Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/201



The Mercy  of  God. The  people  of  Israel  had  sinned  horribly against God  by  their  idolatry,  and  yet,  at  Moses’  intercession,  He forgave  them.

Idolatry. The  weak  people  were  most  ungrateful  and  faithless  to God. The Lord  had  done  such  great  things  for  them! Only forty days before,  full  of  holy  fear,  they  had  heard  His  voice  and  had  repeatedly promised  obedience  to  His  Commandments;  and  now  they transgressed the  first  and  most  important  of  them,  and  forsook  God  to worship  idols. St Paul  calls  lust  and  covetousness  idolatry. Whenever a man loves  anything  more  than  he  loves  God,  he  is  guilty  of  idolatry.

Pleasure seeking  and  sensuality  lead  to  many  sins,  and  finally  to unbelief  and  impiety.

Fear of  man.  Aaron  sinned  grievously. It was  from  fear  of  man, fear for  his  life,  that  he  sinned. He ought  to  have  died  rather  than assist the  people  in  their  terrible  sin.

Righteous anger.  The  anger  of  Moses  was  not  sinful  anger;  it was,  rather,  a holy  zeal  for  God’s  honour  and  the  good  of  the  people. He who  loves  God  cannot  feel  indifferent  when  he  sees  Him  being offended; and he  who  really  loves  his  neighbour  must  be  pained  when he sees  him  walking  on  the  road  to  hell. We ought  therefore  to prevent  sin,  whenever  we  can;  punish  it,  when  we  have  the  right  to do  so;  and  pray  zealously  for  the  conversion  of  sinners.

Intercession for  sinners  is  pleasing  to  God. We can  see  this  by the  way  in  which  God  forgave  the  people  their  great  sin,  when  Moses interceded for  them;  and  we  can  also  see  how  great  a power  is  the intercession of  Saints  for  sinners.

Love of  our  neighbour.  Moses’  love  for  his  people  was  truly wonderful. He even  offered  to  sacrifice  himself  that  they  might  be spared  and  not  cast  off  by  God. He sought  neither  his  own  honour nor advantage,  but  only  the  good  of  his  people.

Moses, the  eighth  type  of  Jesus  Christ.  Through  Moses  God  instituted the  Old  Law,  on  which  account  he  is  called  the  mediator  of the  Old  Law. As such,  Moses  was  a striking  type  of  Jesus  Christ, who instituted  the  New  Law. Moses, as  a child,  was  condemned  to death  by  a cruel  king,  and  was  saved  in  a wonderful  way;  Jesus  Christ was condemned  by  Herod,  and  also  wonderfully  saved. Moses forsook the king’s  court  so  as  to  help  his  persecuted  brethren; the  Son  of  God left the  glory  of  heaven  to  save  us  sinners. Moses prepared  himself in the  desert  for  his  vocation, freed  his  people  from  slavery , and proved his  divine  mission  by  great  miracles;  Jesus  Christ  proved  by still  greater  miracles  that  He  was  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God. Moses was the  advocate  of  his  people;  Jesus  was  our  advocate  with  His  Father