EXPOSITION
THE RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. Dazed, as it would seem, by the splendour of the vision which he had beheld, Moses forgot that God had already pledged himself to renew the covenant, and lead the people in person to Canaan. In his forgetfulness, he once more set himself to intercede with God on their behalf, and besought him—
1. That he would go up with them;
2. That he would pardon them; and
3. That he would once more take them as his inheritance (Exodus 34:9). Without replying separately to these requests, God formally renews the covenant; promises not only to go up with the people, but to work miracles for them (Exodus 34:10), and to drive out the nations before them when they have arrived (Exodus 34:11); and makes a brief summary of the chief points of positive observance, which he requires of them in addition to the moral law. These points may be reduced to twelve:—
1. That no treaty of peace should be made with the Canaanite nations (Exodus 34:12).
2. That all their images, altars, and groves should be destroyed (Exodus 34:13).
3. That no molten image should be made to represent God (Exodus 34:17).
4. That the Passover festival should be observed as previously commanded (Exodus 34:18).
5. That the first-born should be dedicated, or redeemed (Exodus 34:19, Exodus 34:20).
6. That the Sabbath rest should be observed at all times of the year (Exodus 34:21).
7. That the feast of Pentecost (weeks) should be observed regularly (Exodus 34:22).
8. That the feast of tabernacles should also be observed (ib,).
9. That at all the three great festivals all the males should appear before God (Exodus 34:23).
10. That no leaven should be used with any sacrifice (Exodus 34:25).
11. That first-fruits of all things should be offered to God (Exodus 34:26). 12. That no kid should be seethed in her mother's milk (Exodus 34:26).
If now I have found grace in thy sight. The vision vouchsafed him makes Moses feel that he has indeed been received into favour with God. The first use which it occurs to him to make of his position is to intercede anew for his people, he, apparently, forgets that God has already promised to go with them (Exodus 33:17), and prefers exactly the same request which he had made on the preceding day, and which had been granted. To this he adds a prayer for pardon, and a request that God would take Israel for his inheritance. The last phrase is a new one, but expresses perhaps no more than has been implied in such phrases as "thy people, which thou hast purchased" (Exodus 15:16)—"ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me" (Exodus 19:5).
I make a covenant—i.e; "I lay down afresh the terms of the covenant between me and Israel." On my part, I will go with them (implied, not expressed), and do miracles for them, and drive out the nations before them (Exodus 34:10, Exodus 34:11), and enlarge their borders, and not allow their land to be invaded at the festival seasons (Exodus 34:24): on their part, they must "observe that which I command them" (Exodus 34:11). Marvels such as have not been done in all the earth. As the drying up of the Jordan (Joshua 3:16, Joshua 3:17); the falling down of the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:20), the slaughter of the army of the five kings by hailstones (Joshua 10:11), and the like. It is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Terrible, not to Israel, but to Israel's enemies. Compare Deuteronomy 10:21; Psalms 106:22; Psalms 145:6, etc.
Observe thou that which I command thee this day. The precepts expressly given (Exodus 34:12-2) are, as observed above, almost wholly positive. The moral law did not require recapitulation, because it was enjoined on the people afresh by the writing on the two tables (Exodus 34:28). I drive out before thee. Compare Exodus 3:8, Exodus 3:17; Exodus 6:4, Exodus 6:8; Exodus 13:5, Exodus 13:11; Exodus 33:2.
Take heed to thyself lest thou make a covenant. See above, Exodus 23:32 A snare. See Exodus 23:33.
Ye shall destroy their altars, etc. This command is more sweeping than the corresponding one in the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:24), which expressly mentions only the "images." Here the destruction of idol-altars and idol-groves is further commanded. On idol-altars, see Numbers 23:1, Numbers 23:29; Jdg 2:2; 1 Kings 16:32; 1 Kings 18:26, etc. Groves are here for the first time mentioned. They appear to have been artificial constructions, either of wood or metal, or both, more or less imitative of trees, and regarded as emblems of the Oriental nature-deities, especially Baal and Astarte or Ashtoreth. The word translated "grove" (asherah) is a modification of the name Ashtoreth. The well-known "sacred tree" of the Assyrians is probably an asherah.
For thou shalt worship no other God. This is a reference to the Second Commandment (Exodus 20:5). The meaning is—"Thou shalt not spare the idolatrous emblems of the Canaanite nations, for thou couldst only do so to worship them, and thou art already forbidden to worship any other god beside me." The existence of the Decalogue and its binding nature, is assumed throughout this chapter
The probable consequences of making treaties with the Canaanite nations, alluded to in Exodus 34:12, and in Exodus 23:33, are here fully set forth. They include—
1. Joining in their idol-feasts;
2. Intermarriages;
3. The actual apostasy of. those who married idolatrous wives.
The event fully justified the warning here given. See Judges 2:2, Judges 2:11-7, Judges 2:17; Judges 6:25; Judges 10:6, etc. They go a whoring. This expression, so common in the later books, is here used for the first time It implies that the relation between man and God is analogous to that of the marriage-bond, so that deserting him for other gods is a species of adultery. Compare the frequent representations in the New Testament of Christ as the "Bridegroom" and the Church as his "Bride."
Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. An express allusion to the recent sin of the golden calf.
The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. See Exodus 23:15, and compare Exodus 12:14-2, and Exodus 13:3-2. The month Abib. See the comment on Exodus 13:4.
All that openeth the matrix is mine, etc. This is a repetition of the command given in Exodus 13:12, Exodus 13:13, which had not been inserted in the "Book of the Covenant." It is again enjoined in Leviticus 27:26, Leviticus 27:27. None shall appear before me empty. Repeated from Exodus 23:15.
Six days, etc. This is repeated from the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:12), but with a remarkable addition—in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. "Earing time" is "ploughing time"—to "ear" being to "plough" in Old English, a word cognate with the Greek ἄρω and the Latin are; and the command to rest both then and at harvest time is a command not to break the Sabbath rest at the seasons when it might seem most necessary so to do The temptation to "save the harvest" is readily intelligible to Englishmen. To appreciate the other temptation, we require to know the peculiar circumstances of the East. It is necessary there to complete the ploughing before the spring rains are over. These last but a short time; and when they are once past no rain can be looked for till the autumn.
Of the first-fruits. There is here an unfortunate ambiguity. The English reader naturally supposes that three festivals are mentioned—
1. That of weeks;
2. That of the first-fruits of wheat harvest; and
3. That of in-gathering.
But in reality the feast of weeks is that of the first-fruits of wheat harvest. See Le Exodus 23:17; Numbers 28:26. The observance of this feast, as well as that of the feast of in-gathering, was commanded in the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:16).
Thrice in the year, Repeated from Exodus 23:17.
I will … enlarge thy borders. The original promise to Abraham was to give to his seed "the land of Canaan" (Genesis 12:5-1). Afterwards this promise was enlarged, and he was told that the land assigned them was the entire tract between the Nile and the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18). And practically, they took possession first of the one, while at a later date their border was enlarged, and they became masters of the other. See 1 Kings 4:21, 1Ki 4:24; 2 Chronicles 9:26. Neither shall any man desire thy land, etc. This promise is nowhere else made. It would serve as a great encouragement to the proper observance of the festivals.
Repeated from Exodus 23:18.
Repeated from Exodus 23:19. It is remarkable that both legislations terminate with the same, somewhat strange, proviso. There must have been an intention of impressing strongly upon the people the principle of tenderness involved in it. (See the comment on Exodus 23:19.)
HOMILETICS
The covenant renewed.
That God should have consented to renew the covenant with Israel after it had been violated so flagrantly is evidence of two things:
1. His faithfulness towards his true followers, which makes him "merciful unto thousands of those that love him," and renders him tender to the children for the sake of the fathers;
2. The value that he sets on intercessory prayer, when offered earnestly by a believer. In the renewal itself we may notice:—
I. THAT THE PROMISES NOW MADE EXCEED ALL THOSE WHICH HAD BEEN MADE TO THE PEOPLE PREVIOUSLY. Leadership had been promised; help in driving out the nation had been promised; the possession of Canaan had been promised. But not "marvels such as had not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation" (Exodus 34:10)—not an enlargement of the nation's boundaries beyond the limits of Canaan (Exodus 34:24)—not security against their land being invaded when they went up to the three great festivals (ibid.). These, so far as the people were concerned, were new and additional pledges. God is apt "to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think." He ties himself down to perform certain promises; but he does not tie himself down not to do more than he has promised. He will give to man ultimately, not only more than he is bound to give, but more than "it has entered into the heart of man to conceive."
II. THAT THE PROHIBITIONS ARE IN SOME CASES MORE STRINGENT THAN BEFORE. According to the former covenant, idolatrous images were not to be spared; according to this neither images, nor altars, nor groves (Exodus 34:13); according to that, the Sabbath rest was not to be infringed, as a general rule—according to this, not even on account of the most necessary operations of husbandry (Exodus 34:21); according to that, treaties were not to be made with the Canaanitish nations—according to this, neither treaties nor matrimonial alliances. To balance the greater favours, there were imposed greater obligations, whereby was inculcated the lesson that the two are correlative.
III. THE PRECEPTS REIMPOSED WERE, IN ADDITION TO THE DECALOGUE, CHIEFLY THOSE CONNECTED WITH WORSHIP. It was the attraction of a corrupt worship which had caused Israel to fall away. Their best security against a second similar fall would be careful and constant observance of the pure worship prescribed to them. If they kept properly the Sabbath, the great festivals, the laws of sacrifice, of redemption, of first fruits, and whatever was similar to these, it might well content their religious aspirations, and leave no such vacuum in their lives as they had hoped to fill with their calf-worship. True, that many of the precepts could not be observed until they reached Canaan; but, as a compensation, they would have in the wilderness the daily worship—morning and evening—of the tabernacle, and the near presence of God in the pillar of the cloud, not henceforth to be withdrawn from them. The true spiritual life could be amply sustained on these—it was only a pseudo-spiritualism that the calf-worship would have exercised.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
I make a covenant.
I. A COVENANT RENEWED. Mark how in connection with this there is—
(1) A new command to ascend the mount.
(2) A new command that the mount shall not be touched.
(3) A new manifestation of the Divine glory. Yet how different!
(4) A new giving of the law.
(5) A new rehearsal (in summary) of the "rights."
(6) A new fast of forty days and forty nights.
II. A COVENANT RENEWED ON THE BASIS OF INTERCESSION. We have even more than this—we have a "shadow of the Cross" (ch. 32:32). Peace made by
(1) mediation,
(2) atonement,
(3) intercession.
The bestowal of the blessing on this ground—
1. Prevented the people from looking lightly on sin, or from imagining that God looked lightly on it.
2. Conserved the Divine honour.
3. Gave a higher value to the gift.
4. Put honour upon Moses.
5. Taught that blessings can be won from God by intercession.—J.O.
Revived obligations.
Former instructions are renewed; only, however, so far as relates to the duties of religion. Renewal of the civil code was not required. Subject to this limit, the new book of the covenant (Exodus 34:27) revives, supplements, expands, and endorses the teachings and precepts of the old one. We have in it—
I. PROMISE (Exodus 34:10, Exodus 34:11). God, as on the former occasion (Exodus 23:23-2), pledges himself to drive out all their enemies. The work would be
1. Wonderful—"Before all the people will I do marvels," etc.
2. Terrible—"For it is a terrible thing which I will do with thee." Men have passed the same judgment upon it. God however, called it terrible before they did. They should remember this when they build on it an objection to the Bible. God can do terrible things.
3. Thorough. The extirpation would be complete.
II. CAUTION (Exodus 34:12-2). The Israelites were to beware of being snared into idolatry. To this end they were—
1. To make no league with the Canaanites. "Evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).
2. To destroy all signs of their idolatrous worship. No good comes of retaining in our midst that which can only be a snare to us.
3. To avoid intermarriages. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6:14).
III. COMMAND (Exodus 34:18-2). The command relates to the three feasts. See former Homilies.—J.O.