Prov. 30. 4. Do we ask what is God? Let it suffice us to know, that he is what he is, what he ever was, and ever will be. How little a portion is heard of him! Job 26. 14. (4.) That he is faithful and true to all his promises, unchangeable in his word as well as in his nature, and not a man that he should lie; let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you.
2. A name that denotes what he is to his people; lest that name I AM should amuse and puzzle them, he is farther directed to make use of another name of God, more familiar and intelligible; (v. 15.) The Lord God of your fathers hath sent me unto you. Thus God had made himself known to him, (v. 6.) and thus he must make him known to them, (1.) That he might revive among them the religion of their fathers, which it is to be feared, was much decayed, and almost lost. This was necessary, to prepare them for deliverance, Ps. 80. 19. (2.) That he might raise their expectations of the speedy performance of the promises made unto their fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are particularly named, because with Abraham the covenant was first made, and with Isaac and Jacob often expressly renewed, and these three were distinguished from their brethren, and chosen to be the trustees of the covenant, when their brethren were rejected. God will have this to be his name for ever, and it has been, is, and will be, his name, by which his worshippers know him, and distinguish him from all false gods: see 1 Kings 18. 36. Note, God's covenant-relation to his people is what he will be ever mindful of, what he glories in, and what he will have us never forget, but give him the glory of: if he will have this to be his memorial unto all generations, we have all the reason in the world to make it so with us, for it is a precious memorial.
16. Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt; and you shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 19. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 21. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty; 22. But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.
Moses is here more particularly instructed in his work, and informed beforehand of his success.
1. He must deal with the elders of Israel, and raise their expectations of a speedy remove to Canaan, v. 16, 17. He must repeat to them what God had said to him, as a faithful ambassador. Note, That which ministers have received of the Lord, they must deliver to his people, and keep back nothing that is profitable. Lay an emphasis on that, (v. 17.) I have said, I will bring you up; that is enough to satisfy them, I have said it: and hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? With us saying and doing are two things, but they are not so with God, for he is in one mind, and who can turn him? "I have said it, and all the world cannot gainsay it;" his counsel shall stand.
His success with the elders of Israel would be good; so he is told, (v. 18.) They shall hearken to thy voice, and not thrust thee away, as they did forty years ago: he who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice, having determined to make them willing in this day of power.
2. He must deal with the king of Egypt, v. 18. (1.) They must not begin with a demand, but with a humble petition; that gentle and submissive method must be first tried, even with one who, it was certain, would not be wrought upon by it; We beseech thee, let us go. (2.) They must only beg leave of Pharaoh to go as far as Mount Sinai to worship God, and say nothing to him of going quite away to Canaan; that would have been immediately rejected, but this was a very modest and reasonable request, and his denying of it was utterly inexcusable, and justified them in the total deserting of his kingdom. If he would not give them leave to go sacrifice at Sinai, justly did they go without leave to settle in Canaan. Note, The calls and commands which God sends to sinners, are so highly reasonable in themselves, and delivered to them in such a gentle winning way, that the mouth of the disobedient must needs be for ever stopped.
As to his success with Pharaoh, he is here told, [1.] That petitions, and persuasions, and humble remonstrances, would not prevail with him, no, nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders; (v. 19.) I am sure he will not let you go. Note, God sends his messengers to those whose hardness and obstinacy he certainly knows and foresees, that it may appear he would have them turn and live. [2.] That plagues should compel him to it; (v. 20.) I will smite Egypt, and then he will let you go. Note, Those will certainly be broken by the power of God's hand, that will not bow to the power of his word; we maybe sure that when God judges, he will overcome. [3.] That his people should be more kind to them, and furnish them at their departure with abundance of plate and jewels, to their great enriching; (v. 21, 22.) I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Note, First, God sometimes makes the enemies of his people, not only to be at peace with them, but to be kind to them. Secondly, God has many ways of balancing accounts between the injured and the injurious, of righting the oppressed, and compelling those that have done wrong, to make restitution; for he sits in the throne judging right.
CHAP. IV.
This chapter, I. Continues and concludes God's discourse with Moses at the bush concerning this great affair of
