7 d re- +0 obtain and preſerve his own and Iſrael's peace an puter ry: Ta Sick God, TX offering up ſacrifices and incenſe, = ravers, to God on their behalf, Numb. 16. 57, 48. as alſo by _— - _ Show away from iniquity, which is the only peace-breakers,and by reaching and preſling the obſervation of this Law, which is the 0n- ly bond of their peace, Mal. 2. 5,6,7. _ : ” 13 And he jhall have it, and his ſeed after him f,ever
the covenant of an everlaſting prieſthood g. becauſe he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for
ildren of Ifrael. 32 Hi : _ _— What advantage had he by this promiſe, ſeing the thing here promiſed was due to him by birth ? Anſw. 1. The ſame _ ſing may be oft-rimes promiſed, as the Kingdom was to Davis ; and the renewing of this promiſe might ſeem convenient here, to ſignifie that bloodſhed was ſo far from polluting him, and thereby caſting him out of the Prieſthood, that it was a mean to confirm him in it. 2. This promiſe ſecured him and his againſt divers con- tingences. which otherwiſe might have befallen him or them, as that he ſhould live longer than his father, elſe he could nor have been the High-prieſt ;that he ſhould be preſerved from thoſe blemi- ſhes which might have rendered him uncapable of the Prieſthood, which were many ; that he ſhould have a ſeed,and they ſuch as were fir for that office: g (7. e.) To continue as long as the Law and Com- monwealth of the Jews did: Queſt. How was this verifed,ſeing the Prieſthood went from Eleazar's to Ithamar's line in Eli and three or four of his Succeſſors ? Anſw. 1. This promile, as others of the like nature, was conditiona), and therefore might be made void and of none effe&, by the miſcarriages of Phinehas his ſons, as it ſeems It was, and thereupon a like promiſe was made to. £17 of the line of Ithamar, that he and his ſhould walk before the Lord,to wit, in the of- fice of High-prieſt, for ever, which alſo for his and their fins was made void, 1 Sam, 2. 30. 4nſw. 2. That was but a ſhort interruption, and not conſiderable in ſo long a ſucceſſion, for the Prieſthood re- rurned to Phinehas his line in the time of Solomon, Kings 2.26,27,34- 1 Chron. 24.3. and continued in that line till the captivity of Baby- lon, as is evident, and. afterward too, 1 Chron: 6: 4. Ezra 7:1,5. even until Chriſt's time, for any thing which appears to the contrary. 14 Now the name of the Iſraelice that was lain,ever that was ſlain with the Midianitiſh woman, was Zimri the ſon of Salu,a prince þ of | a chief houſe 3 among the Simeonites &. T7 = h This is adeed as a proof of Phinehas his zeal that he durſt ven- rure upon ſo great a perſon, who was likely to have many avengers of his blood. i Heb. Of the houle of his Father. Every Tribe was di- vided into great Houſholds called the houſes of their Fathers, Numb. x. 2. and he was the Prince or chief of one of theſe, though not of the whole Tribe. k Of the Tribe of Simeon,which ſeems to have been too much influenced by his and other ſuch examples, ſo that for 59300. which were numbred, Num. 1. 22, 23. there were now 0n- ly 22200. Numb. 26. 14. 10 | 15 And the name of the Midianitiſh woman that was flain, was Cozbi the daughter of Zur 1; he was head over a people, and of a chief houſe in Midian. 1 One of the Kings or Princes of Mid/an, Numb.z1.8. Jof, 13\'21. 7 Or, and over her fathcrs houſe, 16 And the LORD ſpake unto Moſes, ſaying, 17 * Vex the Midianitess: and ſmite them e. u And why not the Moabites, who were as guilty, ver, r. 4vſw. r.
Becauſe God will reſerve to himſelf a liberty of puniſhing or ſpa- |
ring, according to his own good pleaſure. 2. God had a kindneſs for the Mosbites for Let's ſake, Deut. 2.9.3. God puniſhed the Moabites in another manner, partly by his own immediate hand, whereby it is p:obable he cut off thoſe Moabitiſh women' that were guilty of this fa&, partly by a particular and dreadful kind of excommunica- tion, Deut. 23,3. and partly by impunity, which in its conſequences is commonly worſe and more pernicious than any or all temporal puniſhments, which none that believes the Bible can deny. 4. Ir is probable the Midanites were moſt guilty, as in perſ\ wading Balak to ſend for Balaam, as may be gathered from Numb. 22, 4,7. So in the
reception of Balaam after Balak had diſſmiſſed him, Numb. 31.8. and
in further conſultation with him, and in contriving the means for the executing of this wicked plot. o (7. e.) Kill them : in which
words as there is a command to war againft them, ſo there is a pro-
. miſe of ſucceſs.
18 For they vex you with their wiles p, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor,and in the matter of Cozbi 9,the daughter of a prince of Midian, their ſiſter 7, which was ſlain in the day of the plague for Peors ſake.
p For under pretence of Kindred and Friendſhip and Leagues, yea and Marriages, which they offered to them, inſtead of that
Wir which' the Iſraelites expe&ed from them, they ſought only an
opportunity to infinuat themſelves into their familiarity, and exe- cure their helliſh plot of bringing that curſe upon the 1ſrael:tes, which they had in vain attempred to bring another way. 9g By drawing you both to ſpiritual and corporal whoredom. 7 In a large ſcnſe, to wit, their Counery. woman.
C H AP. XXVI.
Iſrael numbred : ſuch as were fit for War : of every Tribe + Levi excepted : their Number, 1---=---51, The Land to be diſtributed according to their Numbers 52, 56. ' The Levites numbred by themſ:lves, be- cauſe they had no Inheritance, $7---=—62. All that were numbred by Moſes and Aaron at Sinai, ſave only Caleb and Joſbua, died in the Wil- derneſs, 63--—65.
AN D it came to paſs after the plague & that the
LORD ſpake unto Moſes, and unto Eleazar b the
ſon of Aaron the prieſt, ſaying, s Laſt mentioned. Chap. 25.8, 9. 6 Who, his father being dead was High-prieſt. : 2 Take the fum c of all the congregation of vhe chil- dren of Iſrael * from twenty years old and upward,
3 R dv. throughout their fathers houſe, all that are able to 80 to war in Ifrael. :