Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, [with] the statutes and judgments.
Ver. 4. Remember ye the law of Moses] viz. Now henceforth, in the end of prophecy, for Malachi knew that after him until the days of John Baptist no prophet should arise. Hence this exhortation, to read and remember the law, as leading them to Christ; the law, I say, in all the parts of it; not excluding the prophets, those interpreters of the law, and most excellent commentaries thereupon, with like reverence to be read and received. The Jews at this day read in their synagogues two lessons; one out of the law, by some chief person, another out of the prophets, correspondent to the former in argument, but is read by some boy, or lowly companion; for they will in no sort do that honour, neither attribute they that authority, to any part of the Bible, that they do to their law. But "this their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings," as the Psalmist speaketh in another case, Psalms 49:13. Two things offer themselves to our observation from these first words. First, the little coherence that this verse hath with the former; the prophet choosing rather to fall abruptly upon his most needful, but too much neglected, duty of remembering the law, than not at all to mention it. See the like Romans 16:17, where the apostle breaks off his salutations, to warn them of their danger by seducers; and that done, returns thereto again. Secondly, in the Hebrew word rendered remember, there is, in many Bibles, a great Zain; to show, as some think, the necessity and excellency of this duty of remembering the law of Moses (Buxtorf. in Comment. Maser. c. 14). Hebrew Text Note It is well enough known, that since the fall man's soul is like a filthy pond, wherein fish die soon and frogs live long; profane matters are remembered, pious passages forgotten. Our memories are like sieves, or nets, that retain chaff and palterment, let go the good grain, or clear water; God's word runs through us, as water runs through a riven vessel. And as hour glasses, which no sooner turned up and filled, but are presently running out again to the last sand, so is it here. And yet the promise of salvation is limited to the condition of keeping in memory what we have read or heard, 1 Corinthians 15:2. And David's character of a blessed man is, that he meditateth in the law day and night, Psalms 1:2 .
“ Hoc primum repetens opus, hoc postremus omittens ”(Hor. Eph 6:1-24).
Bishop Babington had a little book, containing three leaves only, which he turned over night and morning. The first leaf was black, to remind him of hell and God's judgments due to him for sin; the second red, to mind him of Christ and his passion; the third white, to set forth God's mercy to him through the merits of his Son, in his justification and sanctification. The law of the Lord, as it is perfect in itself, so it is right for all holy purposes, Psalms 19:7,8. It serves to reveal sin, Romans 3:20; Romans 7:9, shows the punishment due to sin, Galatians 3:10, scourgeth men to Christ, Galatians 3:24; and is a perfect rule of obedience; it being so penned that every man may think it speaks de se, in re sua, as Athanasius saith of the book of Psalms; and must therefore be of all acknowledged to be Yεου ευρημα, God's own invention (Demost.). Moses was but the penman only, though it be here called his law; because God gave him the moral law written with his own hand, Deuteronomy 10:2, adding it to the promise made to Abraham, that thereby guilt being discovered, &c., men might acknowledge the riches of free grace and mercy; and that they might walk, as Luther hath it, Galatians 3:19, in the heaven of the promise, but in the earth of the law (that, in respect of believing, this of obeying); that they might live as though there were no gospel, die as though there were no law; pass the time of this life in the wilderness of this world under the conduct of Moses, but let none but Joshua (Jesus) bring them over to Canaan the promised land. This the generality of the Jews could not skill of (though the moral law drove them to the ceremonial, which was then Christ in figure, as it doth now drive us to Christ in truth), they would needs have Moses for a saviour; and being ignorant of God's righteousness (wilfully ignorant), they go about to establish their own, Romans 10:3, and so lose all. They jeer at an imputed righteousness; and say, That every fox must pay his own skin to the flayer. They blaspheme Jesus Christ, and curse him in a close abbreviature of his name; and call those among them that convert to Christianity, Meshumadim, that is, lost, or undone (Buxtorf. syn. Jud. cap. 5). Moses' law they extol without measure; it must not be written on any parchment but what is made of the skin of a clean beast; nor read but in a clean place. No man must touch it but with the right hand, and not without a kiss of reverence. They usually carry it in procession about their synagogue, with many ornaments of crowns and sceptres, the children kissing it as it passeth by them. No man must sit in the presence of it, nor so much as spit before it (Schicard. de iure leg. Hebr.). Whereas the gospel of grace they utterly reject and abominate, as a volume of vanity (Evangelium Avan-gelaion); that Italian translation that they had of the New Testament is called in, and taken from them, for their horrible abuse of it; this being still the twelfth article of their creed, I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Messiah is yet to come. No marvel if the apostle would not have us ignorant, "that blindness in part is happened to Israel," Romans 11:25. That lesser part, or rather particle, of them that are proselyted to our religion, they pretend that they are none other than poor Christians hired to impersonate their part. And yet they give complete dispensation to counterfeit Christianity, even to the degree of priesthood. In the day of their expiation, their Rabbi doth absolve them from all their perjuries and deceits used against Christians. He also assures them they are not bound to keep any oath but what is sworn upon their own Torah, or law of Moses, brought out of their synagogue; to the reading whereof they depute one third part of their day; and wherein they are generally so expert, that they have it as ready as their own names (Facilius quam nomen suum recitati. Joseph. Cont. Appio. lib. 2). The mischief of it is, that they are too much affixed to it, and will needs be saved by it; which the law cannot do for them, as being weak through the flesh, Romans 8:3. The law is a yoke of bondage, as Jerome calleth it; and they who look for righteousness from hence are like oxen who toil and draw and when they have done their labour are fitted for slaughter. Luther fitly calleth such drudges the devil's martyrs; they suffer much and take much pains to go to hell. And in another place he saith, Qui scit inter Legem et Evangelium distinguere, gratias agat Deo, et sciat se esse Theologum. He that can rightly distinguish between law and gospel hath cause to praise God; and may well pass for a divine.
Moses my servant] A far higher title than son of Pharaoh's daughter; for this was to be Pharaoh's God, Exodus 7:1, and higher than the kings of the earth, Psalms 89:27. No marvel though Moses so esteemed it; when Numa, king of Romans, a heathen did; and Augustus the emperor, cui gratius fuit nomen pietatis quam potestatis, saith Tertullian, he preferred piety before monarchy (του θεου υπηρεσιον βασιλευειν ενομιζεν. Flat.); so did those succeeding emperors, Constantine, Valentinian, and Theodosius, who called themselves Vassallos Christi, the vassals of Christ, as Socrates reporteth. It was noted, as a great both presage and desert of Darius's ruin, when in his proud embassy to Alexander he called himself the king of kings, and cousin of the gods; but for Alexander, he called him his servant. That was worse in John Oneal, father to the Earl of Tirone, that rebel, A.D. 1598, who blasphemously inscribed himself in all places; I, great John Oncal, cousin to Christ, friend to the Queen of England, and foe to all the world, &c. What big bubbles of words were these, as Peter calls them. His pretended successor styleth himself the servant of God's servants; and one day in the year, in an apish imitation of our Saviour, washeth certain men's feet. But he acteth as Dominus regnorum mundi, Lord of the kings of the world, which is one of the devil's titles; and can endure to be called by his parasites Dominus Deus noster Papa; Our Lord God the Pope. Moses held it honour enough to be the servant of the Lord, and yet he was Vir Deo longe acceptissimus quo nihil habuit antiqua aetas, mitius, sapientius, sanctius; highly accepted in heaven, and the most meek, wise, and holy man that antiquity ever had or mentioned, as Bellarmine himself acknowledgeth.
Which I commanded him in Horeb] Moses then was not the law maker, as Solon, Lycurgus, Zaleucus, &c., but only God's minister to utter what he would have him deliver; or, at utmost, a mediator, Galatians 3:19, not of expiation, for so Christ only, but of communication of the law to all Israel, Exodus 20:19, wherein he was faithful in all God's house as a servant, Hebrews 3:5 famulus ingenuus, a servant of the better sort, a man of worship, as the word there seemeth to import (Yεριπων ex verbo Yεραπευειν). The place where Moses received the law is mentioned, Horeb (the same with Sinai, Act 7:30 Exodus 19:1; Exo 19:18), to remind them of the terror of the Lord on that mountain, when God came down upon it with ten thousand of his saints; "from his right hand went a fiery law for them," Heb. a fire of law, Deuteronomy 33:2. And surely that fire wherein the law was given, and shall one day be required, is in it still, and will never out. Hence are those terrors, which it flasheth in every conscience that hath felt remorse of sin. Every man's heart is a Horeb; and resembleth to him both heaven and hell. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law," 1 Corinthians 15:56 .
To all Israel] And it is reckoned as a singular privilege to that people, Nehemiah 9:14 Romans 9:4. Prosper's conceit was, that Iudaei Jews were so called because they received Ius Dei, the law of God. Josephus calleth their commonwealth a theocracy, or God government. That of Philo is not so solid, that their law was given in a wilderness, because it is to be learned in a wilderness, seeing there we cannot be hindered by the multitude. But what a wretched conceit is that of the Jews at this day, that the law of nature shall bring to heaven those that observe it; but the Hebrews (unto whom the law of Moses was peculiarly given) by keeping it, shall have a prerogative of glory! How shall the lion of the tribe of Judah roar upon them at that day, and say, "Do not think that I will accuse you: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust," John 5:45. Get you to him whom ye have chosen; but cold comfort ye are like to have from him; a very froward generation he ever found you, children in whom is no faith, Deuteronomy 33:20 .
With the statutes and judgments] That is, with the ceremonial and judicial law. But what meant that false Rabbin to add to this text these following words, Quamdin non venit dies iudicii, Till the day of judgment comes (R. David); as if men were bound till then to the observation of the ceremonial and judicial law? But it is ordinary with those Jewish doctors to corrupt the text for their own purpose; adding and altering at their pleasure. The judicial law was fitted to the Jews, and was the best that they could suffer, as Solon said of the Athenian laws. The ceremonial law was their gospel, pointing them to Christ; and therefore abolished by him, as having no use in the Church after his death, but by accident. As for the moral law (called here by an excellency the law of Moses), it is established for ever in heaven, Psalms 119:89; and albeit some duties of certain commandments shall cease when we come to heaven, yet the substance of every one remaineth. This perpetuity of the moral law was noted by engraving it in stone, Exo 34:27 2 Corinthians 3:7. The Jews have a saying, That God hath more respect to the letters of the law than to the stars of heaven, and Christ either alludes to or confirms it in that saying of his, Heaven and earth shall pass before one jot or tittle of the law pass. Think not that I am come to destroy the law (viz. the moral law) or the prophets, who press moral duties, as explainers of the law; they do as it were unfold and draw out that arras which was folded together before, Matthew 5:17. These therefore, together with the law of Moses, must be daily and duly read and remembered. Jerome calls the books of Kings his own; because by the frequent use and reading of them, he had got them by heart, and as it were made them his own (Lege Melachim meum; meum, inquam meum: quicquid enim didicimus et tenemus nostrum est. Prolog. in lib. Reg.). Of Paula he testifieth, that she had most of the Scriptures by heart (Scripturas sanctas memoiter tenebat). Of Nepotian likewise, that with daily reading and continual meditation he had made his heart Bibliothecam Christi, the library of Christ. See my True Treasure, p. 315.