Every woman shall borrow— It should be translated, shall ASK of her neighbour, and of her that sojourns in her house, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, &c. But, for a further justification of this matter, we refer to the event itself, ch. Exodus 12:35. It appears by the expression in the text, of her neighbour, and her that sojourneth in her house,—that the Hebrews and Egyptians lived intermixed; and so the former might the more easily carry some of the latter along with them, when they left Egypt. See ch. Exodus 11:8.
REFLECTIONS.—Moses is farther directed in his work.
1. He must assemble the elders of the people, and assure them of the fulfilment of God's promise; and they shall hearken to it. Note; (1.) The faithful report of God's word is every minister's duty. (2.) When we do so, it is God's work to make it successful, and we have God's promise to assure us that he will, Matthew 28:20.
2. He must speak to Pharaoh; and the request is most reasonable, but Pharaoh will not hearken. Learn hence, The obstinacy of the sinner's heart, who turns a deaf ear to the kindest pleas and remonstrances.
3. God will bring his people out in spite of Pharaoh, and not only free, but enriched with the spoils of the Egyptians. Learn, (1.) Opposition against God is vain. (2.) Whether we have justice in this world or not, we know the day is near, when God will judge according to truth.
But let us, before we dismiss this chapter, consider this wonderful manifestation of God as a type of the Messiah. The appearances of the Deity, in that age of types, were most generally vouchsafed in such a manner, as to represent some hidden mystery, or important doctrine of the Gospel. They who think, that the flame of fire might signify the pure and spiritual nature of God, who appeared in it, are certainly not mistaken. And it is also not unfitly observed, that the burning bush may represent the state of Israel at that time, who were entangled in the thorny bush of adversity, in which they were near being consumed. But let us draw near, and consider with Moses this great sight with a closer attention; and perhaps it will be found a most significant emblem, both of Jesus Christ who was in the bush, and of the church which is his body, in every age of the world.
And, first, it seems very probable, that this was a prelusive vision both of the future incarnation and sufferings of Jesus Christ. That the bush may represent his human nature, is not unlikely, especially as the prophet Esaias compares him to a tender plant, and root out of a dry ground, in which, to the eye of sense, no form, comeliness, or beauty should be found. That the flame of fire may adumbrate or typify his Divine Nature, will be no less evident, when we consider how often the fiery element is, in the Scripture-style, an emblem of the Deity: yea, it is expressly said, "Our God is a consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29. That the union of the flame of fire with the bush may denote the union of the Godhead and the Manhood, is not at all absurd to suppose: for why should Moses, in his dying benediction, be directed to speak of "the goodwill of Him that dwelt in the bush?" Deuteronomy 33:16. May it not signify, that the continuance of the flame of fire in the bush for a time, was a type of the fulness of the Godhead dwelling for ever in the man Christ Jesus? As the bush was in the fire, and the fire in the bush; yet still they were distinct things, though joined thus in one: even so the Man Christ Jesus is in the God, and the God is in the Man, though both these Natures, so mysteriously united, do still retain their own distinct properties. And if Moses was struck with admiration, that the bush was not consumed, though in such near neighbourhood with ruddy flame; much more may we be overwhelmed with amazement, to think how a portion of our frail humanity lives for ever in a state of the nearest approach unto, and most ineffable union with the glorious Godhead, in whose unveiled presence we mortals could not live, and even the angels cover their faces with their wings. Here also may be discerned a shadow of those direful sufferings, by which the Son of God was to expiate our sins. For the wrath of God is in innumerable instances in Scripture compared to fire: and Jesus Christ, who dwelt in the bush, dwelt also in the fierce fire of God's indignation against sin, which flamed most intensely against him, while he bore the sins of many, and was compassed by this fire all the days of his humbled life: yet he was not consumed, because his Deity, like the Angel in the bush, supported his humanity, and bade him be a glorious Conqueror.
From the sufferings of the head, let us descend to the sufferings of the body. Let the bush be an emblem of the church, to which it may be compared on account of its weak, obscure, and contemptible state in the esteem of worldly men, who are taken with nothing but what dazzles the eye of sense. For though there is a real glory, and a spiritual magnificence, in this holy society, she cannot compare with earthly kingdoms in outward splendour, any more than a bush in the wilderness can vie with a cedar in Lebanon; for besides the comparative paucity of her true members, they are commonly to be found rather in smoky cottages than proud palaces; and sometimes they have been found in prisons, dungeons, dens, and caves of the earth. Let the fire in which the bush burned, signify the fiery trials to which the church has been no stranger in all ages. Sometimes, she has burned in the fire of persecution; and sometimes, of division. But as the bush was not consumed, so neither has the church been destroyed. In vain shall the great red dragon persecute this woman clothed with the sun; for a place is prepared for her in the wilderness by the great God, and there no necessary provision shall be wanting. How many times have bloody and deceitful men conspired her destruction? When were incendiaries wanting to foment and kindle those fires, which, without the immediate interposition of the Keeper of Israel, would certainly have wasted unto destruction, and completed the utter extinction of this humble bush? What society, but this alone, could have subsisted to this day, in the midst of a hating world? Where are now the mighty empires of antiquity? They are but an empty name, live only in history, having fallen to pieces by their own weight, or been crushed by bloody war. But the church of Christ, though she has undergone many revolutions, remains, and will remain, when the consumption determined by the Lord of Hosts shall come upon all the earth.
Ask you the reason? The angel of the Lord is in the bush; and though persecuted, she is not forsaken: therefore shall the fiery trials, instead of consuming her, serve to refine her, and add unto her glory, as the bush was only brightened by the flame.