The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 183

compnAsion. 'l'ho twofold aspect of the Divine Natllre is stearlily kept before us by an arrangoment in which its opposite sides are presented to our contemplatinn alternately. l. INBTANOES OF THE DIVINE SEVERITY. 1. "Thou she.It not sufTer a wit~h tn Jive., ( \'Crse 18). 2. "Whoso lieth with e. beast shall surely be put to death" ( \'erse 1!)), 3. "He that sacrifices to e.ny god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly de- st.oycd '(verse 20). 4. "Thou she.It not revile the gods (God) nor curse the ruler of thy peovle ·' (verse 28). In these utterances it is Justice that makes itself heard, wrath that manifests itself, severity that gives strict rules for human conduct, and threatens iremendolls penalties in case of their infringement. (1) Witchcraft is made a capital offence. Modems constantly speak of witchcraft as founded on mere illusion, and regard witches and wizards as unfortunate persons, labouring under a certain amount of self-deception, e.nd hounded to their death by persecutors far more to blame than their victims. It is generally assumed e.t the present da.y that to hold actual communication with evil spirits, a.nd thus obtain superna.tura.l power, is impossible. We a.re told that "it is absolutely impossible to acknowledge sorcerers or witches," and that" those who pretend to be such must be considered as impious and nefarious impostors" (Kalisch). 'l'he whole round of natural phenomena is presumed to be known, a.nd no mystery to remain anywhere. Witches a.nd wizards a.re tricksters; demonology and magic, delll- sions ; evil spirits themselves either non-existent, or relegated to another sphere, and so entirely beyond human cognisance. But thela.ngua.ge and ideas of Scripture are different. 'l'here evil spirits a.re regarded a.s really existing, a.nd the witch is considered to have nccess to them. Death would scarcely be assigned as the penalty for mere trickery and imposture. It is well deserved by those who renounce God, and place their trust in spirits of darkness a.I together. While the subject must be allowed to be one a.bout which much· obscurity still lingers, it would seem necessary for those who accept Seri pture as an infallible guide, to put a.side the shallow theories of modem sciolists, and hold, with the wisest of all ages, that "there a.re more things in heaven and earth, than a.re dreamt of in our philosophy." (2) Unnatural crime is made capital. All that is contrary to nature, all that tends to produce "confusion" in his univer~e, is absolutely hateful to God. Human legislators ea.red little about a sin which a. natural repulsion ea.used to be rare, and which ha.d no very obvious ill effects upon S<'cict v. Some religions con- aecra.ted it a.nd ma.de it a. portion of their ceremonia.l. Soruc, and they were the greater number, viewed it with complete indifference. The Mosa.JI' legislation. differing from almost all others, placed upon the offence the brand of heinons guilt, and required that both the man and the beast should die (Lev. xx. 15, 16). (3) The acknowledgment of false gods in an open and public way is forbidden under the same penalty. Thought is left free-no inquisitorship is established-but if men para.de their misbelief by offering sacrifices to the gods of other nations, the insult to Jehovah is to be punished ca.pita.lly. It was flagrant rebellion a.go.inst God, a.nd a. transgression of the fundamenta.1 law on which the community wa.s built (eh. xx. 3). It wa.s a. pollution to the land, and might draw down Divine judgment on the nation. It wa.s offensive to the consciences of all God-fearing men in the community. No punishment under the death-pena.lty could be adequate for a crime, which wa.s against God, against the State, and against society. '!'he severity wa.s, however, without parallel in other codes. (4) Reviling God, and reviling rulers are both sternly forbidden ; but the penalty is not as yet affexed. Reviling God wa.s, like sacrificing to false gods, an overt act of insult, challenging notice, and if allowed, destructive of the theocracy. The penalty afterwards affixed to it was dead:. (Lev. xxiv. 16). In the Book of the Covenant it wa.s thought enough to forbid it, the temptation to such an a.et not being great. Reviling rulers seews to have been coupled with reviling God in order to introduce the idea that "the powers that be a.re ordained of God," and consequently that those who resist them "resist the ordinance of God." The death-penalty, though not positively enacted in this case, is the natural con- sequence of resisting one who "beareth not the sword in vain." Thus far, therefore, the legislation here placed before us is severe-almost Draconic. Expre_ssly or imp_liedly the death-penalty is threatened in every case. God is shown forth as an inexorable Judge, who "will by no means absolve the wicked "-and man can but trem hie before him. Or. the other hand, in the remainder of the passage we have-- II. lNSTANOES OF THE DIVINE TENDERNESS. l. "Thou aha.It neither vex a stra.n:,:ur 11:XODUi-IL 0 1!14 'l'IIE BOOK OF EXODUR. [err. XXII. 10-28.