The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 75

,f'l'iplion of the mighty pillnr of llro that of ,J?hovah t?eir Gori, nor to o/Tcnd him 1,, J,1 11 1.i,,J on Blnni, anrl botokonerl the presence malong any image or representation of him ,,r him whoso symbol is fire. With dark- ns the object of worship. Among the hea- noes, olouds [cloud], and thick darkness; underneath tbo fire was a clourl of deep then, and especially in Egypt, images ,vere dnrlmc11..._ out of which it hlazerl, tho "thick ~he very pillar and support of religion; hut rloud" of Exod. xix. !), 16, and tho "smoko" m l•rael, ns God had revco.led himself to ont of which the lightnings flRshcrl, and them without form, it was as a spirit ho was ov,•r which tho glory of tl,o Lord, like cle- to ho worahipped, and not under any out- yourinp; flro, rested on tho top of the monn- ward representation. tnin (I,xod. xix. 18; xx. 18; xxiv. 16, 17). Ver. 12.-On this occasion the people Ver. 16.-Graven image ('C!l), earverl hoard the voice of the words, but saw no work or sculpture, whether of wood, or aimilitude; thero was no form or shape meta.I, or stone-the similitude of any figure apparent to the oye. No man can seo God's -the furm of o.ny idol <'n;io,, form, sbtuc, faco (Exod. xxxiii. 20, 23); "no man bath idol)-the li.keueea-figure (n•p0, a build- Hccn God at any iimo" (John i. 18); nnd thotwlt the nobles or elders of Israel who ing, a model, a form, or figure).:.._of me.le or went° up with Moses in~o ~ho i:nount are female-b. apposition to graren image, and said to hnve seen GoJ, 1t 1s evident th11t illustre.t; ve of it. what they saw was only some lumi:..u11s Ver,-. 17, 18.-The likeneea-thc figure- man ifcstation of his glory, and not a f11rm of any beast, etc. A warninao 0 age.inst the or shapo of which a similitlldo could be animal-worship of Egypt. made (Exod. xxiv. 9-17). Even Moses, Ver. J!).-Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto with whom God said that he would speak heaven, etc. The worship of the heavenly mouth to mouth, and who should behold the bodies, especiall1 star worship, prevailed similitude of God (Numb. xii. 8), was told among the Cano.anites a.ad many of the that he could not set nis face, bis essential Semitic tribes, but ,;as not confined to personality, but only his Li.ck, the reflection them ; the Egyptiruis nlso reverenced the of bis glory (Exod. xxxiii. 18-23). sun as Ra., the moon as Isis, and the stars Ver. 13.-His coveno.nt; God's gracious as the symbols of deities. The lsraeliteB rngngcmcnt with Isrncl for their good, and were thus, Loth from past o.ssociations and by which they were bound to observe all his from what they might encounter in Canaan, commandments. God declared this at Sinai exposed to the danger of being seduced into when be uttered the ten commandments idolatry. Shouldest be driven: shouldest be (words, o•:,~;i), "the words of the covenant, urged on, drawn, or constrained ( cf. eh. xiii tho ten words" (Exod. xxxiv. 28), which he 13). Whioh the Lord thy God hath divided 11ftcrwe.rds gnve to Moses on two tnblcs of unto all nations under the whole heaven. /tone, written with the finger of God (Exod. God had allotted (p~l'J) to all mankind the xxiv. 12; xxxi. 18). Desides these, there heavenly bodi~s for their 11dvo._ni:.ge (Gen. L were other stntutes and ordinances which 14-18; Ps. CIV, 19; Jer. XXXL 35); 1t was, llioscs was commanded to tee.eh the people therefore, not competent for any one nation to e.~d which, with them, comprised the La~ seek to e.pproprio.te them as specio.lly theirs, g1,en at Sinni (see Exod. xxi. and following and it was absurd for any to ofl'er religious chapters). service to objects intended for the service of Vere. 15-20.-As the people had seen man. Te.rgum: Which the Lord thy God no form or figure when God spake to them, prepared for all peoples under heaven ; V nlgate: Qua, creauit Dominus Deus tuus fa so they wcrn to beware for their very Ii ves ministerium cunctis gentibus. This seem~ ( ~f. vcr. !l) of acting conuptly by making any better thun the interpretation that Got.I had k1ncl of imago, whether of man or of bcnst "allotted them for worship, i.e. hat.I per• for tho purpose of worshipping God as repre: mitted them [the nations] to choose them sentccl by it; they were also to beware of as the objects of their worship" (Koil, etc.); for: I. There is no distinction here between being so attracted by the splendour of the 1 the Hebrews and the other nations of the hcavc?ly bodies as to be forcibly seduced to earth; "all nntious" includes them as well Worship them nnd offer them reliaoious 0 scr- as the heathen. 2. Though God permitted ri cc. Th ey were not rn • this respect to imi- the heathen to worship the hc11venly bot.lies, ~~tc tho bcathon; for Goel, who had delivered he never allotted these to men in order that they might worship them. "It noteth God's cm out of the furnaco of Egyptian bounty in giving o.11 people the use of those L?ndago, had taken them for himself to be crenturcs, and the base mind of man to Ins specm • l possession; and therefore thoy worship such things as a.re given for ser- were to tako heed not to forget tho coveno.nt vants unto men" (Ainsworth). (lO Tim DOOtt Ot' bEU1.'E1WNOM\'.