b If God approve of the courſe which I ſuggeſt,to whoſe wiſdom I ſubmit my opinion. .For-Fethro mTght well think, thar Moſes neither would, nor might make fo great an alteration in the Government without conſuiting God about it,and expeQting his Anſwer.Others render the place thus, borh God will girve thee his Commands, 1. e. thou wilſt have leiſure to ask. and take his counſel in ail emergencies, which now thou haſt not, andthou wilſt be able to endure. c To their ſeveral habitations, which are called mens places, Judg: 7: 7. and g. 55: and 19: 28, 29. where their calling and buſineſs lies, from which they are now diverted and detained by fruitleſs and weariſom atren- dances. d Orderly and quietly, having their minds much eaſed by this courſe, and their contentions ſoon ended.
24 So Moſes hearkened to phe voice of his father-in-
law e, and did-all that he had ſaid f.
e This is one evidence of that meekneſs for which Apjes is juſtly magnified, that he diſdained nor to receive advice from one ſo much his inferior in Wi'/dom,and Learning, and knowledge of the things ofGod.And God would have this wite Counſel to come from Jethro, not from. Moſes himſelf, to ſhew how variouſly he diſtributes his gifts, and to teach all men not ro think too highly of themſelves, nor to deſpiſe the counſels even of their inferiors. f Not immedi- atly, bur after he had received God's approbation, Numb: 11. 16. and the peoples conſent, Dent. 1. 14.
25 And Moſes choſe g able men out of all Iſrael], and made them heads over the people, rulers of thou- ſands,rulers of hundreds,rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. - g Not ſolely, bur together with the People,as appears from Deur: I: 13. -
- 26 And they Judged the people at all ſeaſons : the hard cauſes they brought unto Moſes, but every ſmall matter\they judged chemſelves.
27 And Moles let his father-in-law depart h, and he went his way into his own land.
þ (3. e.) Diſmiſſed him honourably. See Numb: 10: 29.
CHAP. XIX.
The people come to Sinai, 1, 2. God's propoſal to them by Moſes. Of the . ferms of the Covenant, 3---=6, Moſes lays before them what God had commanded, 7. The peoples acceptance of the ſame, 8. God. direfeth Moſes how to ſanfifie the people, 10, 11. Moſes ſets bounds to the people , that they touch not the mount, 12. The puniſhment of thoſe that did, 13. Moſes 'janfifying the people, 14. commands them to keep from their wives, 15. The manner of Gods appearing, 16, 18, 19. God talketh with Moſes, 2 1-===43. N the third moneth 2 when the children of Iſrael were gone forth our of the land of Egypt, the ſame day b *-came they into the wilderneſs of Sinai. # Heb. Third new Moon, called Sivan, including the latter part of
May, and the former part of June. b Heb: in that day, ro wit, when | the Month or New-moon began, and when they departed from Re- *
phidim, to nore, that there was no Station between theſe two. This 1s ſer down- thus-accurately,becaule it gives an account of the Origi= nal of the Feaſt of Pentecoſt, becauſe the giving of the Law, which
d Into the Mount of God,to the place where God had now fixed his cloudy Pillar, and where he was about ro'manifeſt himſelf in a ; glorious manner. So it is an anticipation.
Chap. XX.
- and the LORD * As 7: 38:
4 * Ye have ſcen whar I did unto the Egyptians, * Deur: and how I bare you on Eagles - wings e, and brought 2g: 2:
you unto my elf f.
e ( 5. e.) Safely, out of the reach of danger ; and ſtrongly,againſt all oppoſition. Compare Deut: 32: 117 1ſa: 63:9. Rev: 12:14. f Into my preſence, and favour, and fellowſhip, to be my peculiar people, to ſerve and worſhip me as your only Lord and King.
2 and keep my Covenant, then * ye ſhall be a peculiar treaſure unto me þ above all people : for * all the earth 1s nine 4. |
5 Now * therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed * Deut: 5 * Deur. 4: 20: and 7: 6. and 14:
2,
g Heb. obeying ye will obey, i. e. if ye will obey me ſincerely, dili- 2: and 26:
; gently, and conſtantly. þ Highly prized and loved, and carefully ; kept by me, as mens Treaſures generally are. 7 For all people upon ; earth are mine by creation and dominion,and I can diſpoſe of them all as I pleaſe, 'and either chuſe or refuſe any of them as I think fit; \ and therefore thoughT mighr refuſe you, as well as any others, yet | it is my pleaſure to fingle you out of all the world, upon whora to
priviledge. : :
6 And ye ſhall be unto me a * kingdom. of Prieſts &, and an holy nation /, Theſe are the words which thou ſhalt ſpeak unto the children of Iſrae].
k So they are called in regard, 1. of their exemption and ſepara- tion from all the people of the world, as Prieſts are taken out of the multitude of men. 2. Of their conſecration to the worſhip and ſervice of God, every Subje& of this Kingdom being in ſome ſort a Prieſt to offer ſome kind of Sacrifices to God. 3. Oftheir Priviledges, becauſe God conferred upon them ſingular honour, ſafety and immu- nity,and liberty of coming near to him,as prieſts among all Nations have been eſteemed privil-dged perſons. 1 Purged from the Idolatry and other abominations of the heathen world, and ſeparate from them by a wall of partition ; allied to me by an holy Covenant,and conſecrated to my uſe and ſervice.
7 And Moſes came and called for the Elders of the people, and laid before their faces all theſe words which
the LORD commanded him.
that the LORD hath ſpoken, we will do. And Moſes returned-the words of the people unto the LORD .
- Not for God's information, but for the peoples greater obli- - img and to learn what anſwer he ſhould return from God to tNEm.
8 And the LORD ſaid unto Moſes, Lo, I come unto thee »1n a thick cloud o, that the people may hear when I ſpake with thee, and * believe thee for ever: arid Moſes told the words of the people p unto the LORD
of my mind to them. o See wer. 16: and compare 1 King: 8: 12, 2 Chron. 6: 1. þ Thoſe mentioned wer: 8. Thus is here repeated, becauſe God's anſwer to them now follows.
io And the LORD ſaid unto Moſes, Go unto the people, and fanctifie them q to day, and to morrow, and let them * walh their clothes r.