all shnuld he pleasinl!: and accept.Rble to "t.lie Before taking his departure for the long Hii,h and Bol1· One which inhabiteth eternitv," sojourn implied in God's address to him, it wa• thought fitting that " pat.terns" sbo~ld " Come up to me into the mount, and be be sho"'ll to Moses of ell that was to be made Oiere" (ver. 12), Moses thought it. necessary to give certain directions to the eldere as to for the worship (Heh. viii. 5). and exact details what they should do in his e.bsence-1. They gi,·en him with respect to the material, size, were to remam where they were-i.e., in the shitpe, and construction of each. The results plain at the foot of Sinai, urtil his return, are put before us in seven chapters ( chs. however long it should be delayed. 2. They xx,·.-xxxi.). For the purpose of allowing w·ere to regard Aaron and Hur e.s their leaders, e.nd his (Moses') representatives. In ample time for the communications which case of any difficulty arising, they were to had to be made and of securing that nn- refer the matter to them. On Hur see the di,·ided attention which was requisite in order comment upon eh. xvii. 12. that all should remain fixed in the memory, Ver. 15.-llo■ea went up into the mount. God summoned his servant t.o a long and Having made the necessary arrangements for the go,·ernment of the people during his solitary colloquy, on the monnt.ain summit absence, Moses ascended, in company with whereon the cloud rested ( eh. xix. 18), ape.rt Joshua, to the upper part of the mountain, from all his people. Moses, of course, obeyed; and there waited for some further summons but before ascending, arranged with the elders A oloud, or, rather, Oie cloud previously men- that in his absence Aaron and Hur should tioned (eh. xix. 16), stood gathered upon the highest eminence, and marked the special haw• the direction of Rffairs, and decide all presence of God there. Moses, though called douhtful questions (ver. 14). He then went up into the mount, would not intrude into up the mount.ain, a.ccompanied for pa.rt of the this inner sanctuary, until specially bidden to wity by Joshua, who is now spoken of as his enter it. "mini11ter," or" attendant" (ver. 19). Joshua Ver. 16. - Now occurred a remarkable pa.use. The summons had been given to probably remained with him for six days, Moses, and he had obeyed it. He was there while Moses waited for a summons to enter on the platform a little below the summit, the cloud. On the seventh day the summons ready, but waiting for a further call. The came: and Moses, leaving Joshua, entered call we.s not made for six days. A holy the cloud, and was hid from the sight of ell calm reigned upon Sinai-the cloud rested upon the summit, and in the cloud was the men. glory of the Lord. Moses and Joshua waited Ver. 12.--Come 11p to me. Moses, appa- near-but for six de.ys there was no sign. rently, had descended again into the plain, God thus taught Moses, and through him the with Aaron and the seventy elders, after the world, that near approach to him requires festival was over. (See ver.14, and compare eh. long and careful preparation. Moses, no xxxii. 1.) He is now commanded to reascend, doubt, was occupied during the m days in u.d be there--i.e., "And continue there" continual prayer. At last, on the seventh -foreshadowing the length of the stay. Tables day, the call, which Moses had expected, of stone, u.d a law, and commandment.II, etc. came. God oalled unto )loses out of the Literallv. "Tables of stone. and the law and midst of the cloud. God summoned him to e. tlte commandments which I have written." closer approach-bade him enter the cloud- The three expressions alike refer to the De- and dre.w as nigh to h'im as possible. calogue, which alone God f/Jf'Ote. That thou Ver. 17-Meanwbile, to those below in the mayeat teach them. Bather," to teach them." pie.in, "the glory of the Lord" on the summit God wrote the commandments on stone, in above them, we.s like devouring fire on the order tu inculcate them with the greater force top of the mount. They had but to lift their upon his people. eyes thither, and they se.w his wonderful Ver. 13.-Ioses went up. Prompt t.o obey, glory--£howing like a huge fire-on the spot Muses. though be had only just descended from which he had spoken to them (eh. xx. frow the mount, immediately made ready t.o 18). This manifestation continued certainly 6et forth and again ascend it. This time he for the first six de.ys; whether it lasted longer was attended by his m.i.n.ister, loehua, whose or not is open to question. arm he had employed on a former occasion Ver. 18.-And lllloB8B went into the midst a~a,nst the Ama.lekit.es ( eh. xvii. 9 - 13). of the oloud. Quitting Joshua, Moses at le.st, TLe name, Joshua, is, however, still given in obedience to the call out of the midst of him by anticipation, since be did not receive the cloud, entered within its shadow and dis- it until he was sent by Moses to explore the appeared from human vision In this ab- land of Canaan (Num. xiii. 8, 16). normal condition, alone with God, he con- Ver 14.-And he Ila.id unto the elder,. twued for thirty-four days, waking, together en. XXIV. 12-18.] TIIE BOOK OF EXODUS.
with the six days before he entered the cloud, the forty de.71 and forty nights of tho text I during the whole of .!:his_ time he WM without food. Compare EhJah s f11•t (l King.s xi:<. before us, It ie noted in Deut. ix. 9, thnt 8), nnd our blessed Lord's (Matt. iii. 2 1.