the Lord c. The Passeover is so called as being commanded by the Lord and kept unto his honour See Exod. 12. 27. Vers 10. If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body c. Upon the occasion of these men that complained for being debarred from keeping the Passeover because at the usuall time when they should have kept it on the fourteenth day of the first moneth they were defiled by the dead body of a man the Lord here established this for a perpetuall law that in case any person should in time to come be defiled by a dead body at the ordinary time in the first moneth when the rest of the people kept the Passeover or should be then in a journey about necessary businesse so farre off that he could not come home against the fourteenth day of the first moneth but was forced to be absent a while longer that in this case such a person or persons should keep the Passeover on the fourteenth day of the second moneth And under these two particular cases here expressed I conceive that all other necessary hinderances whereby men were kept from celebrating the Passeover are comprehended as in case they were unclean by any other legall pollution besides that of being defiled by a dead body or were detained by sicknesse c. and that the rather because in Hezekiahs time there was a Passeover kept on the fourteenth day of the second moneth by warrant it seems of this law when yet they were other occasions then these here mentioned that disabled them for keeping it at the usuall time Vers 17. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle then after that the children of Israel journeyed That is when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle it removed before the camp and so whithersoever that led them they followed it for so it is expresly said Exod. 13. 21. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night Vers 19. And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many dayes then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord. That is they kept the charge of serving the Lord whilst the tabernacle was erected and the cloud tarried still upon it or they kept the charge of the Lord to wit the charge he had given them of staying so long as the cloud rested upon the tabernacle and therefore the last clause is added by way of explaining the former and journeyed not CHAP. X. Vers 2. MAke thee two trumpets of silver c. Here at first were but two trumpets for Aarons two sonnes Eleazar Ithamar but the number of the priests increasing in Solomons time there were an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets 2. Chron. 5. 12. And these trumpets were signes of the ministry of the word and the office of teaching discharged by men called and fitted thereto for as the use of these trumpets was first to assemble the congregation before the Lord in his Sanctuary secondly to give warning and direction for their marching toward the land of Canaan thirdly to incourage the people when they went forth to warre fourthly to be a signe of rejoycing at all their festivals and dayes of rejoycing so the work of Gods ministry is first to perswade the people to assemble themselves before God there to perform with fear and reverence the publick duties of his worship and service Joel 2. 15 16. Blow the trumpet in Zion sanctifie a fast call a solemn assembly Gather the people sanctifie the Congregation assemble the Elders gather the children and those that suck the breasts c. secondly to give them warning and direction for all the duties of Christianity which being performed in faith and obedience to God are as so many severall motions towards the heavenly Canaan thirdly to give them warning of danger approching and to stirre them up to fight the Lords battels against Satan Sinne Antichrist c. See Esa 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not lifâ— up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sinnes and fourthly to encourage and comfort sinners with the promises of the â—ospel to quicken them with faith and readinesse of mind to perform the duties of Gods worship and with thankfull and glad hearts to praise God for all his mercies and especially for Christ See Esa 27. 13. And it shall come to passe in that day that thâ— great trumpet shall be blown and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem Besides as the trumpets were not to give an uncertain sound but such as the people might distinctly perceive what they were to do so the ministers must both pray and preach so that the people may understand them 1. Cor. 14. 8 9. For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the battel So likewise you except you utter by the tongue words easie to be understood how shall it be known what is spoken for ye shall speak into the air Secondly of silver these trumpeâ—â— must be made which was the purest mettal and fittest for sound to signifie also the purity and zeal required in Gods ministers The tongue of the just is as choise silver saith Solomon Prov. 10. 20. That thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the Camps Thus they were taught to depend upon God for all their attempts both in peace and warre Vers 3. And when they shall blow with them all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee c. That is when they shall blow with both of them as appears by the next verse And if they blow but with one trumpet then the princes which are heads of the thousands of Israel shall gather themselves unto thee Vers 6. They shall blow an alarm for their journeys That is not for these two quarters onely before mentioned but for the other also Vers 8. And the sonnes of Aaron the priest sâ—all blow with the trumpets The priests are appointed to be the trumpeters that so the people might entertain the sound thereof as coming from God and so assemble themselves as into Goâ—â— presence and go forth both in their journeys and battels as in obedience to Gods command and in faith believing and expecting his direction and assistance Vers 9. And if ye go to warre in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets So it is said Numb 31. 6. And Moses sent them to the warre a thousand of every tribe them and Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the priest to warre with the holy instruments and trumpets to blow in his
time to sow your seed c. Vers 6. Neither shall the sword go through your land That is ye shall live in peace and shall not be destroyed by the sword of your enemies But yet some Expositours hold that this phrase is here used of the sword going through the land because armies of souldiers are wont to destroy countreys not onely by fighting against them but also by going through them Vers 10. And ye shall eat old store and bring forth the old because of the new That is you shall have such store of old corn even when your new corn is gathered in that you shall not need presently to be spending the new but may still live upon the old store and yet withall your new harvests shall be so plentifull that of necessity you must empty your barns of old corn that you may have room to lay up the new Vers 16. I will even appoint â—ver you terrour consumption and the burning ague c. These words I will appoint over you imply the unresistablenesse of the judgement because those diseases should come with power and authority from God upon them and so should consume their eyes c. as indeed such diseases being in extremity do oft weaken and darken the sight Vers 19. And I will break the pride of your power That is I will break your exceeding great strength wherein you are wont to pride your selves Vers 20. And your strength shall be spent in vain c. That is though you spend your strength with excessive toyling and moyling in plowing and manuring your ground all will be to no purpose for still your land shall not yield her increase Vers 26. And when I have broken the staff of your bread ten women shall bake your bread in one oven This is mentioned as a signe or effect of the great scarcity of bread that should be in the land that one oven should contain the bread of many families Bread is here called the staff of bread because it strengtheneth mans heart Psal 104. 15. because it is the chief prop and support of mans life So that by breaking the staff of bread is meant the depriving them of this stay of their life by bringing famine and penury upon them as it is evident in other places Moreover he called for a famine upon the land he brake the whole staff of bread Psal 105. 16. and Ezek. 4. 16. Sonne of man behold I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem that they may want bread and water and of this judgement this is mentioned as a notable effect that ten women that is many families should bake their bread in one oven for ten in the Scripture doth often signifie many as is formerly shown upon Gen. 31. 7. And they shall deliver your bread again by weight This is reckoned as another great signe of scarcity and want that tâ—e baker should deliver them their bread by weight So it is said Ezek. 4. 16. I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem and they shall eat bread by weight and with care and they shall drink water by measure and therefore of him whom S. John saw riding upon a black horse which was famine Rev. 5. 6. it is said that he had a pair of ballances in his hand to wit to measure out bread to men because it should be so scarce And ye shall eat and not be satisfied To wit either because of the small quantity or for want of Gods blessing upon the little which they have for so some expound the staff of bread the strength which by the command of God it hath to nourish our bodyes Vers 30. And cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols That is upon your idols now mangled and broken to pieces for their broken images are here called the carcases of their idols not because they had life before they were broken to pieces but by way of derision to let them see first what goodly gods they had worshipped that should in that day lie tumbled in a heap together with their dead carcases and secondly to intimate that these their idols were as abominable to God as dead stinking carcases are unto men Vers 31. And I will make your citie waste and bring your Sanctuaries untâ— dâ—solation The tabernacle is called a Sanctuary Exod. 25. 8. and so is the temple also 1. Chron 22. 19. and each of them for the severall distinct places in them the outward court the holy and most holy place was called plurally Sanctuaâ—ies Jer. 51. 51. For strangers are come into the Sanctuaries of the Lords house And besides the Synagogues may be in this word Sanctuaries comprehended alsâ— Vers 34. Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths c. As resting from â—â—llage from which she should have rested on the Sabbaths but could not be permitted because of their covetousnesse as also from bearing such wicked wretches under the burthen of whom whilst the earth lay groning it could not enjoy her Sabbaths as she ought for where there is not a resting from sinne the Sabbaths are not truly kept CHAP. XXVII Vers 2. SPeak unto the children of Israel and say unto them c. The Lord having given them laws hitherto concerning the necessary duties of his service concludeth now with this concerning vows and voluntary services When a man shall make a singular vow the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation That is when any man shall after a singular manner separate any thing by vow from common use for the Lords service the persons supposing it be some person whether man or woman that is vowed shall be for the Lord according to thy estimation that is they shall be thenceforth the Lords and accordingly either they shall be set apart to the Lords service or else they shall be redeemed according to thy estimation to wit according to that value which the priests by the direction which thou Moses shalt now give shall set upon them for it was Moses to whom the Lord now spake but it was the priest that did value that which was vowed as is evident ver 12. though according to that direction which Moses by Gods command did now prescribe them Now for these vows of persons we must know that they were usually made in time of some affliction or distresse as when married persons had no child they did sometimes vow that if the Lord would give them a child they would give themselves or that their child unto the Lord which was Hannahs vow 1. â—â—m 1. 11. and so in times of sicknesse or any other distresse they were wont to vow unto the Lord delivering them that they would give such and such persons themselves or their children over whom they had power unto the Lord. And if it be questioned after what manner and to what use they were vowed unto the Lord To this some Expositours answer That in case it was a Levite that was vowed he was then bound by that vow
great inhumanity and crueltie and a notable contempt of God who is so constantly wont to plead the cause of those that are so barbarously used and secondly in regard of that which God had so lately done for the Israelites in Egypt for when God had so immediately before manifested the speciall love that he bore to this people by taking such vengeance on the Egyptians for their sakes and by those many strange signes and wonders which he had wrought amongst them it argued a high degree of desperate boldnesse in the Amalekites that yet notwithstanding they were not afraid to fight against them and so indeed in fighting against them to fight against God Vers 19. Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven This judgement God appointed Saul to execute 1. Sam. 15. 2 3. but he failed in the performance of it Afterwards God stirred up the Simeonites in Hezekiahs dayes who smote the rest of the Amalekites 1. Chron. 4. 42 43. And some of them even of the sonnes of Simeon five hundred men went to mount Seir having for their captains Pelatiah and Neariah and Rephaiah and Uzziel the sonnes of Ishi And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that werâ— escaped and dwelt there unto this day and what befell Haman and his sonnes who were of that race is largely related in the third chapter of Esther CHAP. XXVI Vers 2. THou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth This seemeth to have been done by every mâ—n and that every year either at the feast of Pentecost callâ—d also the feast of weeks as seemeth to be implyed Deut. 16. 10. And thou shalt keep the feâ—st of weeks unto the Lord thy God wâ—th atribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand c. or rather at the feast of tabernacles which is called the feast of in-gathering at the years end Exod. 23. 16. when they brought of the first-fruits of their fruit-trees as the bringing of them in a bushel seems to imply And these first-fruits they thus brought unto the Lord first as an acknowledgement thâ—t it was the Lord that had freely given them this land as he had promised to their forâ—fathers which is thaâ— vers 3. I professe c. and that of him they still held it and to him therefore as by way of tribâ—te due to him the Lord in chief they brought these first-fruits secondly to tesâ—isie that the yearly fruitfulnâ—sse of this their land was also from his blâ—ssing c. Vers 3. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those dayes c. To wit as the figure of Christ in whom onely our services become acceptable wiâ—â— God Hebr. 13. 15. By him therefore lâ—t us offer the sacrifice of praâ—se to God continually that is the fruit of oâ—r lâ—ps giving thanâ—s to his naâ—e The â—ame was likewise taught them in the â—etting down of this basket of first-â—ruits before the altar vers 4. Vers 5. A Syrian ready to perish was my father and he went down into Egypt c. That is Jacob for though he was born in Canaan yet he was of the stock of Syrians for Abram his grandfather came out of Ur of the Chaldees the land of his nativity Gen. 11. 28. which was a part of Syria whence Laban who lived in the same countrey is also called a Syrian Gen. 28. 5. Yea Jacob was not onely born of Syrian parents and onely lived as his fathers had done before him a stranger and pilgrim in the land of Canaan but also abode a great part of his time there for there he dwelt with Laban twenty years at least in hard service Hos 12. 12. And Jacob flâ—d into the countrey of Syria and Israel served for a wife and for a wife he kept sheep When he returned thence into the land of Canaan after a few years by the extremity of famine he was constrained to remove into Egypt to which extremity I conceive the holy Ghost hath here speciall reference in calling him a Syrian ready to perish though withall it may have respect also to the poverty and misery he underwent in Syria and in his going thither wheâ— he fled for his life because of his brother Esau But however this acknowledgement of the meannesse of their originall was doubtlesse thereby to magniâ—y the goodnesse of God in raising them to such a condition as now they did enjoy Vers 10. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God and worship bâ—fore the Lord thy God It is said before vers 4. that the man that brought this basket of first-fruits was to deliver it into the hand of the priest and therefore the meaning of this which is said here of his setting it before the Lord is onely this that he should leave it there set down before the altar to wit by the priest who with the rest of his brethren did afterwards eat them all first-fruits appertaining to them as we may see Deut. 18. 4. As for that second clause and worship before the Lord thy God hereby is meant that after he had delivered his basket of first-fruits into the hands of the priest to be set down before the Lord aâ—d had made that thankfull and open profession of Gods great goodnesse to his people which is expressed largely in the foregoing verses he was then to adde such other duties of Gods worship and service as were to be performed as prayer and offering sacrifices and then bowing down before the Lord to depart away Vers 11. And thou shalt rejoyce in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee c. Though thâ—s may be extended to the chearâ—ull using of Gods gifts all the year after which â—hey might indeed the more comfortably enjoy when they had in this teâ—tifyed their thankfulnesse as he had appointed yet I conceive it is chieflly intended of their feasting together in Jerusalem after they had done their serviâ—e together with the Levites and strangers with the peace-offerings they had brought thither even as they used to do at all other feasts Deut. 16. 11 15. Vers 12. When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine encrease the third year which is the year of tithing c. See the note upon chap. 14. 28. Vers 14. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning Thaâ— is even in my greatest wants and necessities when I was put to the greateâ—t straits I have not ventured to supply my self from them and indeed that which men will not do at other times they will make bold to do when they are in want and diâ—tresse and therefore were they appointâ—d particularly to clear themselves of this or else it may be meant of mourning for the losse of friends I have not eatâ—n thâ—reof in my mourning that is in the time of my mourning for my dead friends for hereby these hallowed things â—hould have been defiled Hos 9. 4. Their sacrifices shall be unto
they are made the sonnes of God and heirs of heaven and enjoy the ministry of the Angels Heb. 1. 13. Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation therefore also questionlesse by this Ladder Christ was represented the promised seed in whom all the promises are yea and amen 2. Cor. 1. 20. as methinks our Saviour himself did intimate in those words of his concerning himself John 1. 52. Verily verily I say unto you hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the sonne of man In his two natures personally united heaven and earth are as it were joyned together By him our onely Mediatour is man reconciled to God and both the things in heaven and the things on earth are reconciled through the bloud of his crosse Col. 1. 20. By his onely merit and intercession both the ministry of the Angels the gifts of the holy Ghost and all other heavenly blessings do descend upon us and by him likewise we have accesse unto God and entrance into heaven And thus by this vision Jacob was assured that through the promised seed Christ he should enjoy the guard of the holy Angels and that he should be by them defended both in his going out and returning home Vers 16. Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not Being awaked he perceived that God had appeared to him and therefore admires and extolls this goodnesse of God towards him as if he had said I thought God had onely in this manner revealed himself in my fathers house I looked not for such an Apparition in this place but now I find that God who is every where doth also in this place by these speciall testimonies of his presence manifest himself Vers 17. And he was afraid c. Stricken with a reverent fear of the majestie of God This is none other but the house of God This is spoken because God had manifested himself there unto him in his glory Vers 18. And set it up for a pillar and poured oyl upon the top of it The stone which Jacob had laid under his head all night he set up for a pillar as a memoriall of that vision and then poured oyl upon the top of it eiâ—her to consecrate thereby that place and stone to a holy and religious use as afterward for the same cause Moses was commanded to anoynt with oyl the Tabernacle and all that vvas therein or else rather as an offering to God Having no other sacrifice at hand of the oyl which he had about him either for food or to anoynt his body in his travell he poures forth an offering of thanksgiving unto God as David 2. Sam. 23. 16. poured out the water to God which his three worthies had fetched for him from the well of Bethlehem not without extreme perill to their lives Vers 20. And Jacob vowed a vow saying If God will be with me c. Jacob being much affected with Gods gratious goodnesse to him in the glorious vision he had seen and the many precious promises therein made to him doth here by way of thankfulnesse vow a vow unto God not onely in generall vers 21. that then the Lord should be his God that is he would then for ever acknowledge the Lord God of his Fathers to be the Authour of his welfare and salvation love worship and serve him yea and him onely but also particularly vers 22. 1. that the stone which he had now set up for a pillar should be Gods house that is he would account that stone or pillar or that place where that stone was erected for both are included figuratively a holy place consecrated to Gods worship and service and would there perform the duties of his worship which part of his vow he made good Gen. 35. 6 7. when at his return out of Mesopotamia he built there an altar and offered thereon sacrifices to the Lord and 2. that of all that God should give him he would give the tenth unto God that is that he would set it apart for Gods speciall service as by imploying it in building altars and sacrifices and relieving the poore upon any occasion Indeed concerning the first of these some doubt may arise in our minds How Jacob could vow that upon such such conditions then the Lord should be his God which may imply a resolution on the contrary that in case such conditions were not performed or did not come to passe then the Lord should not be his God But to this I answer 1. That men that wait in expectation of receiving some speciall blessing from God may vow upon the obtaining hereof to perform their duty to God which otherwise by covenant they are bound to perform and yet not intend that in case they fail of this they desire then they will not onely thereby they professe that this shall be a new ingagement to bind them to perform their duty herein and to make them the more solicitously carefull to carry themselves herein as they ought to do and 2. That with a conditionall vow something may be and is usually added which shall not depend upon the premised conditions but is onely annexed as a necessary concomitant of the vow as if a man should vow if God should blesse him according to his hopes in a voyage he is to undertake that then he would for ever honour his poore parents and give them such a yearly maintenance the paying of this yearly maintenance is the thing conditionally vowed and that clauâ—e of honouring his parents is onely annexed as that which must necessarily go along with his vowed maintenance and so it is here that which is vowed by Jacob conditionally is that the stone which he had now set â—p for a pillar should be Gods house and that of all that God should give him he would give the tenth unto God and this clause Then shall the Lord bâ— my God is onely annexâ—d as a necessary adjunct and the ground of his yielding this honour unto God CHAP. XXIX Vers 1. THen Jacob went on his journey and came into the land of the people of the East That is Mesopotamia which lay Eastward from Canaan Job 1. 3. He was the greatest of all the men of the East Isaiah 41. 2. Who raised up the righteous man from the East Vers 5. Know ye Laban the sonne of Nahor That is the grandchild for he was the sonne of Bethuell who was the sonne of Nahor Vers 7. It is yet high day neither is it time that the cattel should be gathered together That is into the fold there to rest all night Vers 8. And they said We cannot untill all the flocks c. Their meaning is either that they might not by right do it they might not water their sheep till all the flocks came together so the like phrase is used Gen. 34. 14. We cannot do this thing to give our sister to
within the compasse of three and twenty years they shew thus to wit 1. That Judah might marry and have his three sonnes Er Onan and Shelah by his wife the daughter of Shuah in the first three years after Joseph vvas sold into Egypt 2. That Er might be marriedto Tamar when he vvas sixteen years old Onan also the following year vvhich was towards the latter end of the seven plenteous years in Egypt about eighteen years after Joseph was sold thither and 3. That in the five following years Tamar might by Judah as is here related conceive with child and bring forth Pharez and Zarah a little before their going into Egypt And whereas it may be objected that Pharez had two sonnes Hezron and Hamul vvhen Jacob vvent dovvn into Egypt Gen. 46. 12. The sonnes of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul to this they answer That Hezron and Hamul are there reckoned amongst those that vvent dovvn vvith Jacob into Egypt not because they were then born but because they vvere of Jacobs family in Egypt vvhilest Jacob vvas yet living Thus I say some Expositours understand this place that Judah married this Canaanites daughter contrary no doubt to his father Jacobs mind who vvas himself strictly forbidden to marry amongst them by Isaac that very year that Joseph was sold into Egypt But 2. because Hezron and Hamul are so expresly reckoned amongst those that vvent dovvn vvith Jacob into Egypt Gen 46. 12. therefore many Expositours yea the most conceive that these vvords And it came to passe at that time must not be taken strictly that Judah married thus at that time vvhen Joseph was sold into Egypt but that it vvas done about that time that is say they at Jacobs first coming into the land of Canaan vvhen he left his uncle Laban and the ground of this their opinion is this because Jacobs coming from Laban vvhich vvas when Joseph vvas six years old as is evident if vve compare Gen. 30. 25. And it came to passe when Rachel had born Joseph that Jacob said unto Laban Send me away c. give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee and let me go c. vvith Gen. 31. 40. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy cattel c. vvas but eleven years before Joseph vvas sold into Egypt consequently not above foure thirty years at the most ere Jacob vvent dovvn thither to Joseph all vvhich time vvill be strait enough if not too little for all these things to be done in that are here related and for the birth of Ezron and Hamul the sonnes of Pharez vvho are reckoned amongst those that vvent dovvn vvith Jacob into Egypt for though Judah married the daughter of Shuah about tvvo years after their coming into Canaan and yet vvas he then but thirteen years old as being at the utmost but five yâ—ars older then Joseph and had by her Er Onan and Shelah in the three next years after his marriage and though he then married Er his eldest sonne to Tamar vvhen he vvas also but thirteen years old vvhich vvas sixteen years after their coming into Canaan three years at least after Joseph vvas sold into Egypt to this if you adde but three years for the death of Er the marriage and death of Onan the going home of Tamar to her fathers house Judahs incest with her and the conception and birth of her tvvo twinnes Pharez and Zarah the fruit of that incest and then fifteen years more ere Pharez could be marriageable and have those his two sonnes Hezron and Hamul who are numbred amongst those that went dovvn vvith Jacob into Egypt this vvill make the vvhole number of foure and thirty years from Jacobs coming into Canaan till his removing into Egypt And so they conclude that doubtlesse the time here spoken of vvhen Judah married this Canaanites daughter vvas vvithin a vvhile after their coming into Canaan And indeed neither of these Expositours do suppose any thing impossible yet the first may seem most probable because it were very strange if Judah and his sonnes Er and Pharez should all marry at twelve or thirteen years of agâ— Vers 7. And the Lord slew him The like also is said of Onan his younger brother vers 10. and the meaning in both places is that they died not an ordinary naturall death but that they were taken away in an extraordinary manner by some remarkable judgement whereby it was manifest unto others that they were cut off by the revenging hand of God for their notorious wickednesse And this was the fruit of Judahs marriage with a daughter of that accursed nation of the Canaanites that were in time to come to be rooted out that the Israelites might dwell in their room his children that he had by her proved sonnes of Belial and were destroyed by the just judgement of God upon them Vers 8. Go in unto thy brothers wife c. By this it appears that God had given this in charge to the Patriarchs as many other things which was afterward established by the written Law Deut. 25. 5. If brethren dwell together and one of them die and have no child the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger her husbands brother shall go in unto her and take her to him for wife and perform the duty of an husbands brother unto her Vers 11. Remain a widow in thy fathers house till Shelah my sonne be grown It is evident that in these words Judah thought to assure Tamar that assoon as his sonne Shelah was marriageable he also should take her to wife and raise up feed to his deceased brethren but withall it is most probable that he meant nothing lesse but onely intended to put her off and that as suspecting that she had some way been the occasion of the death of his other two sonnes as the words following do import For he said to wit within himself Lest peradventure he die also as his brethren did And indeed why â—lse did he send her home to her father she might have stayed awhile unmarried with him and when Shelah was grown we see Judah minded not the performance of his promise as is noted vers 14. yea his own confession makes it manifest vers 26. where he accuseth himself of doing her wrong She hath been more righteous then I because that I gave her not to Shelah my sonne Vers 12. Judah was comforted and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnath A city in the Philistines countrey which also befell Judahs children for a possession Josh 15. 20 57. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah c. Cain Gibea and Timnath Vers 14. And sate in an open place Such open places harlots used Ezech. 16. 25. Thou hast built thy high places at every head of the way Jer. 3. 2. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places and see where thou hast
to prevent their worshipping God in any other place then that one which he had appointed to which we in the dayes of the Gospel are not tyed Vers 4. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God That is ye shall not sacrifice to him in severall places upon mountains and hills c. as the heathens servâ—â— their Gods but all your sacrifices and offerings ye shall offer unto the Lord onâ—ly in that place which he shall chuse for that service for so it follows in the two next verses But untâ— the place which the Lord your God shall chuse out of all your tribes to put his name there even unto his habitation shall ye seek and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices c. Prayer and other spirituall duties of Gods worship they might even then perform in other places both in publick and private and therefore the Levites were purposely dispersed here and there all the lâ—nd over and they had their Synagogues in severall places where they met together every Sabbath day to perform these holy duties but their sacrifices were all to be brought unto the place which God should chuse which is meant of those places where the tabernacle was placed for some time after they were come into the land of Canaan such as were Shiloh and Nob and other places whence is that of the Prophet Jer. 7. 12. Go ye now into my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people but principally of the temple which God chose to be the settled place for sacrifices and it is called here the place which the Lord should chuse to put his name there both because it was to be called by his name The house of God and to be consecrated to his worship and service and withall to prevent that carnall conceit of Gods dwelling in temples made with hands to wit as essentially included therein whence it is also that the same Sanâ—tuary which is here called the Lords habitation or dwelling-place is elsewhere called his footstool Psal 99. 5. As for the reasons why the Lord did bind his people to offer up their sacrifices in one place onely which he would appoint they were chiefly these two first because hereby God would teach them that there was but one onely way to obtain pardon of their sinnes and acceptance of any service they did unto God and that was by Christ their promised Messiah of whom their tabernacle and temple was a type and secondly because hereby they might the better be kept to one unifoâ—m way of worshipping God and corruptions in his worship might be prevented whereinto they might easily fall had they been allowed to offer their sacrifices some in one place and some in another and for this cause it was that in after-times the Kings of Judaâ— were so often blamed because they did not remove the high places but â—uffered thâ— people to sacrifâ—ce there Vers 6. And thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings and your sacriâ—ices and your tithes c. Here Moses reckons up all those holy things which they were to bring to the place which God should choose for those services where first by sacrifices are meant all other sacrifices besides burnt-offerings as â—â—nne-offerings trespasse-offerings c. secondly by tithes are meant not those ordinary tithes which were yearly paid to the Levites for they were not brought to the temple but were paid to the Levites in their severall habitations throughout the land but a second tithe the tithe of that which remained after the first tithe was paid to the Levites for that or the money for which they had sold it they carryed up yearly to Jerusalem and there with those tithes so carried in kind or with such things as they bought with the money they kept a holy feast before the Lord as is largely expressed chap. 14. 22 27. thirdly by the hâ—ave-offerings of their hands are meant all the severall first-fruits which they brought in their hands and heaved them before the Lord and then left them to the priests for their portion fourthly by vows and freewill-offerings are meant all such sacrifices or offerings as they should extraordinarily bring either upon some vow they had made oâ— freely and of their own accord and lastly the firstlings are the first of that their herds and flocks brought forth for these also they carried up to the temple as is evident Numb 18. 17 18. where it is said that their bloud was to be sprinkled upon the altar and the fat was to be burnt for an offering made by fire and then the â—lesh was given to the priests for their portion Vers 7. And there ye shall â—at before the Lord your God and ye shall rejoyce c. That is when you carry your sacrifices and offerings and other things before mentioned to the place which the Lord shall choose there ye shall feast with your holy things and rejoycâ— together before the Lord. But here yet for the fuller understanding of this place we must note first that the meaning is not that they might eat of all the holy things before mentioned for the burnt-offerings were wholly burnt upon the altar and of some other sacrifices none but the priests might eat but the things here intended wherewith the people were to feaâ—t were the tithes and the peace-offerings secondly that it is said that they should eat these things before the Lord their God because they were to eat them though not in the priests court yet in the place where the tabernacle first and temple afterwards stood the place of Gods speciall presence to wit in Jerusalem which is therefore called the holy city Matth. 4. 5. thirdly that by all things they put their hand unto Ye shall rejoyce in all that you put your hand unto is meant all the good things they had gotten by the labour of their hands through Gods blessing and so had in the power of their hands to use as they had occasion and that because of all that they had they carried still something by way of tithes or sacrifices unto Jerusalem and so this phrase is ordinarily used in the Scripture as chap. 15. 10. the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy works and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto and so in many other places and fourthly that the drift of this place seems to be partly this Having told them in the foregoing verse that when they came to be settled in the land of Canaan they were to carry all their sacrifices and offerings c. to that one place in the land which the Lord their God should choose that they might not think much of the labour and charge which this would put them to especially those that dwelt farre off he addes this by way of encouragement There ye shall eat before the Lord your God c. as reckoning their glad enjoying of
boundlesse desire and endeavour to heap up riches and that lest such an excessive greedinesse after riches should make them either oppresse the people and heap up gold and silver by rapine and unjust exactions or be exalted in their minds because of their great wealth as indeed it is usually with men that have such a mighty masse of riches Give me not riches saith Agur Prov. 30. 8 9. lest I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord Vers 18. He shall write him a copie of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites The originall book of the law was kept in the Sanctuary Deut. 31. 26. Take this book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God that it may be there for a witnesse against thee 2. Kin. 22 â— And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe I have found the book of the Law in the house of the Lord. Here therefore God appoints that the King must not onely have a copie of this book but also that he must either write it himself or cause it to be purposely written for him out of the originall copie both that it might be perfect and also that receiving it immediately from the Priests and Levites he might take it as it were out of Gods hand and might be the more carefull to observe and obey it in every particular both for the ordering of his own life and for the government of the people CHAP. XVIII Vers 3. ANd this â—hall be the priests due from the people from thâ—m that offer a sacriâ—ice c. Besides all other things which being the Lords right by his Law he hath given to the priests and Levites They shall give unto the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the maw The wave-breast mentioned elsewhere is here left out and that as I conceive because it is comprehended under the shoulder to which it is joyned in the sheep both being parts of the fore-quarter But withall the maw and the two â—heeks added here are no where else mentioned the reason whereof may well be conceived to be this because elsewhere the Lord onely prescribes what part the priests should have of the sacrifice and the two cheeks and maw were no paâ—t of the sacrifice or holy things but cut off before and given to the priests and not so much as waved or heaved before the Lord. Vers 5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes to staâ—â— to minister in the name of the Lord c. It is said of the pâ—iests here that they did minister in the name of the Lord either because they performed the service of the priesthood by command and aâ—thority received from the Lord or rather because they performed it to the Lord as the duties of his worship and service which he required of them Vers 6. And if a Lâ—vit e come from any of thy gates out of all Israel c. The summe of this Law is this that wâ—enever any of the tribe of Levihad a desire to come and serve in the tabeâ—nacle or temple they should be admitted to live of the holy things there â—vâ—n â—s the rest that did at times serve in that place The priests and Levites we know had severall cities given them throughout the land of Israel where thâ—y had â—â—â—ir constant abode and did there instruct the people and performed such other duties as belonged to their places and so the service of the tabernacle and temple was performed by those that from thâ—ir ssverall cities went up in their tuâ—ns to do the service of that place for from the first I conceive there was some order observed for thiâ— though by David afterward this was morâ—â—xactly coâ—trived when they were divided into foure and twenty courses 1. Chron. 23. Now therefore here order is taken that if any of that tribe whether priest or ordinary Levite had a desire to go â—p and serve in the house of God voluntarily when it waâ— not his course or happely to spend the whole remainder of his life in that service 〈◊〉 should then be admitted to do the service of the house and should have his share of the holy things even as other his brethren had whose course it was at that time to attend upon that service Vers 8. They â—hall have like portions to cat beside that which comeâ—h of the sale of his patrimony That iâ— though he have something whereon to live which cometh in of the sale of his patrimonie he shall for all that have a like portion to eat of the holy things as other his brethren have that do the service there in their severall courses But what is meant here by that which cometh of the sale of his patrimonie I answer some hereby mean the money which the Israelites which dwelt far off from the tabernacle or temple brought with them when they came thither and was raised of their holy thiâ—gs which they sold at home according to that Law Deut. 14. â—4 25. and â—hat it is enjoyned here that of this these that thus went up to the tabernacle or temple should have their share as well as of other the holy things others again hereby understand that which was raised of his portion of the tithes paid to the Levites in the place where he had his dwelling which they say he was to enjoy and yet was to have no lesse share in the holy things of the temple when he went up to serve there But neither of these I conceive can be meant here because this place speaks not of such things as were the patrimony of the Priests and Levites in generall but of that mans peculiar patrimony which should thus voluntarily go up to serve at the altar which therefore doubtlesse was such moneys as came in of the sale either of those houses which were his portion and patrimony in the cities of the Levites or of any other estate that was left him by his father and so the meaning of this place is that notwithstanding any such private estate that the Levite had yet if he went up to serve in the temple he must live of the holy things of the temple as others did Indeed considering that the Levite might redeem his house which he had sold at any time Levit. 25. 32. it was not fit that he should be disabled to do this by spending his money upon his own maintenance But however if of singular devotion to the service of the Sanctuary he should go up extraordinarily to serve there God would have such an one live of the altar and not be put thereby to spend his own private estate whatever it were Vers 10. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his sonne or his daughter to passe through the fire See the note upon Lev. 18. 21. Or that useth divination or an observer of times c. By