hack on the "lrnavy " Moses, and followed the lead of the brilliant but perhaps shallow Aaron, who could make molten images under the very shadow of Sinai, the mount of God, ere reverberating thunders had died away in the desolation of the desert. 4. The e.ssence qf his exc1tse. The defect was to the mind of Moses fatal-eloquence was the one quality mRterial to his mission. To many missions (e.g. military or administrativll) eloquence is not essential. The mission of Moses was diplomatic-it needed tonguo- power. "Say unto the elders of Israel I" "Say unto Pharaoh." He had to persuade a nation of slaves that he we.s the heaven-sent deliverer. He had to go into the audience-chRmber of the greatest potentate of earth, and speak to him for a nation, and for Jehovah behind the nation. J'USt tlie one thing he cculd not do; and for which he hwi, not the indispensable qualification. So in thousands of other cases, of various forms of duty and responsibility, of sorrow and perplexity. "Tongue" and "lip" and "word" are what the service demands, and all are wanting. III. THE DrvrnE DECLINING OF EXCUSE. Notice-I. The changing tone. It is- (1) Encouraging. Vers. 11, 12. (2) Indignant. Moses said, ver. 13: "Let it please Thee, 0 Lord, send I pray Thee by a hand Thou wi.lt send." (See the Heb.) This sounds submissive, as though Moses meant, "Send me." But from the translation of the LXX. the words seem ·to have carried a disloyal meaning, now lost in the Heh.: " I pray Thee, 0 Lord, prepare for Thyself another capanle, whom Thou wilt send." And so Jehovah was indignant. Self-diffidence may be carried too far. Yet was not Moses wholly cast away-for Jehovah took up again a tone likely to woo him to his duty. (3) Enccuraging again: vers. 14-17. 2. The ccunter pleas. God allows the truth of all we say, and then comes in wi.th his own Divine counter pleas why he should not accept either our excuses or declining-of which the main articles are these: The glory of God will be manifested-(!) In the use of man at all. God might have glorified himself in breaking-to pieces the empire of Egypt without the intervention of any human agency. Pietists have sometimes thought that they glorified God by IllAking him everything, man nothing. But God glorifies himself more by using m11n, for men are such poor tools to work wi.th. E.g. Quentin Matsys making the beautiful covering for the well that stands in front of Antwerp cathedral wi.th only a file and hammer. How! Such work with only file and hammer? So great an overthrow here, and such a creation of nation and church by a man, and such a man? The strength of God is evermore working by our weakness. (2) By the imperfection of our powers : vers. 11, 12. God the Creator of the imperfection as well as the power-the dumbness of the dumb, as well as the eloquence of the eloquent. He does this-i.e. supplements our imperfect power, by-L Other faculties in the man. So here· " the rod" of might in deed was to supplement the imperfect speech. [See also above, IT. 2.] ii. Other men. Here by Aaron, vers. 14-16. iii. Himself. In the earlier part of this controversy it was, "Certainly I will be with thee "--a general declaration. Now it is, "I will be with thy mw,th, and teach thee what thou shalt say." The Almighty power goes along with the imperfect organ of the Divine will. Apply as suggested above to all-- whether in the activity or in the patience of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.-R.
EXPOSITION. Vers. 18-23.-If Moses bad, as we have by bis wile e.nd sons (ver. 20). Scriptore Sllpposed, been accepted into the Midianitish gives no indications of the motives which nation, he would need permission to withdraw actuated him. Perhaps the Midianites were himsell from the tribal head. This hea.d was at this time straitened for want of room. now Jether, or Jethro, Moses' connexion by Perhaps the peculiar circumstances of Moses marriage, perhaps his brother-in-Jaw, perhaps were held to jUBtify his application for leave. a less near connexion. Natio1111 and tribes wet"e at this time amtlous to keep up their Ver. 18.- lly brethren probably means numbers, and jealous of the desertion even of here "my relations" (compare Gen. xiii. 8; xxix. 12). Moses could scarcely doubt but a single member. Jethro, however, made no that some of his countrymen were still living oppoFition to the return of Moses to Egypt, It would not have been for the interest of the even thongh be designed to be eccompanied Egyptians to exterminate them. Go in pee.oe OJJ, IV, 18-28.] THF, BOOK OF EXODUS. 1()8