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with hunger; instead of trusting to the LORD for their relief, they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and foolishly wished to return again to the bondage, from which they had been so lately delivered. To convince them, that He was actually present among them, the LORD promised to give them a view of His Glory. What must have been their confusion, when it beamed forth upon them. Well might they exclaim, when they saw the Manna, What is this? Who could have expected that bread would fall like rain, from heaven; or that a number of fowls, sufficient to feed so great a multitude, would suddenly come to hand? In what a variety of ways can the Almighty display his power and good

ness!

In the middle of April (which was the time of the Israelites encamping in the wilderness) quails are known to fly out of Egypt across the Red Sea in great numbers; the miracle consisted in God's directing them to the camp, at the very time He promised to send them.

The author of the Book of Wisdom describes manna, as "able to content every man's delight, agreeing to every taste*." The LORD sent manna from day to day, to make the Israelites sensible of their dependence on Him for their daily support. The withholding it on the sabbath day served to keep in mind that it actually came from him, and that they were required to keep that day holy. It was a very astonishing circumstance, as it was of so corruptible a nature, that a portion of the manna should be miraculously preserved for so many years. This seems to be the first time that the rest on the seventh day was solemnly appointed to the Israelites as a people. In the family of Abraham, we may presume the remembrance of the day in which God ceased from

* Wisdom xvi. 20, 21.

the

the works of Creation was preserved; but during their hard servitude in Egypt, it is likely they were not allowed opportunity of resting from their labour, their deliverance therefore furnished an additional reason for keeping it.

To an attentive observer, great resemblance will appear between the ways of Gon towards the Israelites as His people, and towards Christians in the same view. The present section affords a lively representation of GOD's goodness to the latter in passing over the offences proceeding from the natural corruption of their nature; forgiving the sins they had committed before He called them; opening a way to a heavenly Canaan by means of baptism; requiring faith and obedience on their part; trying them with alternate adversity and prosperity; shewing His glory among them; supplying their temporal necessities, &c.

It is impossible to read an account of the Israelites murmurings and forgetfulness of the Divine mercy, without condemning them. But while reason leads us to pass this condemnation, let it awaken conscience to an examination of our own hearts, and if we find there any propensity to return to the bondage of sin, let us think of what God has done for us-Let us gather up the bread that He has given us from heaven; even the comforts and blessings which flow from our Saviour and let us keep the LORD'S Sabbaths with religious veneration.

SECTION LXXI.

WATER FROM THE ROCK-THE DEFEAT OF THE
AMALEKITES.

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WHEN the congregation of Israel removed from Sin,

they pitched their tents in a place called Rephidim;

VOL. I.

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here they were distressed for want of water, on which fears arose that they should perish with thirst, and they began again to murmur against Moses. He endeavoured to persuade them to wait with patience to see what the LORD would do for them, but his remonstrances were vain, and at length the people became so outrageous, that they were almost ready to stone Moses; on which he had recourse to the LORD, who wrought an astonishing miracle for their relief. Gon informed Moses that He would stand before him (or cause the cloudy pillar to rest) in a certain part of mount Horeb, where there was a rock; this rock the LORD commanded Moses to strike; Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel, on which the flinty stone immediately gushed out with water, which afforded the people a supply, not only during their stay at Rephidim, but in their other encampments afterwards.

This water furnished salutary refreshment to the bodies of the Israelites, but there was a spiritual rock which followed them that flowed in streams of mercy, yielding comfort and refreshment to their souls *: this rock was CHRIST, the LORD Himself, the same Divine Being who is to Christians the rock of their salvation. Moses named the place where this miracle was performed, Massah and Meribah, which signifies, chiding and temptation, because the people murmured against him, and tempted the LORD to bring evil upon themselves, by requiring a sensible proof of His Divine presence among them, of which they had had such repeated proofs.

While the Israelites continued at Rephidim, the AmaI kites, a people descended from Amalek, the son of Eliphez, one of the sons of Esau, came out against them,

* 1 Cor. x. 4.

upon

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upon which Moses directed Joshua, a valiant young man, to draw out a party of the choicest men in the camp, and go out to meet them; promising at the same time that he would stand on the top of the rock with the rod of God in his hand, during the engagement. Joshua obeyed, and Moses with Aaron and Hur ascended the mount: in this conspicuous situation Moses appeared as the minister of the LORD, and to shew that victory depended entirely on the Divine will, whenever he held up his rod, Israel prevailed; but when he let it down Amalek prevailed: at length the strength of Moses being exhausted by standing in one posture, he sat down on a stone, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, till the going down of the sun, at which time Joshua gained a complete victory over the Amalekites. It is supposed that the Israelites furnished themselves with swords as well as with abundance of other spoils, when the bodies of the Egyptians, who were overthrown in the Red Sea, were cast on shore.

After the battle was over, Moses was commanded to write it for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of all the people, that God would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, and that He had sworn to have war with the Amalekites, from generation to generation; because, on this occasion, they had the presumption to lift up their hands against the throne of the LORD (that is against Gon himself), and the LORD knew that future generations of the Amalekites would do the same.

It certainly was a very inhuman action in this people to attack the Israelites, if they supposed them to be defenceless; but as they were themselves descendants of Esau, it is most likely they knew Gon had preordained to put the race of Jacob in possession of the land of Canaan; and that trusting in the aid of false gods,

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gods, the Amalekites came out against the Israelites with the hope of frustrating the designs of the LORD.

Moses named the place where this victory was -obtained, JEHOVAH Nissi, that is, the Lord is my ban

ner.

The defeat of the Amalekites opened a way for the Israelites to mount Sinai *, where Gon first appeared to Moses. in the burning bush, and not far from the place where Jethro his father-in-law dwelt; who, hav. ing heard of the wonderful things which had been done for him and the people he conducted, took his daughter Zipporah, Moses' wife, and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and brought them to the Israelitish camp. This meeting gave great joy to all parties. Moses related what wonderful things had been effected by the power of the LORD; and Jethro, who was a devout man, offered up praises to GOD, saying, “ Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods : for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above themt. Jethro also joined with Moses, and the elders of Israel, in offering sacrifices, and in such other holy rejoicings, as their cir cumstances suggested.

While Jethro continued in the camp, he observed that Moses had a great weight of business upon his hands, in hearing complaints, and determining differences, the people being so numerous; he therefore advised him to appoint a number of inferior officers, men of ability, such as feared Gon, adhered to truth, and hated covetousness, to be rulers, some over thousands, some over

* Horeb and Sinai were two summits of the same mountain. + Exod. xviii. 10, 11.

hundreds,

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