of this did not lessen Pharaoh's guilt. Had Pharaoh granted this request, they would probably have returned; but his refusing this just demand, made his future punishinent just and righteous.

1 Kennicott says, ask, beg, or pray for.

diligent therein, we are likely to meet with God, as Moses did; for he will meet those that work righteousness and put their trust in him.

2. How lively an emblem was the burning bush of the state of the church! Many fires have been kindled to consume and destroy it, but it subsists to this day; and all is owing to the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. It was an emblem of the church in Egypt, which was afflicted, but not destroyed. The bush is still burning, as it were, but is not consumed. Let us adore the power that preserves it, and that keeps his people. God is to none, but his enemies, a consuming fire. His church shall never perish, nor shall the gates of hell prevail against it.

3. Let us learn reverence in all our approaches to God; Take thy shoes from off thy feet, was his command to Moses. Let us keep at an humble distance. So Solomon exhorts, Eccles. v. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. No ground is now holy; but we have a holy God to do with, holy duties to be employed in, and holiness becometh his house; he will be sanctified by all them that draw nigh unto him, and by all the people he will be glorified. He must be approached with holy reverence. However this may be an emblem of the dispensation of the law, which was a dispensation of terror, yet the gospel permits us to draw near with boldness and confidence, but still with reverence and godly fear. Nothing light, or trifling, should be found in his presence or worship; every thing should be grave and solemn. God is a spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

4. Let us entertain a venerable idea of the great and glorious Jehovah, as the I AM, the selfexistent Being, who has life in himself, who is unoriginated, and selfsufficient. Adore him as eternal and immutable, the Father of lights, who is from everlasting to everlasting; who is, and was, and is to come. Let us rejoice that we have such a God to do with, and make him our confidence and joy.

5. We should adore God's compassionate regard to his people, v. 7. I have surely seen the affliction of my people, which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their task masters, for I know their sorrows. I have seen, I have seen; have looked on till I could bear the sight no longer. God's people are ready to conclude, when afflictions are long and tedious, that he does not see, that he has forgotten to be gracious; but his eyes are ever on the righteous, and his car is open to their cry; in proper time he will come down and help them; he will not only deliver, but enrich them, like Israel; give them all spiritual blessings in heavenly things; will improve their virtues, and rectify their disorders; he will guide them by his counsel, and afterward receive them to glory. Their secret sorrows and groanings are known to him; their mightiest oppressors are not too hard for him. This should

comfort afflicted saints; and lead us to pray, that God would arise and help those that are persecuted and oppressed; that he would stretch out his hand against their enemies. His kindness to Israel manifests his mercy, and gives encouragement to his afflicted servants in all ages. Wait on the Lord, then, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; and though the afflictions of the righteous are many, the Lord will deliver them out of them all.

CHAP. IV.

God answers the objections of Moses against going to Egypt to deliv er Israel; his journey toward it; in which he meets with Aaron, and delivers his message to Israel.

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ND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee; how then 2 shall I prove my divine mission to them? And the LORD said unto him, What [is] that in thine hand? consider it well, and regard it attentively. And he said, A rod, or shepherd's staff. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground: And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, of a large and terrible kind, such as that desert abounds with ;* and Moses fled from before 4 it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand and God 5 said, Thou shalt do this miracle, That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto

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And the LORD gave him another sign, and said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, be7 hold, his hand [was] leprous as snow. And he said, Put put his hand into

thine hand into thy bosom again. And he his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his [other] flesh.† And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice 9 of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, which they wor

Or, as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, with some reason, a crocodile, to whose devouring jawa the Hebrew infants had been exposed.

To cleanse and cure a leper, was reckoned the work of God alone; and this might be designed to teach him and them, that God can change things on a sudden; and that the miracles Moses should work, were not done by any inherent power in himself.

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shipped as a god, and pour [it] upon the dry [land] and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land :] thou shalt work this miracle, if they are not convinced by the other two. Moses then raised a second

objection, taken from his own inability. 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, not of a free and ready utterance, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, that is, since I have received thy commission: but I [am] slow of speech, and 11 of a slow tongue. God then makes a very grand reply: And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? 12 have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say; I will suggest words, and make thee speak superior to all the orators of 13 the age. Nevertheless, Moses desired to be excused; And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send; such an one as thou knowest to be fitter for the employment than I am.* This however was a poor 14 excuse: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, for neglecting the divine commission, and he said, [Is] not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well; Aaron's tongue, and thy head and heart, will make a complete ambassador, (as Mr. Henry observes.) And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee by my direction: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart to execute this commission. This was said to reprove Moses for his backwardness. 15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; clearly instruct, and strictly charge him, faithfully to declare my words: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, [even] he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, to deliver thy commands to Pharaoh, and thou shalt be to him instead of God, to direct and enjoin him 17 what to say. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. Hence it was called the rod of

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God.

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which [are] in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. He did not tell Jethro the great reason, lest he should have hindered him. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19: And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, (this was a second appearance,†) Go, return into Egypt for all the men are

Both these objections of Moses are remarkably perplexed in the Hebrew, and critics scarce know how to render it. In this view, they are very natural, as expressing the per plexity of his mind.

↑ Moses probably was still backward to go for fear of being slain there; but God assures him that his enemies were all dead. This was a further encouragement which he had not before.

dead which sought thy life. Herein was Moses a type of 20 Christ. Matt. ii. 20. And Moses, thus encouraged, took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand, because God had commanded him to carry it, and do wonders with it. Thus it was honoured above the sceptre of Pharach.

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And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go: he hath wickedly hardened his heart against Israel, for a long time, and now, in 22 righteous judgment, I will harden it. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, I have adopted him as mine, [even] my firstborn; the first and only nation that I have chosen for my peculiar people, and therefore 23 not to be any longer subject to thy commands: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy firstborn. This plague was afterward inflicted.t

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And it came to pass by the way in the inn, where they stop ped to rest all night, that the LORD met him, appeared to him in some visible, shape, and sought, by showing himself in some threatening posture, to kill him, for neglecting to circumcise his son; which was probably done in compliance with his wife's hu25 mour. Then Zipporah, by the order of Moses, took a sharp stone, or knife, made of flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast [it] at his feet in a rage, and said, Surely a bloody husband [art] thou to me, because he insisted on the child's be26 ing circumcised. So he, that is, the angel, let him, namely, Moses, go then she said, A bloody husband [thou art,] because of the circumcision.

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And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of 28 God, and kissed him.* And Moses received him with great affection, and told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

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And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the *30 elders of the children of Israel: And Aaron spake all the

But thou hast refused to let him go. Samar. Pent.

The whole message is very grand and awful; menacing the proud prince with infinitely superior authority.

This was a great neglect in Moses, and, as he was going in a public character, would be a reproach to him and his family.

Others render it, So he, that is, Moses, let her go; sent her back to her father; it was not proper she should accompany him with such a turbulent temper: and that this was the case, is probable from ch. xviii. 2.

*This plain and express revelation to Aaron, directing him to the time and place where he should meet Moses, would tend greatly to confirm the faith of Moses.

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