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Introduction Chapters 1 and 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapters 5 to 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapters 16 and 17 Chapter 18 Chapters 19 to 23 Chapters 24 and 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapters 30 and 31 Chapter 32 Chapters 33 and 34 Chapters 35 to 40 |
A new mediationWe have now to examine a little what was taking place among the people, and on Moses's part, the faithful and zealous witness, as a servant of God in His house; for we shall find a new mediation going on peacefully, if one may so speak, and holily, weighing by faith, these relationships where the mercy and the justice of God meet in their application to His government. It is not the indignation of holy wrath, which had indeed its place at the sight of the evil, while it knew not what to do — for how put the law of God beside the golden calf? Jehovah says that He will send an angel, and that He will not go in the midst of the people, seeing it is stiff-necked, lest He should destroy them by the way. But I will state succinctly the facts connected with this new intercession, which are of touching interest. The holy grace of GodGod had first said that He would come up in a moment in the midst of them to destroy them. This present excision of the people in judgment, Moses's intercession had averted, and Jehovah calls upon Israel now to put off their ornaments, that He might know what to do unto them. Holy grace of God! who, if He sees the insolence of sin before His eyes, must strike, but wills that the people should at least strip themselves of that, and that He may have time (to speak the language of men) to reflect as to what He should do with the sin of a people now humbled for having forsaken Him. However, God does not forsake the
people. Moses enters holily, and by the just judgment of conscience,
into the mind of God by the Spirit; and, before the tabernacle of the
congregation was pitched, he entirely leaves the camp, and makes a
place for God outside the camp, afar off from the camp, which had put
a false god in His place, and changed their glory into the similitude
of an ox which eats grass. He calls it the tabernacle of the
congregation — the meeting-place between God and those who sought
Him. This name is in itself important, because it is no longer simply
God in the midst of a recognised assembly, which was one of the
characters we have already observed connected with the tabernacle.*
Moses being outside the camp, God now declares that He will not go up
in the midst of them, lest He should destroy them by the way, as He
had threatened. Moses begins his intercession, having taken an
individual position, the only one now of faithfulness to God; but his
connection with the people being so much the stronger by his being
nearer to God, more separated unto Him. This is the effect of faithful
separation when it is for God's glory, and one is brought near to God
in it.
It must be remarked here, that God had taken the people at their
word. They had said, acting according to their faith, or rather to
their want of faith, "This Moses that brought us up out of
Egypt." God says, "Thy people, which thou broughtest out of
Egypt, have corrupted themselves." Hence God says to Moses,
"Thou," addressing Himself to the mediator. Moses says to
God, "Thy people." This earnest power of faith does not,
though separating from evil, loose God from this blessed claim
(Ex. 32:1, 7, 12-34). Afterwards, however, the people having
stripped themselves of their ornaments, and Moses being in the
position of mediator, God says (Ex. 33:1), "Thou and the
people which thou hast brought up."* Everything now hangs upon
the mediator.
Moses having taken his place outside the camp, God reveals Himself to
him as He never had done before. The people see God standing at the
door of the tabernacle which Moses had pitched; and they worship,
every man at his tent door. Jehovah speaks unto Moses face to face, as
a man speaks unto his friend. We shall see that it is to these
communications that God alludes when He speaks of the glory of Moses
(Num. 12:8), and not to those on Mount Sinai. Moses, as mediator in
the way of testimony, goes into the camp; but Joshua, the spiritual
chief of the people (Christ in Spirit), does not depart out of the
tabernacle* Moses now recognises what God had told him, that he has to
bring up the people; he is there as the mediator on whom everything
depends. But he dares not entertain the thought of going up alone, of
going up without knowing who would be with him. God has fully
acknowledged him in grace, and he desires to know who will go before
him. He therefore asks, since he has found grace (for so God had told
him), that he may know His way, the way of God; not only to have a way
for him (Moses) to get to Canaan, but "thy way;" thus will
he know God, and in His path and conduct, will find grace in His
sight. God replies that His presence shall go, and He will give rest
to Moses: the two things he perfectly needed as crossing the
wilderness. Moses then brings in the people, and says, "Carry us
not up hence," and that "we have found grace, I and thy
people." This also is granted of Jehovah; and now he desires for
himself to see the glory of Jehovah; but that face which is to go and
lead Moses and the people, God cannot shew unto Moses. He will hide
him while He passes by, and Moses shall see His back parts. We cannot
meet God on His way as independent of Him. After He has passed by, one
sees all the beauty of His ways. Who could have been beforehand in
proposing such a thing as the cross? After God of Himself has done it,
then all the perfectness of God in it overflows the heart. God then lays down two principles: His sovereignty, which allows Him to act in goodness towards the wicked — into this He retreats that any may be saved — for in justice He would have cut off the whole people: and the conditions of His government under which He was putting the people, His character such as it is manifested in His ways towards them. Hid whilst He passes by, Moses bows down at the voice of God, who proclaims His name and reveals what He is as JEHOVAH. These words give the principles contained in the character of God Himself in connection with the Jewish people — principles which form the basis of His government. It is not at all the name of His relationship with the sinner for his justification, but with Israel for His government. Mercy, holiness, and patience, mark His ways with them; but He does not clear the guilty. Moses, ever bearing the people of God on his heart, beseeches God, according to the favour in which he stands as mediator, that the Lord Himself, thus revealed, may go up in their midst; and this, because they were a stiff-necked people. How should he bring such a people safe through without Him?
The relationship between Moses personally and God was fully
established, so that he could present the people such as they were,
because of his (Moses's own) position; and, consequently, make of the
difficulty and sin of the people a reason for the presence of God,
according to the character He had revealed. It is the proper effect of
mediation; but it is exceedingly beautiful to see, grace having thus
come in, the reason God had given for the destruction of the people,
or at the very least for His absence, becoming the motive for His
presence.* It, no doubt, supposed forgiveness as well. This Moses
asks for, and adds, in the consciousness of the blessing of the name
and being of God, "Take us for thine inheritance." In answer
to this prayer, God establishes a new covenant with the people. The
basis of it is complete separation from the nations which God was
going to drive out from before the people. It supposes the entrance of
the people into Canaan in virtue of the mediation of Moses, and the
presence of God with the people consequent upon his intercession. He
is commanded to maintain their relationship with Him in the solemn
feasts under the blessing and safeguard of God. It is well to have the order of facts clear here as to Moses's position. He broke the tables; the Levites at his summons slay their friends and relations; and then he pitches the tabernacle far off from the camp. There the cloud comes down (Ex. 33:9). There the basis of all was laid, first in absolute sovereign grace, and then in the character of Moses's personal relationship. This was at the door of the tabernacle outside the camp. Then chapter 34 he goes up again, and there, he being in this relationship, quite a new governmental covenant is made, founded on God's character mediatorially, and the law put into the ark. They were put back in principle under law; real atonement could not be made, of course, by Moses (Ex. 34:10-17). But Israel was never directly and properly under the covenant of the law, but mediatorially under chapter 34:5-10; though the commandments were, of course, before them as their rule. But this new covenant of chapter 34 was what they were under as to the law; and hence they, as under the law, were apostate and left of God before they got it; and Moses and the cloud of God's presence outside the camp. People sought the Lord and went there. Utter separation from all mixture with the idolatrous people, and consecration, characterises the new covenant of chapter 34. In chapter 23 they were told to destroy their altars and serve Jehovah who would cut these nations off But the covenant is not so characterised. It is of moment to see that God retreats into His own sovereign grace to spare them. But this was at the door of the tabernacle and with Moses alone; the covenant of gracious government was based on it. That was on the mount. The people were only on that ground. There was no real basis of relationship; the law, which would have been one, broken, and no atonement made, nor could be. Moses had a special revelation of grace. But this seems to have been personal and unrecorded. I have rather enlarged upon these conversations of
Moses with the people, because (and it is very important to remark it)
Israel never entered the land under the Sinai covenant, that is, under
simple law (for all this passed under Mount Sinai); it had been
immediately broken. It is under the mediation of Moses that they were
able to find again the way of entering it. However, they are placed
again under the law, but the government of patience and grace is added
to it. In Deuteronomy 10:1, we see there is no longer question of
introducing the law openly into the camp where God had been
dishonoured. It was to be put into the ark, according to the
predetermined plans of God,* arranged to enable the people, miserable as they were, to draw
near unto Him, though only outside unto the brazen altar. Moses abides
there with Jehovah. There was enough in the contemplation of what God
was, as He had revealed Himself, to occupy him. He had not now to be
occupied with the instructions** God was giving him
on the details of the tabernacle, but with God according to the
revelation He had made of Himself; he neither ate nor drank; he was in
a state above nature, where the flesh could not intermeddle, in some
sort apart from humanity.*** The Lord writes His law
anew on the tables which Moses had prepared. But the effect of this
communion with God was manifest; the skin of his face shone when he
came down. However, here it was a glory as it were external and legal,
not like that of Jehovah Himself in the Person of Jesus. Thus Israel
could not behold it. We are in quite a different position: for us,
there is no longer a veil; and we behold with open (that is unveiled)
face the glory of the Lord. For the glory now is not applied to make
good the law in the conscience; for the glory in the face of Moses did
this, only the people consequently could not bear it,**** nor consequently understand the figures of grace: the law (as
rule of human righteousness) being broken and gone as ground of
relationship with God, and laid up in the ark, they turned the figures
of grace into law, as men do. The glory we see is the proof of the
putting away of sins and divine righteousness, for it is seen in Him
who bore our sins and is that righteousness for us. We are rather in
the position of Moses when he entered into the most holy place. |
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