The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 96

distinguished earthly rank. But the absence of theso things only makes more manifest the presence and dignity of the inviifible God. The less of earth was seen, the more of heaven; the less of man, the more of God. If God be for us, who can be against us? If God bo with us, what need we care who forsake us? Because Moses felt his own deficiencies, compared with the greatness of the work before him, God gave him this promise, and the fulfilment of it gave both needed and sufficient strength during all his conflict with Pharaoh. What about our relation to Christ's promise, " Lo, I am with you al way, even unto the end of the world?" The mournful truth with respect to us ma.y be that we do not feel, either the greatness of the work before us, or our utter lack of strength to do it. We must know the burdens and the bonds, the smitings and the contumely, the sighing and the crying, of spiritual Egypt, before ws can appreciate the necessity and graciousness of Christ's parting promise to his people. 2. God adds something even more noticeable than the promise of his presence. We do not say it is more important, but it is certainly more noticeable. He makes an intimation of a very help/ul token to be exhibited in the future. Moses needed no more tokens of God's power at present; he had a sufficient token in the burning bush. If this had failed to impress him, neither could he have been persuaded by any additional wonder. But God gave to Moses a word which would keep in his·mind the prospect and hope of a great sign in the time to come. What a thought to take with him through all the dismal succession of the plagues, through all the steady progress towards deliverance-that somehow or other uod would bring the large host of Israel to this very mountain; to this lonely place where few people lived, because few could live I Moses would need a token by-and-bye even more than he had needed one now. His greatest difficulties were to be, not with Pharaoh, but with- Israel; not in getting them out of Egypt, but in leading them onward to Canaan. Some difficulties doubtless he would expect, but all the stubbornness, waywardness and carnality of Israel he did not yet foresee. So the Apostle found his greatest difficulties and sorrows, not from those who stoned him at Lystra, imprisoned him at Philippi, and conspired against him at Jerusalem; but from the fornicators, the litigious, the schismatical, the deniers of the resurrection at Corinth; from the pliable yielders to Jewish bigotry· in Galatia; in short, from.all who, having professed to receive the truth, acted in a way incompatible with their professions; and thus we see God keeping Moses, as it were, ahead of the people. He was forty years ahead of them already. The creature comforts ot Egypt, for which Israel lusted so in the wilderness, were no temptation to him, seeing he had become used-to the wilderness. And so, when he came again to Horeb, with all this vast;host in his charge, it was to rejoicu in the strength that came from a fulfilled promise of God. III. CONSIDER THF. EXPECTATION FROM ISRAEL WITH WHICH Gon LOOKS FORW.litD TO THE GIVING OF THIS TOKEN. Not only will God bring Israel to this mountain, but when they reach it, it will be to serve him. He says very little; only, " YP. shall serve God," but that little would be enough to set Moses thinking. And yet, with- all his anticipations, they must have fallen far short of the reality. One small word from the lips of God has behind it a fulness of meaning far beyond present thoughts. We learn, by the time we come to the end of this book, that serving God meant gathering in solemn and timid awe around the smoking mount; meant for Moses himself forty days and nights of retirement with Jehovah; meant the constructiQ.,n of the Tabernacle with all its holy contents according to the pattern shown in the mount. What a difference in the knowledge, the obligations, and the outlook of the IsraeliteH when they left Sinai ! And if the word "service," looked at in the light of past experience, was a word of meaning so large with respect to them, is it not incumbent on us to do all we can for ourselves to fill the great terms of the Christian dispensation with the fulness of their meaning? Fai th-atonement--the blood of Christ--regeneration- love-holiness-heaven: let these words represent to our minds an ever-growing, a devout and correct experience of the great body of the truth as it is in Jesus.-Y. Vers. 13-17.-The second difficulty : the God of .Abraham, Isaac, and J aco'b-- wltat iJi his name 1 Moses feels that when he goes among his brethren, one of their first questions will be as to the name of this God of Abraham, Isaac, and Ja.cob. Consider-  vs THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. m. 13--17,