And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone.
The promised increase pleaded
I. The glorious being addressed. “The Lord God of your fathers.”
1. In His essential character as Lord God.
(1) In creation.
(2) In providence.
(3) In redemption.
2. In His relative character. “Lord God of your fathers.”
(1) Literally in its application to Israel. The Lord God, who called Abraham, blessed Isaac, and named Jacob; who delivered His people from the proud yoke of Pharaoh; guided, guarded, and supplied them in the wilderness; gave them the rich land of promise. Surely Israel might well sing, “There is no God like unto the God of Jeshurun.” Then let us apply it--
(2) To many of our fathers after the flesh. Many of our fathers served and trusted in the living God. How they spake of God, “Behold I die, but serve God, and He will be with you.” Is not their memory still sweet?
3. The subject has a general application to our spiritual predecessors. Those early Christian fathers who had to witness before the pagan world, and who passed through horrid persecutions, and yet were supported and made successful in spreading the Gospel through the world.
II. The comprehensive petition presented. “Make you,” etc. In the petition are two parts, multiplication of numbers and the Divine blessing.
III. The ground of encouragement adduced. “As He hath promised.” Now, God did promise Abraham. Observe some of the traits of these promises. They are--
1. Absolute in their nature. He has not said He will multiply the Church if--
(1) Her friends are active and willing. No. But He will make His people willing in the day of His power.
(2) If the governments of the world and the great of the earth are favourable; but it is written, They shall bring the gold of Sheba,” etc.
2. They are numerous. Scattered over the whole extent of revelation.
3. They have been principally made to Christ.
4. Partially fulfilled.
Application.
1. The divinity of our religion.
2. The benevolence of our religion.
3. The final triumphs of our religion.
4. The bearing of our subject on the religious instruction of the rising generation. (J. Burns, D. D.)
The blessing of a numerous progeny
I. That children ought to be esteemed blessings, and that he who has a numerous offspring ought to be thankful to God for them. This is a blessed tiling, for--
1. Such a man is a public blessing to the kingdom in which he lives; for the riches of a kingdom consists in the number of its inhabitants.
2. A numerous offspring is a valuable blessing with respect to private families, and that mutual comfort and support which those who came originally out of the same loins yield to one another. These bonds are inseparable when the same interests are bound by natural affection.
3. A numerous offspring is a valuable blessing to the parent himself, The Jew looked forward to the Messiah being born of his family; the Christian can see a new heir of righteousness. There is joy in their birth; there is pleasure in their after-life if the child is trained aright.
II. God is the sole author and disposer of these blessings (Psalms 127:3). This blessing is called an heritage. An heritage is an estate got by ancestors, and descends to us lineally without our painstaking. God is our Ancestor, from whom we enjoy all favours. Three lessons are gathered from the subject of this verse.
1. Let those who have no children learn from hence to wait with patience the Divine pleasure, to continue in prayer and alms deeds, and to be fruitful in good works; and if they have not children after the flesh, they will have a multitude who will call them blessed, and who in the endless ages of eternity will be to them as children.
2. Let those who have a numerous family of children be thankful to God for bestowing these blessings on them, and use their utmost endeavour to make them blessings indeed, by grounding them in the principles of religion, and bringing them up soberly and virtuously to some lawful calling.
3. Those who have had children and are deprived of them, either by natural death or, which is worse, by any unfortunate accident, may hence learn to resign themselves to the will of God, and entirely to depend on His good providence. (Lewis Atterbury.)
Numerical increase
In this part of his narrative he insinuates to them--
1. That he greatly rejoiced in the increase of their numbers. He owns the accomplishment of God’s promise to Abraham (Deuteronomy 1:10). You are as the stars of heaven for multitude; and prays for the further accomplishment of it (Deuteronomy 1:11). God make you a thousand times more. This prayer comes in a parenthesis; and a good prayer prudently put in cannot be impertinent in any discourse of Divine things; nor will a pious ejaculation break the coherence, but rather strengthen and adorn it. But how greatly are his desires enlarged when he prays that they might be made a thousand times more than they were! We are not straightened in the power and goodness of God; why should we be straightened in our own faith and hope, which ought to be as large as the promise? It is from the promise that Moses here takes the measure of his prayer, the Lord bless you as He hath promised you. And why might he not hope that they might become a thousand times more than they were now, when they were now ten thousand times more than they were when they came down into Egypt, above two hundred and fifty years ago? Observe, when they were under the government of Pharaoh the increase of their numbers was envied, and complained of as a grievance (Exodus 1:9); but now, raider the government of Moses, it was rejoiced in, and prayed for as a blessing, the comparing of which might give them occasion to reflect with shame upon their own folly when they had talked of making a captain and returning to Egypt.
2. That he was not ambitious of monopolising the honour of the government and ruling them himself alone as an absolute monarch (Deuteronomy 1:9). Magistracy is a burden. Moses himself, though so eminently gifted for it, found it lay heavy on his shoulders; nay, the best magistrates complain most of the burden, and are most desirous of help, and most afraid of undertaking more than they can perform.
3. That he was not desirous to prefer his own creatures, or such as should underhand have a dependence upon him; for he leaves it to the people to choose their judges, to whom he would grant commissions; not to be turned out when he pleased, but to continue as long as they approved themselves faithful (Deuteronomy 1:13). We must not grudge that God’s work be done by other hands than ours, provided it be done by good hands.
4. That he was m this matter very willing to please the people, and though he did not in anything aim at their applause, yet in a thing of this nature he would not act without their approbation. And they agreed to the proposal (Deuteronomy 1:14). The thing which thou hast spoken is good. This he mentions to aggravate the sin of their mutinies and discontents after this, that the government they quarrelled with was what they themselves had consented to; Moses would have pleased them if they would have been pleased.
5. That he aimed to edify them as well as to gratify them; for--
(1) He appointed men of good characters (Deuteronomy 1:15), wise men, and men known men that would be faithful to their trust and to the public interest.
(2) He gave them a good charge (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). Those that are advanced to honour must know that they are charged with business, and must give account another day of their charge.
(3) He chargeth them to be diligent and patient; hear the causes. Hear both sides, hear them fully, hear them carefully, for nature hath provided us with two ears; and he that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame to him. The car of the learned is necessary to the tongue of the learned (Isaiah 50:4).
(4) To be just and impartial: judge righteously. Judgment must be given according to the merits of the cause, without regard to the quality of the parties. The natives must not be suffered to abuse the strangers; no more than the strangers to insult the natives, or to encroach upon them. The great must not be suffered to oppress the small, nor to crush them; no more than the small to rob the great, or to affront them. No faces must be known in judgment, but unbribed, unbiassed equity must always pass sentence.
(5) To be resolute and courageous. You shall not be afraid of the face of man. But not overawed to do an ill thing, either by the clamours of the crowd, or by the menaces of those that have power in their hands. And he gives them a good reason to enforce this charge; for the judgment is God’s. You are God’s vicegerents; you act for Him, and therefore must act like Him; you are His representatives, but if you judge unrighteously you misrepresent Him. The judgment is His, and therefore He will protect you in doing right, and will certainly call you to account if you do wrong. And lastly, he allows them to bring all difficult cases to him, which he would always be ready to hear and determine, and to make both the judges and the people easy. (Matthew Henry, D. D.)
The execution of a nation’s laws
The constitution of a man’s body is best known by his pulse; if it stirs not at all, then we know he is dead; if it stirs violently, then we know him to be in a fever; if it keeps an equal stroke, then we know he is sound and whole: in like manner we may judge of the estate of a kingdom, or commonwealth, by the manner of execution of its laws. (J. Spencer.)