I.1.8 NUMBERS XXIJ. Ibut the tin that lay hid in his heart , his' wicked purpofe & covetoulàes, he diffetnbleth, & profe- cuteth fiji! unto the end. if it be evil/ in thine eyed c hat is,as the Greek tranflatcth, ifit pleafe thee ten; meaning, that he Ihould gee on his journey. He could not bee ignorant , that his evil! intent to curie Gods people for his owne promotion, was molt evill in the Lords eyes, & the caufc why the Angell carte out againtf him ; but concealing that,he fpeaketh of his outward actions,& faintly offereth to turtle back,witli an if it were eviti. His love to the wages of unrighteoufiteffe caufed him thus to fpeake,together with the leave whichGod had given him, in verf.2o.faine he would goe,but if necetfitie conttraine him he will turne backe. 35 Verf.3 5. Gee with tbe ,hreet]W hen neither the firft words ofGod who forbade him,ver f. t z- nor the fsgnes and dangers which net him by the way, could turne his lseart,or dttliver himfrom his er- ror,the Lord again biddeth him go on fo giving ' him up to his ówne Tufts; which he followed to his deltru &iónSee the notes ou a f20.Solarchi explained: theft words,Goe with the men,for thy por- tion it with them , and thine end to perifb odt of the world. 3 6 Vcrf.3 6. be went mu to meet bint]for to welcome him, and entertain hint with honour; as Mofes to like end , went out to meet his father in law, Exed.18.7.and lofeph went out to meet Ifrael his father,Gees.46.29.aüd thekings of Sodom and of Salem, to meet Abraham, Gen.14. 17,5 8. Heb.7.t. It fheweth how greatly Balaant was refpe &ed of the King, as falfè prophets have alwayes been of wicked Rulers , becaufe they ferve their lutts. It had been Moabs dude to have met their brother Ifracl with bread and water in the way when ! they came out of Egypt:but loe the King of Moab goeth out (even to the utntoll border of his land) to meet this foothfayer , whom he had hired to curie Ifracl;therefore God commandeth his peo- ple not to fecke their peace or good for ever, Dent. z 3.3.--6 . Arnon]the border between Moab and the Amorites, Numb.21.13.26. 37 Vert 37. Did not I finding fend] that is,earneffly find unto thee. Am lent able indeed] a vaine boaff, and lìtch as had no eff & ;for he was not able in- deed to honour Balsam in the end, but fent him away in wrath,and with difgrace, confetfing that the LORD had kept hint backe fromhonour, Num. 24 10,1 1. But as Satan himfelfe proudly offereth the kingdomes Sc glory of the world to thofe that will worfhiphim,Mat.48,9. fo wicked Princes doe offer promotion to falfe prophets 8c flatterers , which oftentimes God fuffereth them not to performe:and they turne the edge of their (word againff the Iibael of God which they are often forced to put up emptie into the fheath,the -' Lord turning their intended curfe into a bleffing. g i Verfe 38. am I bile at all] the word is doubled formore vehemencie, caeming eau I fpeakee; that is, furely I cannot in any wife. Heefpeaketh to ex- 1 cu:è hintfelfe,fignifying his willingnetfe to grati -. 6e the king,as appeared by his comming to him, but (hewing withal! his inabilitie to doe ought against God or his people.For the LORD their i redeemer, he fruflratetb the tokens of Tiers and ma- ktb diviners mad; be turnetb wife men backward, and makeththeir inowledge faol Efi.44.25. Verf. 39. Kirlath-huzotb]which is by interpre- tation,the citie efthe outm°fl parts, or the cùie of f freers. It is the nacre of a citie,of the frttsation in the ut- moll part ofthe land;as the Chaldee interpreteth it, the chie afbis borders; and the old Latine verfion calleth it,tbechie which was in the utmofl borders of his Ringdome : which Tome thinke to be Ar, foremen - tioned in Num. 21.28. called the corner of Moab, in ler. 48.45. Sol. Iarchi in his annotations on this place expoundeth it , a citieflsl offlreets, men , and ehiddreninthe outer partsefit. Verfe 40. Be/Afters, °item] either for facrifice, (as the word is often ufed for facriócing)or for a feaft to welcome Balaam,or for both ;as the Moa- bites ufed fuck idolatroh's feafts whereof the peo- pie did eat,Num.25,i,2. Thus Balak rejoyced at the comming of hisfriend,and received himwith all royall folemnity. Wherein as we fee the entertainment that this wicked prophet had, that his honour and good cheese might make him to forget the perils which he had pafftd,ánd night again fall into by the hand Of God : fo may we obferve the contrary dealing of the LORD, and of this King. The Angell of the Lord came out as an adverfary to withiland him; the King as a friend to welcome him. The Kin blameth him forcòmining no fooner; the Angel for going fo foone. The Angell met him with a fword, to fignifie that that thould be his end if he went on in his wickednes : the king receiveth himwith a banquet, & all honourable entertain- ment,that by it,and hope of more gaine and pre- ferment 5 he Wright be encouraged to goe on with his wicked enterprife. Between there two, Sa- laam clufeth the worfer part for the honour of this world , though even that alto was taken a- way from him. As the Partridge fsttetb on egges, and hatcbetb them not: fohe that swab riches and not by right , jball leave them ill the middefi ofhit daft:, and at kit and fbal be a foole,Ier.17. it t Verf.4 t in the morning]that is,the next day early after the feaft. Thus Balak delaieth no time, to accomplifhhis evil( purpofs, beginning the day with mifchiefe. David was diligent in the mor- nings to deltroy all the wicked of the land, Pfat r 01.8. Balak rifeth early to deliroy the people of God, and Is of themwhole feetmote reia, and they malve ¡Jaffe toped blond, Prov. t. 16. the high places of Baal] in 6reeke , the pillar of Baal ; the Chaldee expoundeth it , the high place of his flare, meaning of lair god or idoa whom he feared, (as God is called the Beare, in Pf.1,m.7a .1 =)and Tar - gum Ionathan nameth it the Feare(or idol1)ofPece; whereof fee Numb. 25.3. Baal (by interpreta- tion, a Lord, Maffer orPatron) is a namegiven to the idols of many nations , which they ufed to worfhip on high places,hils or mountains, Deut. 12.2. And here doe Balak and Balaant build altars and offer facrifices, Numb. 23 i. that they might curie lead ; for as God fendeth his people helpe from his San&uarie , and pup- ported: 39 4° 41
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=