Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

the great increase and prosperity of the Israelites. When shall we, who ought to know so much better than he, be safe from all risk of envying the happiness of our neighbours? When shall we rejoice heartily, with them that do rejoice, even though their gain be our loss, and learn from John the Baptist to be glad to say "He must increase, but I must decrease?" John 3. 30.

This king, like other kings of Egypt, for many ages, was called Pharaoh. But how different was his conduct, from the kindness, thankfulness, bounty, and hospitality, which were shewn by the Pharaoh spoken of in the history of Joseph! When we read of his craft and subtlety, which he calls dealing "wisely," of his oppression by means of taskmasters, of his scheme to destroy every male child by means of the midwives, and of his order issued to "all his people," to cast them all into the river; we shall be apt to ask, can this be a successor of the other Pharaoh, having the like opportunities of light and knowledge, and being as well able to have known, in some degree, his duty to God and to his neighbour? It was so. Nay, and more, it is conceivable, that had the temptation been the same to the former Pharaoh, his conduct might have been no better. It is not our degree of light that will save us from falling. Nor is it our having stood thus far safe. No, it is the grace of God, that must work in us and with us stedfastness of purpose, or we have no security against the growth of selfishness in our hearts, even to the entire extinguishing of the spirit of love.

This attempt of Pharaoh to destroy the male children, can hardly fail to remind us of the slaughter made by Herod amongst the infants at Bethlehem. Nor must we forget to refer to what is said in the book of Revelation, of the dragon which "stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Rev. 12. 4. In every one of the three cases, the malice of the adversary was in vain exerted, whether against Christ, or against his church. Herod slew the infants. But Jesus survived. The dragon stood ready to devour, but when the woman "brought forth a man child," "her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." Rev. 12. 5. The Egyptians afflicted the Israelites. "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew." The women were delivered before the midwives could come. And had it been otherwise, they "feared God," and would by no means have done as the king of Egypt commanded them. So vain is all the subtlety and all the wrath of man, when arrayed against the will of the Most High! Oh when shall we ourselves be aware, that it is in vain to strive against God, and that there is not the least more like.ihood of success, in our own plans for obtaining the joys of eter nity, without conforming our lives to the good pleasure of God?

0. T. VOL. I. PART I.

P

Moses is born; and is brought up by Pharaoh's daughter.

1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, be

hold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.

7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

LECTURE 105.

Tenderness of love due to children, and to enemies.

The remarkable beauty of the infant Moses, appears to have increased the anxiety of his parents, to preserve him from the death which Pharaoh had decreed. They therefore kept him concealed at home for three months. And when at length he was exposed by the river's brink," it was probably the child's beauty, as well as his tears, which moved the heart of Pharaoh's daughter. The foolish excess of admiration, which is often lavished on outward comeliness, ought not to render us averse to own, that it is a blessing which comes of the Lord. And when we see, either in a child, or in one that is grown up, that gracefulness and agreeableness of countenance, which is apt to win the hearts of the beholders; let us bethink ourselves, this is God's work, this is but a faint image of that beauty of holiness, from which all by sin have fallen, and to which all may by grace be restored.

The daughter of Pharaoh was well aware, that in saving the lite of this child, she was transgressing her father's charge. "This is one of the Hebrews' children," seemed however to her compassionate mind, no reason against affording it protection. And it has been supposed, with probability, that she took occasion from this circumstance, to obtain the repeal of that cruel edict. Her

immediate resolution to have the child reared, her considerate care to have him nursed by one of the Hebrew women, her taking upon herself the charge of his maintenance, and providing for his education, as though he had been a son of her own, all these things seem doubly amiable, when we consider her as probably an idolater, and ignorant, to no small degree, of her duty to God and to her neighbour. In her we see how the Gentiles were a law unto themselves. In her we see that which will rise up in the judgment, and condemn the cruel order of her father. How much more will it rise up against us, if we are ever tempted to forget, either in regard to the bodies or the souls of children, that it is not the will of our Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish! See Matt. 18. 14.

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies." Col. 3. 12. Yes, our tenderness of heart and kindness of conduct, must be proportioned to our more certain knowledge, both of God's love for us, and of how deeply we are bound to love one another. Though the child be not beautiful, but plain, though instead of weeping piteously, it should cry passionately, and persist obstinately, it must be our delight, now that we look upon ourselves as holy instead of evil, and beloved when we deserved rather hatred, it must be our delight to receive these little ones in the name of Christ, with such affection as He has shewn towards us. "Take this child away, and nurse it for me," we may conceive God to say to us, in behalf of every infant with whom we are concerned. Take him out of the pollution that is in the world through sin, and bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Take him from the many perils which beset him, by the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life, and the malice of Satan; and establish him in faith, and hope, and love, to be a devoted servant and soldier of Jesus Christ, and through Him to be more than conqueror. Then "I will give thee thy wages." For whosoever shall thus spend his time and care, over these least of the disciples of Christ, out of a tender regard to their immortal souls, and a lively concern for his honour, shall by no means lose his reward. Nor is it only towards infants that we may learn from Pharaoh's daughter to exercise this compassionate temper. There can be no doubt she had been taught to regard the Hebrews with aversion. And yet it was from them that she adopted Moses for her son. Is there any one who is to us as a Hebrew to an Egyptian? Let it be a reason for us to give him bread when he is hungry, and drink when he is athirst. And let us be so much the more glad to have relieved his necessities, if we are at the same time constrained to say, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

Moses visiteth his brethren, fleeth to Midian.

11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

drove them away but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a strangerin a strange land.

23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had

17 And the shepherds came and respect unto them.

LECTURE 106.

That God sent his Son to be our Saviour.

From the words of Stephen, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that Moses was "full forty years old," when "it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel." Acts 7. 23. And the same passage instructs us, what learning and might, in word and deed, he had attained to in Pharaoh's house; when he "refused," as we are elsewhere told, "to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer

7

affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Heb. 11. 24, 25. And what an aggravation of his affliction was this, to have his heavenly calling disbelieved, and his wholesome counsel scorned, by those, whose wrongs he was commissioned to redress! How like was he in this respect, as well as in many others, to that Mediator of the New Covenant, who "came unto his own, and his own received him not!" John 1. 11. "He supposed," says St. Stephen, "his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them." Acts 7. 25. He knew it then himself. He was informed from heaven of what God designed to work by his means. His slaying the Egyptian, and reproving his brethren, were acts in which he was authorised by God. And he fled from the face of Pharaoh, on this occasion, as well as afterwards when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt, not because he feared the wrath of the king, but "as seeing him who is invisible;" Heb. 11. 27; and enduring even flight in obedience to his will.

Moses was forty years old, when first he left the riches of Egypt for the sake of visiting his brethren, and then exchanged the work of redressing their wrongs for the life of a shepherd in the land of Midian. At his first meeting with the daughters of "the priest of Midian," he had occasion to shew the same zeal against the oppression of others, which had led to his retiring from Egypt. And no doubt he was purposely trained, by a variety of trials, all the time of his employment in Midian, for the office which he afterwards so well discharged, of delivering the Israelites from their oppressors. Like David, he was to be taken from feeding the flock, to govern the people of God. See Ps. 78. 71, 72. He was enjoying liberty among the mountains, and communing both with God, and with his own heart, in the leisure which this business afforded; whilst the people who had received him so ungraciously, were sighing by reason of their bondage. And God, who notwithstanding their unworthiness, gave ear to their groanings, and remembered his covenant with their fathers, was all the while preparing a fit instrument, unknown to them, to fulfil his good pleasure in their behalf. Surely Moses, as well as David, may herein remind us of that true Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep. Until He was manifested, the whole creation groaned and travailed in pain together. And God who had respect unto his creatures, and sent his Son to be our Saviour, did so, not for any merit of ours, but in remembrance of his covenant, and in the exercise of his love. Happy are those sheep, who hear their heavenly Shepherd's voice; content to follow where He leads, and to feed where He appoints! Happy are those disciples of the Lord Jesus, who accept thankfully the mediation of their Saviour, glad to be reconciled, through Him, to God, and to each other!

« ÎnapoiContinuă »