The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 210

sif:tial will he their defeat. We must ever believe that our true strength is in God. It ~vas llC'Y<'r rntcuded thnt Israel should be looked on as a mighty military power. llnther 11 shnuld he n cau~c of RRtonishment among the nations that it was able to stand arrninRt all t hr resource~ gathered against it. "rhenever the lsrnelites began to trust in tlll!rn- sel\'cs and think they were able to ewe their enemies, then they were lost. God only 0011 terrify with t.hc terror that lasts. ,v e may confidently leave him to scatter con.. fu~ion among those whom we, with all our demonstrations, are unable to impress, 3. The in,iuncti-0n t-0 enter intt, no covenant with the former inhabitants. He who hnd been expelled by nothing less than an awful Divine force was not to be allowed to return under pretence of a peiteeful submission. Peace, concord, mutual help-we may say God would e\'er ha,•e these between man and man, nation and nation-but at the 11amo time we constantly get the warning age.inst crying, peace l peace l when there is no peace. If a foreigner came forsaking his idolatries, there was an appointed way for him into Israel, and a welcome to be cordia.lly given. But by no stretching of charity could it be made attainable for the idolater to settle down side by side with the worshipper and servant of Jehovah. II. THE LARGE POSITIVE BLESSINGS TO OOME UPON ISRAEL. The expulsion and per- manent exclusion of the former inhabitants, much as they are insisted on, were but the negative condition, the clearing of the ground, so as to bless Israel with somethina positive. Yery fittingly does God blend together the mention of these positiv~ blessings with cautions and warnings as to the treatment of the former occupants. As tl,e blessings were considered, the wisdom of the cautions would appear; and as the cautions were considered, so earnest and express, the greatness of tbe blessings would appear. God presents himself here as one very solicitous to ma.ke the land not only a l,!ood land for his people, but one cherished so as to m.'\ke the best of its advantages. For this purpose he begins with a kind of graduated expulsion of the former inhabitants. l 11stcad of expelling them by a sudden overwhelming blow, he rather does it li1!-tle by liulc. The encmiffi; of Israel were not to be multiplied needlessly by exposing their land to wild beasts; and the human enemies, contrary to their own designs and desires, were to leave for Israel the fruit of their own industries. If the Israelites had been asked whicb would be better,-to cast out their enemies at once or by a gradual process, they would probably have replied, "at once." God will ever adopt the right plan to secure the most of biessing for his people. Thus we may learn a lesson with regard to the expulsion of e'!"il still. God is still driving out evil little by little, a.nd~in so doing lie is building up good little by little. Thus the Israelites were to get a gradual and secure settlement in the land; a.nd then that settlement was to prove eminently profit- able. Four great elements of prosperity are mentioned. 1. The blessing of the bread and the water. All that was connected with the obtaining of food and drink would be under God's watchful providence. What are the bread and the water unless he blesses \,cm? God can turn the most fertile of lands into a very proverb of barrenness. Why, ti.•s very Cana.au had been afflicted with famine. It was because for some reason the blessing of God had been withheld from the bread and the water that the fathers of Israel had found their way into Egypt. 2. The maintenance of health. This is put in the most expressive way by indicating it in the aspect of banished sickness. Disease is sucL a common sight to w, and presents itself in such varied forms, that in no way can God'~ blessing of health be more emphatically revealed than by describing him as tl,e oue who Lealeth a.11 our diseases. To a large extent this health was to be the con- i;eq ueuce of blessing the bread and the water, giving by them, thus blessed, abundant a1.1d nutritious food. 8. The produ,ctivenas of animal, life. In a perfectly obedient brae! there were to be no abortions, no barren wombs. It was just because there was di,;uLedience in Israel that such cries as those of Hannah were heard (1 Sam. i. 11). Evidently all this normal generative efficacy largely depended on the blessing of the bread and water and the blessing of health. That any animal whatever, either human, or lower than human, should cw;t its young or be barren, was in itself a sort of disease. 4. 'I7u:fulfilling ef the days. The hoary head with its crown of glory is the appointed J"-'hse,sion of God's people. That so few obtained it only showed how much there waR uf imperfection in Israelite national life. These purposed blessings did not find their way iutu reality. 'l'l,e people were disobedient, unbelieving, self-regarding; and hence 1 lit· ~c1.-,b of I,lc,siug which assuredly God sowed among them either remained dead or ;;tru;;~k<l funL iutu a very imperfect lifc.-Y. !'II JtXIII. 20 :];),) 'l'Ilfi: IlOOK (JF EXUDUS.