Moſes's objefion, 1. The anſwer, 2. God turns his rod into a ſerpent 3=--5. He adds another ſign, 6. And leſt they would not believe, 8. Water is turn'd into blood, g. Moſes's objeftion, 10. God argues with him, IT. God's command and promiſe; 12+ Moſes's anſwer, 13. God is angry, and tnjoyns Aaron to the ſame employment, 14. Tells what Aaron ſhould be, and what Moſes ſhould do, 15-17. Moſes returning zo Fethro, craves leave to go to Egypt to ſee his brethren. Jericho's grant, 18, 19. Moſes having taken the yod of God, departs with his wife and children into Egypt, 20, 21. God tells him what he ſhould ſay to Phas raoh, 22,'23. God ſeeketh to kill Moſes, 24 Zipporah with a ſharp knife cutts off her ſon's foreckin, and what ſhe (aid, 25, 26. God com manas Aaron to meet Moſes, 27. Moſes aeclares to Aaron both what he had heard and ſeen, 28. They gather together the Elders of Iſrael, 29. And Aaron ſpeaks all the words, and does all the ſigns which God com< wanded, 30. The people belicrve, 3 1. |
+ Or, Egypte
' A will not believe me 4, nor hearken unto my voice : for they will ſay, The LORD hath not ap- peared unto thee. |
a Which he conje&ured both from reaſon, becauſe the greatneſs *and ſtrangeneſs of theDeliverance made it ſeem incredible; and their minds were ſo oppreiled with Cares and Labours, that it was not likely they could raiſe them up to any fuch expettation ; and from rhe experience * hich he had of them fourty years before, when their Deliverance by his means and intereſt at Court ſeemed much more credible, than now it did.
2 And the LORD ſaid unto him, What is that in chine hand ? Arid he ſaid, A rod.
3 And he ſaid, Catl it on the ground. And he caſt it on. the ground. and it became a Serpent b ; And Mof?s fled from. before it.
b ( i.e ) Was really changed into a Serpent ; whereby it was intimated what and how pernicious his Rod ſhould be to the Egyptians.
4 And the LORD faid unto Moſes, Pat forth :hine hand, and take it by the tail c : And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand : |
c The dangerous part ; whereby God would try Moſes his Faith, and prepare him for the approaching difficulties.
5 That they may believe 4 that the LO RD God cof their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Iſaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto chee.
4 An imperfe& Sentence, to be thus compleated, Thrs thou ſhalt do before them, that they may believe. See the like in 2 Sam: 5: 8. compared with 1 Chron: 11: 6. and Mark 14: 49. compared with Matth. 26. 56.
' 6 © And the LORD ſaid furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy boſom. And he pur his hand into his boſom : and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous * as ſnow es * Kin
e For whiteneſs. See Num, 12. 10+ Hereby God would ſuggeſt * gs ro them, how ſoon he could weaken and deſtroy the hard and ſtrong 5* 27: hand by which the Egyptians tyrannized over them. Ir might alſo be done to keep Moſes humble and depending upon God, and to reach him and 1/7rael to aſcribe all the furure Miracles nor to the hand of Moſes, which was weak and lyable to many Diſtempers,but » holly to the Divine Power and Goodneſs. |
7 And he faid,Pur thine hand into thy boſom agairr. And he put his hand into his boſonie again, and pluck- ed it our of his boſom, and behold, it was turned again as his other fleſh, _ - /
8 And itſhail come to paſs, if they will not believe chee, neither hearken to the voice of the firſt ſign f, :hat they will believe the voice of the latter figns |
f To the Voice or Word of God delivered and confirmed by
oh, On
%
a,
but. . F,
Chap. _—
the Voice, to note \that God's works have a voice to ſpeak to us, which we muſt diligently obſerve. See Mic. 6- 9.
9 Andit ſhall come to paſs, if they will not believe alſo theſe two ſigns, neither hearken unto thy voice, chat thou ſhalt take of the water of the river g, and
pour it #por the dry land : and rhe water whici thou
+ Heb. rakeſt out of the river, + thall become + blood upon the Jballbe,and dry land. | ſpai! be. Z Nils, well known to Moſes, and called ſo by way of Eminency, as Euphrates alſo is. þ Heb. ſhall be, even ſball be, 5. e. it ſhall af- turedly be 1o. 10 © And Moſes ſaid unto the LORD, O my + Hcb: » Lord, Tamnot f eloquent z, neither | heretofore,nor »-an of ſince thou haft ſpoken unto thy ſervant &:; but * Lam 0125. flowof ſpeech, and of a flow tongue. $ Hed: 7 Not able to deliver thy Meſſage acceptably and decently,cither refer to Pharaoh, or to the Iſraelites. k Since thy appearance to me, thou Ys 24 haſt made ſome change in my Hand,bur none in my Tongue, but ws wy ſtill T am, as I was, moſt unfit for ſo high an Employment. But + Ch "} 6. Indeed he was therefore fit for it, as the unJearned Apoſtles were *P- ®* for the Preaching of the Goſpel, that the Honour of their glorious 262 Works mightbe entirely given to God, and not to the Inſtruments which he uſed. . | *Pfalm. xx And the LORD ſaid unto him, * Who hath 94 9- made mans mouth ? or who maketh the dumb, or
deaf, or the ſeeing, or the blind ? have nor I che LORD? |
* Mar: 13: 12 Now therefore gO0, and I will be * with thy
= _ mouth 1, and teach thee what thou ſhalt ſay. { By my Spirit to dire& and affiſt thee what and how to ſpeak. Whence Moſes, though he ſtill ſeems to have remained //ow n Speech, yet vas in truth mighty in Words as well as Deeds, As 7. 22. Com- pare Marth, 10.19, 20. : 12 And he ſaid, O my Lord, ſend, I pray thee, by f Or, , the hand of bim whom thou | wilt ſend ». ſhoulefs. m By one who is fitter for the work than I am. Heb. ſend by the
hmd of him whom thou wiltft ſend, 7. e. ſhould ſend ; for the Furure Tenſe oft ſignifhes what one ſhould do. See Ger: 20: 9: and 34: 7: Aal: 1: 6: and 2: 7» Thou uſeſt according to thy Wiſdom to chuſe ft Inftruments,and to uſe none but w hom thou doſt either find or make fit for their Employment, which Iam not. Others, Send by the hand of Meſfias, whom thou wiltſt certainlie ſend,and canſt nor ſend art a fitter time, nor for better work. Moſes and the Prophets knew that Chriſt would come, but the particular time ofhis coming was unknown to theme See 1 Pet: 1: 11. ,
14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled againſt Moſes, and he ſaid, Is not Aaron the Levite thy bro ther > I know that he can ſpeak well. And alſo be- hold, he cometh forth to meet thee »: and when he
ſeerth thee, he will be glad-in his heart-