Exodus 20

Notes

Ver. 1-17. Concerning this law it is evident, (1) That it was immediately published by God himself in the hearing of all Israel. (2) That every command is delivered in the singular number, that every one may take it home to himself: (3) And to mark that God's grant of himself to men, as their God and Redeemer, is the foundation of all gospel-obedience: it is frequently repeated, ver. 7, 10, 12, 25; and in Le. xviii. xix. it is connected with almost every particular command. The rules for the right understanding of these commandments, and the particular duties required and sins forbidden in each, being so

Reflections.—Infinitely gracious and tender are the favours of God to men. But peculiarly sufficient to refer to these.—[Ver. 17. It has been well said by Kalisch that these verses 'contain the primary basis of revelation, and the fundamental laws of the whole Mosaic legislation. They have, therefore, become the starting-point of all religious systems and of all true civilization, and from their promulgation only dates the diffusion of a genuine monotheism, a purely internal morality, and a sound enlightenment. They form a decisive epoch in the history of the human race, and are therefore perhaps the greatest and most important event in universal history. In a simple and condensed, yet extremely emphatical form, equally impressive for every degree and manner of intellectual culture, a complete system of duties is comprised, which man owes to his Creator and his fellowman; and so comprehensive is the purport of these words, that from the earliest times the whole sum of the divine precepts has been considered to be included in them as in embryo.' P.]

Ver. 20. Let not slavish fear make you neglect your duty, for God is come to prove whether you be sincere or hypocritical.

Ver. 24, 25. These altars of turf and stone were only to be used for the present, before that of brass was made, or on extraordinary occasions; and were always to be most simple, and unlike to those of the heathens.

Reflections.—Now, my soul, let my religious principles, and my whole practice, follow the order of this divine sermon. Let the leading articles of my knowledge and belief be, that God, as in Christ, giveth himself to me, in the gospel-promise, for my God, my Redeemer, and my ALL IN ALL: and let my leading exercise be to receive him as such. Let his being JEHOVAH, my God and Redeemer, be the foundation, the great reason and motive, of all that I do. Influenced by this, let me renounce and detest every idol which robs him of his honour, or me of my enjoyment of him. Let me embrace every instituted ordinance as coming from my God, and observe it in the nearest fellowship with him. Having received JEHOVAH as my God, let me have grace from him to serve him with reverence and godly fear. Copying after his pattern, and desiring the enjoyment of him as my chief good, let me observe the appointed seasons of intercourse with him. Let me regard relations and property among men as the constitutions of my God: and in all my dealings with them, let me act as a possessor of God, that needs nothing in an unlawful manner, and as a cordial imitator of God, who is gracious and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in holiness, righteousness, goodness, and truth. But having tasted the terrors of a broken law and an angry God, let me rejoice that, without my request, I have one Mediator between God and me, the man Christ Jesus. Detesting every species of false worship, let me rejoice that Jesus, the fruit of the earth, Jesus, the chosen stone, is my all-sanctifying altar, on which I must present all my services before God; and my unfailing security for the presence of God in ordinances: and God forbid that I should disgrace him with any light, licentious, or injurious behaviour.