AWESOME GOD God Is Our Guide (July 7) Day 2

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;

you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. EXO 15:13

Rashi

You have led—Heb. נֵהַלְךְתָּ, an expression of leading. Onkelos, however, translated it in the sense of bearing and carrying, but he was not particular to translate according to the Hebrew expression (i.e., to translate literally).

But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. GEN 19:16

Rashi

But he lingered in order to save his property.

Seized—One of these was commissioned to rescue him whilst his fellow was to overthrow Sodom; that is why it is stated (v. 17) “and one said, ‘Escape . . . ,’ ” and it is not stated “and they said” (Bereishit Rabbah 50:11).

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. JOH 6:44

19 . . . you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go.

John Gill

You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness—Where no supply could be had, if he had cast them off, see Neh 9:17,

The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day—Which, if it had, they would have been scorched by the heat of the sun:

Nor the pillar of fire by night to show them light, and the way by which they should go—Or otherwise they would have lost their way, and not have known which way to have gone.

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,

2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea . . . 1CO 10:1-2

20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.

“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. EXO 17:6

Bava Metzia 86b:13

With regard to Abraham, the verse states: “And he stood by them under the tree while they ate” (Gen 18:8), and in reference to God, the verse states: “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it” (Exo 17:6). In the case of Abraham it is written: “And Abraham went with them to set them on their way” (Gen 18:16), and the verse states: “And the Lord went before them by day” (Exo 13:21).

21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. NEH 9:19-21

John Gill

Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing—As not for food, so neither for garments, as follows:

Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell—Of which see Deu 8:4.

And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. ACT 13:18

John Gill

And for about forty years—From their coming out of Egypt, to their entrance into the land of Canaan:

He put up with them in the wilderness—Which were very perverse and provoking; as their murmuring for water, their rebellion against Moses and Aaron, their idolatry and the ill report brought on the good land by their spies; and yet the Lord fed them, and led them, and kept them as the apple of his eye: some think the true reading is, “he bore,” or “fed them,” as a nurse bears and feeds her children; and so the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render it, “he nourished them”; rained manna, and gave them quails from heaven, and furnished a table for them in the wilderness: and indeed, though there were instances of God’s patience and forbearance with them, yet certain it is, that as he was tempted and proved by them, so he was grieved with them during the forty years in the wilderness; and often let fall his vengeance upon them, by cutting off great numbers of them; and even the carcasses of all that generation that came out of Egypt fell in the wilderness; nor did any of them enter into the land of Cannan, but Joshua and Caleb.

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people. EXO 33:13

Rashi

Now therefore—If it is true that I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, i.e., what reward you give to those who find favor in your sight.

That I may know you in order to find favor in your sight means, that I may know by this the nature of the reward you bestow, since I have found favor in your sight. The explanation of “in order to find favor” accordingly is: in order that I may find out how great is the reward attendant on this finding favor.

Consider too that this nation is your people so that you should not say (Exo 32:10), “in order that I may make a great nation of you,” whilst these (the whole people) you will abandon! Consider that they are your nation from of old, and if you reject them, surely I cannot rely upon it that those who are born of me will endure—rather let me know through this people the reward that is to be paid me. Although our Rabbis expounded on this in Tractate Berakhot 7a but I come to explain the verses in a manner fitting to them and in their context.

5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long. PSA 25:4-5

It is written in the Prophets, “And they will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me . . . JOH 6:45

John Gill

It is written in the Prophets—In the book of the Prophets, as the Ethiopic version renders it: the Jews divided the books of the Old Testament into three parts, the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa; now in that division which was called the Prophets, are the following words: or in one of the prophets, namely, in Isa 54:13; so the Syriac version reads, “in the prophet”; though some think reference is had to more prophets, and more passages than one, as besides the above mentioned (Jer 31:33; Mic 4:2);

And they will all be taught by God—By his Spirit to know themselves, and Jesus Christ; that is, all that are ordained to eternal life; all that are given to Christ, and are chosen in him; all the children of Zion, and who are the children of God; these are all, sooner or later, in a special manner, taught of God: and which does not intend mere external instructions, and objective teachings by the ministry of the word, for many are so taught, who never come to Christ; but special teachings, such as are attended with the energy of divine grace, and the power of the Spirit of God, who guides into all truth, savingly and spiritually: for this is to be understood of their being taught in the gospel of Christ, and not in the law, as the Targum paraphrases it,

“all your children shall learn in the law of the Lord.”

And that this prophecy refers to gospel times, is clear from the citation and application of the first verse of it, to the church in the times of the apostles (Gal 4:27). The Jews themselves acknowledge the prophecy belongs to the times of the Messiah, to which they expressly apply the words in Isa 54:5, “your Maker is your husband.” And one of their modern commentators allows, that this very passage, “all your children shall be taught by God,” refers, “to the time to come”; that is, to the times of the Messiah: in this citation, those words, “your children,” are left out, to show that the words are not to be restrained to the people of the Jews, as they might seem by that clause, and to whom the Jews would limit them: for so they say,

“they are truly taught of God from whom prophecy comes, which does not to all the world, but to Israel only, of whom it is written, ‘and all your children are taught by God.’ ”

But our Lord, by these words, instructs us, and would have us observe, that all that the Father has given him, whether Jews or Gentiles, of whom he had been speaking in the preceding verses, should be taught of God; and so taught, as to be drawn and brought to him, and believe in him, and have everlasting life: wherefore he infers from hence, that every man, whether a Jew or a Gentile, that is taught of God, will come to him in a spiritual way, and trust in him for eternal life and happiness, as follows:

Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—Everyone who has heard the voice of the Father’s love, grace, and mercy in the gospel, and has learned of him the way of peace, life, and salvation by Christ, under the influence of his grace, comes to Christ; being encouraged by the declarations and promises of grace he has heard and learned, and ventures his soul on Christ, and commits it to him; trusting and relying on his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, for justification, pardon, atonement, acceptance with God, and eternal life.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ROM 8:14

John Gill

For all who are led by the Spirit of God—Not by the spirit of the world, or of the devil, or by their own spirits: the act of leading ascribed to the Spirit is either in allusion to the leading of blind persons, or such who are in the dark; or rather to the leading of children and teaching them to go; which supposes life in those that are led, and some degree of strength, though a good deal of weakness; and is a display of powerful and efficacious grace, and is always for their good: the Spirit of God leads them from sin, and from a dependence on their own righteousness, in paths they formerly knew not, and in which they should go, in the paths of faith and truth, of righteousness and holiness, and in a right, though sometimes a rough way; he leads them to the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ, and to the fulness of grace in him; into the presence of God, to the house and ordinances of God; into the truths of the gospel, from one degree of grace to another, and at last to glory; which he does gradually, by little and little he leads them to see the iniquity of their hearts and natures, to lay hold on Christ and salvation by him, into the doctrines of grace, and the love and favour of God, and proportionally to the strength he gives: now such persons,

Are sons of God—Not in so high a sense as Christ is; nor in so low a sense as Adam was, and angels are; much less in such sense as wicked magistrates be; nor merely as professors of religion in common; but by adoption, not national, such as that of the Jews, but special; and which has some agreement with civil adoption, it being of persons to an inheritance, which they have no legal right unto, and it is done freely: though there is a difference between the one and the other; for in divine adoption there is no need on the adopter’s side; nor no worth on the side of the adopted; proper qualifications are conveyed to them for the enjoyment of the inheritance, and which is enjoyed, the father and firstborn being living, and is an inheritance which vastly exceeds all others: now this blessing of being the sons of God, is owing not to ourselves, nor to our earthly parents, but to God; to the Father, who predestinated to it, and fixed it in the covenant of grace; to Christ, it is by him, as the Son of God, it is through him, as the mediator, and it is for him, it is for his glory; and also to the Spirit of God, who manifests it, works faith to receive it, witnesses to it, and seals up to the full enjoyment of it. This favour is an instance of surprising grace, exceeds other blessings, makes the saints honorourable, is attended with many privileges, and lasts for ever: such who are in this relation to God, ought to ascribe it to his grace, to require him with thankfulness, and a becoming conversation, to be followers of him, and to love, honour, and obey him.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ROM 12:16

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths. PRO 3:5-6

Avot D’Rabbi Natan 17:7

Let all your actions be for the sake of heaven. Meaning, for the sake of the law, as it says (Pro 3:6), “In all your ways acknowledge God, and he will straighten out your paths.”

Berakhot 63a:13

Bar Kappara taught: Which is a brief passage upon which all fundamental principles of the law are dependent? “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Pro 3:6). Rava said: One must apply this principle even to acts of transgression, as even then one must adhere to God and refrain from sinning excessively.