The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 198

J>OJ>Uli,. i~ _not e.lwayR "vox Dei ;" that the f11.11hion of the day can never make that right winch the IRW of God declares to be wrong; tbat the voioe of the multitude is one thing to-da~·, and another thing to-morrow, while truth and duty remain one and the same; that whatever others think, it ce.n never be la\\ful for us to act contrary to our own con- viction~; that if the multitude are bent on doing evil, it is our duty, not to go with them, but to be witnesses for the truth in opposition to their courses; that great guilt e.ttac~ei; to u~ if. we do wrong simply in deference to popular sentiment; fine.Hy, the.t there 1s one who Judges us, that is, God, e.nd the.t he will surely ca.11 us to e.ocount for all 1mch unfaithfulness to conviction (ver. 7). 2. False sympathy. Judgment we.snot to be wrested, nor false witness given, out of e.ny quasi-benevolent wish to do a good turn to the poor (ver. 3). The poor man is not to be unjustly dee.It with (ver. 6), but neither is he to receive favour. A court of law is not the place for sentiment. Equal mee.sure is to be meted out to all. Judgment is to be given impartially e.s between brother and brother; rich and poor; citizen and foreigner (ver. 9); applying the same principles to each case, and keeping in view the essential merits e.s the sole thing to be regarded. 3. Enmity. Enmity to another, or the consideration of another's enmity to us, is not to be allowed to sway us in giving judgment in his cause, or in any other matter in which his rights are affected. This seems to be the connection of vers. 4, 5, with what pre- cedes 11.nd follows ; but the duty is taught somewhat indirectly by laying down the prin- ciple that enmity is not to be allowed to influence us at aJ,l, in any of our dealings with 011r neighbours. The illustrations ta.ken a.re very striking, and fairly anticipate the irospel inculcation oflove to enemies (cf. Deut. xxii. 1, 4). If an enemy's ox or e.ss we.s iseen going astray, the Israelite was not to hide himself, and let it go, but we.s "surely" to take it back a,,,aain. Or if his enemy's e.ss fell under a burden, he was not to yield to the temptation to forbear help, but was "surely" to help him to lift it up. A fortiori, he wa.s not to allow himself to be in any way influenced by enmity in giving evidence before the judges, or in pronouncing jud,,,oment on a cause brought before him. 4. Cove- tousness. (Ver. 8.) 'l'his forbids bribery. It is impossible for a.judge to te.ke a bribe, whether given directly or indirectly, and yet retain his integrity. Despite of himself, the gift will blind his eyes, and pervert his words. For the same reason a man can never be an impartial judge in his own ca.use.--J. 0. Vers. 10--20.-Sabbaths and feasu. I. SABBATHS. 1. The Sab"batic year (vers. 10, 11). Every seventh yea.r the land was to lie fallow, and what it spontaneously pro- duced wa.s to be a provision for the poor, and for the beasts of the field. There was con- nected with the ordinance a specin.l promise of unusual fertility in the sixth yea.r---0f such plenty as would make the nation independent of a harvest in the seventh (Lev. .x.xv. 21, 22). The Sabha.tic yea.r was (1) A period of rest for the land. Even nature requires her see.sons of rest. Only thus will she yield to man the best of her produce. The seventh year's rest was an agricultural benefit. (2) A period of rest for the labourer. ]t gave him time for higher employment. Moses enjoined that the whole law should be read on this yea.rat the feast of Tabernacles (Deut. xxxi. 10, 14). This may have been designed to tea.eh, " that the yea.r, e.s a whole, should be much devoted to the meditation of the law, u.nd enga..,uing in services of devotion n (Fairbairn). (3) A merciful provision for the poor. It le.id u.n arrest on man's natural selfishness, and taught beneficence and consideration for the needy. It showed that if man ea.red not for the poor, God did. ( 4) It was e. test of obedience. It would test conclusively whether the people were dis- posed to obey God, or would be ruled only by their own wills. In point of fact, the c,rdinance was not kept. It proved to be too high and Divine a thing for covetous and i;elfish dispositions. The neglect of it commenced very early, and lasted till the period of tL.e captivity (2 Chron. xxxvi. 21 ). (5) A periodical reminder that the land, and every- thing th.e.t grew upon it, belonged to God. Had the Israelites observed the ordinance, tL.e recurrent plenty of the sixth year would., like the double supply of manna on the sixth ciay in the wilderness, have been a visible witness to them of the supernatural pre- seoce of Jehovah in their micl;;t. 2. The weekly &ibbath (ver. 12). 'l'he invaluable ,;eventh day's rest was also to be sacredly observed by the nation. Well-kept Sabbaths have much to do with national prosperity. ll. FEASTS. The stated festivals were three (vers. 14-17). The design in their 11.n10io1.111ent was w commemorate mercies, to keep alive the memory of national event~,  C'll. XXITI. ]-!l]. THE IlOOK (JF EXODuS. 20!'1