" Chap. XXUl. NOM and the only poſſible way of ruining them,was by engaging their God againſt them : As the known way of the Romans and other Heathens, when they went to beſiege any City, they uſed Inchant- ments to call focth thar God under whole peculiar proteQion they were. t And of Mia/an too, as is manifelt from ver. 7. which was
[needleſs to repeat here. : 9 And God came unto Balaam «, and ſaid, What
men are theſe with thee x?
, Not to gratifie his covetous deſire, bur to advance his own ho- nour ard ſervice, even by the Counſels of his enemies. « He ask- eth not this for his own Information, but partly that Ba/aam by re- peating the thing in God's preſence, might be convinced and a- ſhamed of his ſin and folly in offering his lervice in ſuch a curſed buſineſs; And partly for a foundation to the following anlwer
io And Balaam faid unto Ged, Balakthe ton of Zip- por, King of Moab, hath ſent unto me, ſaying,
11 Behold, there & a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curſe
4th me them ; peradventure + I ſhall be able to overcome w_ P them, and drive them out. ring a= 12 And God faid unto Balaam y, Thou (halt not go
zainſt him. with them ; thou thalt not curſe the people, for they are bleſſed =.
y To whom God revealeth his mind, not for any love to him, bur for the ſake of his people concerned in it, as he did to Pharavh, Gen.q1.25.and to Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 2.45. 2 By my irrevocable de- cree and ſentence, and therefore it is in vainfor men to curſe them.
Alas . R CEENY
iz'd 13 And Balaam roſe up in the morning,and faidun-
So to the Princes of Balak, get ye into your land : for the LORD refuſeth to give me leave to go with you 4.
bs a He conceals the principal things, to wit, the reaſon of God's
prohibition, which might have given a ſtop to their further courſe and counſels in this matter, and ſecretly intimates his own good wall and readineſs to comply with them, if God had nor hindered him.
14 And the Princes of Moab roſe up, and they went unto Balak, and ſ:id, Balaam refuſeth to come with us b. b Thus they lay the blame upon Balazm, which he 1mputed to
God. 15 And Balak ſent yet again Princes, moe, and more
honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and faid to him, Thus
Logo _— ſaith Balak the ſon ef Zippor, | let nothing c, I pray |: from " thee, hinder thee from coming unto me. "a c No counſe} or ſuggeſtion either of God or man.
17 For L wiil promote thee unto very great honour 4. and I wiil do whatſoever thou fayeſt unto me : come
therefore, I pray thee, curſe me this people. d Before he wrought upon his covetouſneſs, now upon his am- birion. ' 18 And Balaam anſwered and ſaid unto the ſervants chap. 24+ of Bajak, * If Balak would give me his houſe full of til. _ ver and gold, I cannot e go beyond the word of the
LORD my God f, to do lefs or more. | e You deſire and expett that from me which 1s out ofmy power, to re{iſt the will of the great God He {lily infinuates, Thar he wanted not Will, but Power on!y. f So he calls him partly to mag- nifie himſelf as the ſervant ot the ,re.t Jehovah; partly, that by pro- feſling this reſpe& unto God, he might the ſooner induce him to grant his Nefice; And partly becauſe he worjhipped th= true God, together with Idols, as many in thoſe times and places did. iy Now therefore, 1 pray you, tarry ye aifo here this night, that I may know what the LORD will ſay
unto me more g. z Poſlibly he may change his mind, or'yield to my renewed ſuit. Thus he ſought to make God and his conſcience ſtoop to the fer- vice of his pride and covetouſneſs, which was abominable. 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and {aid un- to him, If the men come to call thee, riſe up and go with them b: bur yer the. word which I ſhall ſay unto
thee: char thalt thou do z.
h Since this is thy great deſire and purpoſe, as far as thou can'ſt, take thy courſe; I will, acco:ding to thy wiſh, withdraw my re- ſtraint, and leave thee to thy ſe!f and thy own choice. Compare Pſal $1.11.12. i Theſe words iignifie not ſo much his duty, as the e- vent and his diſappointment, Thou ſhalt not do what thou d-ſireſt, to wit, curſe my people and ſo enrich and advance thy felt, but Twill ſo over-rule thy mind and bridle thy tongue, that thou ſhalr ſpeak nothing but whar is contrary to thy deſire and intereit ; And there- fore, though I permit thee to go, thou ſhalt loſe thy deſign in it.
21 And Balaam roſe.up in the morning, and fſadled his aſs, and went with the princes of Moab. |
22 AndGod's anger was kindled becauſe he went &, tHeb. /z- and the Angel ofthe LORD ſtood in the way Þ for an "am. adverſary againſt him!: now he was riding upon his af,
and his two ſervants were with hira w. | þ Either 1. Becauſe he went of his own accord,with the Princes ' of Moab, and did not wait till they came tocall him, (z. e.) urged him to go, which was the ſign and condition of God's permiſſion,v,20. but rather himſelf ;ofe and called them, as it may ſeem from v. 21. Or 2. Becauſe thoſe words, v. 20. did contain no approbation nor licence, but a bare permiflion, and that in ariger, as Ba/aam might eaſily have underitood, it he had conſidered hi: own heart, or the circumſtances of his conceſſion, This was no more an app:obati- on than thar paſlage of Chrilt ro Judas, John 13. 27 That thou doeſt, do quickly. Or 3. Becauſe he went with ill deſign, and deſire to do contrary to what God had charged him, ro wit, ro curſe the people, as plainly appears from the following ftory, and from Devt. 23. 5. for Gad hath been oft and juſtly angry with thoſe who have done what God bad them,when they did it in evil manner, or for evil
l,
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B E K S. Chap. XX
ends, as appears from 1/z. 10. 6, 7. and many other places. /(. e.) To oppoſe and rerrifie, if not to kill him. » The reſt of the coni- pany being probably gone before them. For in thoſe ancient times there was more of {implicity, and leſs of ceremony ; And there- fore it 15 not firange that Balazm came ar ſome diſtance, after the reſt, and attended only by his own ſervants.
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23 And * the aſs ſaw the Angel » of the LORD ſtanding in the way, and his ſword drawn in his hand, Jud. rx. and the aſs turned «fide our of the way, and went in- co the field s and Balaam ſmote the aſs, to turn her into che way.