39 And Eleazar the priest | offer incense before the LORD; took the brazen censers, where- that he be not as Korah, and as with they that were burnt had his company: as the LORD said offered; and they were made to him by the hand of Moses. broad plates for a covering of the altar: 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger which is not of the seed of Aaron come near to p c. 3. 10. 2 Chr. 26. 18. polished splendid brass, was as a looking-glass for all to behold, that none might, afterwards, like Korah, presume to the priesthood."-Ness. Thus Aaron's rod was kept for a sign, Num. 17:10, and God threatens, by destroying the wicked man, to make him " sign and a proverb," Ezek. 14: 8. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."-1 Cor. 10: 11. a V. 39. And they were made broad (plates), etc. Heb. lit." And they broadened them;" that is, by a process of beating expanded them into thin laminæ, adapted to serve as a covering to the altar. V. 40. That he be not as Korah. This would seem to imply that Korah perished by fire with the company of two hundred and fifty who offered incense. The force of the example is drawn from the case of these men, with whom Korah is evidently classed. This confirms the suggestions offered above relative to his fate. As the Lord said to him. Implying that he had had fair warning. Others understand the "him" of Eleazar. V. 41. All the congregation murmured, So fearful a judgment as they had just been called to witness would have been sufficient, one would suppose, to prevent the outbreak of any further 41 But, on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel' murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. 9 c. 14. 2. Ps. 106. 25, etc. murmurings or discontent. Yet how different the matter of fact! As the vessel, in its course through the deep, leaves a track of foam behind it which is a little while distinct and well defined, but soon mingles with the mass of waters and is seen no more, so was it with the judgment of heaven on this occasion, and the impression it created. It endured for the night, but discontent and rebellion came in the morning. With a unanimity that is amazing, "all the congregation"-not merely the rulers or a few intractable spirits—but the great mass of the people, gave way to groundless complaints. With tumultuous outcries and accusatious, they press upon Moses and Aaron, charging them with the destruction of a multitude of their brethren, the peculiar people of the Lord; as if these atrocious transgressors had been good and holy people, and Moses and Aaron had been their persecutors. Alas, how will pride, passion, and self-will prevail to blind the understanding of men, so that they will call evil good, and good evil, and put darkness for light, and light for darkness. Especially does this hold among large bodies of men in times of public tumult. By saying, however, that they had killed them, their meaning doubtless was that they had been the means, the procuring cause, of their losing their lives, and not that they had V. 42. They looked toward the taber-ent extraordinary emergency, Aaron is nacle. The intimation is that they, i. e., Moses and Aaron more especially, looked imploringly in that direction, that they invoked help from the Lord in his dwelling-place, and the consequence was an immediate manifestation in their favor. That awful phenomenon termed "the glory of the Lord," shone forth, as on former occasions, with an aspect of threatening which they well understood. It was now, however, unaccompanied by any voice, but a silent judgment proceeded from it, as we learn from the effect that followed, which was the cutting off of more than 14,000 of the host by a deadly plague or stroke from the divine hand. V. 45. And they fell upon their faces. Doubtless to intercede afresh for these high-handed offenders. No provocations avail to abate their charity and compassion in behalf of the people, however undeserving. A true benevolence seems unable to discover that point in the divine displeasure beyond which it is in vain to sue for mercy. It will still lift up its prayer in the very article of inflicted vengeance. Comp. 1 Chron. 21:16. sent with it into the camp in order to stay the plague, by making an atonement for the people; the natural effect of which would be to afford them a convincing proof of the sanctity and authority which should henceforth pertain to his ministry. "God might have stayed the plague without the intervention of Aaron; but in this time of discontent, it pleased him to afford another convincing testimony that the highpriest was acting in his sacred office by his appointment and under his direction. They must have been hardened indeed who could doubt the authority under which the high-priest acted, after such a striking evidence of the Lord's respect to his official intervention."Kitto. The Jewish writers say on this passage that Moses intended to warn Aaron lest perchance he should err through haste, and offer strange fire, as Nadab and Abihu had done, as also those who had recently perished. They remark, too, that "the incense which caused death when it was not in the hand of the priest, giveth life when it is in the hand of the priest."— T Make an atonement. That is, by acting as a V. 46. Take a censer and put fire there- | mediator or interceder on behalf of the people. There is nothing of an expiatory kind implied in the use of the term in this connection.- -¶The plague is begun. The Heb. negeph from någaph to strike, to smite, is a term of general import denoting any severe stroke or infliction from the divine hand. Our English word plague is derived from the Latin plaga, and that from the Gr. πλnyn, plēgè, in both which languages it is used to signify a stroke, a blow, a stripe, a wound. By an extension of the import of the word it is made to denote a pestilence or some other fatal disease, which would naturally be regarded as an extraordinary scourge proceeding directly from the Lord. This is probably to be considered its sense in the present connection. The Chald. renders it "the death." It is impossible to elicit from the term any more definite import. As to the fact itself, we know not how Moses became possessed of it so as to be able to announce it, though it is altogether probable it was conveyed to his mind by a divine monition. In proportion as we are faithful and familiar with God, so much the earlier do we discern his judgments in the earth. We become, as it were, of his council. V. 47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded. Aaron was as full of anxiety for the people as his brother. He in stantly did as he was commanded. He ran into the midst of the congregation, fearless of their wrath, fearless of the contagion of the plague; he put the incense upon the sacred fire in the censer, and made an atonement with it for the people; and he stood between the living and the dead; and the plague was stayed.¶ Ran into the midst of the congregation. The spirit evinced both by Aaron and Moses, on this occasion, was pre-eminently worthy of such distinguished servants of heaven. Insulted and opposed as they had been, taunted and falsely accused, they have no ill will or resentment, they seek no revenge for themselves, nor feel gratification at the punishment of their factious and rebellious people. On the contrary, they suffer long and are kind. They count not their own lives dear unto themselves if so be that they may save the lives of these offenders. This is the conduct of men who are taught and governed by the laws of heaven. V. 48. And he stood between the dead and the living. Thus interposing between the infected and the uninfected portions of the camp, and exposing himself to the ravages of the plague in behalf of the people. "As one that would part a fray, he thrusts himself under the strokes of God, and puts it to Israel, and take of every one of " AND the LORD spake unto them a rod according to the Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of the choice of the revenger whether he will smite him or forbear the rest; he stands boldly between the living and the dead, as one that will either die with them or have them live with him; the sight of fourteen thousand carcases dismayed him not; he that before feared the threats of the people now fears not the strokes of God.”—Bp. Hall. How striking a type of the intervention of our Lord do we recognize in the conduct of Aaron on this occasion. Our great and compassionate High-Priest, moved by the contemplation of our danger, not only at the hazard of life, but in the sure prospect of death, hastened into our midst to make atonement for us. "With pitying eyes the Prince of Peace CHAPTER XVII. The Budding and Blossoming of V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, etc. At what particular time we are not informed, but probably within a short period after the plague above described had ceased. It is reasonable to infer that the miracle here recorded took place while the minds of the people were yet in an excited state, in consequence of the poisonous insinuations of Korah and his associates, who had so recently perished in their presumption. Every divine judgment executed upon transgressors has a merciful intention house of their fathers, of all a Ezek. 37. 16. towards survivors. The design is to inspire a salutary fear, and thus to prevent the commission of similar iniquities. The present chapter affords an instance strikingly in point. The Lord is pleased, as here recorded, to put the appointment of his priests to another proof, and to work another miracle, that he might effectually silence all future murmurings on the score of the authority claimed by Moses and Aaron. The test was unequivocally decisive. V. 2. Take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers. Heb. "Take of them a rod, a rod, for (or according to) every father's house." The duplication is a Hebraism of common occurrence, carrying with it a distributive sense. Gr. "Take of them a rod (or staff), a rod according to the houses of their patriarchal families." Chald. "Receive from them a rod each throughout the houses of (their) fathers." It is evident from what follows that the requisition was, not a rod from each individual Israelite, but one from each tribe; and this was to be presented in the name of the leading man or "prince" of each tribe. The order here given seems to imply that it was not the subordinate Levites alone who aspired to the priesthood, for in that case we cannot well see why there should not have been two rods instead of twelve, one for Aaron and one for his opponents. But by all the tribes being required to contribute a rod, it would appear that all would put in a claim to the dignity, according to what is said, ch. 16: 3, "Ye take too much upon you, seeing that all the congregation are holy, every one of them." The decision, therefore, their princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. 3 And thou shalt write Aaron's was to be final for the whole host. The original word for "rod" (matteh) is for the most part used to denote a staff, stick, walking-stick, or wand, rather than a green rod, branch, or bough. It would seem, from Num. 21: 18, that the princes of the tribes carried staves in their hands, as a kind of baton, that should serve as a badge of authority. | "The rods or staves were doubtless official ensigns of the authority with which the heads of tribes were invested. Hence the Scripture frequently uses the word 'rod' as equivalent to 'sceptre;' and indeed the more modern use of sceptres is derived from this ancient custom. These staves were of course dry, and had probably been for years in use; and that such should blossom and bear fruit again, is such a moral imposgibility, that the ancient heathen used to swear by their rods or sceptres with a view to that circumstance. Thus Achilles, in Homer, when enraged against Agamemnon, says: 'But hearken. I shall swear a solemn oath. By this sceptre, which shall never bud, Nor boughs bring forth, as once; which having left name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. 4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the con the rod of its chief; and the question being to try the right to the priesthood, this method of settling the point seems to indicate that other tribes (probably that of Reuben in particular) had thought their claims, as tribes, as good or better than those of Levi."-Pict. Bible. T Write thou every man's name upon his rod. In what manner the writing was executed we have no means of determining with any certainty. It may have been by some kind of incision on the surface, or possibly by some sort of label attached to the several rods. By some means a signature was affixed that should serve to identify the rods to the owners. V. 3. Thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. This preference was given to Aaron, because that, by being invested with the office of highpriest, he was made prince of that tribe, or "head of the house of their fathers." Moreover, if Levi's name had been on the rod, it would have left the controversy undecided as between Aaron and the Levites. V. 4. And thou shalt lay them up. Heb. "Thou shalt cause them to rest." Its stock on the high mountains, at what¶ Tabernacle of the congregation. time Heb. beohel moëd, tent of meeting. The woodman's axe lopt off its foliage Before the testimony. That is, before green, And stript its bark, shall never grow again; COWPER. By this I swear,' etc. The king Latinus, in Virgil, confirms, by a similar oath, his covenant with Eneas. To preclude mistake or imposition in the present transaction, the name of each tribe was inscribed on the Ark wherein were deposited the tables of the Law, called "the Testimony." See Notes on Ex. 25:16. Above was the Mercy-Seat, where the divine Glory resided. To lay the rods "before the testimony" was to lay them before the divine Presence and Majesty, who intended thereby to determine the present controversy. - -T Where I will |