HOMILETICS. T ers. 7-10.-The a'n{lff qf God. God may well be angry when his people aposta- ti&e; and having n,cently professed entire submission to his will (eh. xix. 8; u:iv. 3), rebel suddenly, a.nd cast his wor-i.'I behind their backs. God's anger against Israel was a.t this time intensified- I. BY TBEm EXTB.Elll!E INGRATITUDE. He had just delivered them by a series of stupendous miracles from a cruel b-:indage. He had brought them out of Egypt-he had divided the Red Sea before them, and led them through it-he had given them a. complete vict.ory over the Amalekites. He was supporting them day after day by a miraculous supply of food. He had condescended to enter into covenant with them, and t.o make them his" peculiar treasure"-" a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" ( eh. xix. 5, 6). He was further engaged in giving them a law which would place them far in advance of other nations, and render them the main source of life and light in a "orld of moral darkness and deadness. There had been no moment in their history when they were more bound by every consideration of duty, honour, and thankfulneSB to cling to Jehovah-yet, spite of ell, they had rebelled and rushed into idolatry. II. BY THE suoDENNEIIS OF TBEm .A.POl!TASY. "They have turned a.side quickly out of the way," said the Almighty to Moses (ver. 8). A few weeks only had gone by since they had declared themselves God's willing servants-had entered int.o covenant with him, and promised to keep ell his coIJl]Jl8.D.dments. What had caused the sudden and complete change ? There was nothing to aooount for it but the absence of Mo1!8s. But surely it might have been expected that their convictions would have had sufficient ruot to outlive the disappearance of Moses for as long as six weeks. The fact, however, wa.; otherwise. They were of those who had" no root in themselves"-and as soon aa temptation came, they fell away. The remembrance ?f their o~d idolatries came upon them with e. force that they had noi strength to res1St---e.nd 1t happened unto them 11CCOrding to the true proverb : " The dog is turned to his own vomit age.in, a.nd the sow that w!Mi washed to her wallowing in the mire " (2 Pet. ii. 22). III. BY THEm SINNDIG .AG.A.INST ABUNDANT LlGBT. Until the delivery of the second comm&ndment e.t Sinai, it might perhaps have been a doubtful point whether the worship of God under e. material form wa.s, or was not, offensive to him. But after tha.t CII. Hllll. 7-1 l.] TUE BOOK OF EXODUS.
delivery, all doubt was removed. The bowing down to a.n image had been then aud there declared an "iniquity," an offence to a" jealous God," which he would visit unt,, tho third and fourth generation. Nor was this all. An express prohibition of the very act thot Israel had now committed, had been put in the forefront of the "Book of tbo Covenant"-which opens thus-" Ye have seen that I have talked with you frc,rn heaven-ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unfo yo•1, gods of gold" (oh. xx. 22, 23). It Wl18 impossible therefore that they should plead ignorance. Knowingly and wilfully they had transgressed a plain command of the Great God, who~~ power and glory had so lately been revealed to them. They had sinned in the full light of day. Uhristians in their manifold idolatries-of covetousness, lust, fashion-worship, etc.-are more ungrateful than even the Israelites, since they sin against One who h,-~ died to redeem them, and they sin against a still clearer light-the double light of a full revelation of God's will, and of a conscience enlightened by the Holy Ghost. God', wrath may well" wax hot against them, to consume them from the face of the earth." Ver. 11-15.-The intercess-ion of Moses. This intercession should be studied and laid to heart by all Christians, especially by Christian ministers, whose duty it is to "watoh for the souls" of others, as" they that must give account." It was-- I. EARNEST AND IMPABilIONED. No feeble voice, no lukewarm, timid utterance, waS' heard in the words whereby the leader sought to save his people. Prayer, expostula- tion, almost reproach, sound in them. God is besought, urged, importuned, to grant the boon begged of him. The tone of Ja.cob's answer rings in them,-" I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Gen. xxxii. 26). II. UNBELFIBH, OR BATHER SELF-RENOUNCING. The promise, "I will make of thee a great nation," ha.s evidently taken no hold of the unselfish nature of the prophet. He declines to give it a thought. God must keep his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--not make a new promise, a.s if everything was now to begin afresh. The offer, which might have tempted any man, is simply set aside, as if it had not been made, or at a!ly rate could not have been seriously meant; and the whole energy of the speaker concentrated on inducing God to spare his people. III. WELL-REASONED. Three arguments are used, and each of them bas real weight. (1) Israel is God's people-has been chosen, called, taken into covenant, protected and defended after a marvellous fashion. All this Divine effort would have been simply thrown away, if the announced purpose were carried out and Israel destroyed. God does not usually allow his plans to be baulked, his designs to remain unaccomplished. If he "has begun a good work," he (co=only) wills to "bring it to good effect." Will he not do so in this case? (2) .A.re the enemies of God to be allowed a triumph? Israel's destruction would afford to the Egyptians an ample field for scoffs, ridicule, self- glorification. Would God suffer this? (3) Promises had been made, rnth great solem- nity(" Thou swarest by thine own self," ver. 13), to the patriarchs, .Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that the" peculiar people" should spring from them. These might be kept in the letter, but would they be kept in the spirit, if all their descendants were nmv destroyed, except some three, and a new nation was created out of the descendants of Moses? IV. EFFECTUAL. "The Lord repented of the evil, which he thought to do unto his people" (ver. 14). The intercession of Moses prevailed-the announced purpose was given up. God spared his people, though his anger against them continued ; and they were punished in a different way (vers. 33--35).
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 7-14.-The wrath of Jehovah and the intercession of Moses. L JEHOVAH DEBOBIBEB TO MoBEB THE APOSTASY OF ISRAEL. Jehovah is omniscient; even while spreading before Moses, with all elaboration, the patterns in the mount, his all-observant eye is equally on the doings of the people below. And now, just when Moses is expecting to be dismissed with his instructions for the people, he is fated to learn that they have proved themselves utterly unworthy of Jehovah's great desigus. The thing described is an utter, shameless, and precipitate apostasy from Jehovah. Prev10us outbreaks of the nm BOOK OF EXODUS. [err. nxn. 7-14.