Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/284

252 spake before the, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13. And the 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.

Here,

1. God sends Moses the second time to Pharaoh, (v. 11.) upon the same errand as before, to command him at his peril, that he let the children of Israel go. Note, God repeats his precepts, before he begins his punishments. Those that have often been called in vain to leave their sins, yet must be called again and again, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, Ezek. 3. 11. God is said to hew sinners by his prophets, (Hos. 6. 5. ) which denotes the repetition of the strokes; How often would I have gathered you!

2. Moses makes objections, as one discouraged, and willing to give up the cause; (v. 12.) He pleads, (1.) The unlikelihood of Pharaoh's hearing; "Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me, they give no heed, no credit to what I have said; how then can I expect that Pharaoh should hear me? If the anguish of their spirit makes them deaf to that which would compose and comfort them, much more will the anger of his spirit, his pride and insolence, make him deaf to that which will but exasperate and provoke him." If God's professing people hear not his messengers, how can it be thought that his professed enemy should? Note, The frowardness and untractableness of those that are called christians, greatly discourage ministers, and make them ready to despair of success, in dealing with those that are atheistical and profane. We would be instrumental to unite Israelites, to refine and purify them, to comfort and pacify them; but if they hearken not to us, how shall we prevail with those in whom we cannot pretend to such an interest? But with God all things are possible. (2.) He pleads the unreadiness and infirmity of his own speaking; I am of uncircumcised lips; it is repeated, v. 30. He was conscious to himself that he had not the gift of utterance, had no command of language; his talent did not lie that way. This objection God had given a sufficient answer to before, and therefore he ought not to have insisted upon it, for the sufficiency of grace can supply the defects of nature at any time. Note, Though our infirmities ought to humble us, yet they ought not to discourage us from doing our best in any service we have to do for God. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

3. God again joins Aaron in commission with Moses, and puts an end to the dispute, by interposing his own authority, and giving them both a solemn charge, upon their allegiance, to their great Lord, to execute it with all possible expedition and fidelity. When Moses repeats his baffled arguments, he shall be argued with no longer, but God gives him a charge, and Aaron with him, both to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh, v. 13. Note, God's authority is sufficient to answer all objections, and binds us to obedience, without murmuring or disputing, Phil. 2. 14. Moses himself has need to be charged, and so has Timothy, 1 Tim. 6. 13. 2 Tim. 4. 1.

14. These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel; Hanoch, and Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 15. And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 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 a hundred thirty and seven years. 17. The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18. And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years. 19. And the sons of Merari; Mahali, and Mushi: these are the families of Levi, according to their generations. 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 a hundred and thirty and seven years. 21. And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22. And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23. And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24. And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25, And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their families. 26. These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, according to their armies. 27. These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28. And it came to pass, on the day when the spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29. That the spake unto Moses, saying, I am the : speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30, And Moses said before the, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

We have here a genealogy, not an endless one, such as the apostle condemns, (1 Tim. 1. 4.) for it ends in those two great patriots, Moses and Aaron, and comes in here 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, like this, was to be carefully preserved.