Vers. 10-22.-New obedience. Moses, having detailed the success of his interces- sion in Horeb, and that the threatened doom was averted and the pilgrimage proceeded with, goes on in this passage to analyze the obedience to be rendered. It is all summed up in fearing the Lord, walking in his ways, loving him, serving him with heart and soul, and keeping his commandments. Let us try to grasp the description of new obedience here presented. I. ISRAEL WAS TO BE A GOD-FEARING PEOPLE. A fine word this," the fear of God"- not indicative of slavish consternation, but of reverential awe. It is the fear which springs from a fitting sense of God's greatness and majesty. He is too great and too glorious (ver. 17) for any of his people to trifle with or to presume upon him, as in the familiarities of ordinary intercourse. II. AND CONSEQUENTLY ISRAEL WILL SERVE Goo WITH HEART AND SOUL. For when in faith we fear God, we find that "faith worketh by love," and so we throw ourselves "heart and soul" into his service. We adore his excellencies, and then are "proud to serve him." His commandments become our songs in the house of our pilgrimage, and we find in keeping them a great reward (Ps. cxix. 54; xix. 11). III. THE NEED OF SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION WILL THEN BE FELT. "The circumcision of the foreskin of the heart" can only mean the use of all lawful means to restrain the wilfulness and waywardness of the heart. The lusts must be subdued, of which self is the centre and selfishness the essence. God has become central and supreme, and so all that interferes in any way with bis rights must be" cut off," no matter how painful the process be. '!'his is the cure for "stilfneckedness." IV. THE OARE OF THE FATHERLESS, WIDOW, AND STRANGER, IS FELT TO BE DIVINEST ~UTY. God is impartial, he respects not persons. He is just in all his reign. But he 1s also compassionate, and makes the defenceless and the helpless his special care ( vers. 17, 18). And in this we feel it our privilege as well as duty to follow him. This is mani- fested in- 1. 01-phan societies. Where the widow is considered with the fatherless, and a11 much of the wrecked home as can be kept together is tried by loving care to be r,re- DEUTERONOMY. 0 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [err. XI. 1-32.
sr1T<'<l. "\\-r nrc finding more considerate ways every dl\y of ministering to the lonely and 1hr ,l<•st1lnte. '.'. J!aspilality. This nwans love manifested to a stranger because he is I\ stranger. 'l'lwrc is a spcculatfre hospitality that is poor and mean; and there is a Divit10 hos- pitn lity that asks those who cannot repay tho attention, and asks them for the good Lnnl's sake. For if we nrc reclC'cmcd of God, like Israel, we must feel that it is duo to God's kind- ness t,o str::mgcrs. ""e were n_aturallf "alien~," b?t his lov~ ~ado us _friends, ~nd we ha-e C'ntcrC'd into his fellm,·sh1p and JOY, It 1s tlus felt obhgat1on which sustams tho attention to "stran"ers" which the Lord enjoined. It is cYiclcnt th;t the Jewish religion was intended to be a lovely thing because n thing 0f Jove; a matter of broad and genial sympathies and of noble efforts after ,foinc;t duties.-R. M. E.
EXPOSITION. their guidance nnd protection, and iu the CHAPTER XI. punishment of those who transgressed. Ono l\J oses here renews his exhortation to instance of the latter is expressly referred obedience, enforced by regard to their ex- to-tho destruction of those who joined in the insurrection of Korah (of. Numb. xvi. perience of God's dealings with them in 81-33). Moses does not mention Korab Egypt and in the wilderness, and by con- himself here, but only his accomplices sideration of God's promises and threa.ten- Do.than and Abiram, probably, o.s Keil ing-s. The blessing and the curse are set suggests, "from regard to his sons, who before them consequent on the keeping or were not swallowed up by the earth along with their father, but had lived to perpetu- the transgressing of the Law. ate the family of Korah; " perhaps also Yers. 1-12.-Israel was to love the Lord, because, though Korah was at tho head of and manifest this by the steadfast observance the insurrection, Do.than o.ndAbiram were the of all that he had enjoined upon them. more determined, audacious, and obdurate in Yer. 1.-llis ch&rge; what he has their rebellion (cf. Numb. xvi. 12-15, 25, appointed to be obse!"l"ed and done (cf. ~ev. 26), so that it came to be no.med from them. ,iii. 35; Numb. i. 53); more fully explamed Ver. 6.-All the substance that was in their bv his statntes, and his judgments, and his possession; literally, every living thing (Gen. commandments. vff. 4, 28) that was at their feet, i.o. all their Ver. 2.-Xnow ye; take uote of, ponder, followers (cf. "o.11 the people that follow lay to heart. The words iho.t follow, thee," Exod. xi. 8; "all the men that apper- for . . . seen, are a parenthesis thrown tained unto Korah," Numb. xvi. 82). in by the speaker to attract ~he attention Vers. 7-9.-Thus from what they them- especially of the older generation, who had selves had witnessed does Moses admonish witnessed the acts of the Lord. The words, the elder members of the congregation, the chastisement, etc., are to be connected summoning them to recognize in that the "·ith lmoic ye, as the object of the knowing, purpose of God to discipline and train them, And know ye this day the chastisement, etc. that so they might keep his commandm!)nts Which have not known, and which have and be strengthened in soul and purpose to :wt seen; rupp. "what ye have known and go in and possess the land, and to live long seen." Your children; those born during therein ( eh. i. 88 ; iv. 26 ; vi. 3). tLE; wanderinu in the wilderness. Chastise- Ver. 7.-For but, read ye.a: Yea, your eyes ment; not pu~ishment, but discipline, edu- have seen, etc. cation, trainiIJg (LXX., ,rcu~eia), including Vers. 10, 11.-An additional motive to both correction and instruction ( cf. the use fidelity and obedience is here adduced, of the Hebrew word 7C1l:l in Prov. i. 2; v.12 • drawn from the peculiar excellence and vi. 23, etc.). His greatnese . . . Btretched advantages of the land. Canaan was not ont arm (ef. eh. iii. 24; iv. 34). like Egypt, a country that depended for its Yers. ::l, 4.-(Cf. eh. iv. 34; vi 22; Exod. fertility on being irriguted by man's lo.hour Ai,·.) or by artificial processes, but was o. land Ver. 5.-What he did Ul!to you in the where the supply o.nd distribution of water wilderness, The doings of God to the was provided for in natw-al reservoirs o.ncl r=ple iu the wilderness comprehend the channels, by means of which the re.in which uw.nifel!tatio11e of his omnipotence, both in God, who cared for the land, sent plentifully OU, XJ, 1-82.] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. 195