Ver. 1. Hear, O Israel.] It was all their business at present to hear, and yet he excites them so to do by an Oyez, as it were. He knew their dulness, and the din that corruption maketh in the best hearts; how soon sated men are with divine discourses, and how little heed they give to the most wholesome exhortations. Let a child be never so busy about his lesson, if but a bird fly by, he must needs look where he lights; so, &c.
Ver. 2. The children of Anak.] Hence seems to come the Greek word, Αναξ, for a king; for these great men were looked upon as so many little kings. [See Trapp on “Ge 6:4”]
Ver. 3. As a consuming fire.] The force whereof is violent and irresistible. “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? Woe unto us! who shall deliver us?” &c., said those crest-fallen Philistines at the sight of the ark. (1 Samuel 4:8) So, “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites: who among us,” say they, “shall dwell with this devouring fire?”—meaning God; -“who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isaiah 33:14)
Ver. 4. For my righteousness.] We are all apt to weave a web of righteousness of our own, to spin a thread of our own to climb up to heaven by, to set a price upon ourselves above the market, to think great thoughts of ourselves, and to seek great things for ourselves. Caelum gratis non accipiam, saith one merit monger, I will not have heaven for nothing; and, Redde mihi aeternam vitam quam debes, saith another; Give me heaven, for thou owest it me. How blasphemous is that direction of the Papists to dying men, Coniunge, Domine, obsequium meum cum omnibus quae Christus passus est prome: Join, Lord, my righteousness with Christ’s righteousness! How much better was it with those ancient Papists here in England, to whom, upon their deathbeds, the ordinary instruction appointed to be given was, that they should look to come to glory, not by their own merits, but alone by the virtue and merit of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ; that they should place their whole confidence in his death only, and in no other thing! &c. Those justiciaries, that seek to be saved by their works, Luther fitly calls the devil’s martyrs; they suffer much, and take much pains to go to hell, and by their much boasting, Haec ego feci, haec ego feci, they become no better than Faeces, saith he wittily. It is a good observation of a reverend divine, that the Church in the Canticles is nowhere described by the beauty of her hands or fingers. Christ concealeth the mention of her hands—that is, of her works—(1.) Because he had rather his Church should abound in good works in silence, than boast of them, especially when they are wanting, as Rome doth; (2.) Because it is he alone that “worketh all our works for us.” (Isaiah 26:12 Hosea 14:8) Dr Ussher, Ser. on Ephesians 4:13. Mr Cotton, on Cantic., p. 217.
Ver. 6. Understand therefore.] We are wondrous apt to wind ourselves into the fool’s paradise of a sublime dotage, upon our own worth and righteousness; otherwise, what need so many words here to one and the same purpose? The Scripture doth not use to kill flies with beetles, to cleave straws with wedges of iron, to spend many words where is no need.
Ver. 7. Ye have been rebellious against the Lord.] Nothing is so hard as to be humbled; for man is a proud, cross creature, that would be something at home, whatever he is abroad; and comes not down without a great deal of difficulty. Hence it is, that Moses so sets it on here, and with one knock after another drives this nail home to the head, that he might cripple their iron sinews, bring their stiff necks to the yoke of God’s obedience, and make them know that he was Jehovah, when he had “wrought with them for his name’s sake, not according to their wicked ways, nor according to their corrupt doings.” (Ezekiel 20:43,44,36:31,32)
Ver. 8. The Lord was angry.] God is said to be angry when he doeth as an angry man useth to do: viz., (1.) Chide; (2.) Smite: revenge being the next effect of anger.
Ver. 9. When I was gone up into the mount.] Sins are much aggravated by the circumstances; and every sin should swell as a toad in our eyes: we should bring them out, as they took the vessels of the temple, (Ezra 8:34) “by number and by weight.” See Leviticus 16:21; “all their transgressions in all their sins.”
Ver. 10. [See Trapp on “Ex 31:18”]
Ver. 12. Arise] From off thy knees; the petitioner’s posture. St James, they say, had knees as hard as camels’ knees, with continual kneeling: and Hilarion was found dead in his oratory with knees bent, eyes and hands lifted up. Father Latimer, during his imprisonment, was so constant and instant in prayer, that ofttimes he was not able to rise without help. Euseb. Jerome. Act. and Mon., fol. 1579.
Ver. 14. Let me alone.] [See Trapp on “Ex 32:10”]
Ver. 15. So I returned.] Yet not till he had first prayed and prevailed. (Exodus 32:1,14)
Ver. 16. Ye had turned aside quickly.] Levitate prorsus desultoria. Apostates have religionem ephemeram, being constant in nothing but in their inconstancy.
Ver. 17. And cast them.] [See Trapp on “Ex 32:19”]
Ver. 18. Forty days and forty nights.] This some understand of a second fasting so long together, after the people had set up the golden calf. See Deuteronomy 9:25.
Ver. 19. For I was afraid.] Moses was more troubled for the people than the people were for themselves; so was Daniel for Nebuchadnezzar, (Daniel 4:10) and Nahum for the Chaldeans. (Nahum 3:16)
Ver. 22. And at Taberah.] Catalogues should be kept of our sins, and oft perused, yea, though they be pardoned, that we may renew our repentance, and keep our souls humble, supple, and soluble.
Ver. 24. You have been rebellious.] Here he repeats the former charge, (Deuteronomy 9:7) which now he had sufficiently proved against them: we must object no more against any man than we are able to make good. If Erasmus had lived to these days, very shame would have crammed those words of his down his throat: Ubicunque regnat Lutherus, ibi literature est interitus: duo tantum quaerunt, censure et uxorem. Wheresoever Luther’s doctrine takes place, learning is little set by; all the care is for a wife, and for wealth. Os durum! Erasmus, Ep. ad Bilibald.
Ver. 25. Thus I fell down.] The three former verses come in by a parenthesis. Here he returns again to the history of his interceding for them the second time.
Ver. 26. I prayed.] And he had a hard tug of it; but prayer is the best lever at a dead lift.
Ver. 29. Yet they are thy people.] In praying to God we must “fill our mouths with arguments,” and urge them lustily.