The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 190

n r11l11mn~- : th(' ol.h('r clau,,c prohihits the fallen beBRt ""ould bring the enemies into )Pining wit.h olhl'rF in spreading one. Both friendly cont.act, and soften their feelings rlnn~('• he\"e a sper.ie.l reference to hearing towards each other. "·,t.n...,. m a court, hut neither would seem to \tM', 6.-As in ven1e 3 men were warned h,, <'onfined to ii. not to favour the poor unduly in court11 of Ver. 2.-Thou llhalt not follow a multitude justice out of compBll!lion for them, so here to clo evil. Rather. " Thou she.It not follow there is a wvning against the opposite, and R multitude to e,,il." A law a.like for deed, far more usual error, of leaning against the for word, and for thought. The example of poor me.n in oar evidence or in our decisions the manv is to be shunned. "Wide is the The srales of justloe are to be held even ; strict gate and broad is the we.y that leadeth to right is to be done; our feelings are not ho deetruction, and me.ny there be which go in allowed to influence ua, much less our cle.ss thereat." But " strait is the gate and prejudices. narmw is the wa,·. which lee.deth unto life: Ver. 7.-Xeep thH far from. a falae matter and fe'II· there he "thet find it" (Me.tt. vii. 13, Hold e.loof, i.e., from anything like a fe.lso 14). It is extraordinary that so many, even aeeOSBtion. Neither bring one, nor counte- nf prof1aing Christians, are content to go ne.nce one, else those mayest cause tho death with the many, notwithstanding the WBrnings of an innocent e.nd righteoUB man, and bring lt.lZ'llinst so doing, both of the law &nd of the down on thyself the vengeance of him, who ~pel. lfeieher ahalt thou ape&k, etc. will not jutil'y the wioked. H.ather. "Neither she.It thou bear witness in Ver. 8.-And thou ahalt talr:a no lift, The " rause to go aaide after a multitude to put worst sin of a judge, and the commonest in aside justice." The gcnere.J prece;pt is the East, is to accept a bribe from one of the fnllo"·ed by a particular application of 1t. In pe.rties to a suit, &nd give sentence accordingly. j ud!!ing a caUBe, if thou art one of the judges, AB snch e. practice defeats the whole end fo1 thou she.It not limply go with the majority, which the e.dministration of justice exists, it if it be bent on inJusti.ce, but form thine own is, when detected, for the most pm, punished opinion &nd adhere to it. capitally. J~phus tells us that it was so Ver. 3.-1'aither lhal.t thou oountenanoe among the J cws ( Contr. .A.pion. ii. 27) ; but the a poor man in hill aaue. After the m&ny Mosaic code, e.s it has come down to us, omits precepts in favour of the poor, this injunction to fix the penalty. Whatever it we.s, it was produce,; a sort of shock. But it is to be un- praetice.lly set at nought. Eli's sons " turned derstood as simply forbidding &ny undue aside after lucre, and took bribes, e.nd perverted fa\"ouring of the poor because they are poor, judgment" (1 Sam. viii. 3). In De.vid's and 80 as equivalent to the precept in Lev. time, men's he.nds were "full of bribes " xix. 15, "Thou she.It not respect the person (Ps. xxvi. 10). Solomon comple.ins of wicked of the poor." In courts of justice, strict men " taking gifts out of their bosoms to per- justice is to he rendered, without e.ny leaning vert the ways of judgment" (Prov. xvii. 23). either towards the rich, or towards the poor. lsa.ia.h is never weary of bearing witness To lean either way is to pervert judgment. age.inst the princes of his day, who" love gifts Ver. 4.-Thine enemy'■ oir.. A private &nd follow after rewards" (Is. i. 23); who enemy is here spoken of, not a public one, as "justify the wicked for reward, e.nd te.ke ,u DeuL xxiii. 6. It is remarkable that the away the righteousness of the righteous from law should h.e.ve 80 far anticipated Christianity him " ( ib. v. 23). Micah e.dds his testimony a., to h.e.ve la.id it down th&t men have duties -" Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the of friendliness even towards their enemies, &nd house of J e.cob e.nd princes of the honse of are bound nnder certain circumstances to Israel, that abhor judgment and pllf"uerl all render them a service. "Hate thine enemies " equuy. They build up Zion with blood, e.nd (Matt. v. 43) was no injunction of the Mosaic Jerusal.em with ini9uity. The hee.ds thereof law. hut a conclll&ion which B.e.bbinical judge /or reu,a,rd ' ( eh. iii. 9-11 ). The teachers unwarrantablv drew from it. Chris- gift blindeth the wile. See Deut. xvi. 19. tianity, however, goes "far beyond Mose.ism in Ver. 9.-Thouahaltnotoppre■sa stranger. laying down the broad precept-" Love your This is II repetition of eh. xxii. 21, with perhe.ps enemies.'' 11 specie.I reference to oppression through Ver. 5.-lf thou - the 811 of him tha.t courts of justice. For thou lmowest the bateth thee, etc. The general me&ning of heart of a stranger. Literally, "the mind of the pa.ssage is clear---e&&iste.nee is to he given a stranger," or, in other words, his thoughts tn the fallen ass of e.n enemy-but the ezact &nd feelings. Thou shonldest therefore be ,ense of both the second e.nd third clauses is able to sympathise with him. ,;1' douhtful. Many renderings have been su.g- CEREMONIAL LAWS (vers. 10-19). l!<'SLed ; hut it is not clear that e.ny one of them i,, " " improvement on the Authorised Version. Vers. 10, ll.-Law of the Sabbatical year Th.on Bhalt ■urely halp with him. The joint De.ys of rest, at regular or irregular intervals, p1111.Jcip11Lion ill an act of mercy towards a were well known to the ancients • and somo c;H, XXIII, 10-17,] THE BOOK OF r,;xoous. 201 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - --