The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 169

Absorbed in "the sorrow of the world," they have no ear for spiritual comfort, 11.nd almost i;purn it as a mockery. 2. At the prosped of having to go again before Pharaoh. Having feiled with the people, how should he hope to prevail with Pharaoh, emboldened ns that monarch would be with the suooess of a previous refusal? 'l'he element of discouragement here is the depressing sense of failure. Moses had failed in the part of the work which seemed easiest, and in which on the former occasion be had succeeded; ho,v, then, should he look for success in the more difficult part of it, where previously he had sustained defeat? Observe carefully that on this point Moses' plea was not admitted. (1) We are bad judges of what u failure. What Moses counted defeats were not defeats at all, but at most delays. 'l'he history of missions furnishes striking illustrations of the danger of too hastily concluding that a work has failed because no immediate fruits are visible. Nothing has been more common in missionary experience (South Seas, Madagascar, 'l'innivelly, the Kohls, etc.) than times of extraordinary fruitfulness following upon long JJeriods of seeming failure-ten, twenty, thirty years often passing without o. single convert. These were seasons of tria.1 of faith, and had the missions been abandoned, as timid counsellors advised, the whole blessing would have been lost. (2) It is the doing of our duty we are held responsible for, not the failure or success which may attend it. That remains with God. The lesson is that in spiritual work there must be no ta.lk of abandonment; no putting of the hand to the plough and then looking back; no flinging away of our weapons because the outlook is discouraging. Our part is to labour on, believing that "in due season we sha.11 reap if we faint not" (Ga.I. vi. 9). 3. By the revived sense of personal <Ujicienci,es. " How then sha.11 Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips ! " Moses had Aaron, it was true, to speak for him, but there was a certain clumsiness in this method of two men going in, the one to speak for the other, and Moses felt his deficiency only the more keenly on account of it. He seems to have despaired of having any influence with Pharaoh, who would look on him with contempt. Moses forgot that in work of this kind no man "goeth a warfare any time at his own charges" (1 Cor. ix. 7), and that, if God sent him, God would qualify and support him, would give him strength for every duty he had to perform (cf. eh. vii. 1-7). III. Gon's UNSHAKEN PURPOSE ASSERTING ITSELF IN THE MIDST OF HUMAN UNBELIEF Alo."D u,"FIRMITY (vers. 11, 13, 29). This is a most remarkable feature in the na.rra.tive- how, high and clear above all notes of doubt and hesitancy on the side of man, and at the very time when things are wearing their most untoward a-spect, God expresses him- self with perfect decision as to the deliverance of the people. Hope in the hearts of the people seemed extinct; even the faith of e. Moses was staggering at the obstacles to be encountered. These fears and tremblings, however, are all on the human side; he who names himself Jehovah is raised infinitely above them, and has clearly in his view not only the certainty of his purpose being fulfilled, but all the steps by which the fulfilment is to be brought about. How should this give us confidenc~ w~en we are trembling for the cause of Truth ! We cannot see the end from the begmrung, but Jehovah can, and we can stay ourselves on Ms knowledge of what is dark to us. lt is euough for us to know that no contingency can arise which he is not aware of and ha.s not prepared himself to cope with; that no opposition can erect itself against his counsel, which it is not within his power to overthrow. The counsel of the Lord stands for ever-the one stable fact in the midst of earthly vicissitude and change, of all ebb and flow of human hopes and fears. That surely is enough to lean upon, in the dark and troubled hours of our own and of the world's existence. IV. FRESH EVIDENCE OF THE SUPERNATURAL CHARACTER OF THE DELIVERANCE, Allusion ha.s already been made to the theory that the Exodus had its origin, not in a wperna.tural interposition of God, but in some gigantic spiritual movement springing up among the people themselves. The facts in this chapter, if anything of the character of history belongs to them, conclusively dispose of that theory. So far from the peop!e of lsrael being in a state of hopeful enthusiasm, ready to make great efforts for thell' own deliverance, they appear as utterly crU6hed and broken-spirited-totally "without strength." There was doubtless a profound purpose in God's permittin~ theI?- to be brought into this condition. 1. It made more manifest the fact that thell' deliverance did -not originate with themselves. And 2. It furnishes a striking image of Gospel truth. We too were " without strength" when, "in due time, Christ died for the (In, VJ. 10.j 'l'HE BOOK 01<' EXODUS. l:j3