Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/267

Rh, and Mediator, in all the Old Testament. The Jews have a book among them, of the life of Moses, which tells a great many stories concerning him, which we have reason to think are mere fictions; what he has recorded concerning himself, is what we may rely upon, for we know that his record is true; and it is what we may be satisfied with, for it is what Infinite Wisdom thought fit to preserve and transmit to us. In this chapter we have, I. The perils of his birth and infancy, v. 1..4. II. His preservation through those perils, and the preferment of his childhood and youth, v, 5..10. III. The pious choice of his riper years, which was, to own the people of God. 1. He offered them his service at present, if they would have accepted it, v. 11..14. 2. He retired, that he might reserve himself for further service hereafter, v. 15..22. IV. The dawning of the day of Israel's deliverance, v. 23..25.

ND there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 4. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Moses was a Levite, both by father and mother. Jacob left Levi under marks of disgrace; (Gen. 49. 5.) and yet, soon after, Moses appears a descendant from him, that he might typify Christ, who came in the likeness of sinful flesh, and was made a curse for us. This tribe began to be distinguished from the rest by the birth of Moses, as afterward it became remarkable in many other instances. Observe, concerning this new-born infant.

I. How he was hidden. It seems to have been just at the time of his birth, that the cruel law was made for the murder of all the male-children of the Hebrews; and many, no doubt, perished by the execution of it. The parents of Moses had Miriam and Aaron, both elder than he, born to them before that edict came out, and had nursed them, without that peril; but those that begin the world in peace, know not what troubles they may meet with before they have got through it. Probably, the mother of Moses was full of anxiety in the expectation of his birth, now that this edict was in force, and was ready to say, Blessed are the barren that never bare, Luke 23. 29. Better so, than bring forth children to the murderer, Hos. 9. 13. Yet this child proves the glory of his father's house. Thus that which is most our fear, often proves, in the issue, most our joy. Observe the beauty of providence: just at the time when Pharaoh's cruelty rose to this height, the deliverer was born, though he did not appear for many years after. Note, When men are projecting the church's ruin, God is preparing for its salvation. And Moses, who was afterward to bring Israel out of this house of bondage, had himself like to have fallen a sacrifice to the fury of the oppressor; God so ordering it, that, being afterward told of this, he might be the more animated with a holy zeal for the deliverance of his brethren out of the hands of such bloody men.

1. His parents observed him to be a goodly child, more than ordinarily beautiful; he was fair to God, Acts 7. 20. They fancied he had a lustre in his countenance that was something more than human, and was a specimen of the shining of his face afterward, ch. 34. 29. Note, God sometimes gives early earnests of his gifts, and manifests himself betimes in those for whom, and by whom, he designs to do great things. Thus he put an early strength into Samson, (Judg. 13. 24, 25.) an early forwardness into Samuel, (l Sam. 2. 18.) wrought an early deliverance for David, (1 Sam. 17. 37.) and began betimes with Timothy, 2 Tim. 3. 15.

2. Therefore they were the more solicitous for his preservation, because they looked upon this as an indication of some kind purpose of God concerning him, and a happy omen of something great. Note, A lively active faith can take encouragement from the least intimation of the divine favour; a merciful hint of Providence will encourage those whose spirits make diligent search. Three months they hid him in some private apartment of their own house, though, probably, with the hazard of their own lives, had he been discovered. Herein Moses was a type of Christ, who, in his infancy, was forced to abscond, and in Egypt too, (Matt. 2. 13.) and was wonderfully preserved, when many innocents were butchered. It is said, (Heb. 11. 23.) that the parents of Moses hid him by faith; some think they had a special revelation to them that the Deliverer should spring from their loins; however, they had the general promise of Israel's preservation, which they acted faith upon, and in that faith hid their child, not being afraid of the penalty annexed to the king's commandment. Note, (1) Faith in God's promise is so far from superseding, that it rather excites and quickens to, the use of lawful means for obtaining mercy. Duty is our's, events are God's. (2.) Faith in God will set us above the insnaring fear of man.

II. How he was exposed. At three months' end, probably, when the searchers came about to look for concealed children, so that they could not hide him any longer, (their faith perhaps beginning now to fail,) they put him in an ark of bulrushes by the river's brink, (v. 3.) and set his little sister at some distance to watch what would become of him, and into whose hands he would fall, v. 4. God put it into their hearts to do this, to bring about his own purposes; that Moses might by this means be brought into the hands of Pharaoh's daughter, and that by his deliverance from this imminent danger, a specimen might be given of the deliverance of God's church, which now lay thus exposed. Note, 1. God takes special care of the outcasts of Israel, (Ps. 147. 2.) they are his outcasts, Isa. 16. 4. Moses seemed quite abandoned by his friends, his own mother durst not own him, but now the Lord took him up and protected him, Ps. 27. 10. 2. In times of extreme difficulty, it is good to  venture upon the providence of God. Thus to have exposed their child while they might have preserved it, had been to tempt Providence; but when they could not, it was bravely to trust to Providence. "Nothing venture, nothing win;" If I perish, I perish.

5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother