5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? ir js no place of ſeed, or of figs, orvines, or of pomegranates,neiche! is there any water to drink.
6 And Moſes and Aaron went from the preſence of the aflembly 5, unto the door of the tabernasle of the
. : [1
|
[1 +
h Partly to avoid the growing rage of the pecple, for Gods fin-
gular proreQion of them did not exclude theuſe of ordinay means : , ,, ; and partly to go to God forrelief and redreſs,
7 And the LORD fſpake unto Moſes, ſaying,
8 * Take the rod z, and gather thou the ailembly toge- ther,thou and Aaron thy brother,and ſpeak ye unto the rock k before theireyes,and it ſhal give forth his water.& thou ſhalt bring forth to them water out of the reck ; ſo
thou ſhalt give the congregatien and their beaſts arink.
/ Thar rod which was laid up before the Loid in the tal ernacle, as aPPCears from verſe 9. But whether it was Aarons rod, which was undoubtedly laid up there, N76. 17. 10. or Moſes his rod by which he wrought ſo many Miracles, it is not conſiderable : or whether it was not one and the ſeme rod, wh:ch was commonly called Moſes his rod, as here, verſe 11. and elſewhere, and ſometimes A4arons rod, as Exed.7. 12. which may ſeem moſt protable.For itis likely,though not related elſewhere in Scripture, that vw onder-v orking 10, cal- led therod of God, Exod. 4. 20. was laid up in ſome -part of the taber- nacle, though nor in or near the Ark, v here 4arozs bloſſoming ' od for a particular reaſon was put. k Which will ſooner hear and 0- bey my Commands than theſe ſottiſh and ſtubborn people.
9 And Moles took the rod from before the LORD Z/, as he commanded him,
1 (i.e. ) Out of the Tabernacle.
10 And Moſes and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he {aid unto them, Hear now,ye rebels,muſt we fetch you waterout of this rock ?
1s And Moſes lift up his hand, and with his rod he {mote the rock twice : & the ® water came outabundant- ly, and the congregation drank, and their beaſts alſo ms.
m Tothe men it was a Sacrament, 1 Cor: 10: 3, 4.but to the beaſts it was no holy bur a common thing. So that the Elements in the Sacraments have no inherent and inſeparable holineſs, but only a relative holineſs with reſpe&t to their ule, unholy and common.
12 And the LORD ſpake unto Moſes, and Aaron,
Becauſe * ye believed f me not », to ſandtifie meo in *chap. 27;
looks and ge'rures, or rather by the m:trer and manner of their ex- inme;
p-efſions and ations, either -. by ſmiting the rock,and that tice, « hich i+ emphatically noted,as if he doubted whether once ſmiting would have doneit, wv hereas he was not commanded to ſmite 10 much as once, butonly to ſpeak to it : or 2. by the doubtfulneſs of theſe words, verſe 10. Muſt we fetch water out of the rock? which ims plies a ſuſpicion of it, as the like word. do,Ger. 18. 13 whereas they ſhould have ſpoken poſitively and contdently to the rock to give forth waters. and yetthey did nor doubr ofthe power of God,but of his wil!, whether he would gratiie theſe rebels with this further miracle,after ſo many of the like kind. And beſides the words thems felces, it is conſiderable, both with what mind they were ſpoken, which God ſaw to be diſtruſtful, and in what manner they were de- livered, which the people might diſcern to come from misbelief or Joubhr. And there might be divers other unbelieving wo: dsuſed by the this tine and place, though they be not here recorded, it bein uſual in Scripture to give only the ſum or principal heads of diſcourſes or events,leaving rhe reſt to be gathere® out of them. See Pjal. 106.32,33. 0 (i: e:) To give me glory of my power in doing this wiracle, and of my truth in punctually fulfilling my promiſe ſo ro Co, ani of my goodneſs in doing ir notwirhlanding the eos ples perverſeneſs. p 1 his made their fin f:andalou to the 1/raelites, who of themſelves were roo prone to infideliry, and little needed fuch an ill example ; to prevent the -ont:gion whereof (:od leaves a monument of hi« great *1ſpleaſu:e upon them, and inflifts a pu- niſhment as publick and manifeſt as thei: fin was.
12 * This is the water of || Meribah g becauſe the chi!dren of iſrael firove with the LORD, and he was
ſanctifed in them -. q Called Meribah Cadeſh, to diſiinguiſh it from another Mcribah Exod.17.7. r Or,among them,to wit,the children of Iſrael! laſt mentioned
by the demonſtration of his omnipotency,veracity,and clemency to- ſtrife,
i ards the Iſ-aelites,and.of his impartial holineſs ani ſeverity againſt ſin even in his greateſt friends and favourites, as Moſes was.
14 And Moſes ſent meifengers s from Kadeſh unto the king of Edom, Thus faith thy brother z Iſrael, Thou knoweſt all the travel thar hath + befallen us «,
s By Gods dire&ion, Deus. 2. x, 2, 3. & For wasnot Eſau ( who is
in the uttermoſt of thy border.
x To wit,the Angel of the covenant,Chriſt Jeſus,who firſt appear- ed to Moſes in the buth,Exod.3.2. and afterward in the cloudy pillar, who condutted Moſes and the people out of Egypr, and thorough the wilderneſs, as appears from . Exod. 14.39. and 23.20. and 33. 14» 1 Cor. 10. 4. For though Moſes may ! e called an ge! or Meſſenger, a title given to Phinehar, Judg. 2. 1. andtothe Prophers, 2 Chron. 36. 16. and to Haggai, Hag.z.13, yet itis not pr{ba'le that he is meant, partly becauſe Moſer was the perſon that ſent this meJage, partly
3 C DeG3ls
< —
our of which they are -
+ Heb, * Edom, Gen. 36. 1. ) Jacobs br1ther? Mal 1. 2. uAll the wandrings found us,
7:&15:5. © Chap: 14.
A Exod. I7: $5.
we Exod: 17: 6.
*Deutf. 33s 8. Plal.g5. 8. & 106; 32. &c.
ih Thatis;
Chap. XX. NUMB | becauſe there was no reaſon why he ſhould expreſs himſelf by ſuch a da:k and doubtful title to them ; and partly becauſe another An- o] beſides and above Moſes did condu@ them, and the mention POE to the Edomites was likely to give more authority and efficacy to their preſent meſſage. y ( i: e: ) Near the city Kadiſh, the Par- ticle in being oft ſo uſed, as we have ſhewed.
17 Let us paſs,I pray thee,through thy countrey: We will not paſs through the fields,or through the vine-yards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells z: we will 0 by the kings higb-way, we will not. turn to the right hand, nor tothe left, until we have paſſed thy borders.