The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 320

'J'hi~ now turns to their honour. The text, however, does not forllid the supposition thRt i11diuid11als from the other tribes also came out, and separated themselves at the call of Moses. III. Tm; OOMMil!BION. This was llUfficiently eanguinary. It put the fidelitJI' of Levi fo a terrible test. "Thus eaitb the Lord God of llll'&el, Put every man bis sword by hie side, and go in and out," etc. (ver. 27). 1. In the work of executing Jehovah's vengeance, the Lemtn were to "comecrate" theTTlllelvea (ver. 29). They were to devote theilll!elves. 'rhey were to be actuated in wbe.t they did by pure zeal for God's glory. 'rhey were to obey to the letter the command he bad given them. 2. In the doing of this work, they were sternly to ~ B all natural impulses: "every man upon his son, and upon his brother" (ver. 29; cf. Dent. x:uiii. 9). So earthly ties are not to be permitted to stand between U8 and duty to Christ (Matt. viii. 21, 22 ; x. 27). IY. Tm; EXECUTION OF THE :MANDATE. 1. The Levt'tes showed tmflinching ,zeal in the 'IIXYf'k entrusted to them. By their zeal on this, and on other occasions (Deut. mill. 6), they reversed the curse which lay upon their tribe, and won for themselves great honour and blessing. In particular, they won ihe privilege of serving in the sanctuary. 2. They skw three thousa,nd of the pecplE (ver. 28). "Terrible surgery this," as Carlyle BBys of the storming of Drogbeda; "but u it turgery, and judgment, or atrocious murder merely?" The number of the slain was after all small as compared with the whole body of the people. Probably only the ringleaders and chief instigators of the revolt were put to death, with those who still showed th'! ;i;~;.ion to resist. Note, that notwithstanding their great zeal on this occasion, the Levites were among those afterwards excluded from Canaan for unbelief. This is a striking circumstance. l t shows how those that think they stand need t.o take heed lest they fall (1 Cor. x. 12). It reminds us that one heroic act of service is not enough t.o win for us the kingdom of God. " We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence fast unto tM end" (Heh. iii. 14). It may suggest t.o us also, that many of the Israelites who failed under the lat.er trial, s.nd so were excluded from Canaan, thus forfeiting the earthly inheritance, may yet have had the root of the matter in them, and so, spiritually, were saved.-J. 0. Ver. 26.-" Who i.s on the Lord's side, Let him come unto me." The following point;; suggest a practical treatment of the passage- I. IN THE WA.11.FAJI.E BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, THEBE IS NEED FOB TAXING SIDES. Some side we must take. We cannot rema.in neutral. Not t.o be on the Lord's side, is to be on the side of his enemies. It is our duty to choose the Lord's side. (1) He has a claim on our allegiance. (2) It is the side of honour and of duty. (3) It is the side we will ultimately wish we had chosen. • Il. THE EXAJIPLE OF ONE GOOD :MAN, IN DECLAJUNG HIMSELF ON THE LoBD'S SIDE, AFFOBIIS A II.ALLYING-POINT FOB OTHERS. He gathers others around him. His influence decides and emboldens them. fil THE TF,ST OF BEING ON THE LoBD's BIDE IS, THAT, WHEN OTHERS ARE APOSTATIS- ING ABOUND us, WE BEllAill FA.ITBJl'UL. Weak natures will always go with the multitude. Decided piety shows it.self in beiDg able t.o resist the contagion of numbers. It needs courage to be singular. IV. BEING ON THE Lmm's SIDE CARBIJ!'B WITH IT CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS. (1) The obligation of personal cona,cration. (2) The obligation of renouncing earthly ties, BO far as iDconsistent with the higher allegiance. (3) The obligation of doing the Lord's work. v. FmELITY Oil TBE LOIU>'s BIDE WILL IIEBT WITH .6JII ULTlllATE BBWABD.-J. o. EXPOSITION. Ven;. ~.-Moua Oll<DI: IIOBE DITEB· the people were not as yet COil81lllled, and CEDES WITH GOD POB THE PBOPLE- GoD therefore that God's wrath wu at any rate .A.NSWEBS HIii. No distinct reply seems to held in snspense. It might be th&t the have been given to the previow; intercession pwusbment inflicted on the 3000 had ap- "f Mose1; (vers. 11-13). He only knew th&t peucd God's wrath: or something more en. xx:m. 33-35.] nm BOOK OF ~;xoous. might be needed. In the latter crun, Moses t.he list of the righteous, and ensures to those WO.'! ready to sacrifke himself for his nation whose names e.re written th•re,in, life he,f,,re (ver. 32). Like St. Paul, he elects to be "ac- God, first in the earthly kingdom of God. au,! then eteme.l life e.lso" (Keil). Thu~ M,,se~ ciirecd from God, for his brethren, his kinefolk rleclared his willingness-ne.y. his wish-that after the flesh" (Rom. ix. 3). But God will God would visit on him the guilt of his people, not have this sacrifice. " The soul that ein- both in this world and !h~ next, so that he neth, it shall die" (Ezek. xviii. 4). He de- would thereupon forgive them. St. Paul he.s o. clares, " Whosoever bath sinned agairurt me, similal' burst of feeling (Rom. ix. 1-3); but it does not involve a formal oller-it is simply him will I blot out of my book" (Ex. xxxii. the expression of a willingness. Ordinary men 33). Moses shall not me.ke himself a victim. are scarcely competent to judge these sayings Without any such sacrifice, God will so far of great se.ints. As Bengel says-" It is not spare them, that they shall still go on their easy to estimate the mee.snre of love in a Moses way towards the promised land, with Moses 11.'1 e.nd II Panl ; for the narrow boundary of our rell.'loning powers does not comprehend it, e.• their earthly, and o.n Angel as their heavenly the little child is one.hie to comprehend the leader. Only, their sin shall still be visited courage of heroes." Both were willing-/el! in God's own good time o.nd in his own way. willing, e.t e.ny re.te-to sacrifice their own How, is left in obscurity ; bot the decree is future for their conntrymen-and Moses made issned-" In the day that I visit, I will visit the offer.. Of all the noble e.cts in M~• life it is perhe.ps the noblest; and no correct esti- their sin upon them" (ver. 34). And, writing mate of his character co.n be formed which long years after the event, the author observes does not be.se itself to e. large extent on his -" And God did plague the people because they conduct at this crisis. made the calf which Aaron ma.de" (ver. 35). Ver. 33.-WhollOever h&th sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Beyond Ver. 30.-0n the morrow. The day most e. doubt, it is the genere.l tee.ching of Scripture be.ve been well-nigh over when the slaughter the.t vicarious pnnishment will not be accepted. of the 3000 we.s completed : e.nd e.fter the.t the " The son shall not bear tbe iniquity of the corpses ha.cl to be buried, the signs of ce.me.ge father, neither shall the father bear the in- to be elle.ced, o.nd the wounded, of whom there iquity of the son-the righteousness of the must he.ve been me.ny, ea.red for. Moses wonld righteous shall be upon him, and the wicked- he.ve he.d to direct, if not even to superintend, ness of the wicked shall be upon him " (Ezek. everything, e.nd therefore conld not ree.scend xviii. 20). Mo.n "cannot deliver his brother, or Sine.i until the next de.y. Moses said unto make agreement with God for him ; for it cost the people. Not now to the elders only, e.s in more to redeem their sonls, so the.t he most let eh. xxiv. 14, hut to all the people, since all the.ta.lone forever"(Ps. x.l.ix.. 7,8). One only ha.cl sinned, e.nd ea.eh mo.n is held by God atonement is e.ccepted-the.t of him who is e.t individually responsible for his own sin. Ye once man o.nd God-who he.s, himself, no sin have sinned a great sin. One which com- -filld ce.n therefore take the pnnishment of bined ingratitude o.nd falseness with impiety. others. Peradventure I ehall make an atonement. Ver. 34.-Lead the people onto the plaoe, Moses he.s formed the design, which he etc. Thii we.s e. revocation of the sentence of executes ( ver. 32); but will not reveal it to dee.th pe.ssed in verse 10. The people we.s to the people, from modesty probably. be spa.red, e.nd Moses we.s to conduct them to Ver. 31.~ode of gold. Re.ther " a god of Palestine. lline Angel eh&ll go before thee. gold." Mine Angel-not f myself ( comps.re eh. Ver. 32.-If thou wilt forgive their sin. xxxiii. 2, 3). Another threatened pnnishment, The ellipsis which follows, is to be supplied which we.s revoked upon the repentance of the by some such words, 11.'1 "well e.nd good"-" I people (ib. 4, 6), o.nd the earnest prayer of am• content"-" I he.ve no more to say." Moses (ib. 14-16). I will viait their sin Similar ce.ses of ellipses will be fonnd in Do.n. upon them. Kalisch thinks that a plague was iii. 5; Luke xiii. 9 ; xix. 42 ; J oho vi. 62 ; e.t once sent, o.nd so nndersto.nds verse 35. Rom. ix. 22. And if not, blot me, I pray But most commentators regard the day of thee, out of thy book. Some interpret tlus e.s visitation 11.'1 the.t on which it WO.'! declared merely equivalent to, "Blot me out of the that none of those who had quitted Egypt book of the living," o.nd explain the.t phre.se e.s shonld enter Ce.n.ean (Num. xiv. 35), and re- meaning simply-" Te.ke my life-kill me gard that sentence e.s, in fa.et, provoked by the instead of them "-but something more seems golden calf idolatry ( ib. 22). to be meant. "The book of the living"- Ver. 35.-The Lord plagued, or" struck"- " the book of life "-the book of God's writing i.e., "punished" the people. There is uuthing -is uot merely II register of those who happen in the expression which requires us to tuHler- to be alive at any given time. It "~uutaius staud the sending of a. pestilence.  THE BOOK lW EXODUS. [CR, XI.Xll. 31-34.