Moses' Prayer to be blotted out of God's Book.
Exodus xxxii. 31, 32.
"And Moses returned unto the Lord and said. Oh! this people have sinned
a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou--wilt,
forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray they, out of thy book
which than hast written."
In the preceding discourse we endeavored to show that the idea of
being willing to be damned for the glory of God is not found in the
text--that the sentiment is erroneous and absurd--then adduced the
constructions which have been put on the text by sundry expositors, and
offered reasons which oblige us to reject them as misconstructions.
It remains, _to give our sense of the passage--the grounds on which it
rests--and some reflections by way of improvement_.
As _to our sense of the passage_--We conceive these puzzling words of
Moses to be no other than a prayer for himself--that his sins which
might stand charged against him in the book of God, might _be blotted
out_, however God might deal with Israel. "SINS are compared to debts,
which are written in the creditor's book, and crossed, or blotted out,
when paid.* Man's sins are written in the book of God's remembrance,
or accounts; out of which all men shall be judged hereafter.+ And when
sin is pardoned it is laid to be blotted out.++ And not to be found
any more, though sought for." +++
* Matthew vi. 32. + Revelations xix. 12. ++ Isaiah xliv. 22.
+++ Jeremiah l. 20.--Vid. Cruden's Concord. under BLOT.
When a debtor hath paid a debt, we are at no loss for his meaning, if
he requests to be crossed, or blotted out of the creditor's book;
nor would doubt arise should one to whom a debt was forgiven prefer
like petition. "You will please to blot me out of your book."
Though Moses had taken no part in this sin of Israel. he knew himself
a sinner; and when praying for others: it is not likely he would
forget himself. The occasion would naturally suggest the value, yea
the necessity of forgiveness, and dispose him to ask it of God. When
others are punished, or but just escape punishment, we commonly look
at home, and consider our own state; and if we see ourselves in
danger, take measures to avoid it. To a sinner the only way of safety
is, repairing to divine mercy, and obtaining a pardon. That Moses
would be excited to this by a view of Israel, at this time, is a
reasonable expectation.
That such was the purpose of Moses' prayer for himself is clearly
indicated by the answer which was given to it--For the _blotting out
of God's book_, is doubtless to be understood in the same sense in the
prayer, and in the answer; and the latter explains the former.
_Oh! this people have sinned a great sin--Yet now, if thou wilt,
forgive their sin; and if not_--if thou wilt not forgive their sin
--_blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book, which thou hast written. And
the Lord said unto Moses_, WHOSOEVER _hath sinned against me, HIM will
I blot out of my book_: THEREFORE _now go lead the people unto the
place of which I have spoken unto thee_.
The passage thus presented to our view, seems scarcely to need a
comment; but such sad work hath been made of this text, and such
strange conclusions been drawn from it that it may be proper to
subjoin a few remarks.
That God had threatened to "destroy that people and blot out their
name from under heaven"--that Moses had prayed for them--and that "the
Lord had repented of the evil which he thought to do unto them" we
have seen above. And here Moses is ordered to resume his march, and
carry up the tribes to the promised land, and the reason is assigned--
"_whosoever_ hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book,
_therefore_, now go lead the people to the place of which I have
spoken unto thee."
When we thus view the subject can a doubt remain respecting the sense
of this text? (But keeping in view the reason here assigned for the
renewed order given to Moses to conduct the tribes to Canaan, namely,
God's determination _to blot of his book--whosoever had sinned against
him_, in this affair) let us try it in the different senses which have
been put upon it.
I. We will suppose _blotting out of God's book_, to mean destroying
soul and body in hell. The divine determination to shew no mercy to
Israel, is then the reason assigned for the order here given to Moses.
The prayer and answer stand thus--_Now if thou wilt, forgive this
people_--Answer--_I will not hear thy prayer for them--no mercy shall
be shewn them, but utter, eternal destruction be their portion_--
THEREFORE _now go lead them to the promised land_!
II. Suppose _blotting out of God's book_ to mean annihilation, and his
answer to the prayer stands thus--_I will destroy this people, and
blot them from among my works_--THEREFORE _go lead them to the place
of which I have spoken unto thee_!
III. Suppose with Mr. Henry, and Doct. Hunter, that it is to be
understood of destruction in the wilderness, and the answer stands
thus--_My wrath shall wax hot against Israel and consume them--they
shall all die in the wilderness_, THEREFORE, _now go lead them to
Canaan_!
The whole people, save Moses and Joshua, seem to have participated in
the revolt. We have no account of another exception; _and whosoever
had sinned, God would blot out of his book_. Surely had either of
these been the meaning of _blotting out of God's book_, it would not
have been given as the reason for Moses' resuming his march and
carrying up the tribes to the land of promise. Common sense revolts at
the idea.
But if we understand _blotting out of God's book_ in the sense we have
put upon it, we see at once the propriety of the order given to Moses,
founded on this act of grace. God's having "repented of the evil which
he thought to do unto them." If this is the meaning of the words, the
answer to Moses' prayer amounts to this--"I have heard and hearkened
to your prayer, and pardoned the sin of this people, proceed
_therefore_ in your march, and lead them to the place of which I have
spoken unto thee." The _therefore go now_, doth not surprize us. We
see the order rise out of the divine purpose; but on any of the other
constructions of the text, thwarts and contradicts it; or cannot
surely be assigned as the reason of it. SEVERAL other considerations
illustrate the subject, and confirm our construction of it.
When Moses returned to intercede for Israel, he certainly asked of God
to pardon their sin. _Oh! this people have sinned a great sin, and
have made them gods of gold--Yet now, if than wilt forgive their sin_
--That he was heard and obtained his request appears not only from the
history contained in our context, but from Moses' rehearsal of it just
before his death. He recounted the dealings of God with Israel, when
taking his leave of them on the plains of Moab--In that valedictory
discourse he reminded them of their sin on this occasion--of God's
anger against them--his threatening to destroy them, and how he
pleaded with God in their behalf, and the success which attended his
intercessions for them--"I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure
wherewith the Lord was wroth with you, to destroy you, but _the Lord
hearkened unto me at that time also_." *
* Deuteronomy ix. 19.
Sentence of death in the wilderness was afterwards denounced against
those sinners, and executed upon them, but not to punish this sin; but
the rebellion which was occasioned by the report made by the spies who
were sent to search out the land. On that occasion Moses prayed
fervently for his people, and not wholly without effect--God had
threatened to "smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them,"
but receded from his threatening through the prevalence of that
intercessor in their behalf--"the Lord said I have pardoned according
to thy word;" but at the same time, denounced an irrevokable sentence
of death in the wilderness against those rebels. Then Moses was not
ordered to "lead the people to the place of which God had spoken," but
commanded to go back into the wilderness which they had parted--"turn
you, and get ye into the wilderness by the way of the red sea." +
+ Numbers xiv.
At that time, the exception from the general sentence, was not in
favor of Moses and Joshua, who had been on the mount, and taken no
part in Israel's sin in making the golden calf, but in favor of Caleb
and Joshua, who dissented from the report made by the other spies;
though no intimation is given that Caleb was not with the people, and
did not sin with them in the matter of the golden calf. There is
therefore no doubt respecting the sin which shut that generation out
of Canaan. Nor do we apprehend more occasion for doubt relative to the
prayer of Moses, _to be blotted out of God's book_.
But though the sin of Israel on this occasion was pardoned, and Moses
ordered to lead them to Canaan, some temporal chastisements were
inflicted to teach the evil of sin, and serve as a warning to others
to keep themselves in the fear of God; of which Moses was notified
when ordered to advance with the pardoned tribes? "Nevertheless, in
the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. And the Lord
plagued the people because they had made the calf which Aaron made."
The manner in which this is mentioned, shows that their sin in that
affair was forgiven, and only some lighter corrections ordered in
consequence of it; which is common after sin is pardoned.