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Exodus Chapter
Six
Exodus 6
Chapter Contents
God renews his promise. (1-9) Moses and Aaron again sent
to Pharaoh. (10-13) The parentage of Moses and Aaron. (14-30)
Commentary on Exodus 6:1-9
(Read Exodus 6:1-9)
We are most likely to prosper in attempts to glorify God
and to be useful to men
when we learn by experience that we can do nothing of
ourselves; when our whole dependence is placed on him
and our only expectation
is from him. Moses had been expecting what God would do; but now he shall see
what he will do. God would now be known by his name Jehovah
that is
a God performing
what he had promised
and finishing his own work. God intended their happiness:
I will take you to me for a people
a peculiar people
and I will be to you a
God. More than this we need not ask
we cannot have
to make us happy. He
intended his own glory: Ye shall know that I am the Lord. These good words
and
comfortable words
should have revived the drooping Israelites
and have made
them forget their misery; but they were so taken up with their troubles
that
they did not heed God's promises. By indulging discontent and fretfulness
we
deprive ourselves of the comfort we might have
both from God's word and from
his providence
and go comfortless.
Commentary on Exodus 6:10-13
(Read Exodus 6:10-13)
The faith of Moses was so feeble that he could scarcely
be kept to his work. Ready obedience is always according to the strength of our
faith. Though our weaknesses ought to humble us
yet they ought not to
discourage us from doing our best in any service we have to do for God. When
Moses repeats his baffled arguments
he is argued with no longer
but God gives
him and Aaron a charge
both to the children of Israel
and to Pharaoh. God's
authority is sufficient to answer all objections
and binds all to obey
without murmuring or disputing
Philippians 2:14.
Commentary on Exodus 6:14-30
(Read Exodus 6:14-30)
Moses and Aaron were Israelites; raised up unto them of
their brethren
as Christ also should be
who was to be the Prophet and Priest
the Redeemer and Lawgiver of the people of Israel. Moses returns to his
narrative
and repeats the charge God had given him to deliver his message to
Pharaoh
and his objection against it. Those who have spoken unadvisedly with
their lips ought to reflect upon it with regret
as Moses seems to do
here."Uncircumcised
" is used in Scripture to note the unsuitableness
there may be in any thing to answer its proper purpose; as the carnal heart and
depraved nature of fallen man are wholly unsuited to the services of God
and
to the purposes of his glory. It is profitable to place no confidence in
ourselves
all our sufficiency must be in the Lord. We never can trust
ourselves too little
or our God too much. I can do nothing by myself
said the
apostle
but I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Exodus》
Exodus 6
Verse 1
[1] Then
the LORD said unto Moses
Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for
with a strong hand shall he let them go
and with a strong hand shall he drive
them out of his land.
With a strong hand —
That is
being forced to it by a strong hand
he shall let them go.
Verse 2
[2] And God spake unto Moses
and said unto him
I am the LORD:
l am Jehovah —
The same with I am that I am
the fountain of being and blessedness
and
infinite perfection. The patriarchs knew this name
but they did not know him
in this matter by that which this name signifies. God would now be known by his
name Jehovah
that is
1. A God performing what he had promised
and so giving
being to his promises. 2. A God perfecting what he had begun
and finishing his
own work. In the history of the creation God is never called Jehovah
till the
heavens and the earth were finished
Genesis 2:4. When the salvation of the saints is
compleated in eternal life
then he will be known by his name Jehovah
Revelation 22:13
in the mean time they shall
find him for their strength and support
El-shaddai
a God All-sufficient
a
God that is enough.
Verse 5
[5] And
I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel
whom the Egyptians
keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
I have heard the groaning of the children of
Israel — He means their groaning on occasion of the
late hardships put upon them. God takes notice of the increase of his people's
calamities
and observes how their enemies grow upon them.
Verse 6
[6]
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel
I am the LORD
and I will bring you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
and I will rid you out of their
bondage
and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm
and with great
judgments:
I will bring you out: I will rid you: I will
redeem you: I will bring you into the land of Canaan; and
I will give it you -
Let man take the shame of his unbelief which needs such repetitions
and let
God have the glory of his condescending grace which gives us such repeated
assurances.
With a stretched out arm — With almighty power: A metaphor taken from a man that stretches out his
arm
to put forth all his strength.
Verse 7
[7] And I will take you to me for a people
and I will be to you a God: and ye
shall know that I am the LORD your God
which bringeth you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians.
I will take you to me for a people — A peculiar people
and I will be to you a God - And more than this we
need not ask
we cannot have
to make us happy.
Verse 8
[8] And
I will bring you in unto the land
concerning the which I did swear to give it
to Abraham
to Isaac
and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I
am the LORD.
I am the Lord —
And therefore have power to dispose of lands and kingdoms as I please.
Verse 9
[9] And
Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses
for anguish of spirit
and for cruel bondage.
But they hearkened not to Moses for anguish
of spirit — That is
They were so taken up with their
troubles that they did not heed him.
Verse 11
[11] Go
in
speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt
that he let the children of Israel go out
of his land.
That he let the children of Israel go — God repeats his precepts
before he begins his punishments. Those that
have oft been called in vain to leave their sins
yet must be called again
and
again.
Verse 12
[12] And
Moses spake before the LORD
saying
Behold
the children of Israel have not
hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me
who am of uncircumcised
lips?
Behold
the children of Israel have not
hearkened to me; they gave no heed to what I have said
how then shall Pharaoh
hear me? - If the anguish of their spirit makes them deaf to that which would
compose and comfort them
much more will his pride and insolence
make him deaf
to that which will but exasperate him.
Who am of uncircumcised lips — He was conscious to himself that he had not the gift of utterance.
Verse 13
[13] And
the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron
and gave them a charge unto the
children of Israel
and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt
to bring the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt.
The Lord gave them a charge
both to the
children of Israel
and to Pharaoh — God's authority is
sufficient to answer all objections
and binds us to obedience without
murmuring or disputing.
Verse 14
[14]
These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn
of Israel; Hanoch
and Pallu
Hezron
and Carmi: these be the families of
Reuben.
This genealogy ends in those two great
patriots
Moses and Aaron; and comes in here to shew that they were Israelites
bone of their bone
and flesh of their flesh
whom they were sent to deliver
raised up unto them of their brethren
as Christ also should be
who was to be
the prophet and priest
the Redeemer and law-giver of the house of Israel
and
whose genealogy also like this was to be carefully preserved. The heads of the
houses of three of the tribes are here named
agreeing with the accounts we
had
Genesis 46:8-27. Reuben and Simeon seem to be
mentioned only for the sake of Levi
from whom Moses and Aaron descended
and
all the priests of the Jewish church.
Verse 16
[16] And
these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations;
Gershon
and Kohath
and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred
thirty and seven years.
The age of Levi
Kohath
and Amram
the
father
grandfather
and great grandfather of Moses is here recorded; and they
all lived to a great age
Levi to one hundred thirty seven
Kohath to one
hundred thirty three
and Amram to one hundred thirty seven: Moses himself came
much short of them
and fixed seventy or eighty for the ordinary stretch of
human life. Psalms 90:10. For now Israel was multiplied
and
become a great nation
and divine revelation was by the hand of Moses committed
to writing
and no longer trusted to tradition; the two great reasons for the
long lives of the patriarchs were ceased
and therefore from henceforward fewer
years must serve men.
Verse 20
[20] And
Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and
Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven
years.
His father's sister —
That is
kins-woman. So the Hebrew word is frequently used.
Verse 23
[23] And
Aaron took him Elisheba
daughter of Amminadab
sister of Naashon
to wife; and
she bare him Nadab
and Abihu
Eleazar
and Ithamar.
Aminadab — A
prince of the tribe of Judah. The Levites might marry into any tribe
there
being no danger of confusion or loss of inheritance thereby.
Verse 26
[26]
These are that Aaron and Moses
to whom the LORD said
Bring out the children
of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.
According to their armies — Like numerous armies
in military order
and with great power. In the
close of the chapter
he returns to his narrative
from which he had broken off
somewhat abruptly verse 13
and repeats
the charge God had given him to
deliver his message to Pharaoh
verse 29.
Verse 29
[29] That
the LORD spake unto Moses
saying
I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt all that I say unto thee.
Speak all that I say unto thee — As a faithful ambassador. Those that go on God's errand must not shun to
declare the whole counsel of God.
──
John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Exodus》
“ I WILL.”
Note the seven “ I wills” in Exodus
6:7-8
and see how they correspond to the blessing of the Gospel—
Ⅰ. “ I will” of salvation. “ I will
bring you
＆c. (Eph.2:5).
Ⅱ. The “ I will” of severance. “ I
will rid you
” ＆c. (Col.1:13).
Ⅲ. The “ I will” of power. “ I will”
of power. “ I will redeem you
” ＆c.(Eph.1:19
to 2:6).
Ⅳ. The “ I will” of separation. “ I
will be to you a God” (John 15:16).
Ⅴ. The “ I will” of relationship. “ I
will be to you a God” (11. Cor.6:17
18).
Ⅵ. The “ I will” of leading. “ I will
bring you
” ＆c. (John 17:24).
Ⅶ. The “ I will” of heritage. “ I will
give
” ＆c. (1. Peter 1:3
4).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
06 Chapter 6
Verse 1
Now shalt thou see what I will do.
God’s reply to the prayer of a disappointed worker
I. This reply to
the prayer of Moses intimated that God would bring the true result of his
mission more thoroughly within the cognizance of his senses. “And the Lord said
unto Moses
Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh.”
1. The mission had hitherto been a great tax upon the faith of Moses.
The first repulse made him cry out for the visible and the tangible.
2. Now the mission is lowered to the sensuous vision of Moses.
II. This reply to
the prayer of Moses vindicated his conduct against the recent insinuations and
reproach of the Israelites. Men often take a wrong view of our conduct. God
always takes the right view. He knows when His servants are doing what He tells
them. He sends them messages of approval for so doing. This vindication--
1. Would reassure Moses in his work.
2. Would clear his conscience from all condemnation.
3. Would enable him to interpret his apparent failure.
III. This reply to
the prayer of Moses indicated how thoroughly the work announced by God should
be accomplished. “For with a strong hand shall he let them go
and with a
strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.”
1. This shows how wicked men are
under the providence of God
brought to do that which they
had once resolutely refused. The sinner knoweth not the future
or he would act
with greater wisdom
in the present.
2. God makes these revelations in response to prayer
that He may
reanimate the dispirited worker.
IV. In reply to the
prayer of Moses
God vouchsafes a new and sublime revelation of his character.
1. A sublime revelation of His name.
2. A comforting reference to His covenant.
3. A pathetic reference to the sorrow of Israel.
Lessons:
1. That God speaks to disappointed souls in prayer.
2. That the Divine communings with a disappointed soul have an
uplifting tendency.
3. That God deals compassionately with the weakness of Christian
workers. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
God’s long restrained wrath
When the ice on the great American rivers is broken up
it is
sometimes obstructed in its course towards the sea by a log of wood
or
something else
that arrests it. But then
as block after block of ice
accumulates
the waters above increase in volume and weight
till their force
with mighty crash
sweeps away all the mass. And so the wrath of God
though
long restrained by His love and mercy
sweeps away the incorrigible sinner to
perdition. (H. R. Burton.)
Conditions of successful work for God
1. Faith in God
and honest conviction that God will do as He says He
will.
2. Courage to
do what faith declares. God doesn’t use cowards or
faint-hearted men to do much for Him. He told Joshua to be of good courage.
3. Perseverance. Keep right on in the place God gives you to work for
Him. Many men fail right on the eve of battle. The best silver mine in England
was worked for a long time by a man who became discouraged just before it
yielded the richest ingots of choicest silver
and he sold out for a song and
lost a princely fortune. Keep at it. Get others to help
and work and plod and
win success.
4. Enthusiasm is a valuable element
and one that most men need. Too
many are afraid of enthusiasm
but all of us need to put more fire and feeling
in what we do for the Lord. (D. L. Moody.)
The judgments of God upon wicked men
I. That God sends
severe judgements on men who reject His commands. “Now shalt thou see what I
will do to Pharaoh.”
1. Notwithstanding his kingship.
2. Notwithstanding his obstinacy.
3. Notwithstanding his despotism.
II. That these
judgments are often witnessed by Christian people. “Now shalt thou see.”
1. They are seen clearly.
2. Retributively.
3. Solemnly. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
God’s everlasting “shalls”
It is a great thing to get hold of one of God’s everlasting
“shalls.” For when God says a thing shall be done
who shall hinder? When God
says “shall
” you may be sure that He is stirring up His strength and making
bare His mighty arm
to do mighty and terrible things in righteousness. Just
read through this chapter
and note how Jehovah asserts Himself--“I am the
Lord”; “I have remembered My covenant”; “I will bring you out from under the
burdens of Egypt”; “I will rid you of their bondage”; “I will redeem you with a
stretched out arm”; “I will take you to Me for a people”; “I will bring you
into the land concerning which I did swear to give it to Abraham
and I will
give it to you”; “I am the Lord.” All this is very refreshing and encouraging
to me. It must have been so to Moses
as he stood there and listened to these
strong and blessed words. And so I learn from such words this lesson: when I am
discouraged or cast down either about my own salvation
or about the work of
the Lord--to turn to the blessed Scriptures and search through the pages
and
read over and over again the strong
sure words of God. They sound like
bugle-blasts to me
calling me to faith and service. So may the strong words of
God reassure any fainting heart! Be sure that He will not be untrue to even the
least of the promises He has made to you; but will fulfil them all most
gloriously. These promises are like the cakes baked for Elijah
in the strength
of which he went for forty days. Only we may eat them fresh every day if we are
so disposed. (G. F. Pentecost
D. D.)
Verse 2-3
I am the Lord.
Duty to Jehovah
Consider the meaning of our duty to God; the great truth that we
have such a duty; and how it comes about that we have it.
I. Duty is
something which is due from one to another: something which ought to be given
or ought to be done; not a thing which is given or done under compulsion
under
the influence of fear
extorted by force
not even a free gift or offering;
quite different from this; if a thing is a duty
it must be done because it is
right to do it and wrong to omit it.
II. The words of
the text are as it were
the sign manual whereby Almighty God
in His dealings
with His ancient people the Children of Israel
claimed from them the
performance of that duty which they owed to Him. The words which gave validity
to an Israelitish law merely rehearsed the fact that He who gave the law was
Jehovah; and nothing more was added
because nothing more remained to be said.
III. Notice the
principles upon which our duty to God depends.
1. There is a relationship
a close vital connection between God and
man
which does not exist between God and any other of His creatures; man is in
a very high sense “the Son of God
” so that it is inconceivable that the true
aims and purposes of God and man can be distinct. Man being made in God’s
image
ought to do God’s will.
2. Our duty to God depends also on the ground of election. God deals
with us now as with His Church in former days; it is still a Church of
election. We
to whom God sends His commands
are still rightly described as
redeemed out of the house of our bondage; and if the redemption of Israel out
of Egypt be nothing better than the faintest type and shadow of the redemption
of mankind out of the power of the devil
how much greater is the appeal which
is made to us on the ground of
that deliverance which Jesus Christ has wrought
out. (Bp. Harvey Goodwin.)
Verse 4-5
I have also established My covenant with them.
A true pattern of gospel redemption
I. That gospel
redemption comes to the soul after a period of moral bondage and distress.
1. It finds the soul in a condition of moral bondage. “Whom the
Egyptians keep in bondage.” It is the bondage of sin. It has been long continued
through many years of our lives. It has been degrading. It has been fruitless
to ourselves. Almost hopeless.
2. It finds the soul in a condition of anxious grief. “I have also
heard the groaning
” etc. Tears of repentance. Cries for pardon.
3. It is generally preceded by some Christian agency. Aim of ministry
to awaken desire for moral freedom.
II. That gospel
redemption comes to the soul by virtue of a Divine covenant and promise. “I
have remembered
” etc.
1. God through Christ has made a covenant of salvation with all who
trust in the atonement.
2. By virtue of this covenant
all contrite and believing souls may
find rest in and pardon from God.
3. This covenant is--
III. That gospel
redemption brings the soul into holy and responsible relationship to God. “And
I will take you to Me for a people
and I will be to you a God” (Exodus 6:7).
1. It constitutes the soul a Divine possession
2. It places the soul under the peculiar guardianship of the
Infinite.
IV. That gospel
redemption leads the faithful into the inheritance of Canaan. What a change!
All things are yours. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
Reasons for human redemption
I. The burden of
man is a reason for human redemption. No human hand
but Christ alone
can
remove it.
II. The Lordship of
Christ is a reason for human redemption. He only could fulfil violated law;
forgive past neglect; and enable us to keep it in future.
III. The covenant of
God is a reason for human redemption. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
God’s covenant to His people
1. Stated.
2. Settled.
3. Kept.
4. Happy.
5. Restful.
Verses 6-8
I will bring you out.
The guarantee
1. God is able to deliver His people.
2. God is able to lead His people.
3. God is able to bring His people home.
I. Redemption is
possible
although the difficulties are great
because God is its Author. On
the Divine side--
1. Satisfaction to the throne in the obedience of Christ; and on the
human side--
2. The sanctification of man through the blood of Jesus.
II. The magnitude
of redemption is less than the Divine resources. God is able to supply--
1. Strength;
2. Patience; and--
3. Preservation for the journey.
III. God can fulfil
all prospective desires in heaven. (British Weekly.)
Israel and Pharaoh: types of the new and old man
I. Israel’s
position in Egypt. One of great and increasing trial. Iron bondage
occasioned
instrumentally by cruelty and jealousy of Pharaoh. Ordained of God to wean them
from Egypt
and make them long for promised land.
II. The judgment on
Egypt. Real contest between kingdom of light and kingdom of darkness. Satan has
supernatural power; and in order to deceive Pharaoh
and harden his heart
he
gave the magicians power
as far as he could (for there is a limit to his
power)
to work miracles of deception in imitation of miracles of truth. A
miracle does not necessarily prove a man comes from God; but only that he is
connected with some higher power--one of two kingdoms. It is the morality of
the miracle
and the holiness of the doctrine it is meant to attest
that
proves it to be from God.
III. The bearing of
these on the Christian’s life. See Romans 7:9; Romans 7:24 : State of awakened soul; o]d
man and new
with conflict between them; new man often oppressed
old man often
dominant though under judgment. (G. Wagner.)
A stretched out arm
The significance of this figure
“a stretched-out arm
” must have
been well understood by the Israelites. The deities of the Egyptians were
represented with outstretched arms
as symbols of irresistible might. In the
hieroglyphics which may yet be seen upon the obelisk at Heliopolis
and with
which the Children of Israel must have been familiar
two outstretched arms
occur as part of the title of one of the kings
Osirtasen Racheperka
with this
meaning
“Osirtasen
the sun
is might!” God’s outstretched arm
therefore
is
opposed to the king’s; and He adds
“I will take you to Me for a people
and I
will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God
which bringeth you out from
under the burden of the Egyptians.” Moses must also have bethought him of the
promise made to him upon the mountains: “See
I have made thee a god to
Pharaoh”: his outstretched arm was now endued with “might”; it was the
instrument by which many of the plagues were brought upon the land
and by
which at last
Pharaoh and his host were overwhelmed. (T. S. Millington.)
Verse 9
They hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit.
Physical destitution stifling spiritual life
A permanent principle of our nature
and a distinctive feature of
the Divine government are here embodied in an example. We shall endeavour to
explain the historic incident
and to apply the spiritual lesson.
I. The fact which
embodies the principle. It consists of three parts--
1. The message addressed to Israel: “Moses so spake unto the children
of Israel.” In that message
whether you regard its Author
its bearer
or its
nature
everything tended to entice; nothing to repel them. Its Author was the
God of Abraham
of Isaac
and of Jacob; its bearer was Moses
a man who for
their sakes had sacrificed his position among the princes of Pharaoh
and taken
refuge in a desert; its nature was hope to the desponding and freedom to the
enslaved. The time
too
seemed fit: when the bondage had become unbearable
word is sent that the bondage is almost done.
2. Their neglect of the message: “They hearkened not unto Moses.” It
was a spark of tire that fell
but it fell on wetted wood
and kindled
therefore no flame. They saw nothing against it
but they let it alone.
3. Examine near the specific reason of their apathy. The cause of
their indifference to liberty was the extreme severity of their bondage. They
hearkened not “for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.” Here is a paradox:
the slavery is excessively severe
and therefore the slave does not care for
freedom. Broken hearts have lost their spring
and cannot bound from the bottom
of the pit at the call of a deliverer. Great need does not
alone
produce
great exertion. The hopeless
helpless captive steadily refuses to stir
lest
the chain by the movement Should saw deeper into his flesh.
II. The principle
embodied in the fact. These things happened to them in order that their history
might be a type for us.
1. The message. To us
as to them
it is a message of mercy.
Specifically
it proclaims deliverance to the captive. God recognizes all
mankind as slaves
and sends an offer of freedom. Christ is the Messenger of
the covenant. A greater than Moses is here
publishing a greater salvation.
Through the lamb slain is the deliverance wrought. The death of Christ is the
death of death.
2. Such is the proposal; but it is not heeded. Comparatively few
disbelieve the message or revile the messenger. They simply pay no heed.
3. The reason of this neglect. A carnal mind
which is enmity against
God. At one time prosperity
at another adversity
becomes the immediate
occasion to an evil heart of departing from the living God. At present we are
called to investigate only one class of these occasions or causes of neglect.
Anguish of spirit and cruel bondage still make many captives hug their chains
and refuse to hear the voice which invites them to glorious liberty. The lesson
here parts into two branches
one pointing to our neighbour’s neglect
and
another to our own.
To the saddest of the sad
Little words often contain great meanings. It is often the ease
with that monosyllable “so.” In the present instance we must lay stress upon it
and read the text thus--“Moses spake so unto the Children of Israel.”
That is
he said what God told him to say. He did not invent his message. He
was simply a repeater of the Divine message. As he received it
so he
spake it. Now
the message Moses brought was rejected
and he knew why it was
rejected. He could see the
reason. The people were in such bondage
they were so unhappy and hopeless
that what he spake seemed to them to be as idle words. There are hundreds of
reasons why men reject the gospel. Amongst all the reasons
however
that I
ever heard
that with which I have the most sympathy
is this one--that some
cannot receive Christ because they are so full of anguish
that they cannot
find strength enough of mind to entertain a hope that by any possibility
salvation can come to them.
I. And first
will
you notice that what Moses brought to these people was glad tidings. It was a
free and full gospel message. To them it was the gospel of salvation from a
cruel bondage
the gospel of hope
the gospel of glorious promise. It was a
very admirable type and metaphorical description of what the gospel is to us.
Moses’ word to them was singularly clear
cheering
and comforting; but they
could not receive it.
II. We come now to
note that it was received with unbelief caused by anguish of heart. We can
quite understand what that meant. Let us look into the case.
1. They could not now receive this gospel because they had at first
caught at it
and had been disappointed. They limited the great and infinite
God to minutes and days; and so
as they found themselves at first getting into
a worse case than before
they said to Moses
deliberately
“Let us alone
that
we may serve the Egyptians.” They did as good as say--You have done us no good; indeed
you have
increased our miseries; and we cannot believe in you or accept your message as
really from God
seeing it has caused us a terrible increase of our sufferings.
Grace may truly and effectually come to a heart
and for awhile cause no joy
no peace; but the reverse. Yet press on; be of good courage. Wait hopefully.
The God who begins in darkness will end in light.
2. The inability of Israel to believe the message of Moses arose also
from the fact that they were earthbound by heavy oppression: the mere struggle
to exist exhausted all their energy
and destroyed all their hope. If you have
such a struggle for existence here
you should seek that higher
nobler
better
life
which would give you
even in penury and want
a joy and a comfort to
which you are a stranger now.
3. But
worst of all
there are some who seem as if they could not
lay hold on Christ because their sense of sin has become so intolerable
and
the wretchedness which follows upon conviction has become so fearful
that they
have grown almost to be contentedly despairing. A man who has begun to be
numbed with cold
cries to his comrades
“Leave me to sleep myself to death”;
and thus do despairing ones ask
to be left in their misery. Dear soul
we cannot
we dare not
thus desert you.
III. The message was
at first not received by Israel by reason of their anguish of soul
but it was
true for all that
and the Lord made it so.
1. The first thing the Lord did to prove His persevering grace was to
commission Moses again (Exodus 6:1; Exodus 7:2). So the Lord God
in
everlasting mercy
says to His minister
“You have to preach the gospel again
to them. Again proclaim My grace.”
2. But the Lord did more than that for Israel. As these people had
not listened to Moses
He called Moses and Aaron to Him
and He renewed their
charge. It is a grand point when the Lord lays the conversion of men on the
hearts of His ministers
and makes them feel that they must win souls. Moses
was bound to bring out Israel. “But there is Pharaoh.” Pharaoh is included in
the Divine charge. They have to beat Pharaoh into submission. “But these
Children of Israel will not obey.” The Lord put them in the charge: did you not
observe the words
“He gave them a charge unto the Children of Israel
and unto
Pharaoh”? Moses and Aaron
you have to bring Israel out
Pharaoh is to let them
go
and Israel is to go willingly. God has issued His royal decree
and be you
sure it will stand.
3. I cannot help admiring the next thing that God did when He told
His servant what to do. The Lord began to count the heads of those whom He
would redeem out of bondage. You see the rest of the chapter is occupied with
the children of Reuben
and the children of Simeon
and the children of Levi.
God seemed to say
“Pharaoh
let My people go!. . . I will not
” said the
despot. Straightway the Lord goes right down into the brick-town where the poor
slaves are at work
and He makes out a list of all of them
to show that He
means to set free. So many there of Simeon. So many here of Reuben. So many
here of Levi. The Lord is counting them. Moreover He numbers their cattle
for
He declares
“There shall not an hoof be left behind.” Men say
“It is of no
use counting your chickens before they are hatched”; but when it comes to God’s
counting those whom He means to deliver
it is another matter; for He knows
what will be done
because He determines to do it
and He is almighty. He knows
what is to come of the gospel
and He knows whom He means to bless. ( C. H.
Spurgeon.)
Men content to remain in bondage
When Moses came to the Hebrews to deliver them from bondage
they
distrusted his commission
and begged to be let alone that they might serve the
Egyptians. And so it happens when Christ
the Divine Emancipator
comes to men
who have long worn the inherited chain of bondage to sin. They have become so
habituated to the hopes
the desires
the pleasures and expectations of a
worldly life
that they give no heed to Him who offers to break their chain and
bring them forth into glorious and immortal liberty. I have seen the caged
eagle beating vainly against the iron bars of his prison
his plumes soiled and
torn
his strong wings drooping
the light of his glorious eye dimmed
the
pulse of his proud heart panting in vain for conflict with the careering clouds
and the mountain blast; and I thought it a pitiable sight Co see that kingly bird
subjected to such bondage
just to be gazed at by the curious crowd. And I have
seen the proud denizen of the air rejoicing in the freedom of his mountain
home
basking in the noon’s broad light
balancing with motionless wings in the
high vault of heaven
or rushing forth like the thunderbolt to meet the clouds
on the pathway of the blast; and I thought that that wild and cloud-cleaving
bird would choose death
could the choice be his
rather than give up his free
and joyous life to drag out a weary bondage in a narrow and stifling cage. And
yet I have seen a greater and sadder contrast than that. I have seen men
made
in the image of the living God
endowed with the glorious and fearful gift of
immortality
capable of becoming co-equal companions with archangels
consenting to be caged and fenced around and fettered down by customs and cares
and pleasures and pursuits
that only bind them to earth
make them slaves of
things they despise
and answer their noblest aspirations with disappointment.
(D. Marsh
D. D.)
Ready for deliverance
Imagine some poor shipwrecked mariner cast ashore upon a lonely
island in mid-ocean. The gallant vessel which had been his home upon the deep went down with
all its precious freight before the fury of the storm. His fellow-voyagers all
perished in the terrible conflict with the winds and the waves. He alone was
cast alive on shore
to suffer more than the bitterness of death in sorrowing
for his lost companions
and in longing for a return to his far-distant home.
The climate of the island is perpetual summer. Everything needed to sustain
life springs from the earth without cultivation
Flowers blossom and fruits
ripen through all the year. The forests are full of singing birds. But to the
lonely shipwrecked mariner this seeming paradise is a prison. He longs for his
distant home beyond the melancholy main. The first thing in the morning and the
last at evening he climbs the rocky height overlooking the sea
to search round
the whole horizon for some friendly ship coming to deliver him from his watery
prison. And when at last he sees a white sail hanging in the far horizon and
growing larger as it approaches
it looks to him as if it were the white wing
of an angel flying to his rescue. With eager and frantic joy he makes every
possible signal to arrest the attention of the coming ship. And when his
signals are answered
and a boat is lowered to take him on board
he is ready
to rush into the waves and swim out to meet his deliverers before they reach
the land. Yet all his joy is excited by the hope of return to an earthly home
where he must still be exposed to pain and sorrow and death. This earth is an
island in the infinite ocean of space. It has abundance of riches
and
pleasures
and occupations for a few--much toil
and work
and suffering for
many--and it must be a temporary resting-place for all. But it has no home for
the soul. The ship of salvation is sent to take us to the land of rest. Shall
we not look often and eagerly for its coming? And when it appears shall we not
be ready and willing to go? Shall we try so to accustom ourselves to the ways
of living on this island waste of earth that we shall be unfitted to live in a
land where there is no death? (D. Marsh
D. D.)
Verses 10-13
Go in
speak unto Pharaoh.
The successive services of the Christian life
I. That the
successive services of the Christian life are required not-withstanding the
apparent failure of past efforts (Exodus 6:10-11).
1. This service must be continued by Moses and Aaron because the
command of God has not yet been executed.
2. This service must be continued by Moses and Aaron because their
duty has not been accomplished.
3. This service must be continued by Moses and Aaron because the
slaves must be freed.
4. We find Moses and Aaron were sent on exactly the same work as
before. There is much waste of effort in the Church
because men are so
restless and changeful in their toils. We need determination
concentration
and patience in our effort to free the slave. Failure is no excuse for
fickleness in Christian service.
II. That the
successive services of the Christian life are more difficult in their
requirements. The first injunction given to Moses was to call the elders of
Israel together that he might communicate to them the Divine will in reference
to their nation. Now he is told to go direct to Pharaoh. The language of the
12th verse shows that Moses regarded the service as increased in rigour.
1. This increased rigour of service is surprising. Must the scholar
who has failed in the alphabet be put to the declensions of service?
2. This increased rigour of service is disheartening.
3. This increased rigour of service is a discipline. Increased work
has often made a bad workman into a good one. It has increased his
responsibility. It has awakened him to reflection.
III. That the
successive services of the Christian life sometimes awaken the expostulations
of men (Exodus 6:12).
1. These expostulations make mention of natural infirmities. “Who am
of uncircumcised lips.” It is unnecessary that men should inform God of their
natural impediments to religious service. He knows them. He is acquainted with
those whom He sends on His errands
with their weakness and strength. If He
calls
it is yours to obey.
2. These expostulations make mention of past difficulties and
failure. “Behold
the Children of Israel have not hearkened unto me.”
3. These expostulations are presumptuous.
Lessons:
1. Not to shrink from the successive services of the Christian life.
2. To leave all the moral work of our life to the choice of God.
3. Not to imperil our welfare by expostulation with the providence of
heaven.
4. To concentrate our
energies patiently on one Christian enterprise. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
Perseverance
Johnson tells us that “all the performances of human art
at which
we look with praise and wonder
are instances of the resistless force of
perseverance; it is by this that the quarry becomes a pyramid
and that distant
countries are united by canals. If a man were to compare the effect of a single
stroke of the pickaxe
or of one impression of the spade with the general
design or the last result
he would be overwhelmed by the sense of their
disproportion; yet those petty operations incessantly continued
in time
surmount the greatest difficulties
and mountains are levelled and oceans
bounded by the slender force of human beings.” The great Freetrader’s motto was that of the needle
“I
go through.” Having given himself to the cause
he was not the man to desert
it; undismayed by reproach and laughter
and undaunted by the tremendous power
of his opponents
he pushed on in his arduous task
clearing the way foot by
foot by dint of dogged resolution and unflagging energy. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Verses 14-27
These be the heads of their fathers’ houses.
The genealogy of the Church
I. That it was
humanly speaking
of very unpretentious origin.
II. That it was
morally speaking
of a very miscellaneous character. We have names in this list
of very varied moral worth. Some noted for their piety
others remark
able for
their profanity. The Church has now a mixed genealogy. All down through the
ages the tares and wheat have been growing together
and they will do so until
the harvest
which is the end of the world. The miscellaneous character of the
Church is accounted for--
1. By the diversified temperaments of men.
2. By the diversified thinkings of men.
3. By the diversified character of men.
4. By the diversified alliances of men.
III. That it was
socially speaking
of very great influence. It had a great political influence.
The Jewish nation was for a long time a theocracy. God was its king. Heaven was
its parliament. The priests were of supreme influence in the nation. The
community was eminently religious in idea and sentiment. Hence
from the names
here recorded there comes out a great stream of social
moral
and political
influence upon humanity to-day. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
Lessons
1. Order in genealogy is useful to give right understanding of the
Church’s line.
2. Heads of families in the Church have been too prone to mingle
themselves in strange marriages (Exodus 6:15). (G. Hughes
B. D.)
A panoramic glance at history
I. We see the mass
of lives that are crowded into a brief era. The ages soon empty their contents into
eternity.
II. We see how the
minute details of individual life are lost in the aggregate of history. The
heroes’ battles are forgotten. The remembrance of our great calamities is no
more. The life of the greatest king is summed up into a sentence on the page of
the world’s history.
III. We see the
great effort of life to culminate in
and give prominence to
the birth of its
heroes and emancipators. The whole of these lives were preparatory to the lives
of Moses and Aaron. All before them were introductory. There is a gradual
process in life. Life is ever trying to find emphatic expression in the conduct
of the good. History makes this apparent.
IV. We see here
that individual lives derive their greatness from the call of God to
service
rather than from social considerations. (J. S. Exell
M. A.)
The genealogical table
We have here a genealogy of those two great patriots
Moses and
Aaron
to show that they were Israelites
bone of their bone
and flesh of
their flesh
whom they were sent to deliver
raised up unto them of their
brethren
as Christ also should be
who was to be the Prophet and Priest
the
Redeemer and Lawgiver
of the people of Israel
and whose genealogy also was to
be carefully preserved. The heads of the houses of three of the tribes are here
named. Reuben
Simeon
and Levi are thus dignified here because they three were
left under marks of infamy by their dying father; and Moses would put this
peculiar honour upon them to magnify God’s mercy in their repentance and
remission
as a pattern to them that should afterward believe: the two first
seem to be mentioned only for the sake of Levi
from whom Moses and Aaron
descended
and all the priests of the Jewish Church. (M. Henry.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》