Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/296

264 And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Here,

I. Moses is instructed; we may well suppose that he, for his part, was much astonished both at Pharaoh's obstinacy and at God's severity, and could not but be compassionately concerned for the desolations of Egypt, and at a loss to conceive what this contest would come to at last. Now here God tells him what he designed; not only Israel's release, but the magnifying of his own name, That thou mayest tell in thy writings, which shall continue to the world's end, what I have wrought in Egypt, v. 1, 2. The ten plagues of Egypt must be inflicted, that they may be recorded tor the generations to come as undeniable proofs, 1. Of God's overruling power in the kingdom of nature, his dominion over all the creatures, and his authority to use them either as servants to his justice, or sufferers by it, according to the council of his will. 2. Of God's victorious power over the kingdom of Satan, to restrain the malice, and chastise the insolence, of his and his church's enemies. These plagues are standing monuments of the greatness of God, the happiness of the church, and the sinfulness of sin; and standing monitors to the children of men in all ages, not to provoke the Lord to jealousy, nor to strive with their Maker. The benefit of these instructions to the world sufficiently balances the expense.

II. Pharaoh is reproved, (v. 3.) Thus saith the Lord God of the poor despised persecuted Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Note, It is justly expected from the greatest of men, that they humble themselves before the great God, as it is at their peril if they refuse to do it. This has more than once been God's quarrel with princes; Belshazzar did not humble nis heart, Dan. 5. 22. Zedekiah humbled not himself before Jeremiah, 2 Chron. 36. 12. Those that will not humble themselves, God will humble. Pharaoh had sometimes pretended to humble himself, but no account was made of it, because he was neither sincere nor constant in it.

III. The plague of locusts is threatened, v. 4..6. The hail had broken down the fruits of the earth, but these locusts should come and devour them: and not only so, but they should fill their houses, whereas the former inroads of these insects had been confined to their lands. This should be much worse than all the calamities of that kind which had ever been known. Moses, when he had delivered his message, not expecting any better answer than he had formerly, turned himself and went out from Pharaoh, v. 6. Thus Christ appointed his disciples to depart from those who would not receive them, and to shake off the dust off their feet for a testimony against them; and ruin is not far off from those who are thus justly abandoned by the Lord's messengers, 1 Sam. 15. 27, &c.

IV. Pharaoh's attendants, his ministers of state, or privy counsellors, interpose, to persuade him to come to some terms with Moses, v. 7. They, as in duty bound, represent to him the deplorable condition of the kingdom, (Egypt is destroyed,) and advise him by all means to release his prisoners; (Let the men go;) for Moses, they found, would be a snare to them till it was done, and it were better to consent at first than to be compelled at last; the Israelites were become a burthensome stone to the Egyptians, and now, at length, the princes of Egypt were willing to be rid of them, Zech. 12. 3. Note, It is a thing to be regretted, (and prevented, if possible,) that a whole nation should be ruined for the pride and obstinacy of its princes, Salus populi suprema lex—To consult the welfare of the peoples the first of laws.

V. A new treaty is, hereupon, set on foot between Pharaoh and Moses, in which Pharaoh consents for the Israelites to go into the wilderness to do sacrifice; but the matter in dispute was, who should go, v. 8. 1. Moses insists upon it, that they should take their whole families, and all their effects, along with them, v. 9. Note, Those that serve God must serve him with all they have. Moses pleads, "We must hold a feast, therefore we must have our families to feast with, and our flocks and herds to feast upon, to the honour of God." 2. Pharaoh will by no means grant this: he will allow the men to go, pretending that this was all they desired, though this matter was never yet mentioned in any of the former treaties; but, for the little ones he resolves to keep them as hostages, to oblige them to return, v. 10, 11. More than this, he grows wroth, and swears that they shall not remove their little ones, assuring them it was at their peril, if they did. Note, Satan does all he can, to hinder those that serve God themselves, from bringing their children in to serve him. He is a sworn enemy to early piety, knowing how destructive it is to the interests of his kingdom: whatever would put us from engaging our children to the utmost in God's service, we have reason to suspect the hand of Satan in it. 3. The treaty, hereupon, breaks off abruptly; they that went out from Pharaoh's presence, (v. 6.) were now driven out. Those will quickly hear their doom, that cannot bear to hear their duty. See 2 Chron. 25. 16. Quos Deus destruet, eos dementas—Whom God intends to destroy, he delivers up to infatuation. Never was man so infatuated to his own ruin as Pharaoh was.

12. And the said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when itwas morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the your God, and against you. 17. Now, therefore, forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the your God, that he may take away from me this death only. 18. And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the. 19. And the turned a mighty strong west wind,