Numbers 14:2
Against Moses and Aaron — As the instruments and occasions of their present calamity. That we had died in this wilderness — It was not long before they had their desire, and did die in the wilderness.... [ Continue Reading ]
Against Moses and Aaron — As the instruments and occasions of their present calamity. That we had died in this wilderness — It was not long before they had their desire, and did die in the wilderness.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Lord — From instruments they rise higher, and strike at God the cause and author of their journey: by which we see the prodigious growth and progress of sin when it is not resisted. A prey — To the Canaanites whose land we were made to believe we should possess.... [ Continue Reading ]
A captain — Instead of Moses, one who will be more faithful to our interest than he. Into Egypt — Stupendous madness! Whence should they have protection against the hazards, and provision against all the wants of the wilderness? Could they expect either God's cloud to cover and guide them, or Manna... [ Continue Reading ]
Fell on their faces — As humble and earnest suppliants to God, the only refuge to which Moses resorted in all such straits, and who alone was able to govern this stiff — necked people. Before all the assembly — That they might awake to apprehend their sin and danger, when they saw Moses at his praye... [ Continue Reading ]
Rent their clothes — To testify their hearty grief for the peoples blasphemy against God and sedition against Moses, and that dreadful judgment which they easily foresaw this must bring upon the congregation.... [ Continue Reading ]
Delight in us — If by our rebellion and ingratitude we do not provoke God to leave and forsake us.... [ Continue Reading ]
Bread — We shall destroy them as easily as we eat our bread. Their defence — Their conduct and courage, and especially God, who was pleased to afford them his protection 'till their iniquities were full, is utterly departed from them, and hath given them up as a prey to us. With us — By his special... [ Continue Reading ]
Appeared — Now in the extremity of danger to rescue his faithful servants, and to stop the rage of the people. In the tabernacle — Upon or above the tabernacle, where the cloud usually resided, in which the glory of God appeared now in a more illustrious manner. When they reflected upon God, his glo... [ Continue Reading ]
I will smite them — This was not an absolute determination, but a commination, like that of Nineveh's destruction, with a condition implied, except there be speedy repentance, or powerful intercession.... [ Continue Reading ]
Not able — His power was quite spent in bringing them out of Egypt, and could not finish the work he had begun and had sworn to do.... [ Continue Reading ]
Be great — That is appear to be great, discover its greatness: namely, the power of his grace and mercy, or the greatness of his mercy, in pardoning this and their other sins: for to this the following words manifestly restrain it, where the pardon of their sins is the only instance of this power bo... [ Continue Reading ]
Visiting the iniquity — These words may seem to be improperly mentioned, as being a powerful argument to move God to destroy this wicked people, and not to pardon them. It may be answered, that Moses useth these words together with the rest, because he would not sever what God had put together. But... [ Continue Reading ]
I have pardoned — So far as not utterly to destroy them.... [ Continue Reading ]
With the glory of the Lord — With the report of the glorious and righteous acts of God in punishing this rebellious people.... [ Continue Reading ]
My glory — That is, my glorious appearances in the cloud, and in the tabernacle. Ten times — That is, many times. A certain number for an uncertain.... [ Continue Reading ]
Caleb — Joshua is not named, because he was not now among the people, but a constant attendant upon Moses, nor was he to be reckoned as one of them, any more than Moses and Aaron were, because he was to be their chief commander. He had another spirit — Was a man of another temper, faithful and coura... [ Continue Reading ]
In the valley — Beyond the mountain, at the foot whereof they now were, Numbers 14:40. And this clause is added, either As an aggravation of Israel's misery and punishment, that being now ready to enter and take possession of the land, they are forced to go back into the wilderness or As an argument... [ Continue Reading ]
As ye have spoken — When you wickedly wished you might die in the wilderness.... [ Continue Reading ]
You — Your nation; for God did not swear to do so to these particular persons.... [ Continue Reading ]
Your carcases — See with what contempt they are spoken of, now they had by their sin made themselves vile! The mighty men of valour were but carcases, now the Spirit of the Lord was departed from them! It was very probably upon this occasion, that Moses wrote the ninetieth psalm.... [ Continue Reading ]
Forty years — So long as to make up the time of your dwelling in the wilderness forty years; one whole year and part of another were past before this sin or judgment. Your whoredoms — The punishment of your whoredoms, of your apostacy from, and perfidiousness against your Lord, who was your husband,... [ Continue Reading ]
Each day for a year — So there should have been forty years to come, but God was pleased mercifully to accept of the time past as a part of that time. Ye shall know my breach of promise — That as you have first broken the covenant between you and me, by breaking the conditions of it, so I will make... [ Continue Reading ]
By the plague — Either by the pestilence, or by some other sudden and extraordinary judgment, sent from the cloud in which God dwelt, and from whence he spake to Moses, and wherein his glory at this time appeared before all the people, Numbers 14:10, who therefore were all, and these spies among the... [ Continue Reading ]
But Joshua and Caleb lived still — Death never misses his mark, nor takes any by oversight who are designed for life, tho' in the midst of those that are to die.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the people mourned greatly — But it was now too late. There was now no place for repentance. Such mourning as this there is in hell; but the tears will not quench the flames.... [ Continue Reading ]
Gat them up — Designed or prepared themselves to go up.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Canaanites — Largely so called, but strictly the Amorites. Hormah — A place so called afterwards, Numbers 21:3, from the slaughter or destruction of the lsraelites at this time.... [ Continue Reading ]