Gathered together all the elders.
The first interview of Moses and Aaron with the elders of Israel, and the welcome they received
I. They acted upon the Divine suggestion. All Christian work should be undertaken according to the Divine suggestion, and in harmony with the Divine will. God generally tells men how to work as well as what to do. If we were left to mark out our own methods of toil, we should often involve both ourselves and the enterprise entrusted to us in great danger.
II. They spake according to the Divine dictation. Great workers require to be taught by God. In this consists their safety and success. A man who speaks to the world the messages of God will always be listened to.
III. They succeeded according to Divine intimation. Thus Moses and Aaron awakened--
1. Faith.
2. Hope.
3. Devotion--of Israel.
Moses had previously said that Israel would not believe him. We mistake our missions. We cannot form an estimate of success. If we act and speak according to the instruction of God we must succeed. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Lessons
1. Declaring of God’s will is suitably united to the assembling of His people.
2. God’s spokesmen made by Him are fittest to declare his mind to His people.
3. The words of Jehovah only, which He hath spoken to His servants, must be given to His assembly.
4. God may give His mind more immediately to one servant than to another (to Moses).
5. God’s stupendous works must be done, as well as His words spoken, to His people.
6. God’s congregation are the first subject to whom His words and works are sent. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
The gathering of the elders
The gathering of the “elders” of the children of Israel may point to no more than a family and tribal organization which was not known or used by the Egyptians for the purposes of government, but only used among the Israelites themselves for their religious and ritual teaching. But it would be contrary to most oriental experience to suppose so. It has been the custom of most eastern rulers, as of the Turks to-day, to recognize all proper governmental organizations among a subject people. It was even a large part of the wisdom of the politic Romans. The general government, indeed, extends its power to the individual, and is not slow to do so. But it is both convenient to have an opportunity for the “respondent superior” principle in law to work, and politic to have thus a hold upon the more generous feelings of the subject classes. The heads of the subject, tribe, or people are made responsible for, collection (or at least the payment) of tribute, and for the preservation of a certain law and order, and are the ready subjects of extortion on very slight pretences. On the other hand, their brethren of inferior order take pride in them, and serve them, and through them the general government, with much less driving. A pretty fair example of this in modern times can be seen in the Turkish recognition of the various religious bodies within its domains. Perhaps it is the best of modern illustrations. (Prof. Isaac H. Hall.)