Deuteronomy 18

THE priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire By which phrase we here manifestly see that he means not burnt-offerings, which were wholly consumed by fire, and no part of them eaten by the Priests, but other Sacrifices, whereof part was offered to the Lord by fire, and part was allotted to the Priests for their food., and his inheritance (i. e.) The Lords portion or inheritance, which God had reserved to himself, as Tithes and first Fruits, and other oblations distinct from those which were made by fire, and so these two branches make up the whole of that which belonged to God, and was by him given to the Levites..

Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD (i. e.) The Lords part and right, as was now said. is their inheritance, as he has said unto them.

And this shall be the priests due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice To wit, a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, or a Peace-Offering, as appears from Levit. 7. 31, 33. which is oft times called simply a Sacrifice, as Exod. 18. 12. Levit. 17. 5, 8. Numb. 15. 3 Deut. 12. 27., whether it be ox or sheep, and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw Qu. How does this agree with other Texts, in which the shoulder and the breast, and those parts only are the Priests due, not the cheeks and maw? Answ. 1. Who shall tie Gods hands: what if he now makes an addition, and enlargeth the Priests commons? Nothing more usual than for one Scripture to supply what is lacking in another, and for a latter Law of God to add to a former. 2. The Breast may be here omitted, because it is comprehended under the Shoulder, to which it is commonly joyned, and with which it was waved before the Lord. 3. The Hebrew word here rendred Maw or Stomach, which was reckoned among dainties by the Antients is not to my remembrance used elsewhere, and therefore it may have another signification, and some render it the breast others take it for the uppermost part of the stomach, which lies under the breast..

The first fruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thy oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep shalt thou give him.

For the LORD thy God has chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the Name of the LORD (i. e.) Either by Authority and Commission from him, or for his Honour, Worship or Service., him, and his sons for ever.

And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose Either for any private occasions, or to sojourn there for a season, or rather with full purpose to fix his abode, and to spend his whole time and strength in the service of God, as appears by the sale of his patrimony mentioned, v. 8. It seems probable that the several Priests were to come from their Cities to the Temple by turns, before Davids time, and it is certain they did so after it. But if any of them were not contented with this seldom attendance upon God in his Tabernacle, or Temple, and desired more intirely and constantly to devote himself to Gods service there, he was permitted so to do, because this was an eminent act of piety joyned with self-denyal to part with those great conveniencies which he could and did enjoy in the City of his possession, and to oblige himself to more constant and laborious work about the Sacrifices, &c.;

Then he shall minister in the Name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD.

They shall have like portions To wit, with their Brethren who were in actual ministration as they share with them in the work, so shall they also in the incouragements. to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony Though he have an estate whereby he may subsist raised by the sale of his House in his City, and his Cattel, and other moveables, yet you shall not upon this ground either deny or diminish their part of your maintenance. The reason of this Law was partly because he that waited on the Altar, ought to live by the Altar: and partly because it was fit he should keep his money, wherewith he might redeem what he sold, if afterwards he saw occasion for it. Heb. Besides his sales by the fathers, i. e. Of that which came to him by his Fathers, or, according to his Fathers, or, his Fathers house, and these words may be joyned not with the word immediately foregoing, but with the former part of the verse, the next word coming in by a kind of parenthesis, in this manner, and order, Besides that which cometh by the sale of their goods, they shall havelike portions to eat to what their Brethren have, each of them eating according to his Fathers house, i. e. A Gershonite shall eat with his Brethren the Gershonites who are then ministring, and a Merarite with the Merarites, &c. and so there shall be no disturbance nor change in the appointed courses by their accession to the number..

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son, or his daughter to pass through the fire Either by a superstitious lustration or purgation, or by a cruel sacrificing, of them. See Levit. 18. 21. 2 King. 17. 31. and 23. 10. 2 Chron. 28. 3. Psal. 106. 37. Ier. 7. 31. and 19. 5. Ezek. 16. 20, 21. and 23. 37, 38, 39., or that useth divination (i. e.) Foretelleth things secret or to come, Mic. 3. 11. by unlawful arts and practises., or an observer of times Superstitiously pronouncing some days good or lucky, and others unlucky for such or such actions. Or, an observer of the clouds or heavens, i. e. one that divineth by the motions of the clouds, by the stars, or by the flying or chattering of Birds, all which heathens used to observe., or an inchanter Or, a conjecturer, that discovers hidden things by a superstitious use of words or ceremonies, by observation of water, or smoke or any contingencies, as the meeting of an hare, &c. See on Levit. 19. 26., or a witch One that is in covenant with the Devil, and by his help deludes their sences or hurts their persons. See Exod. 7. 11. and 22. 18.,

Or a charmer One that charmeth Serpents or other cattel, Psal. 58. 6. Or, a fortune-teller, that foretelleth the events of mens lives by the conjunctions of the stars, &c. See more on Levit. 19. 31. and 20. 6., or a consulter with familiar spirits Whom they call upon by certain words or rites to engage them in evil designs., or a wizard Heb. a knowing or cunning man, who by any superstitious or forbidden wayes undertakes the revelation of secret things., or a necromancer One that calleth up and enquireth of the dead, 1 Sam. 28. 8. Isa. 8. 19..

For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations, the LORD thy God does drive them The people of the land which thou art going to possess mentioned above, ver. 9. out from before thee.

Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD Sincerely and wholly his, seeking him and cleaving to him and to his word alone, and therefore abhorring all commerce and conversations with Devils or their agents, such as were now mentioned. thy God.

For these nations which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God has not suffered thee so to do Has not suffered thee to follow thy own vain mind and these superstitious and Diabolical practises, as he has suffered other nations to do, Act. 14. 16. but has instructed thee better by his word and spirit, and thereby kept thee from such courses, and will more fully instruct thee by a great Prophet, &c. Or, has not given to thee, to wit, such persons to consult with, but has given thee prophets to instruct thee, and will in due time give thee an eminent prophet as it here follows..

The LORD thy God will raise up (i. e.) Will produce and send into the world in due time unto thee a prophet Those words may be understood secundarily concerning the succession of Prophets which God would raise for the instruction of his Church, both because this is alledged as an argument why they need not consult with diviners, &c. because they should have Prophets at hand whensoever it was needful, to advise them, and because this Prophet is opposed to the false prophets, and a general rule is hereupon given for the discovery of all succeeding Prophets whether they be true or false, ver. 20, 21, 22. but they are chiefly to be understood of Christ, as the following words show which do not truely and fully agree to any other, particularly where he is said to be like unto Moses, which is simply denied concerning all other Prophets, Deut. 34. 10. and therefore it is not probable that it should be simply affirmed concerning all true Prophets succeeding him. But Christ was truly, and in all commendable parts like him, in being both a Prophet and a King and a Priest and Mediatour, as Moses was, in the excellency of his Ministery and work, in the glory of his miracles, in his familiar and intimate converse with God, &c. And this place is expounded of Christ alone by God himself in the New Testament, Act. 3. 22. and 7. 37. See also Ioh. 1. 45 and 6. 14. from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken.

According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly To wit, of that great and general congregation of all the people together., saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth Will instruct him what to say, reveal my self and my Will to him., and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him He will faithfully execute the office and trust I commit to him..

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my Name, I will require it of him (i. e.) I will punish him severely for it, as this phrase is taken, Gen. 9. 5. and 42. 22. The sad effect of this threatning the Iews have felt for above 1600 years together..

But the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my Name, which I have not commanded to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?

When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the LORD, if the thing Which he gives as a sign of the truth of his prophecy; He means the prediction of some strange and wonderful event, as appears by comparing this with Deut. 13. 1, 2. follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken The falshood of his prediction shows him to be a false prophet, though the truth and accomplishment of his prediction had not proved him to be a true Prophet, as is evident from Deut. 13. 2, 3., but the prophet has spoken it presumptuously Impudently ascribing his own vain and lying fancies to the God of truth. thou shalt not be afraid of him (i. e.) Of his predictions or threatnings, so as to be scared from doing thy duty in bringing him to deserved punishment.: